Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2)

by Marissa Meyer

The second book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.

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 . . .

***Red Riding Hood-meets-Percy Jackson in a thrilling new spin on Grimm by Marissa Meyer, the author of Cinder.***

• ISBN10: 1250007216
• ISBN13: 9781250007216
• Publish Date: 4 February 2014 (first published 1 February 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 2 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[KitsuneBae]

This didn't disappoint and I couldn't wait for Cress' release.

This review originally appeared on Thoughts and Pens.

Let me start this review by saying that I immediately read Scarlet after I was finished with Cinder. It only means that I am really hooked with the Lunar Chronicles because on normal days, I don’t usually dive into sequels right after reading the previous book. However, if the series is just that awesome, there’s just no way that I am going to take a rest and give it some space. Such is the case with Scarlet. I just need to know that Cinder is okay and that Kai is still alive after the crisis from the last book.

When I started Scarlet though, I couldn’t help myself from getting worried. What if I wouldn’t love it as much as Cinder? Let’s face it; I never liked Little Red Riding Hood because she is somewhat stupid having to tell the wolf where she’s going and then, never realizing that it wasn’t her grandmother lying on the bed. And you know, the whole story was just ridiculously unbelievable that it has never become my favourite bed time read. I didn’t even watch any of the film adaptations for fear that Little Red Riding Hood’s preposterous naivety will be transmitted to me.

But after finishing chapter 1, Scarlet has quickly proven that it’s not anything like the original version. Scarlet—the heroine—is an impulsive, stubborn wildcat who wouldn’t hesitate to kick some ass. She’s very loyal and once her mind is set on something, no one can stop her from getting or doing it. It was her grandmother’s disappearance that led her to Wolf, her love interest. Yes, you read that right. No joke. I almost choked with laughter when it came clear to me that the fierce Scarlet would fall for the Big Bad Wolf. But no worries, my friends. If you have a penchant for dangerous boys then Wolf wouldn’t disappoint. He’s lethal, muscular and way way more gorgeous than Jacob Black. At first, I wasn’t so sold out with his character because I knew so little of him but after reading the Queen’s Army, there’s no doubt that I am going to be one of those crazy girls who will be carrying his torch. And Marissa, I am expecting that he will be given his proper happy ever after things have settled. Deal?

And before I forget (well, of course I wouldn’t), aside from Scarlet and Wolf, a new character was also introduced in this book in the person of Carswell Thorne. Girls, if you think that Kai or Wolf doesn’t suit your needs for a book boyfriend, then worry not. Marissa got you covered. If your book boyfriend criteria includes “has a good sense of humor, annoyingly handsome and narcissistic” then Thorne is the right man for you. What’re ya waiting for? Hurry up because the line is VEEEEERRY long.

While Scarlet is clearly a new story, it didn’t forget to continue Cinder and Kai’s tale. The way Meyer intertwined two sets of story lines was just seamless. Every time I turned a page, I can’t help biting my nails because of anticipation. I’m so excited to see how the story would pan out. By the heavens, Scarlet didn’t disappoint. Sure, it’s sort of a walking book but I realized that I rather enjoyed the slow and long journey. As a matter of fact, I just don’t want it to end. Contrary to Cinder, we get to see a lot of action scenes in Scarlet. And if you’re bloodthirsty, this book will really suit you fine. It’s dripping with blood and violence that will not only test the strength of your stomach but your mind as well.

The romance was also applause worthy even if it was instalovey. You know that I don’t like instalove but Scarlet is an exception to the rule. Even at Scarlet’s and Wolf’s first meeting, I can already feel the chemistry between them and I know that I would be disappointed if they wouldn’t kiss soon. Hahahaha.

For me, Scarlet is just perfect. It didn’t suffer from the second book syndrome and has a lot of new things to offer without getting lost. Marissa certainly knows how to please a reader. And she just climbed up to my top 10 favorite authors’ list. The Lunar Chronicles is another sci-fi fantasy series that deserves a permanent home in my all-time favourite books shelf.

Now before I end this review, may I ask you a question? If you have a print ARC for Cress, can you please lend it to me? Pretty please. I will pay for the shipping. I think I’m gonna die if I don’t read it soon. :| February 4 is still too far.

[inlibrisveritas]

Scarlet brings us back to the word of the Lunar Chronicles but introduces us right away to a new character and a new setting (France). We meet Scarlet Benoit, a independent and fiercely loyal young woman who is intent on finding her missing grandmother.

Obviously this is based on the fairy tale Red Riding Hood and I really liked that Meyer decided to use the original story more in this one. We could obviously tell that Cinder was a retelling of Cinderella that weaved itself in and out of the original story while building a new world, but Scarlet is basically the story of Red Riding Hood on steroids. Since majority of the world building has been taken care of, Meyer focuses on turning up the tension and makes the stakes even higher for the characters. She doesn’t ignore new world building though! We are given a better look at Lunar and we are taken to France, which feels calmer and smaller than New Beijing. Added on top of the two new locations we also get to see some kind of terrifying new enemies, that just add to Levana’s bag of insane tricks.

Scarlet is our Red Riding Hood, who is just as determined to get to her grandmother as the original but does it (thankfully) in a less inquisitive and repetitive way. She’s headstrong, spirited, and very focused. Then there is Wolf, who is a fighter and isn’t quite use to Scarlet’s brand of courage. He’s more of the strong silent type, but I wouldn’t really call him broody. I really loved watching their relationship grow into something oddly complicated. The third new character is Captain (Cadet…) Thorne, is a rather reckless and lighthearted guy whose quips made it impossible not to smile. I love his optimism, which seems oddly misplaced at times, and I even love his over inflated ego. Of course we also have our returning cast: Cinder,Kai and Iko. Cinder’s character sees some fantastic character development as she learns more about herself and tries to come to terms with everything. She’s still our brave and confident heroine, but she finds herself struggling with her newly found Lunar gifts. My beloved Iko returns to us, albeit in a rather different form, and while she doesn’t get a ton of page time I’m incredibly happy she’s back. Much like Cinder I find her presence to be comforting, even when she’s attempting to blush and commenting on how cute boys are. Prince Kai is now Emperor Kai and is struggling under the wait of the crown and the recent events in New Beijing. If I had to choose on character to give a hug to I think I’d give it to Kai, he has had a tough time of it since the start of the series.

I’m still utterly in love with how well Meyer has woven fairy tales together in a vivid science fiction world. The fact that she doesn’t immediately mash Cinder and Scarlet’s stories together makes it even better. While the plot progresses and slowly knits itself into the overall fabric of the world, we have time to learn the new characters and find out where all of the old ones are. The fact that we are treated to more than one side of the events adds not only depth but tension as characters work to figure things out.

I’m super happy I finally got around to reading this one! Cinder was one of my favorite books last year and Scarlet has definitely made it to my favorites this year. The world this series holds is something incredibly unique and imaginative and I can’t wait until I get to visit it again in Cress.

Review originally posted at Simply Adrift.

I’ve been highly anticipating Scarlet since I finished Cinder.

Scarlet is mainly from Scarlet's point of view with chapters of Cinder every so often. I felt like this was a good way to tell a different story but at the same time keep you updated on the last story, it also makes you wonder when the two stories are going to converge into the same one.

Scarlet was a different read to Cinder yet at the same time it still held the feeling that I felt when I read Cinder. The world was the same, I could crisply picture how the world had become in the future. The world building felt consistent which I was relieved with. This book followed along Scarlet’s path and story which happened to relate to Cinder in a way. I really liked that this book was mainly in Scarlet’s POV although at the same time we got chapters of other characters POV’s to see what they were up to; Cinder was still there and highly involved in the story. Even though she wasn’t the main, main character that this story focused on.

I liked Scarlet, she was fiery and passionate, she was fun to read. But as the book went on I did start to get annoyed at her naivety, her stubbornness and sometimes her childishness. Sometimes I thought she was so stupid for not having things figured out already. I really liked Wolf, he was interesting and alluring yet scary. Thorne was another new character that we got to meet and fall in love with, he became Cinder’s sidekick in a way although he likes to think of Cinder as his sidekick.

I loved how the story of Scarlet worked in with Cinder and how the characters Scarlet and Cinder related to each other. It was fascinating and interesting in how Meyer has worked this series. It only makes me more excited to read the rest of it and see where Meyer takes each story and how she works it in. This series is definitely my favourite retelling of fairy tales without it being a retelling.

I recommend this series if you like fairytale retellings, YA Science Fiction, and YA romance.

Always,
Jordon

This review was originally posted on Simply Adrift

[vagasker]

I loved the first book and the second book didn't let me down either. It was amazing! I really liked the new characters: Thorne, Wolf and Scarlet. Especially Thorne, I have a soft spot for him. The only bad thing is that I have to wait a year for the third book. and another year for the fourth. How will I survive? I'm curious and I want them right now!

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

I thought Scarlet was much more modern than Cinder, meaning it had more of a 2013 feel to it rather than Cinder which is clearly futuristic. I thought Scarlet was a little self-centered and obsessed with finding her Grandma completely blind to everyone else around her. So much so, that she couldn't see how shady Wolf was. From the moment he said he didn't know what a tomato was I knew something was fishy. He seemed like the kind of guy that would substitute egging a house with tomatoes. It has always been questioned whether tomatoes are a fruit or vegetable and I found Wolf's alliance questionable too.

Okay, so enough with the tomatoes already! Like I said before, this was a fun, fast-paced read. I felt the fashbacking between the storylines was well done. Sometimes I think flashbacks can be incohesive and hectic and did not find this the case, everything flying perfectly down a ski slope. Really (and this may sound silly) my only complaint is that not enough was shown from Kai's point of view. I do not have a fictional crush on the Emperor in any shape or form, but would have thought it interesting to learn more of the war against Earth that way rather than the 24 hour news coverage. It would have felt more first hand. Otherwise, I would very much recommend this book and a great second helping to the Lunar Chronicles.

[nannah]

Hmm. I think this book sort of has the "2nd book in the trilogy" syndrome. You know the kind: where a book doesn't really have an end or a self-standing plot and only serves to connect the first and third book. Scarlet was that kind of second installment.

That's not to say there were things I didn't enjoy. Scarlet moved at a quick pace and never had a dull moment (even if it did have some frustrating ones). Cinder was still a darling spitfire, and "Captain" Thorne made me laugh out loud a couple times, although I wished he brought more to the book than comic relief. I'm hoping he'll have some point to the plot in the third installment; crossing my fingers! Kai was also wonderful in his brief moments. He stood on his own and really tried to do his best in his unfortunate circumstances.

I did, however, have some problems with our newcomers Wolf and Scarlet. On one hand, I ADORED Wolf when he first was introduced. I loved the relationship between the two in the beginning. However, I feel like my fascination waned as the novel progressed . . . pretty quickly, actually. I feel like the book would have been much stronger if Wolf's motives would have been kept in the dark a bit longer.

I was also frustrated with the character development or, rather, the lack thereof. To be honest, I think the character who developed the most was Kai, and he had the least scene time out of everyone! Most of the time, Scarlet annoyed the heck out of me. She seemed a little hypocritical. To me, she hated her father for the same reasons I disliked her.

But I'm still looking forward to the last book in the trilogy! Hopefully it'll give Cinder and Kai more scenes and have a more firm hold on the plot.

[celinenyx]

I was quite hesitant to read Scarlet - I loved Cinder so much that I was afraid that Scarlet wouldn't be able to live up to it. Now that I'm done with the book, I have a different reason for wanting not having read it. The book was so awesome that waiting for Cress is just too much!

After the revelations of the ending in Cinder, the quest to find out more about Cinder's past continues. The story follows both Cinder and the title character Scarlet in their personal missions. Cinder is escaping prison where she also meets the very charming captain. Scarlet is following leads for her missing grandmother, since the police has deemed her disappearance a suicide.

Sheesh, does Scarlet have a temper! She's quite different from the more timid and even-natured Cinder. I think it really speaks for Meyer's writing that she can make two such different characters believable. I enjoyed reading from Scarlet's point of view, mainly because the main plot points of the book are in her parts. Cinder is still present in the book, but her story mainly takes the back seat.

As the point of view switches between the characters throughout the book, I know some readers have complained about the story losing its velocity. I personally didn't mind this, since I actually like stories that are told by different narrators, and Meyer did a wonderful job keeping the voices distinct.

I loved the way the overall storyline keeps unfolding and is getting more depth. The tensions between earth and the moon reach a high point, and the Queen is coming ever closer to open war against the earthlings. It pains me to think I will have to wait two more years until I know how this story ends.

Scarlet is a worthy sequel to Cinder, and one I would recommend to well, nearly anybody. These are books that I will continue to reread again and again.

[Angie]

A lot happens in such a short time during Scarlet. The story picks up immediately after the ending of Cinder, but we’re not in New Bejing anymore. Scarlet starts out in France, where we meet its title character. At first I was worried that the entire book would be about Scarlet, since I was missing my favorite cyborg mechanic. However, that is not the case at all. The story actually alternates between Scarlet, Cinder, and Kai! I loved seeing old favorites as well as new characters, even though it felt like quite a bit was happening to contain into one book.

The plot is extremely fast paced as it only covers a few days, but those couple of days certainly keep each of the characters busy. First we have Scarlet searching for her missing grandmother with the help of Wolf, a street fighter. If you’ve read The Queen’s Army (a free short story), you’ll recognize him as I did. I was always wondering if he could actually be trusted or not. I did like how Scarlet didn’t just immediately trust him, even after she accepted his help. She’s not one to just follow blindly. Second, we have Cinder busting out of prison! She also picks up an accomplice in the overly charming Thorne, another prisoner. I loved Cinder’s new found confidence as she escapes! Finally, we have Emperor Kai. He’s dealing with the aftermath of discovering Cinder’s Lunar heritage and the attacks from the Lunar Queen. I felt so sad reading his chapters, since he doubts Cinder and thinks she just another manipulator.

For the first three quarters, Scarlet read like two separate stories. I was a little iffy about this in the beginning, but by time the two storylines collide, I felt like this was the only way to tell it. As I said before, we follow Scarlet as she searches for her grandmother and Cinder as she escapes from prison. But guess who she’s looking for? Scarlet’s grandmother! Of course they team up in the end. Both storylines taught us so much more about how Cinder got to where she is and about the Lunars in general. There’s some super strange medical/scientific stuff going on there, and I’d love to learn more of the specifics! Perhaps in the next book?

I really don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a lot of stuff revealed in Scarlet. The war between the Lunars and Earthens is just getting started, but Cinder is going to have to make some decisions and soon! Kai has already made one, but I really hope he doesn’t go through with it! I’m not sure if I enjoyed this one more than it’s predecessor, but I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed it! There’s never a dull moment!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Cinder earned a spot on my top ten young adult reads in 2012 making Scarlet one of my most anticipated reads for 2013. The dystopian world and characters she created in Cinder captured my heart. Scarlet hailed as a companion book offers a retelling of Red Riding Hood and drops her right into Cinder’s world; it was captivating, original, filled with danger and I loved every minute of it.

The tale unfolds from dual points of view and an occasional perspective from others. We split most of our time between Scarlet and Cinder. Cinder’s adventure continues from where we last saw her and Scarlet’s adventure is just beginning. As the two tales unfold events slowly bring the two storylines together and I was held captive despite a predictable storyline. The thrill lies in knowing what will happen and not being able to warn the characters as they move towards danger.

We all know the characters from these beloved tales but Meyer molds them into unique, strong characters that you become passionate about. Cinder sees growth and acceptance in this second installment. She has already displayed loyalty and strength but here we see her vulnerable side as she struggles with her conscience. My beloved Iko is back! She has taken on an interesting form but her sense of humor was present. Kai is still struggling with his role as king, and his feelings for Cinder and his role is small in this book. Through Cinder we meet Throne a humorous characters with some amusing characteristics. I found myself giggling over some of his statements and actions. We meet Scarlet who lives on a farm in France. Her Grandmother Michelle Benoit has been missing for almost two weeks, and the police have called off the investigation claiming she is a run away. Right away we can see that Scarlet is a fiery character and I instantly connected with her. Wolf a street fighter agrees to help Scarlet search for her grandmother. He is streetwise, and goes from protective to leery as he interacts with Scarlet. Bad-boy from top to bottom Wolf reeks of confidence and purpose. He surprised me and I found him quite swoon-worthy. He is taken aback by Scarlet and her bold, no-nonsense, in your face, just do it attitude. Their relationship is volatile and at times romantic. Our villain Queen Levana is back and ooh how I love to hate her! We see growth and movement in Scarlet, Cinder and Wolf. Meyers has definitely created characters that are memorable and each has a unique voice.

I love the dystopian world Meyers created and while the tale that unfolds is predictable it offered me a unique chance to become caught up in the characters themselves. The romance which at first felt awkward slowly developed into something warm and fuzzy. I am looking forward to seeing how it develops. I still walked away with questions about the world, cyborgs and Lunars but I am confident my questions will be answered. The author did a fantastic job of weaving these two fairy-tales together creating a memorable and enjoyable story. The ending left me in a good place with high expectation for Cress the third book where we will meet Rapunzel. *dances*
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Kelsenator]

For more reviews make sure to visit my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf!

All the things that I loved about the first book were just as good in this! I was worried since it was the second in the series that it would have not been as good as the first since that does tend to happen in a series, but I was wrong and I loved it!

I was also kind of sad at first when I thought a new character would be competing with Cinder, but Scarlet had her own awesomeness. Her story is based off of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale with a grandmother that she’s trying to find, and her determination to see things through was a good fit and I really liked her. She encounters a character called Wolf and even has a red hoodie! Her journey intersects with Cinder and we find out more about Lunars, a hidden princess, Cinder’s past and all that fun adventure stuff from the first book. There’s even some cool fight scenes in this one!

Honestly, if you loved the first book go and get this one, I mean after that ending you’ll want to continue the series with this book anyway. If you haven’t read the first book yet, go get it! For those that have read it, now we start the wait for the next book in 2014!