“‘Even in the future, beware of the big, bad wolf...’ Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the best-selling Lunar Chronicles. She is 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. 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.”
What is the book about?
Cinder is stuck in prison after being put there by Kai, who she was only trying to protect, and will be handed over to the Lunar Queen Levana as a bargaining tool. If she doesn't escape she will face trial on Luna which means only one thing – her execution. However, if she doesn't succeed in escaping she will be the Commonwealth's (and likely Earth's) most wanted and she is unlikely to be able to stay hidden for long. Halfway across the world, in a small village in France, Scarlet Benoit is facing her own nightmare. After years living peacefully with her grandmother on her farm, her grandmother is missing and no one seems to care, they all just think she ran because she was a little eccentric (or crazy as they like to say). But Scarlet knows that she would never do that and that something bigger and much worse happened, especially when her father shows up after years of no contact looking for something. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information on her grandmother's whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him. He says he will help her find her grandmother, and, despite having known him for less than a day, she goes with him to find her and gradually they start to feel a connection. As they begin to unravel the mystery on why her grandmother was taken in the first place, their adventure overlaps with Cinder's and they find themselves having to work together to keep Queen Levana from taking over the Commonwealth and then Earth.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
I'm not kidding when I say that I started reading this book immediately after I finished Cinder. I had the book ready to go and after the cliffhanger ending that left me wanting more I was certainly glad for it. Since I had already read the first book in this series and had really enjoyed reading it, my initial thoughts Scarlet were very optimistic. I was quite sure that this book was going to be just as enjoyable as the previous one and that I would find it just as interesting. I was really intrigued to find out what happened next and was desperate to figure out how things would go, as everything was really up in there. The blurb intrigued me even more as I was going to meet completely new characters and it wasn't just going to be all about Cinder. I was also excited to see how Little Red Riding Hood was going to come into the story. Once I started to read I was initially disappointed like with Cinder and found it a little hard to get into the book and let the real world fade, however the doubts lasted less than with the previous book. Soon I was enjoying the book and found that once again I finished it in 2 days, reaching for the next book seconds after.
Who was your favourite character and why?
There were a few characters that I liked in this book but I would probably say that my favourite character was Thorne. Even though he was probably ridiculously annoying to the other characters who didn't appreciate his jokes and his carefree attitude towards everything, I loved it. He added some much needed comedy and entertainment to the book as all the other characters were much too focused on not dying and trying to find a way to stop Queen Levana. It was probably the reason why I also really loved Iko whose enthusiastic personality didn't falter even when they were in the middle of a war. And when you put both of these characters together not only did that mean a headache for Cinder and whoever else was on the ship but it also made for great comedic relief. I can't wait to keep reading about them.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was probably the scene where Scarlet and Wolf were together in that train carriage. Ever since the two characters had met, there had been a clear attraction between them and it was also clear that neither wanted to act on it. It was such an obvious connection because if it had been anyone other than Wolf I don't think Scarlet would have just followed him blindly to Paris, or have trusted him enough to have him help her all the times they found themselves in trouble. However, neither of them was dumb enough to act on it when they had only known each other for a day, no matter how badly I wanted them to. Fortunately, whatever they felt for each other clearly took over their brains in that train carriage and for a few moments they were just Wolf and Scarlet, two teenagers without a care in the world and nothing to think about other than the other person. I really loved this scene and was glad for the moments of happiness these characters got because it was obvious that after a few more hours their whole lives were going to be completely different and much less manageable.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, Scarlet was a stunning book and I really enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed it for a lot of the same things as Cinder, clearly showing the author's talent for satisfying her readers. One thing I loved was the short chapters which definitely made me like the book more. I love short chapters and they always make me feel like I am flying through a book and I'm sure anyone else would feel that way. The fact that you can say you are on chapter 15 in less than half an hour feels like such a prize. It made me feel like the book was so easy to read and I'm sure it was part of the reason why I finished the whole book so quickly. Another thing I really enjoyed was how this book flowed so easily from the previous one. It was so clear that Marissa Meyer knew what she was doing and had intended even when she first started writing for this to be a 4 book series. I loved how I was easily transported back into the dystopian world and how everything fit together so well, with things that I had initially dismissed in Cinder becoming much more significant than I could have ever though in this book. One last thing was how once again the fairy tale story (this time Little Red Riding Hood) was so subtly incorporated into the story. I loved to see the similarities between the stories and I can't wait to see what fairy tale pops up next.
Which book did you like better, the first or the second?
Although I enjoyed both Cinder and Scarlet and found that both were amazing, I would say that my favourite out of the two of them was definitely Scarlet. There are a couple reasons for this... Firstly, I really enjoyed having more points of view involved in the story and loved how this book was almost following 2 different storylines that were linked together in more ways than one. I found this much more engaging because it was much easier to read as I was always on edge hoping to get back to the next perspective so I could find out what happened next. Secondly, I found that the reveals throughout this book were much less predictable and I found myself being really surprised at some points of the story, really shocked to find out how certain things linked together. It was definitely more engaging and less predictable than the previous book and I found myself loving every second of it. Now I can't wait to read the next book of the series and keep going in this surprisingly amazing plot.
Would you recommend this book?
I definitely recommend Scarlet (though obviously read Cinder – the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series – first) and think it is a great book for romance, dystopian and fairy tale lovers.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A thrilling adventure set in the future with the perfect sprinkling of romance and the looming threat of war.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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