Title: Scarlet
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Previous book in this series: Cinder
Previous novellas in this series: Glitches (#0.5) | The Little Android (#0.6) | The Queen's Army (#1.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA, sci-fi, fairy tale retelling
Publication date: February 2013
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Purchased paperback
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Synopsis: Even in the future, beware of the big, bad wolf...
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestsrlling Lunar Chronicles. She is 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. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information about 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.
Not much time has passed since Cinder. In fact, we pick up pretty much where we left off, except we drop in on a new character: Scarlet. We’re going from Cinderella and moving right into Little Red Riding Hood, so Scarlet’s story is also going to be a familiar one. Basically, her grandmother has gone missing so she goes off to look for her, with the help of a guy she met, Wolf.
The first time that Wolf and Scarlet met was really cute. Wolf is a little odd and unfamiliar with vegetables, which he takes a liking to quite fast once Scarlet shows him what’s up. And Scarlet herself is very feisty and badass and takes shit from no one—I liked her! Like I previously mentioned, She and Wolf were super cute throughout the book. However, their romance moved a smidge too fast for my liking. You all know I hate instalove with a passion. Thankfully this was not that, not really. But it was a bit too close for comfort. That’s probably my only complaint with this book, because I honestly really loved everything else!
For example, the fact that we got a ton of Cinder! I don’t know why, but I thought that we weren’t gonna get a Cinder POV in this book. I mean, it is called Scarlet. But I am happy to report that Cinder shows up in chapter 4 and we get plenty of time with her! And I’m glad cause I was really missing her and her sassiness. Lol. One thing I was curious about was how Cinder’s story was going to connect with Scarlet’s. And let me tell you, it was WOW! I could not believe it! The girls finally meet toward the end of the book, but it was totally worth it! The team up was incredible!
Oh and I cannot forget the other new character we meet in chapter 4: Carswell Thorne. He is also a prisoner in the place Cinder is being held, and we meet him while she is trying to escape. I fell in love with him as soon as he was introduced. Oh, and the reason he was in this particularly isolated cell that Cinder stumbled upon in her escape... hilarious!
“These cells aren’t supposed to be occupied,” she said.
“Special circumstances.”
She surveyed him for a long moment, her brows knitting together. “Murder?”
His grin grew. “Thank you, but no. I started a riot on the yard.” He adjusted his collar, before adding, “We were protesting the soap.”
Her confusion grew, and Thorne noticed that she was still in her defensive stance.
“The soap,” he said again, wondering if she’d heard him. “It’s too drying.”
She said nothing.
“I have sensitive skin.”
Her mouth opened and he expected sympathy, but all that came out was a disinterested “Huh.”
“Special circumstances.”
She surveyed him for a long moment, her brows knitting together. “Murder?”
His grin grew. “Thank you, but no. I started a riot on the yard.” He adjusted his collar, before adding, “We were protesting the soap.”
Her confusion grew, and Thorne noticed that she was still in her defensive stance.
“The soap,” he said again, wondering if she’d heard him. “It’s too drying.”
She said nothing.
“I have sensitive skin.”
Her mouth opened and he expected sympathy, but all that came out was a disinterested “Huh.”
😂 And that is how we meet Thorne, my favorite character of the entire series 🥰 He is really funny, definitely arrogant, and a huge flirt! I adore him! Everything that came out of his mouth made me laugh and I loved it. I also just really liked that he was very accepting of Cinder and her cyborgness. Especially because cyborgs are looked down upon in this society. I really liked seeing their friendship develop, mostly because it was filled to the brim with sass.
With a nod, Throne started down the street. “This way.”
Five steps later he paused, pondered, turned around. “No, no, this way.”
“We’re dead.”
“No, I’ve got it now. It’s this way.”
“Don’t you have an address?”
“A captain always knows where his ship is. It’s like a psychic bond.”
“If only we had a captain here.”
Five steps later he paused, pondered, turned around. “No, no, this way.”
“We’re dead.”
“No, I’ve got it now. It’s this way.”
“Don’t you have an address?”
“A captain always knows where his ship is. It’s like a psychic bond.”
“If only we had a captain here.”
And then we have Kai. I feel so awful for him after what happened at the end of the last book... Thinking that Cinder is some kind of traitor, having manipulated him and whatever to get her way. But none of that is true! And the fact that after all that, he doesn’t want Cinder to be caught... 🥰 He keeps going back and forth on this and it makes me so sad because he clearly still cares about her, but he just doesn't know what to think. And with Queen Levana around, she is definitely not making things easy for Kai. Levana is the absolute worst, and Kai clearly sees this.
This was how Levana did it. She kept a hold on her people by tricking both their eyes and their hearts. She ruled with fear, yes, but also with adoration. It would be so easy to abuse a person when they never recognized it as abuse.
Cinder on the other hand, while she too has access to this incredible power...
Her guilt had been instantaneous. She didn’t know what kind of effect it had on a person, all that brain manipulation. And, more than that, she didn’t want to be one of those Lunars who took advantage of her power just because she could. She didn’t want to be Lunar at all.
No. she wouldn’t take advantage of him, or anyone. She’d gotten on just fine without any Lunar gift before, she would get on just fine now.
She is such a good, kind person and I love this about her! I really feel for her. My poor Cinder, what she must be going through after having found out in the last book that not only is she Lunar, but she is THE Princess Selene, who had been presumed dead for years! It’s absolute insanity! And we find out even MORE things about Cinder’s past, from before she went to live with Adri and her stepsisters, about the surgery that turned her into a cyborg... It’s crazy stuff. My poor Cinder! 😩
Scarlet was so, SO good! I enjoyed every second of it! The way the original fairy tale was intertwined with this story was incredible! I loved it! I thought this book was only going to be Scarlet and her story and her POV, but we got Cinder and Kai too, so I was very happy about that! But I did love the new characters that were introduced, particularly Thorne! 😍 We find out some very interesting things... things Levana is planning 😬 And things are going down on Kai’s side... things I am very nervous about. And Cinder herself is getting ready to face Levana. Things are happening and I am nervous! But one thing’s for certain, I really love this world 🖤
I LOVE THIS SERIES! It always make me so happy when I see people are still reading these books for the first time.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good! Like, how did I go on with life all this time without this series? Lol
DeleteNow it's my turn to read this series for the first time. I'm going to also love Thorne! Funny, flirty, and a character with more than meets the eye. Isn't awesome to find a series from the past that is new to you and you end of loving it?
ReplyDeleteI really hope you enjoy it! It's definitely one of my favorite series of all time! 🖤
DeleteGlad you enjoyed this book! I really loved this book too!
ReplyDeleteIt's just such a fantastic world! I'm glad you enjoyed it too!
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