Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 7th February 2013
Read In: February 2013

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This is not the fairytale you remember.
But it’s one you won’t forget.
Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case. The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.
Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive – when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.
As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner ...

This is a review of the second book in the series and there may be spoilers for Cinder, book one. You can check out my review for Cinder here!

  Recently I have felt slightly disappointed with the books I have picked up. I enjoyed them but I didn’t seem to be sucked in. I needed Scarlet. I needed a book which shows me, after a busy month, how much fun kicking back with an amazing book can be. Scarlet is an amazing book.

‘”Are you sure you don’t want the tomatoes? They’re the best part and they were grown in my own garden …” 
Some of the intensity drained from the fighter’s face. “I’ve never tried them.” 
Scarlet arched an eyebrow, “Never?” 
After a hesitant moment, he released his drinking glass and picked up the two slices of tomato … “Not what I expected.”'

I love books that grab you from the first chapter and does not let up. No “everything seems to be calmer now, let’s wait for the next person to end up dead”. Oh no, none of that here; constant action from the start. Answers lead to more questions, new challenges. I was kept on my toes the entire time. I would have read this book in one sitting if it were not for a postponed exam I had to revise for. Blasted weather. There was plot twist after plot twist, minor ones to major ones. There may even been a red herring, or maybe I was looking too much into it. It happens when you are constantly thinking, “What next, what next?”

One of the things I was most worried about when I read the summary for Scarlet, after finishing Cinder, was that all the focus would be on Scarlet’s story and Cinder’s would just be something happening in the background. I was genuinely worried. Thank heavens. It isn’t like that. We get Cinder’s point of view, quiet frequently actually. And it starts off just where Cinder ended. I loved finding how Cinder develops as a person and into her new lunar powers.

Having gotten to know and love Cinder’s character in book one, it was definitely a risky move to introduce a brand new heroine into book two. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to connect with Scarlet because she was not Cinder. Don’t worry. Scarlet is different to Cinder but I easily fell in love with her just as I did with Cinder in the beginning. I wanted to know her story just as much as Cinder’s. There was no point in the book where the chapter switched points of view and I was disappointed; maybe only when there was agonising cliff-hanger.

Reading both Scarlet’s and Cinder’s story together gave Scarlet an added layer of depth that book one didn’t have. I love how the slow development of understanding of how they are connected. This is Marissa Meyer, of course there has to be slow but delicious torture.

Out of all the new characters introduced in Scarlet, the one that most intrigued me was Wolf. Who is he? What is his past? Whose side is he on? Plus, he has the bad boy sex appeal hands down. The book only takes place over a short period of time, a very short period of time. It isn’t very long for Scarlet and Wolf’s relationship to grow. But hell they go through a lot and Scarlet isn’t what I would call a stereotypical love struck teenager. I was intrigued all the way though by both Wolf and his relationship with Scarlet.

While with Cinder I thought it was may have been a bit predictable in places (I still loved it), Scarlet kicks it up another level. I love this book too. I can easily see this becoming a favourite series of mine; if it isn’t already (I need to leave a bit of time first). Bring on Cress.

Becky