Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
by Marissa Meyer
February 5, 2013
Feiwel & Friends
464 pages
Source: Around The World ARC Tours

Synopsis
Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-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 and 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 has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner. (Goodreads Summary.)

*WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for Cinder, book one of The Lunar Chronicles*

My Take On It

Guys, I was a HUGE fan of last year's Cinder (you can read my review HERE.) I loved this Cinderella retelling with cyborgs, steampunk and a healthy does of science fiction.  I thought making the Cinderella figure part cyborg and a mechanic was brilliant.  I loved the setting of new Beijing, and I LOVED the inclusion of a race of moon people and their psychotic queen bent on taking over the Earth.  So when I heard that the next of this four book series would be a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, I was even more excited. And a little anxious. I was pretty invested in Cinder's cast of characters. I was worried that the companion novel, Scarlet, would not feature those beloved characters as much as I would like.  You never know with companion books, they can go either way.  But within the first few chapters of reading Scarlet, I realized my fears were unfounded. Not only was I treated to the new story of Scarlet and Wolf, but Cinder, Kai, and even that funny little robot Iko, are front in center in the plot, telling their story alongside Scarlet's. 

Okay, before I get started let me say this: before you read Scarlet, go online and read Meyer's short story The Queen's Army. You can go to Tor.com and read it for free or you can download it to your e-reader for a couple of bucks.  The Queen's Army tells the story of Z'ev, a Lunar citizen who is conscripted into the army of Queen Levana.  It begins with his being removed from his family at the age of twelve, and goes on to relay his becoming one of Levana's "beast" soldiers,  which were only hinted at in Cinder.  It is FASCINATING and also pretty tragic.  It gives you a view into the Lunar world and how it works that you don't get by reading Cinder and Scarlet alone. Do you HAVE to read it to understand Scarlet? No. But it really, really enhanced my reading of Scarlet and was so telling that it would have been a shame to have skipped it. It's free/cheap, won't take long to read, and like I said, very informative. Good stuff. Now back to Scarlet.

As you may recall, in Cinder our heroine discovered that she is actually Lunar by birth. And not just Lunar, but the crown Princess Selene, thought to have been killed in a fire some thirteen years earlier.  A fire started by Selene's aunt, Levana, who now sits as Queen. Levana, who like all Lunar citizens has the gift of controlling a person's bioelectricity (mind control, basically), is a power hungry evil mastermind.  She instigated a plague on the earth then withheld the cure, and she is bound and determined to marry Prince Kai, become the Queen of the Eastern Commonwealth, kill him off, and launch her plans to take over the planet. By the end of the book, Kai, who falls hard for Cinder, discovers that she is actually a cyborg and Lunar citizen.  Betrayed and hurt, he agrees to turn Cinder over to Levana, who has figured out who Cinder really is,  if she agrees in exchange to honor the truce between Luna and Earth and return to her home.  Cinder is incarcerated but is aided by Dr. Erland, who it turns out, is also a Lunar refugee in hiding.  

Now that the recap is finished let's move on to Scarlet.  At the beginning of the book we are introduced to Scarlet Benoit who lives outside of Toulouse, France and is desperate to locate her grandmother Michelle, who has been missing for several weeks.  The police have halted the investigation, believing that Michelle either left on her own or committed suicide.  Scarlet knows better and she is pissed that the police aren't doing more.  I absolutely LOVE the character of Scarlet. She is a fiery, tough as nails redhead who is stubborn and has a bit of a temper. Scarlet does not let anyone push her around. When the police call off the search, Scarlet immediately sets about finding out what really happened.  I thought Scarlet's devotion to her missing grandmother was awesome. It showed that she could be tough but also tender.  

Enter Wolf, a street fighter who makes his living fighting in bloody, organized, heavily wagered brawls. After their first meeting, Scarlet is given some information that makes her suspect that Wolf may have been involved in her grandmother's disappearance.  Eventually the two decide to work together, and after Wolf tells her he may know who is holding her grandmother, they both travel to Paris to look for her.

I REALLY loved the character of Wolf. He is mysterious, watchful,  and kind of ferocious. But he also has a very sweet side to him as well. The problem lies in the area of trust. He's definitely holding back information from Scarlet, and part of the fun of his character is figuring what is truth and what is not.

I will admit to having a lukewarm reception to Prince Kai in Cinder. I liked him but didn't flip out over him. But I really enjoyed the character of Wolf, I felt him to be much more three dimensional and compelling.  And he is pretty sexy too. Think ALPHA male (pun very much intended:) 

Running parallel to Scarlet and Wolf's story is Cinder's story.  In Scarlet, we meet a new character: Carswell Thorne, a fellow inmate who helps Cinder escape prison before she is shipped off to Luna. I LOVE Thorne, an arrogant, slightly lecherous, full of himself, thieving American pilot with a string of crimes and convictions under his belt. He may be bad news but try as I might, I can't NOT like Carswell Thorne.   He is an awesome form of  comic relief. And he also kind of  reminds me of this guy:

Source

Is he a possible love interest for Cinder, who is still hesitant to admit her feelings about Prince Kai? I don't think so.  I think the two will be just be friends. Is he a possible love interest for some future character in this series? I kinda hope so. I like him and his pirate ways a whole lot:)

Thorne has a hidden spaceship (Millennium Falcon, anyone?) which he and Cinder use to escape.  The Lunar and Eastern Commonwealth authorities are both after her and Cinder spends much of Scarlet on the run, hiding, and trying to avoid capture.  The best part of Cinder's parallel storyline? Well there are two good things. First, at a certain point it does intersect with Scarlet's and the two meet (which is all sorts of cool.) 

Second, the return of IKO!! I love, love, love me some Iko!  She is not abandoned after Cinder's wicked stepmother disassembles her at the end of the first book. Cinder retrieves her personality chip and she is reunited with her bestie in Scarlet.  So much love for that little android:)

Scarlet moves at a break neck pace, alternating between the two plot lines. It also does an awesome job of moving forward the central plot of the series.  It would seem war between earth and the Lunar's is imminent.  More background on World War IV as well as the Lunar people is presented, though I can tell that Meyer's continues to hold back information, choosing to reveal details gradually. And more information is divulged about Princess Selene's escape to earth, including who was involved in helping make that escape successful. Cinder learns a lot about herself in Scarlet,  including learning to manipulate and control her newly discovered Lunar gift. Cinder struggles with doing the right thing versus the easy thing throughout the story, always fearful of turning into a monster like her aunt,  Queen Levana. I love that Meyer's continues to add dimension to Cinder's character. 

Like Cinder, Kai's character is also further fleshed out (YAY!) And while the romance between the two is definitely tabled in this installment, it's clear that there is MUCH more in store for them on that front.   

Wolf and Scarlet's relationship is more closely studied in Scarlet, and me being the romantic that I am, absolutely loved the swoony moments between the two.  I can't wait to see where their relationship goes next!

I devoured this story, but I will admit that there is a LOT going on.  I was never confused with the jumping back and forth between the multiple narrators of Scarlet and Cinder, but  I did feel like Scarlet's story, which was my fave of the two, got a bit of the shaft in the end.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy to learn more about Cinder and what is going with her, that was what I initially wanted, remember? But I found as I was reading that I REALLY wanted more Scarlet (and Wolf.)  

As this series continues, the next installment Cress, featuring Cinder and Rapunzel in Luna (how freaking cool does THAT sound, by the way?), I can't help but wonder how Meyer's is going to be able to balance out all these intersecting story lines and still keep the series moving smoothly forward to it's conclusion.  

Nevertheless, Scarlet was a definite hit in my book. I loved it more than Cinder. I am so excited to see what Marissa Meyer's does with the remaining two books in the Lunar Chronicles because I love where she has taken it so far.  It will definitely be a long wait until Cress is published in 2014. 

Find Marissa Meyer here:  Website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Goodreads/ Pinterest

Read more reviews of Scarlet: 

Cuddlebuggery Book Blog
A Reader of Fictions
Anna Reads
Carina's Books
Princess Bookie
Little Library Muse