Book Review: SCARLET (Lunar Chronicles Book 2)

Also see my review for Cinder and Cress




Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A 5/5 stars with absolute certainty. I'm in the afterglow, the gleam of the spaceship sleek and near, with Iko's tittering voice thrumming in the background as it should. How delicately and artfully Marissa Meyer wove two seemingly disparate fairytales together and in such a new and refreshing way, breathing breathtaking life and sci-fi wonderment...I'm gobsmacked at how fantastic this book is! Book 2, SCARLET, is literally better than book 1, CINDER.

I am certain the next book, CRESS will be even better. Thank you, Marissa Meyer, for delivering on your promise to keep upping the stakes and not holding back. I know you've got a few tricks up your cyborg sleeves to taunt us with in CRESS and WINTER, but I'm hooked and can't wait for Thorne to show up and take us for another ride.

Marissa Meyer has done everything right. She made the sequel to her debut NYT bestselling novel worthy of its own NYT bestseller status by upping the stakes WAY, way up. In SCARLET, Cinder (2.0) has an upgrade courtesy of Dr. Erland (aka, her "Fairy Godfather"), Iko comes back in a new way that totally works, New characters are introduced (Thorne is my favorite, a Han Solo type), and not a word or story element is wasted (the tomatoes that come in at the beginning and the end, add a nice touch and establish a layer between Scarlet and Wolf). Also, the new and central story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf are given a YA sci-fi retelling twist that totally works and seamlessly weaves in and out of Cinder's own escape and story arc. I was exhausted by the last 1/3 of the novel with as many twists and turns and surprises await the reader. But, it is worth the effort as the tension mounts and the chapters flow effortlessly throughout.

I loved the added details of technology, the way vehicles and trains and spaceships work. I liked how the internet and communications worked in a global community, and even the further development of the Lunars and certain spoilerish "advancements" that impact the core storyline.

I am excited to see where we go next, and I'm liking how Meyer is uniting her own shotgun and tranquilizer wielding team of kickass heroines in this Lunar Series. Now I'd like to reread the first two books and the two e-stories that add more info about the Queen's Army and Cinder before CRESS arrives. This was such an enjoyable continuation of Cinder's story, and a great introduction to Scarlet. I'm looking forward to where their storylines will travel next.

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