Review 129. Marissa Meyer – Scarlet.

Title: Scarlet.
Author: Marissa Meyer.
Pages: 452. 
Published: February 5th 2013.
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends.
Sort: Part two of ‘Lunar Chronicles.’
Review Part 1: Cinder.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and 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 has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own. As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Rating:

Excuse me for fangirling, but AHHHHHHHHHHHH. This. was. so. good. I need to include some gifs to show you my love for this book, because I can’t express it with words alone. This was just epic and perfect. I might even liked it more than Cinder, because we get to meet Scarlet, Wolf and Thorne. More of that later in the summary, first;

All right. I’m okay. I’m okay. *Breathe*

If you haven’t read Cinder, there are spoilers in the summary, but you can read the review, conclusion and quote :)

This book starts with Scarlet. She is worried about her grandmother who disappeared two weeks ago. The authority has given up their search, but Scarlet is determined to find her. There is something wrong, she knows is. During one of her working days, she meets Wolf. He has something to do with her grandmother and he confesses that he was part of a special Pack. Now, he is offering his help to find her back and Scarlet knows that she needs him.

Every other chapter, we get to see the story of our beloved Cinder. She is trying to escape out of the prison (remember? Cinder warned Kai that Queen Levana wants to marry him, so she can kill him to take control over the world. Cinder is actually Princess Selene from Lunar and she is a treat to Levana’s hold of the throne. That is why Levana wants her dead.) Cinder literally falls into the cell of ‘Captain’ Thorne. He is there for several criminal actions and one of them is stealing a space ship. They flee together and Cinder gets information about Michelle Benoit; Scarlet’s grandmother.

That is how their stories come together on a critical point near the end of the book.

I’m going to try to explain why I loved this book so much. First, it was fun to switch between the stories of Scarlet/Wolf and Cinder/Thorne. I adore every character. They are so fleshed out and it’s great how kick ass Scarlet and Cinder are. They aren’t helpless or weak, but smart and caring. Scarlet is so loyal. She is willing to do anything to save her grandmother. Wolf is dangerously sexy and Thorne is a sweet womanizer. We also have glimpses of Kai, who is trying to make the best decisions for his country. Queen Levana is a true villain and we finally get to see why she is such a danger; her evil master plan is revealed.

Second, I liked the way she showed parts of the first book. Instead of explaining the first book like a summary, we get subtle reminders of what happened to keep the story clear and easy to follow.

I was constantly turning pages and I was sucked into their stories. Her writing style is so addictive and flowing. It was fun to see how Cinder and Scarlet meet and what their connection is. This climax was so well-done. It was somewhat predictable, but Marissa shows that it’s not always a bad thing. As long as you fill the book with action, romance and awesome characters, you can work with a strong predictable plot. The ending was heart-breaking. Not because it’s a cliff-hanger (thank god), but I realized that I have to wait a year before I can continue this series. It was satisfying though. I can’t stand most cliff-hangers and this was a good wrapped up ending.

I’m going to count the days until I can have Cress in my hands.

Awesome. Perfection.

“We met less than a week ago and in that time I've done nothing but lie and cheat and betray you. I know. But if you give me a chance...all I want is to protect you. To be near you. For as long as I'm able.”