""'If you were a gentleman, you would offer to buy me one as well.'
'If you were a lady, you would have waited for me to make the offer.'"
--Marissa Meyer, Scarlet
Genre: YA Fairy Tale Re-Telling, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, 464 pages
Publication Date: February 5th, 2013
Source: Bought
Goodreads Description
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.
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.
My Thoughts
Ermagosh. OK, so I thought Cinder was incredible. The futursitic re-telling of Cindrella...and she's a cyborg. SO sci-fi and nerdtastic, right?! Well, if I loved Cinder then there are no words to describe how I feel about Scarlet. Oh. My. Gosh. I went in with high expectations and they were still blown away. Amazing. Really. Oh and sidenote: I love books that are divided up into smaller books or sections. It's just a thing I have. And each book had a Litte Red Riding quote...uh-may-zing! Love love. K, I'm done. So before reading Scarlet, I knew that our main focus would be on our newest reimagined heroine and I came to terms with the fact that in all reality, Cinder probably wouldn't make an appearance until the end, if we were lucky. How wrong I was. Early on we meet up with Cinder (eep!) and her new companion Captain Thorne, also an escaped prisoner. Ok, maybe I'm crazy, and I don't know about you guys but please tell me you thought Throne was swoonworthy because I TOTALLY did. His sarcastic one-liners dripping with sex appeal. And that leather jacket?! I'll be your first mate or co-pilot or whatever the heck is people do on ships. Seriously. Anways. But for real, I was so excited and surprised to find Cinder so quickly. I thought it totally added to the whole of the story having simultenous storylines going. We get our new girl Scarlet and our old friend Cinder all in one shot. Loved this.
Now, on to Scarlet. I LOVED this girl. I have a weak spot for Little Red Riding Hood to begin with. Mostly because I love that darn cape she wear. I want a cape. Somebody find me a cape. So my expectations were really high with this characters, and again, Meyer blew this girl away. She is not one to be messed with. She can fire a shotgun, she stands up for those being persecuted, she risks life and limb for her grand-mere, and she talks back to Wolf...we'll get to him in a moment. One word: Kickass. She is stubborn with a cause and fights for what she believes in. She finds courage when there seems to be no hope left and she really never gives up when it comes to those she loves. Beautifully written character with a lot of depth and emotional complexity.
SPEAKING of her being emotionally complex. One of these complexities comes in the form of Wolf. The street fighter who offers to help her find her missing grandmother. Oh Wolf. Where do I begin with you. I'm gonna totally fangirl for a sec. RAWR! This guy is a hottie. Dark, scarred, rugged, he's a freakin' street fighter. I mean c'mon. I don't condone violence by any means but if it has to be there...okay. Sexy. I am such a weakling for the big, bad and strong man who is shy and slightly awkward. It is just too good. He is a character I definitely needed more of. While I really liked his overall character as well, I don't think we got enough of him. I know, call me crazy and selfish but I wanted more! Thank goodness we have two more books :) I really cannot wait to see what Meyer has in store for us with Wolf. He is so mysterious and messed up that I want to see where his head is at and what decisions he makes in the upcoming story. Eep!
The story itself does not disapoint or slow down in the least. It gets very political and I just loved this. This book doesn't dumb down real life issues going on within the government. This was one of my favorite parts. The instabilty of Earth's safety in regards to the Lunar people. The complexities of treaties and keeping the peace. I loved it. Kai's characters isn't featured a lot but his scenes are hugely important. It was really interesting to see his side of things and how they impacted our other characters. And Queen Levana. I honestly do not think there is another character in literature that I have read about that makes me angrier than Levana. Seriously. Her immaturity and actions make me have palpitations. I can't stand it. I KNOW it's for the story and the plot is so much better for it, so really this is a testament to Meyer's amazing writing that makes me hate (yes, I used that word and I do not use it often) her. Hate. I find this area of the story so real. I feel the Earth people's frustrations and fears because I legit feel them while reading. How infuriating to be dealing with a race of people that can control other people's minds?! And they have no weakness? And Levana wants to attack just because she wants to rule Earth. Why?! UGH! So frustrating because it is like she is unstoppable. No weakness. It is like nothing can bring her down...well, not nothing...maybe something...or somebody...
The 700th other thing that is amazing about this book is we get way more info on Cinder and her past. We know from the first book Cinder that Princess Selene escapes via a doctor. Reading more about this, and that's all I'm saying plot-wise, was so inspiring. I mean, these people involved risked their lives in order to save a very small child. They did so much to ensure her safety and protect her. It just brought a few tears to my eyes. It is just so selfless and inspiring. My heart just melted reading about the lengths people will go for the greater good and to help the innocent and protect justice. Just incredible. Some of my absolute favorite parts of the book.
I loved Scarlet. If you have not read it yet more it up in your TBR pile and if you have not read Cinder, hit yourself in the face and then go pick it up. For real. Ya wanna know what made me realize how much I loved this book? I miss it. I finished it earlier today and I honestly miss the characters. I want more of Cinder and Thorne and their banter. I want waaaay more of Scarlet and Wolf and their story. I want more Earthen history and to see where the fate of the world lies. Really. I miss these guys :( Makes me sad. Happy I have 2 more books coming my way...but sad I have to wait such a long time for it. Until then lovelies, may you all find your Prince Charming...or your big, bad Wolf... :)
Favorite Quotes
“She sighed, annoyed at her restlessness. “So,” she said, disrupting Wolf in another backward glance.
“Who would win in a fight—you or a pack of wolves?”
He frowned at her, all seriousness. “Depends,” he said, slowly, like he was trying to figure out her motive for asking. “How big is the pack?”
“I don’t know, what’s normal? Six?”
“I could win against six,” he said. “Any more than that and it could be a close call.”
Scarlet smirked. “You’re not in danger of low self-esteem, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing at all.” She kicked a stone from their path. “How about you and … a lion?”
“A cat? Don’t insult me.”
She laughed, the sound sharp and surprising. “How about a bear?”
“Why, do you see one out there?”
“Not yet, but I want to be prepared in case I have to rescue you.”
The smile she’d been waiting for warmed his face, a glint of white teeth flashing. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had to fight a bear before.”
“Who would win in a fight—you or a pack of wolves?”
He frowned at her, all seriousness. “Depends,” he said, slowly, like he was trying to figure out her motive for asking. “How big is the pack?”
“I don’t know, what’s normal? Six?”
“I could win against six,” he said. “Any more than that and it could be a close call.”
Scarlet smirked. “You’re not in danger of low self-esteem, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing at all.” She kicked a stone from their path. “How about you and … a lion?”
“A cat? Don’t insult me.”
She laughed, the sound sharp and surprising. “How about a bear?”
“Why, do you see one out there?”
“Not yet, but I want to be prepared in case I have to rescue you.”
The smile she’d been waiting for warmed his face, a glint of white teeth flashing. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had to fight a bear before.”
"Why is my ship talking back to me?"
"It's me, you idiot!"
I didn't like Cinder when I got a copy of it when it first came out- the idea really appealed to me, but I couldn't get into the story and didn't ever feel like it was going anywhere for me, so I stopped reading it a short way in. I'm intrigued by the fact that the different novels feature different characters as the protagonists, and characters from different fairytales at that, and it sounds like the series is continuing to be awesome for all those who loved it initially! I'm so glad you loved it so much- great review!
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same feeling. I had extremely high expectations and she still managed to blow me away - completely! I FREAKING LOVE THIS BOOK. The characters, the politics, the sci-fi elements, everything just feels right. It all clicks together and forms this amazing masterpiece :D
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of fun reading your review! It totally made me fangirl again.
Mel@thedailyprophecy.
Ah, I just bought Scarlet on Friday, but I felt the need to finish my current book first. Definitely starting(and I'm sure most likely finishing!) it today though! I've heard so much love from Captain Thorne, and your review just makes me want to read the book ASAP if only for him!
ReplyDeleteI am going to read this eventually... I really will... but I'm having such a hard time convincing myself to actually do it! I hate weird takes on classic stories. I don't even like these stories presented as modern movies! Drives me crazy.. Just leave them alone! So the whole Cinderella thing has me so turned off! But all I hear is AMAZEBALLS nonstop. How can I argue with that. I just don't know... but I do love sci-fi and am 100% on board cyborgs so we'll see. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love love loved this book! I was really hesitant about Cinder, but once I got past that and read it... oh this series is my absolute favorite and we're only 2 books in! Scarlet just blew me completely away. Definitely funny review of it and I think I probably felt all the exact same things you discussed in it!!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I thought that was how I felt about Cinder, but then this book came around and blew me away like it's nothing. I love Scarlet and I love Cinder (Marissa Meyer writes THE BEST female characters) and I love Thorne and I love Wolf and I love Kai and should I stop now yes I think I should stop now. Loved it.
ReplyDelete