Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles, book two
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. (description from Amazon.com)
I loved Cinder so much that I was actually a little nervous to read this book. However, I need not have been worried! Meyer manages to blend both storylines so well that both Cinder and Scarlet become and stay compelling heroines. This gives me great hope that the series will continue to be EPIC.
Anyway... Cinder's storyline continues to be intriguing and at the moment heartbreaking. In the chapters that alternated (one for every two or three Scarlet chapters) interspersed into the larger story, we get to see Cinder escape from prison and continue to learn more about her back story. As much as we learned here, I can't wait for the next book (Cress, 2014) to find out even more - what Cinder can do, who can help her, how exactly she became who she is today.
Scarlet's story not only brought in new characters, but also added dimension to Cinder's tale. We find out more about Queen Levana's plans and what she has in place on earth. Wolf's character is both there for his overall "hunkiness" and to help move that plotline along rather nicely. You can really see Meyer's talent as a storyteller and worldbuilder. Things that seemingly have no connection end up building upon one another to create a more fleshed world.
A fantastic addition to the Lunar Chronicles series.
Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile Magazine
