Latest Read: Scarlet

Here are the basics ...
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
Publication date: Feb 5, 2013
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Category: Young Adult - Fantasy/Dystopian
Source: Purchased

Summary: Cinder is trying to break out of prison and halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information, 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. (Adapted goodreads.com) 

My thoughts…

The good: Does Marissa Meyers know how to do fairytale re-tellings or what? With the cliffhanger Cinder ended on, I have to admit I gave very little thought to Scarlet's story when I began to read. My mind was filled with thoughts of Cinder - what happened to her, to Kai, did she escape and holy crap she IS the princess just like I had guessed. So I was a little surprised to be thrown into Scarlet's world instead. Scarlet is a fiery redhead (hence the name) who helps her grandmother run a farm selling produce around their small town in France. When her grandmother goes missing, no one is willing to help her except Wolf, a mysterious stranger and street fighter that Scarlet is both drawn to and wary of. I'm not gonna lie, my favorite parts of Scarlet were probably her moments with Wolf. We get to learn so much about her through him - that she's strong and fiercely devoted to her grandmother. Even though they were a bit on the insta-love side, the tension between them was palpable and I liked that Scarlet went for what she wanted with little hesitation. But she still had her priorities straight and #1 on her list was her grandmother. Which also meant learning her secrets. I loved how those secrets were tied to Cinder and it's obvious that a lot of thought and planning went into making all the puzzle pieces connect.

But as much as I loved getting to know Scarlet and Wolf, Cinder is my #1 reason for reading this series and I'm glad there were chapters dedicated to her journey as well. She's still trying to escape the Commonwealth and Levana while struggling to deal with her newfound Lunar powers. And of course, the whole thing about being the rightful Queen. She's trying to dig up the secrets of her past (with the help of Captain Thorne, another character I ended up loving) but I got why she didn't want to be queen. Her fears and her emotions make her so human that it's easy to forget how much of her is part-cyborg.

(Super minor) reservations: It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why but the beginning and some parts of Scarlet's story did feel a bit slow to me. It could be because I was so eager to learn what was happening to Cinder and Kai and for their paths to cross with Scarlet and Wolf.

Do I recommend?: It's a great series and I love how it incorporates well-known fairytales into this brand new world. I highly recommend it.

Happy reading!