Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

4.5/5 Stars

Published by Feiwel and Friends

Published February 5th, 2013

Synopsis: 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 informational 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.

In Scarlet, Marissa Meyer was able to create an enthralling and explosive second installment that left my heart racing and my little fingers struggling to turn the pages as fast as I read. This story was epic, adventurous, romantic, and incredibly driven. After quickly finishing Cinder, I knew I was gonna be hooked on this sci-fi meets fairytale escapade, but I had no idea I would be this addicted. Marissa Meyer continues to lure me in with her excellent writing.

For most of this story we are focused on the introduction of two new characters; Scarlet and Wolf, which may seem a bit distressing considering where we left off in Cinder. However, Marissa Meyer is able to quickly tie and entwine these two stories together before we ever begin to wonder how the two were even remotely related. Scarlet is just as charismatic, if not more feisty than Cinder, and has a certain spark to her that is unsuccessful in waning, even after all the crap and stress and terror  that she has to endure. Wolf is an incredibly complex character, one that takes a bit of time to warm up to simply because he really is a 'big bad wolf' (haha wow red riding hood reference ya see). He had a bit of charm and a sense of protectiveness, but it was definitely the relationship between Scarlet and Wolf that had me enjoying his character. Although there was a tad bit of instalove in this book, it was nice to see these two character come together, fall apart, and ultimately rekindle what spark was left.

The most important detail about this story was the friendship between Cinder and Captain Carswell Thorne. Thorne has to be my favorite character of this entire series. He reminds me of bit of Nikolai Lantsov from Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy and anybody who knows me knows I am in love with Nikolai's character. Thorne is super charming and sarcastic, combined with comedic wit and a surprising kindness. Together, Cinder and Thorne work together like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark pre-civil war - knocking heads, yet having a good ole jolly time, getting stuff done, and essentially growing a bond.

For many, Scarlet was better than Cinder, but in my opinion, both were marvelously unique and unlike each other. Scarlet was an awesome, invigorating, and modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It was able to capture the essence of the classic tale without misplacing the fascinating world Marissa Meyer has created. The plot line was comparable to a good burger and a tall glass of lemonade on a hot day- juicy, delicious, and refreshing. As of writing this review I have already read Cress and am now reading Winter, so if that doesn't speak millions about how wonderful this series is, I don't know what will!

little red was a tender young morsel, and the wolf knew she would be even tastier than the old woman ...