Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer

"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."

~~~~The following review will contain spoilers!~~~~

What an amazing read! Yet another strong female protagonist is introduced in Scarlet, a fire cracker who's willing to do anything in order to save her grandmother. She meets a mysterious stranger, Wolf, and then things begin to get interesting.

Wolf is such an intriguing character, and I loved reading about him from the very beginning. Though I had my doubts about his motivations, he proved, in the end, that his instinct to protect Scarlet was much stronger than the one to kill her (thankfully!). I thoroughly enjoyed seeing their romance develop, and though it did occur over only the span of a week, I felt as if it happened gradually, and that it was done very well. I didn't feel like it was insta love - on the other hand, I was rooting for them to be able to overcome what was impeding them from being together. By the end of it all, I admit I was fangirling just a little bit.

Kai's acceptance of Queen Levana's proposal of marriage frustrated me just as much as it did Cinder. Though I understand his desperation given the conditions of animalistic attack worldwide, I wish there had been some other way for him to fix things. At the same time, I'm confident Cinder will follow through with her plans - that she will find Dr. Erland, Queen Levana's programmer, and that, with their help, she will stop the wedding from happening. 

I loved the way that this novel had just as much Cinder in it as it did Scarlet, and the way that Meyer was able to seamlessly intertwine their two stories. I'm expecting, now, that the programmer will be the next main character in the Lunar Chronicles, Cress. 

I am so excited for the future of this series. One of my favorites.


5/5 stars.