Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
Publication date: February 5th 2013
Publisher: Feiwel and
Friends
Format: Paperback
Buy it here: Amazon, The Book Depository

Goodreads Description

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.

Oooooh! Marissa Meyer, I love you! Once again, she has flawlessly weaved a classic, well-known fairy tale into a dystopic world. When I first picked up Cinder (# 1), I thought the merging of the two (very) different genres would be too much, but after reading a few chapters, my mind was blown. It totally works in ways you wouldn't expect. This requires much talent and imagination.

Before I begin, I'd like to point out that this review WILL contain Cinder spoilers, so read Cinder first! - shoo.

In this installment, we meet Scarlet Benoit. As you can probably guess from the name, cover and series, Scarlet plays the role of Little Red Riding Hood alongside Cinder (Cinderella). We find out that her grandmother (or, grand-mére) has disappeared without a word, leaving her bloodied ID chip behind wrapped in a cheesecloth.

“I think I realized that I would rather die
because I betrayed them, than live because I betrayed you.”

After much disappointment from the authorities, Scarlet decides to take her grandmother's mystery into her own hands and go out and search for her - no matter what it takes. Meanwhile, in Scarlet's world, everyone is talking about Cinder - the cyborg girl who dared to attend the Eastern Commonwealth's annual ball and turn it into a royal disaster. The embarrassing situation has been plastered all over the news, and Cinder has been forced to go into hiding to dodge the wrath of her evil aunt, Queen Levana.

Scarlet has two protagonist's throughout the book. We get to read from the point-of-view of both Scarlet and Cinder, which was really nice. Cinder is introduced again in chapter four, which I was over the moon about. I loved Cinder as a character, and was excited to read about what she was doing alongside Scarlet's chapters. She's as determined as ever to figure out what she needs to do and is trying to work out how to control her glamour. We see her escaping from prison with a new character called Thorne (one of my favourite new characters, by far). We get to read back and forth between Scarlet and Cinder (and we get to read about what Kai's up to, too!) - this makes such a delicious reading experience when the two protagonists collide for the first time.

As Scarlet decides what to do about her grandmother, she comes across a street-fighter called Wolf. Now, I automatically know what you're thinking, but the book isn't that predictable ;) Together, they embark on a quest to save Scarlet's grandmother and bring her back to their farm in France where she belongs. This is YA, so expect romance!

Scarlet - I loved how her feisty personality mirrored Cinder's and I love how much she cared about her grandmother, willing to sacrifice herself for her grand-mére's safety. She's not afraid to voice her opinion and hurt the people who get in her way.

Cinder - Once again, an amazing character. Meyer really took the time to breathe life into her and make her multidimensional. I loved the banter between Cinder and Thorne and how their friendship develops. I loved how she puts others before herself, even though she's of Lunar (and royal) descent.

Wolf - Ahh, the love interest in this book. The mysterious Mr. Wolf who is fascinated with his new-found discovery of tomatoes. I was a bit wary throughout the book, because his name is well... Wolf. We discover at the beginning of the book that he is a street-fighter with unnaturally sharp fangs. But is he really just a street fighter? You'll have to find out for yourself.

Thorne - The funniest character throughout the whole book - he once started a riot about the soap in prison being too drying. An ex-convict by force. Though flirtatious (I loved the part when Iko and him first... uh... (kind of) meet), and sometimes a bit dopey and naive, he appears to have a heart full of gold - putting himself on the line in order to help Cinder and her cause (even though he doesn't know who she truly is).

I can't wait to read Cress! Bring it on, Meyer!