Book Reviews

review; scarlet

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Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review:

I reached home two days after finishing Cinder, and was only home for a few hours. (I feel like such a globetrotter this year, and was homesick beyond belief, but books have been helping.) But I had to switch out the books in my bag. Scarlet was the first thing to be put in. I finished half the novel on my flight out, and despite how busy we were the next day, I found the time to finish the book in the afternoon. That is how much Marissa Meyer’s world has dragged me into it’s depths.

Based on Little Red Riding Hood, Scarlet sees Scarlet Benoit, an intelligent and resourceful young woman (with some anger issues that just make her all the more intriguing) diving into the depths of the unknown conspiracies around her to try and save her grandmother from a fate she does not know. Helping her is the aptly named Wolf, who is mysterious and dangerous and very, very easy to fall in love with. And I’m saying that as a reader, not for Scarlet, but for myself.

And then on the other side, we have Cinder trying to escape her own fate. The introduction of the handsome scoundrel Thorne was a stroke of genius on the author’s part because he is annoying and flirty, but still sweet and sometimes even smart. His banter with Cinder is perfection.

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The romance elements of the novels are not thrown at the reader, which I love. It is there, obvious but not cloying. The fact that the novel does not abandon the Cinder/Kai story, but rather lets it evolve as well, individually, is done well. All the individual character arcs are tied together slowly but surely, building up to further storylines in the next couple of novels. The mystery surrounding Wolf builds up throughout the novel and even all the anticipation I had that there was more to Wolf than what we knew –

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– I did not see what the truth was actually coming. Nothing could have prepared me for that.

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Kai’s position in the world makes my heart hurt. They’ve all got so much pressure and not enough information to make educated decisions, and so they go with what they feel is right, and it just hurts. (Some of his chapters just make me feel so sad for him because he’s caught in such a tough place and he’s alone and lost and despite everything, he still wants Cinder to be okay, he still cares for her despite thinking she betrayed him, it’s a wonderfully written relationship.)

The entire world has so much to give and the author’s decision to take each story and character into various places instead of keeping them in one makes the world so much more rich. I do not know how the people who have been reading this since the beginning take the waiting in between each novels coming out for the next.

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I’m Ara, a Southeast Asian writer who someday hopes to have published a novel, and who is currently losing herself in the worlds created by others. I love books and food and television and blogging and I get distracted and sidetracked easily.

6 Comments

  • Ali

    I haven’t read any of her books yet! I just got Cinder (finally) because everyone has convinced me I should read it. It’s one of those books that sounds absolutely absurd but then EVERYONE raves about it! So clearly I’m missing out. Can’t wait to read Cinder (and hopefully I love it and move on to Scarlet, too!)

    • Ara

      AHHH I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH. I mean, I’m of the opinion that if you enjoy fairytale retellings, you will probably love this series. It’s fun, the characters are pretty well-developed, the relationships are well-written – and it does not lose momentum throughout the series in my opinion. I hope you enjoy them!

  • Jess @ POB!

    Haha, The Lunar Chronicles is so addicting; definitely a series one should binge-read! I’m really glad you are enjoying it; Marissa Meyer has easily become one of my favorite authors. To be honest, I think Scarlet is my least favorite book but I love that Thorne is introduced in this one!

    Thanks for stopping by Princessica of Books!

    • Ara

      Yes! The series is so great, I love it. I cannot wait for Heartless now? I love Marissa Meyer’s writing. (And Thorne is just <333. I think Cress is my favourite of the four books tbh.)

  • Resh Susan

    I must be one of the few people who havent read The Lunar Chronicles yet. Well I was planning to binge read. And then there were too many books to binge read. 😀

    • Ara

      THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY BOOKS says the woman who hasn’t finished a book this month at all. Haha. But read it!

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