Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Genre: YA Dystopian
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
*purchase through buy links supports this blog

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth... 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.

Cinder earned a spot on my top ten young adult reads in 2012 making Scarlet one of my most anticipated reads for 2013. The dystopian world and characters she created in Cinder captured my heart. Scarlet hailed as a companion book offers a retelling of Red Riding Hood and drops her right into Cinder’s world; it was captivating, original, filled with danger and I loved every minute of it. 

The tale unfolds from dual points of view and an occasional perspective from others. We split most of our time between Scarlet and Cinder. Cinder’s adventure continues from where we last saw her and Scarlet’s adventure is just beginning. As the two tales unfold events slowly bring the two storylines together and I was held captive despite a predictable storyline. The thrill lies in knowing what will happen and not being able to warn the characters as they move towards danger. 

We all know the characters from these beloved tales but Meyer molds them into unique, strong characters that you become passionate about. Cinder sees growth and acceptance in this second installment. She has already displayed loyalty and strength but here we see her vulnerable side as she struggles with her conscience. My beloved Iko is back! She has taken on an interesting form but her sense of humor was present. Kai is still struggling with his role as king, and his feelings for Cinder and his role is small in this book. Through Cinder we meet Throne a humorous characters with some amusing characteristics. I found myself giggling over some of his statements and actions. We meet Scarlet who lives on a farm in France. Her Grandmother Michelle Benoit has been missing for almost two weeks, and the police have called off the investigation claiming she is a run away. Right away we can see that Scarlet is a fiery character and I instantly connected with her. Wolf a street fighter agrees to help Scarlet search for her grandmother. He is streetwise, and goes from protective to leery as he interacts with Scarlet. Bad-boy from top to bottom Wolf reeks of confidence and purpose. He surprised me and I found him quite  swoon-worthy. He is taken aback by Scarlet and her bold, no-nonsense, in your face, just do it attitude. Their relationship is volatile and at times romantic. Our villain Queen Levana is back and ooh how I love to hate her!  We see growth and movement in Scarlet, Cinder and Wolf. Meyers has definitely created characters that are memorable and each has a unique voice.

I love the dystopian world Meyers created and while the tale that unfolds is predictable it offered me a unique chance to become caught up in the characters themselves. The romance which at first felt awkward slowly developed into something warm and fuzzy. I am looking forward to seeing how it develops. I still walked away with questions about the world, cyborgs and Lunars but I am confident my questions will be answered.  The author did a fantastic job of weaving these two fairy-tales together creating a memorable and enjoyable story. The ending left me in a  good place with high expectation for Cress the third book where we will meet Rapunzel. *dances*

Fans of dystopian and retellings will find Cinder and Scarlet delightful filled with unique characters, action packed moments and a few giggles. Cress will release in 2014 and yes my friends the wait is killing me!

Five cups of coffee from the Crescent Moon cafe out of five

Waiting on Wednesday #27

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme

 hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

where we spotlight books we are eagerly anticipating.

Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: February 5, 2013

Genre: YA Dystopian

Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/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.

I love the world Meyer has created and am anxious to return. 

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover

by Sarah MacLean

Series: Rules of Scoundrels #2

Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon

Publication date: January 29, 2013

Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase:Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

The second in the incredible new Rules of Scoundrels series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean. Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross. 
Like any good scientist, Pippa's done her research and Cross's reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion - the experience of ruination without the repercussions of ruination. And who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? But when this odd, unexpected female propositions Cross, it's more than tempting . . . and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts - and giving the lady precisely what she wants.

Right now I am totally in love with this author. I cannot wait to read Pippa and Cross's story..eep! You can see my review of book one; A Rouge By Any Other Name here. 

I will not be participating in Waiting on Wednesday

during the month of October due to my month long event

but I hope you will stop in. WoW will be back in November. 

What books are you waiting on? 

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Cinder is Marissa Meyer’s debut novel, and in this readers opinion she knocked the ball out of the park for a Grand Slam home run.  Cinder offers a futuristic, steampunk re-telling of the fairytale Cinderella. The world-building is magical with amazing characters and a plot that has endless possibilities.  Meyer’s writing style is lovely and the tale was beautifully written. While some of the tale is very predictable Meyer's creates a storyline and world that are both unique and fascinating.

Cinder takes place in the Eastern Commonwealth capital of New Beijing sometime after WW IV. After the war, the people elected a king to govern them.  While this is a peaceful time on earth, it is not without problems. A plague called Letumosis is infecting people throughout the world.  I found the way in which they handled the ill, deplorable. However, I had to keep in mind the size of the city and the rapidness with which spread. As if this crisis isn’t enough they are dealing with another enemy.  The moon is inhabited by aliens known as Lunar. They are ruled by Queen Levana who is constantly threatening war with Earth. The king has been trying to negotiate a treaty for years but the Queen wants something he has been unwilling to give. The Queen wishes to form an alliance through marriage thus ensuring her rise to power. She wants to marry, Prince Kai the king’s successor.  This modern world is filled with futuristic hover crafts, communications, and embedded identification sensors used for trade and tracking. The people have robots to perform duties and have healed the injured with cyborg technologies; thus created human cyborgs.  Sadly, they are considered second class citizens and they are even being drafted by the government as test subjects for research in finding a cure for the plague.

The characters in this novel are delightful. Let me begin with Cinder. She is part cyborg. Her hand and part of her leg below the knee are completely mechanical. She has built in sensors, programs and a plate in the back of her head. She was in a horrific hover accident that killed her parents. When she was eleven she was adopted by a man and moved to New Beijing. Shortly after her arrival, the man died, leaving her with a step-mother and two step-sisters. The mother doesn’t like cyborgs and treats her like a servant. She is unable to accept that Cinder has any human feelings.  Cinder is the type of protagonist you can easily connect to. She is bright, honest, strong, snarky and independent.  I quickly became invested in her story.  Cinder’s only true companion is a bot called Iko. I adored Iko. Her programming, considered defective, makes her sarcastic and I laughed at the interactions between them. Prince Kai is a delightful, sensitive and caring young man. He shows wisdom beyond his years, and yet can still act like a smitten teen.  A character you will love to hate is Queen Levana and she oozes evil. She is selfish, childish, intolerant and greedy. She demands complete power and respect.  I will spend this series waiting for her to get her just desserts.

The romance between Cinder and Prince Kai is sweet and for once we do not have a YA-novel serving up insta-love. Kudos to Meyer for letting the relationship build the old-fashion way. The relationship faces numerous complications which only makes it all the more delightful.  I look forward to seeing their relationship develop.

Cinder is fast paced, and I finished it the same day I started. I became completely immersed in the tale and the outside world melted away. I highly recommend this to fans of steampunk, dystopias and fantasy. I am looking forward to the next novel in the Lunar Chronicles series entitled, Scarlett, with an anticipated release date of 2013. I have added Meyer’s to my list of must read authors. If you want to learn more about Cinder, on January 18, 2012 Meyer’s is releasing Lunar Chronicles 0.5 entitled Glitches.  Cinder is currently available in paper, audio and eBook formats.

I gave this book 5 coffee cups out of 5.         Kimba

Author's website:Marissa Meyer

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