Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: February 5, 2013
Author Info: Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 464
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

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.

Mmmm, Scarlet. I am fine admitting that I approached you with trepidation. Cinder was just such a fabulous book that I was afraid Marissa Meyer wouldn't be able to capture that same vibe more than once. Scarlet not only did that, but it also managed to combine the ends of Cinderella perfectly with Little Red Riding Hood. With four books in the Lunar Chronicles, one would expect that the middle books would slump in some way, working as filler, but Scarlet is riveting, fun, tightly plotted, and just plain awesome all the way through.

One concern when coming into Scarlet is letting the characters introduced in the previous book get enough time in the spotlight while also introducing and endearing to the reader several new characters. Marissa Meyer does this spectacularly. I quickly knew Scarlet would be a favorite because of her no nonsense attitude; she doesn't take crap and does what she's got to do. She also keeps a gun in her waistband, clearly marking her as awesome. I felt the same with Wolf, though he's a mystery for much of the book. There was an air about him that made me want to like him and his story is a fascinating and original one. Even with Scarlet, Wolf, and Captain Thorne (who is absolutely hilarious in his rakish ways) added into the mix, I thought we got enough of Cinder and Kai to expand a lot of their stories and their development.

What I believe really makes this book, though, is how the two fairy tales work together to make a cohesive plot. Everything from Cinder has its place in Scarlet, which makes for great reading. There are no loose pieces from the previous book that got left behind, and I imagine it'll be the same as we go on into the stories of Rapunzel and Snow White. I am absolutely pumped to see what happens and to see just how these girls fit into the world Marissa Meyer has beautifully created.

So... Um... You should read it. :)