Greetings Rad Readers!
This is the second installment of the oh so beloved Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. So, if you have not read the first then go read it now!! I did enjoy parts of this book, however, not nearly as much as I enjoyed 'Cinder.' 'Cinder' had this urgent fast paced, exciting and new feel. Scarlet was exciting at parts but desperately slow at others. All in all this was a good read, nothing extremely special which was a slight bummer being that 'Cinder' was a rad reads certified banger. Where as the first installment was a play on Cinderella, from what I gather this is a twisted, sci-fi version of Little Red Riding Hood. Like I said though, very very twisted.
We start off right where we left off in 'Cinder.' Cinder is in prison right now in Commonwealth after interrupting the royal ball. She is trying desperately to break out of prison and become Commonwealth's and Luna's most wanted fugitive. With the help of unexpected allies, Cinder is proving herself as more of a force to be reckoned with than anyone had expected. Meanwhile, halfway around the planet Earth, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother mysteriously goes missing and in trying to find her, Scarlet finds out that she might not have known everything about her grandmother, and that her disappearance may not have been an accident. Scarlet comes across Wolf, who may have a clue as to where she should start looking, though she knows little about this strange looking street fighter, with Scarlet's wits and fiery spirit, she debates whether or not to trust him. It is a question throughout weather she made the right choice.
What I liked about this story was really just Scarlet as a person. I found her to be a very unique character that you don't come across too often in novels like these. I also found it impressive that the author was able to develop Wolf as a character even though he was so mysterious and quiet. It added a bit to the intrigue in the story and Marissa Meyer killed it-- absolutely played it perfectly with the "should I trust him, should I not, is he a bad guy or just a little off?" kind of vibes. Scarlet is so strong willed and quick witted and fiery. I love it and it really isn't something you see in female protagonists in these types of novels. Usually they are unassuming and act weak which we can all agree is beyond agitating. Scarlet is not depicted like this at all just like Cinder wasn't in the first book either! I will say however that it was difficult to get too invested in Scarlet as we did with Cinder becuase we didn't really get to know her the same way we know Cinder. All of her plot was really just in concern with what was going on with her grandmother and weather or not she should continue to trust Wolf. Ugh, so complicated!
Speaking of Cinder, my main complaint is that we didn't get enough of her. Sure, I know that the name of the book is Scarlet, and that we are supposed to be learning about Scarlet's journey, but I just care so so so much about Cinder's story! It was so interesting and I just don't find Scarlet's to be that great in comparison. I do think that the author did balance the focus of the novel well even though I kind of wish she didn't that way I could read more about Cinder... Regardless, she did tell Scarlet's story in great depth and developed it phenomenally and made me care for the characters even though I didn't care about their story.
I absolutely loved Cinder's new partner in crime (literally), Thorne. He is a hilarious character and offers so much. Their dynamic is awesome and every time I got to read about them I enjoyed it and when I wasn't reading about them I was looking forward to the next time I would be able to.
The way Cinder's and Scarlet's plot lines merged in the end was seamless as well and felt super natural! There is not much I can say without spoiling this book for you, so I think I am just going to leave it at that my fellow literature lovers. The writing was another major highlight of these books. This world is so incredibly developed and described so greatly, I really just love this series so much! As far as the bigger picture goes with Levana and Kai... Levana is a mad lad out to get Cinder and Kai is starting to realize that he might want to start putting more trust in that cyborg... so exciting and can't wait to read the next one!!!!!!!!!
Read on! Read on!
-C8 ;)
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