Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads summary:
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

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.

What I thought:
I loved Cinder, so I had very high expectations when I read Scarlet. I didn't love it as much as I loved Cinder, but I still loved it! This one is definitely grittier. There is more violence (some of it rather grotesque, but not detailed) because of Queen Levana's soldiers and the power struggle between her and Prince Kai. The focus is about 2/3 on Scarlet and 1/3 on Cinder in this one, so you have more characters and different stories to follow, but it worked really well for me. That means that there are some very different personalities in this one and I though Meyer did a fabulous job fully developing each character. It was fun to see how they interacted with each other.

All the women in this series are strong and independent. Scarlet is a great character and very different from Cinder. She was raised by a loving grandmother who she trusts completely. When her grandmother goes missing it's like her anchor is missing and she's a little lost. Cinder is also a little lost. She has to figure out what she will do. She doesn't know where to go or who she can trust. Then she has to worry about her Lunar powers: how to use them, how they work, and how much or how little she will use them. Queen Levana is as cold and calculating as ever. I really dislike her.

Then there are the men. I loved Wolf and "Captain" Thorne! Wolf is rather mysterious and rough. Thorne is like a golden boy who keeps getting himself in trouble, or maybe it's that he is a trouble-maker who talks his way out of trouble. He brought some much needed humor to the story, as does Iko (Cinder's android friend). I do wish Prince Kai would get his act together. I understand the position he is in and it is a tough one, but I wish he was better informed, more prepared, and stronger in his convictions. Regardless, I still like him.

The story got pretty complicated and tense towards the end. Meyer did a fabulous job of fitting everything together. I'm really looking forward to finding how it all turns out when the next book comes out next year. I really wish I didn't have to wait so long!

Content: Some brief innuendo, some violence
Genre: YA SciFi
Publication date: February 5, 2013 by Feiwel and Friends
Source: Bought from Amazon
Rating:




You can download and read the first five chapters of Scarlet on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I've heard some speculation about who Cinder will end up with: Thorne or Prince Kai. You can see one of my favorite blogger's, Jen Ryland of YA Romantics, review where she talks about what she thinks. Have you read Scarlet? Are you rooting for Thorne or Kai? I'm actually a little torn because I could see either, but I'm also wondering if Meyer will introduce a third leading lady in the third book like she has in each one so far. Interesting thought, isn't it?








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