Book Review- Scarlet

Book- Scarlet (#2 of The Lunar Chronicles(

Author- Marissa Meyer

Publication Date- 5th February 2013

Publisher- Macmillan Publishers

This review may contain spoilers from the first book of the series- Cinder, so do not read this review unless you have read the first book or unless you don’t plan on reading this series. (you’re making a mistake BTW)

Okay so let me put this right out at the beginning. Marissa Meyer is one of my queens of fantasy and fiction. Her writing is absolutely fantastic and I really can’t get enough of her books. Gripping storyline, amazing characters, humor, sarcasm, really, is there anything her books don’t have?

Scarlet was such a great read. Though I liked Cinder a teensy weensy bit more, I still adored this book. (I only liked Cinder a bit more cuz of my ridiculously huge crush on Kai)  A retelling of Red Riding Hood, Meyer effortlessly entwines the two plots, keeping the base of the fairytale the same, yet making the story completely original and unique.

Scarlet Benoit, a fiery farm girl lives with her grandmother in a small town in France. Or atleast- used to until two weeks back. Her grandmother is missing, and Scarlet is ready to do anything to find her. So when she encounters a mysterious street fighter- Wolf, who may know the whereabouts of her grandmother, Scarlet has no choice but to take his help, despite of her distrust for him. But somehow, she is irresistibly drawn to Wolf, and he to her. At the same time, halfway across the world, Cinder has become the Commonwealths biggest fugitive, and is still coming to terms with her real identity. In her attempts to flee from prison and meet with Dr.Erland, Cinder is forced to take the assistance of ridiculously annoying and flirtatious Captain Thorne- who flirts with anything that looks remotely female. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel the mystery of her grandmothers kidnapping, they stumble into yet another when their paths collide with Cinder. Now, all of them together have to stay two steps ahead of vicious and bloodthirsty Queen Levana, who will do everything in her power to conquer Earth- starting with the Commonwealth…and Prince Kai.

What I Liked:
I love the way Meyer gives her fairytales a modern twist. I’m not a big fan of retellings- I feel that authors twist up the fairytales rather crudely and end up over dramatizing and ruining the timeless tales, but that doesn’t happen with this series. Though the foundation of the story is the same, Meyer makes it so much more layered and intriguing.

I loved the plot. The pacing of the story was good, and I didn’t ever find myself getting bored. Meyer juggles between different POV’s well which gives us different perspectives of situations happening in the book. The plot isn’t over the top or very complicated, but that simple storyline is written so intricately. I can visualise everything clearly in my head and I felt everything the characters felt.

Coming to the characters- I really liked Scarlet. I love how much she cares for her grandmother and I love how brave she is. She’s ready to take on anyone and anything as long as she gets her grand- mere back. Headstrong, a bit short tempered, but still a kind and compassionate person. I found it adorable when she had a gun aimed at Wolf, but still made him a tomato sandwich because he was hungry- if that’s not cute, I don’t know what is. (has this really become my idea of a cute first meeting and date? This is why I’m going to be forever single). But I don’t think I connected to Scarlet as much as I did to Cinder, though that’s probably because the first book was entirely about Cinder, wheras this book was focused on a lot more than one characters.

I loved Wolf! I know he’s a dangerous street fighter and can tear people apart and whatnot, but to me, he’s just this adorable, awkward little teddy bear. Sure he’s deadly, but he reminds me of a lost puppy who needs a hug. I loved how he didn’t know what a tomato was- like that was so innocent my heart just melted into a puddle. But even then, we don’t know much about him- his past and present both are still kinda a question mark. But seriously, reading about him makes me all warm and fuzzy and I just want to go and give him a bone crushing hug.

Cinder is still my favourite character. Her growth in this book is clear- but she’s still the same awesome person she was in the first book. It amazes me how strong she is. Her life was turned upside down, and she learns all these dark secrets about herself- even then she stays so strong. She has no time for self pity and is just so hardworking. I love that she isn’t only doing what she is told, but still makes her own decisions- instead of going to meet Dr.Erland, she decides to go looking for answers about her past first. Though it was a rash decision, it worked out well for her, which is what matters the most. I like Captain Thorne as well- flirty, funny, and super charismatic- he’s a very entertaining character. But even he is still a mystery and we don’t know much about who he is, so I’m hoping that changes and we get to know more about him in Cress.

So there wasn’t much of Kai in this book, (that makes me so sad). But whenever he was present, I would always get flutters in my stomach and would bat my eyelashes flirtatiously. ( yes, i know I’m weird thankyou very much) I can see him grow, and see him get stronger, but REALLY THIS BOY HAS TO LEARN TO TAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS. His decision at the end of the book? Really?? Really Kai???? I understand his reasons, but boy that wasn’t smart. *shakes head reprovingly but still swoons thinking about him*

I hate Queen Levana. Evil, cunning, arrogant and UGH soooo fake, I want her ripped to shreds. AGH I HATE HER I HATE HER I HATE HER.

On to the romance, I ship Wolflet so much!! I love how they both balance each other out and are so endearing. I love how Scarlet teases Wolf, and how Wolf gets so shy about it. I wish the romance had developed slower though. I mean they barely knew each other for a day and were already so infatuated with one another. But even then, they are a really really reeeeaaalllllyyyy cute couple. Though Kai and Cinder didn’t meet in this book, that can never change the intensity with which I ship them. I hate how Kai thinks Cinder just manipulated him with a Lunar trick to make him fall for her, cuz OF COURSE NOT YOU BUFFOON. (though admittedly a really cute buffoon) I need the two of them together, like NOW. They both are perfect for each other, and I really miss their cute and light banter.

The ending was smart- just like Cinder, it wasn’t a MASSIVE cliffhanger, but it’s more than enough to get me craving for the next book.

What I didn’t like:

So I didn’t feel as connected to the new characters in the book as I had to the characters in Cinder. I felt they weren’t as developed. Also, I wanted the romance to not be insta love, you know how much I ABHORR insta love, though I didn’t mind it as much in this book. I did want it to develop slower than it did though.

Rating:

I would give this book a solid four out of five stars. Even with those few flaws, the book was amazing and really fun to read. It had the same sarcastic humor and the same great plot which makes me love Meyer’s books. Definitely a book I would recommend to other readers.

Thanks for reading! Have you read Scarlet?  Do you plan to? Comment down your thoughts on the book and series, I love a good discussion!