Scarlet: Book Two of the Lunar Chronicles (The Lunar Chronicles, 2)
The second book in the #1 New York Times- and USA Today- Bestselling Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer like you've never seen it before, now with new cover art! Our cyborg heroine teams up with two new characters, Scarlet and Wolf, to defend Earth against a wicked space queen.
"An interesting mash up of fairy tales and science fiction . . . a cross between Cinderella, Terminator, and Star Wars."--Entertainment Weekly on the Lunar Chronicles "Prince Charming among the cyborgs." --The Wall Street Journal on the Lunar Chronicles Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison--even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does--in this second installment from Marissa Meyer. 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. The adventure continues in this fresh fairytale retelling that combines elements of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Don't miss Marissa Meyer's other books and series': The Lunar Chronicles:Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter
Stars Above
Fairest The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book Wires and Nerve: Vol. 1
Wires and Nerve: Vol. 2 Renegades:
Renegades: Book One
Archenemies: Book Two
Supernova: Book Three Heartless
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Community Reviews
A strong sequel!
I liked Cinder much better in this book than I did in the first, and oh. my. word. but Thorne is cocky. He's an amusing character, and we'd either get along perfectly or not at all in RL, no in between. I really like Iko, glad she's back. Scarlet was a great character, I like her better than Cinder. She loves her grandmother a lot, and she's also very blind when it comes to her. She initially refuses to accept that there could be more to her grandmother than she believes. This is frustrating to see from a reader's point of view, but made her character so much more human.
I didn't really like the Scarlet/Wolf relationship from a broad point of view, but their moments were sweet and I was rooting for them. I was just...stunned how quickly Scarlet grew to trust him, and more stunned at how quickly she ran back into his arms after she found out the full story of who he was. While one might say it's because they bonded and grew to love each other, it's also a little unbelievable. Maybe I'm just a cynic :P
Kai is young, but he's a good emperor. He does what he needs to do for his country. I don't currently have a strong feeling/opinion of him.
As for the book as a whole, it's really good. Elements of the original fairy tale are blended in really well, without if being just on over the top rewrite. Better than the first, and left me wanting more. On to book 3!!
I liked Cinder much better in this book than I did in the first, and oh. my. word. but Thorne is cocky. He's an amusing character, and we'd either get along perfectly or not at all in RL, no in between. I really like Iko, glad she's back. Scarlet was a great character, I like her better than Cinder. She loves her grandmother a lot, and she's also very blind when it comes to her. She initially refuses to accept that there could be more to her grandmother than she believes. This is frustrating to see from a reader's point of view, but made her character so much more human.
I didn't really like the Scarlet/Wolf relationship from a broad point of view, but their moments were sweet and I was rooting for them. I was just...stunned how quickly Scarlet grew to trust him, and more stunned at how quickly she ran back into his arms after she found out the full story of who he was. While one might say it's because they bonded and grew to love each other, it's also a little unbelievable. Maybe I'm just a cynic :P
Kai is young, but he's a good emperor. He does what he needs to do for his country. I don't currently have a strong feeling/opinion of him.
As for the book as a whole, it's really good. Elements of the original fairy tale are blended in really well, without if being just on over the top rewrite. Better than the first, and left me wanting more. On to book 3!!
See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks
Scarlet was the highly anticipated sequel to Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles. I honestly felt in the minority with Cinder, giving it only 3 stars. I enjoyed it, I just didn't LOVE it. So, rushing out to get Scarlet wasn't really on my to do list. Seeing it in audio at the library though, I snagged it up. Let me start with a small disclaimer-- I can almost guarantee you that had I been reading this, I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.
Scarlet starts off soon after the events of Cinder-- introducing us to a few new characters. Scarlet, an 18-year-old merchant in France; and Wolf, a mysterious street fighter with secrets and information on Scarlet's missing grandmother. After A LOT of reluctance on Scarlet's part, they journey off together for answers. Cinder is still in jail, but soon escapes with Cadet aka "Captain" Thorne. Kai, still reeling from the events of the ball, is forced to focus his time to finding Cinder, after a threat from the Lunar Queen. Basically, there was a lot happening. Yet... nothing at the same time.
I did a lot of waiting.
Scarlet was long. In my opinion, too long (yes, there is such a thing). Can we say, middle book!? There was a lot of back and forth, with large periods of time with no actually progress/developments being made in the plot. Maybe because the synopsis states the two lives/stories intersect and they set off together to stop the Queen, which didn't happen until the end. The VERY end, and it was NOT as it seemed. Or because we are given so many different POV that whatever that character is going through or thinking, we already KNOW the outcome? Like seeing two sides of a situation. We are only getting it to see someone else's SIDE; it just didn't seem important. I'll admit, some of it was. Whatever the reason, it made a huge impact on my rating. I was bored.
Pacing and length aside, I do love the world that Meyer has created. Honestly, this is my favorite thing about the series. Retellings are always a hit or miss, but Meyer takes well know tales and does an amazing job mixing it with her own ideas and Sci/Fi elements and I love it. There is more to this world that we do get a taste of; like the Lunar Queen's army (That's was stood out). There were a few twists thrown in that blinded me and I was really shocked by the outcome. Also to note; Rebecca Soler did an awesome job narrating the book. She made this book for me and I adored her accents! (Seems I love ALL the accents in audio)
I liked Scarlet. She is a tough, loyal and brave. I love that she wasn't too trusting of Wolf and questioned a lot about his motives and information. The small scenes with her Grandmother were heartbreaking too. I also liked Wolf. I think I was more shocked with his.. actions than I was with anyone. Cinder. OY. Ya know, I was hoping for more growth from her. But I was so frustrated with her throughout the entire book. Honestly. I know her life sucked (putting it mildly) but too much happened before she finally stood up to the plate. Only when Kai was forced to accept the marriage proposal. I can't imagine what she had been going through, I understand that. There are times though when you have to swallow that jagged little pill and step up. And I couldn't help but to keep thinking, "Just com his ass!" *shrug*
My Peeve- The pacing and fillers. Like I mentioned, it just felt like one of those books where there us SO MUCH going on, yet nothing at the same time. There were so many times I was just sitting and waiting for something to happen. I don't feel like the story left us at a cliffhanger but I was frustrated that it ended where it did. I also thought it was misleading because the two do NOT set off together to stop the Queen, it was discussed.
Overall- Scarlet was just OK for me. I liked it but I can honestly say I am not sure if I will continue with Cress. I recommend it to those who LOVED Cinder but not for those like me that thought it was OKAY.
*Continues to sit in the minority boat*
Scarlet was the highly anticipated sequel to Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles. I honestly felt in the minority with Cinder, giving it only 3 stars. I enjoyed it, I just didn't LOVE it. So, rushing out to get Scarlet wasn't really on my to do list. Seeing it in audio at the library though, I snagged it up. Let me start with a small disclaimer-- I can almost guarantee you that had I been reading this, I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.
Scarlet starts off soon after the events of Cinder-- introducing us to a few new characters. Scarlet, an 18-year-old merchant in France; and Wolf, a mysterious street fighter with secrets and information on Scarlet's missing grandmother. After A LOT of reluctance on Scarlet's part, they journey off together for answers. Cinder is still in jail, but soon escapes with Cadet aka "Captain" Thorne. Kai, still reeling from the events of the ball, is forced to focus his time to finding Cinder, after a threat from the Lunar Queen. Basically, there was a lot happening. Yet... nothing at the same time.
I did a lot of waiting.
Scarlet was long. In my opinion, too long (yes, there is such a thing). Can we say, middle book!? There was a lot of back and forth, with large periods of time with no actually progress/developments being made in the plot. Maybe because the synopsis states the two lives/stories intersect and they set off together to stop the Queen, which didn't happen until the end. The VERY end, and it was NOT as it seemed. Or because we are given so many different POV that whatever that character is going through or thinking, we already KNOW the outcome? Like seeing two sides of a situation. We are only getting it to see someone else's SIDE; it just didn't seem important. I'll admit, some of it was. Whatever the reason, it made a huge impact on my rating. I was bored.
Pacing and length aside, I do love the world that Meyer has created. Honestly, this is my favorite thing about the series. Retellings are always a hit or miss, but Meyer takes well know tales and does an amazing job mixing it with her own ideas and Sci/Fi elements and I love it. There is more to this world that we do get a taste of; like the Lunar Queen's army (That's was stood out). There were a few twists thrown in that blinded me and I was really shocked by the outcome. Also to note; Rebecca Soler did an awesome job narrating the book. She made this book for me and I adored her accents! (Seems I love ALL the accents in audio)
I liked Scarlet. She is a tough, loyal and brave. I love that she wasn't too trusting of Wolf and questioned a lot about his motives and information. The small scenes with her Grandmother were heartbreaking too. I also liked Wolf. I think I was more shocked with his.. actions than I was with anyone. Cinder. OY. Ya know, I was hoping for more growth from her. But I was so frustrated with her throughout the entire book. Honestly. I know her life sucked (putting it mildly) but too much happened before she finally stood up to the plate. Only when Kai was forced to accept the marriage proposal. I can't imagine what she had been going through, I understand that. There are times though when you have to swallow that jagged little pill and step up. And I couldn't help but to keep thinking, "Just com his ass!" *shrug*
My Peeve- The pacing and fillers. Like I mentioned, it just felt like one of those books where there us SO MUCH going on, yet nothing at the same time. There were so many times I was just sitting and waiting for something to happen. I don't feel like the story left us at a cliffhanger but I was frustrated that it ended where it did. I also thought it was misleading because the two do NOT set off together to stop the Queen, it was discussed.
Overall- Scarlet was just OK for me. I liked it but I can honestly say I am not sure if I will continue with Cress. I recommend it to those who LOVED Cinder but not for those like me that thought it was OKAY.
*Continues to sit in the minority boat*
You go girl I fucking love you sooooo much. Wolf was hot af, the way I imagined him is so hot that tbh he's the hottest male character I've ever read...like...sir...you're fine af🤭
An amazing sequel! This did not fall flat at all. The action and excitement ramped up. We've met wonderful new characters, but Cinder's story continues with coninciding points-of-view. The story is becoming deeper and darker. Yet there is still so much we have yet to learn. I am really into this series!
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