Scarlet

5 STARSSCARLET was a thrilling second installment that kept me engrossed and reading faster then I could turn the pages. Marissa Meyer's does it again in this twisted retelling of Little Red Riding Hood like you've never seen it before!Marissa Meyer's takes this fairytale and turns it even better then the original, with a Sci-f twist and it's own touch of originality, SCARLET brings something so unique and truly an addicting adventure that will keep your mind racing, heart aching, and leave you utterly and wonderfully satisfied, while keeping you eager for the next book in this one of a kind series!I honestly didn't think I could love this second book anymore then I loved CINDER, but boy was I wrong. While CINDER was amazing and had the start to a swoony romance, SCARLET picked up where CINDER left off and progressed this series with a new cast of characters along with the old ones we loved from book one. It blew me away with it's mind blowing action and adventure, and thrilling twist that just kept coming. And we finally start to get some long deserved answers that we desperately craved!Returning again for another epic adventure is our beloved Cinder that's just as daring and memorable as she was the first time around. She's now a fugitive on the run with the weight of earth and Luna bearing down upon her. Cinder has grown somewhat from book one, but she's still unsure about herself and her capabilities of going up against Levana and wining, but she's not letting that stop her.But sadly in this second book her and Emperor Kai have no interaction whatsoever. And I was really bummed out about that aspect, even though Cinder and Kai never really acted on their feelings in the first book, but you could still definitely feel the chemistry and desire radiating off of them for each other. And I was finally hoping to have some hot romance heat up between them, but nope, their was none, zip, zilch, nada, and that was a HUGE let down!! But nevertheless, I still loved this book and enjoyed Cinder and Kai's own separate adventure that I'm betting will merge by the end and have a fiery romance that was well worth waiting for!!But my disappointment over their absence of a hot romance didn't last long because we have a new and fresh hot couple that seemed to heat up the pages even more then Cinder and Kai, but that's probably only because they actually "DID" act on their desires. Scarlet and Wolf are from two very different worlds, but when their lives collide they're reluctantly thrown together and sparks fly, well maybe not at first. But after they realize they're on the "same side", their attraction intensifies and they became totally swoony and was epically engaging.I loved Scarlet from the second she was introduced, she was feisty and determined to find her missing grandmother no matter what. Everyone thinks she's crazy but Scarlet's not giving up that easy, and that's the main reason why I loved her immediately. She had everyone telling her that her grandmother took off, but Scarlet was not willing to accept that and was determined to go to any length to find and save her grandmother, even if she had to sacrifice herself. When Scarlet Benoit loves, she loves all the way, and that was an admirable trait that I liked. She was also hard head and determined, and extremely hardworking, she just had this air about her that I instantly liked and admired.The world-building was once again mind-blowing. I'm amazed at how much thought and detail went into this world, and how Meyer's could over think the main plot in SCARLET to expand to the other books in this series, and then interweave to later all make sense. What I mean is that as of writing this review now I've already read every book in this series except WINTER, and each book is about a new character but still has all the old characters from the all the other books in the series, and is also told in multiple POV's from all the characters in the previous books. But each book also ties into the rest of the series, and not only are questions answered from the previous book, but it also all starts to fit together and you finally get to see the bigger picture.And for Meyer's to create a series like this with such depth and reach, it's just beyond amazing and intriguing. But it also had to take a lot of thought and planing to make sure everything lined up and fit just right to make sense throughout the entire series. But the actual plot was fascinating, I could relive a million stories set in this world and never grow tired of them. Meyer's just has this gift for creating the most unique and utterly complex stories that I have read to date. If it's one thing I can undoubtedly give to Meyer's it's her originality to create the most developed world-buildings and compelling plots out there!!!THE PLOT:CINDER:A week ago Cinder was a just a normal girl, well as normal as any Cyborg girl can be. Part human and part machine, Cinder has lived with her fair share of hateful comments and downcast looks. But she's never had a complete country look at her like that, like a complete outcast and a double freak, until now that is, until the truth behind part of her identity is finally revealed, and her whole world comes crashing down around her.Cinder's world becomes a turmoil of chaos and destruction after she finds out she's not only Lunar, a race that has been at odds with Earthens for a long as she can remember, but also that she's the lost Lunar Princess Selene that most of the world thinks dead.After coming face to face with the same woman who tried to burn her alive and forced her to become a cyborg, Cinder is condemned only for the blood that runs through her veins and sentenced to death upon returning home to her birth plant of Luna. But with the help of unlikely allies Cinder escapes her prison and goes on the run to uncover the secrets behind her heritage, and the events that followed after her aunt, Queen Levana ruined her life and stole away her childhood.A fugitive on the run, Cinder is now the most wanted person in the world, she must stay one step ahead of the Commonwealth and the goons Levana has secretly stashed on earth if she is going to get the answers she seeks. With enemies closing in and time running out, Cinder must quickly find Michelle Benoit, the person with all the answers she needs if she's to untangle the threads of her past and save their future.But when Cinder discovers that Michelle Benoit is missing, and even worse suspected to be in the clutches of Levana's engineered Lunar wolfs, she will have to become one with the power she just barley learned how to control if she is to stay alive long enough to get answers and hopefully save the world from falling into Levana's hands, because if that happens, they would all be doomed, and at the mercy of pure evil...SCARLET:Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing, everyone says the crazy ol' bat ran off on her own, but Scarlet knows the truth, she knows her grandmother would never leave without telling her where's she's going. But it doesn't matter because she's still gone, just disappeared into thin air, but Scarlet is not giving up until she finds her grandmother and makes the evil bastards that took her pay, even if she has to put herself in the crossfire to find her, she will.Two weeks after her grandmothers disappearance Scarlet finally gets the break she needs when a street fighter baring the same eerie tattoo of her grandmothers kidnappers appears offering the answers she desperately needs. But the truth behind it all is more terrifying then she ever anticipated, and she's quickly pulled into a world of chaos and murder as she tries to unravel the mystery behind her grandmothers secrets. All while trying to fight her ongoing attraction with the street fighter that seems more beast than man, and is more tied to her grandmothers secrets and disappearance then she once thought. The fight to save her grandmother may bring her closer to the truth, but it also may be her ultimate downfall...Surprisingly SCARLET was sooo much better then I imaged it would be, and was even better then the first book CINDER was, even though we still didn't get any Cinder/Kai action yet, which I desperately NEED. But we get a set of new characters that were fully developed and undeniably likable, with a new and fresh romance that easily made up for the Cinder/Kai lack.Overall, SCARLET was such an awesome ride that I couldn't get enough of. Full of action and adventure, twist and turns, betrayals and deception, self discovery and shocking revelations, romance and bitter-sweet attraction, and heart-breaking loss with torturous murder, SCARLET touches on everything and brings a hurricane of emotions that just keep coming and coming. I can happily say I'm more then satisfied with this second installment, and couldn't wait any longer to start reading the third book CRESS, and unsurprisingly I'm enjoying that one just as much if not more then SCARLET and CINDER, and I have a feeling the final book WINTER will be the best of them all. So if you've already read CINDER and enjoyed it, then I think you would most definitely find this next installment right up your alley. This series has quickly become one of my new favorites of all time!!

This is the fantastic sequel to Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles. Marissa Meyer does a brilliant job of introducing us to a new duo that will be featured in the book, while intricately weaving their story in with the characters that we already know and love. In case you weren’t aware Scarlet is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. As this is the second book in the series, there will be plot points referenced from the first book and may spoil you. I suggest you read Cinder before you read this review.Scarlet is incredibly different from Cinder, our main character from the first book. With fiery hair and a temper to match, Scarlet is an accomplished pilot and a force to be reckoned with. When her grandmother goes missing, she will stop at nothing to get her back – even if that means teaming up with a street fighter who has never had tomatoes before… named Wolf.There is a dichotomy in the portrayal of Wolf as he is seen as violent and angry during a fight, but so innocently curious and nervous with Scarlet. She introduces him to the wonders of fresh produce and his reaction is so precious, he just reminds me of a puppy in those moments. I can’t say that I like him more than Kai, but he definitely grows on you over the course of the book.It was nice to see Kai in his role as the Emporer of the Eastern Commonwealth. In the first book, he was only just coming to terms with the drastic change in his circumstances and now he must be the leader his people need. You watch as he struggles to reconcile the needs of his people with the desires of his heart. Completely untested as a ruler, he does what he can to protect his people from Queen Levana but worries that it will not be enough. It was heartbreaking to see the turmoil and know that he will only face more difficult decisions in the future.Cinder’s world was completely turned upside down at the end of the first novel. As a result, she is on the run and teams up with Captain Carswell Thorne. His utter enamorment with himself is hilarious and plays really well off of Cinder’s more serious, yet still sarcastic personality.I really enjoyed seeing the world expand a bit more as we learned about other locations in the Earthen Union and spent time in France. We were given more of Cinder’s history and the groundwork was laid for plot points and characters in the future books. This was a great story, but I can’t say much else without spoilers – so just go read the series, you won’t regret it.

Solid 4.5 StarsIt has been a very long time since I read the first book, Cinder, which I enjoyed so not sure why I waited so long?I just really enjoyed this book, at no point was I bored and I kept wanting to read on. The pacing and writing are really good.I really liked the three new main characters. Scarlet is feisty, quick to anger and flirty, Thorne is very amusing and I loved the character of Wolf. I really like that the author hasn’t just created another likeable, ‘nice’ girl, yes Scarlet may annoy you from time to time but she’s easily identifiable as being different from Cinder and is far more realistic and interesting than some of the MC’s in the YA world ( who are just that ‘perfect’ female character-Boring!)There was a bit of insta love at the end of the book (Why can’t characters in books ever just DATE?!) but I can forgive it because I love the dynamic between the characters.In what feels like a sea of retellings it’s so refreshing to read an original take! Meyer takes the essence of the original fairytale and makes it her own.(The only reason it in theory loses half a star (I tend to round up if half stars are not available) because it’s a really good story, with really great characters but there is no OMG WTF/WOW moment for me that makes it stand out.)

Cinder has to break out of prison and escape capture from Lunars and her countrymen alike; whilst trying to find the one person that might help shed light on who she is.Meanwhile Scarlet has to find who kidnapped her grandmother and why. Along the way she has to decide whether or not to trust her new and mysterious companion, Wolf.This is the second of The Lunar Chronicles series. The first book was a pretty fun cyborg version of Cinderella; and you'll never guess what this- oh, you guessed.Yes, this time it's Red Riding Hood.Set in futuristic France.Where granny is an ex-military flyer-turned-farmer.And the wolves are a gang playing a big game.I loved this, it was fun. It was just as creative as the last book, and possibly even stronger.It is split almost-equally between our two heroines - Cinder takes a bit of a back seat to Scarlet in this one, which I liked because all Cinder was doing for the majority was escaping and hiding. Whereas Scarlet had the much more exciting adventure.The plot builds on the first book, there is a race to find the lost Lunar princess, and to discover what information Scarlet's grandmother could possibly have.There were a few more surprises in this one, that actually managed to surprise me! (That sentence makes sense when you keep in mind that every plot twist was obvious in the last book)The new characters (and new versions of old characters) are all interesting and likeable and move the story along.I don't really know what else to say! There's something light and enjoyable about these books, even though it is about a world on the verge of war.Next one please.

This series niftily blends the current trend for fairytale retellings and rejigs it into a science fiction world where the terrifying Lunar Queen Levana is determined to bring Earth under her control. The Lunar operatives have a scary form of mind control which works on most Earthers and is a solid reason why cyborgs are so hated and reviled.Once again, Meyer tips us into the middle of this adventure and feeds us slices of information as and when we need them in amongst the action and mayhem that kicks off almost instantly. There is a high level of violence in this book with a trail of dead and broken bodies, kidnapping and murder – but then the stakes are so very high. What keeps it from being joylessly grim are the shafts of humour that are delivered mostly through the dialogue as some of the awfulness tips into farce.The two protagonists, Scarlet and Cinder, are both feisty and determined. Scarlet refuses to believe that her grandmother has just wandered off and will wander back in due course, despite what the local police force are trying to tell her. I really liked her character – a strong-minded, emotional person who plunges into situations and thinks about the consequences later. She isn’t unlike Cinder, who is also stubborn and strong-minded. But she is less grounded and sure of herself. And the reasons for Cinder’s odd lack of self-confidence becomes increasingly clear throughout the book.Wolf is a very interesting character – a savage and effective street fighter who comes to Scarlet’s attention just as her grandmother goes missing. They form an unlikely team – but I wasn’t sure he was completely trustworthy as it seems far too much of a coincidence that he should turn up just as she needs more muscle. But a complicated, ambivalent main character is always interesting. The growing relationship between them is well handled and I believed in it.I really like Meyer’s handling of the plot, where you think one thing is happening and as the story progresses, you realise in fact that something else is going on. This means I am not going to be able to discuss much of the plot. The pacing and action continue hurtling forward – this is a book that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up throughout. Recommended for fans of fairytale retellings with a difference.8/10

Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, set in a futuristic society. It’s the sequel to “Cinder”, and the second book in the Lunar Chronicles.Scarlet’s grandma has disappeared. And no one really seems to care enough to help Scarlet find her. After hearing about the unfortunate Cyborg Lunar who infiltrated a royal ball in New Beijing, she stands up and defend this unknown person against the badmouthing from her townsmen. This, results in her meeting with Wolf, a streetfighter who decides to help her locate her grandma.This couple was literally my OTP for most of the series. But then again… I kinda loved all of them.What really stood out to me, though, was that this book had more romantic development than “Cinder”. At least, from my perspective.Once again, I’m awestruck at the retelling, just like I was with “Cinder”. Marissa Meyer once more manages to take something well-known, and then twist and turn it until it’s completely different.And it’s magnificent. Although, I have to admit that the similarities between the fairytale and this one are very sparse. It kinda makes sense if you consider the fact that the antagonist of the original fairytale is the love interest here.And what a sweet love interest he is. Wolf is the cutest. I don’t know if I just have a soft spot for the tough ones with a gooey center, but whoa. I adored him and how he protects Scarlet. His innocent mind, coupled with animalistic instincts was just… awesome.There’s another story hidden in Scarlet, that follows Cinder as we left her in the first book. With the help of another inmate—Thorne—she manages to escape prison and decides to search for Scarlet’s grandmother. Cinder hopes that the elder lady can shed some light on how—and why—she came to earth that many years ago.I have to admit: I wasn’t a fan of the dual stories. Like, it made sense, and after finishing the series, I’m glad it was written this way, but oh boy… when I was attacked with a sudden reading slump in the middle of the book, it didn’t itch in me to get back into story. This is also the reason why it took me almost a month to finish the book.Thorne was, like Wolf, a dream guy. Bratty with a side of cocky—just like I like ‘em. And the fact that he wasn’t a love interest made him seem more real to me. Of course, I still shipped Kai and Cinder, but since they’d been torn apart by Levana, there wasn’t much room for a lovestory there.Which worked, since it highlighted Wolf and Scarlet’s blooming romance so much more.Just as with the first book, there were some things I didn’t love. I will, once again, surround it with spoiler tags, so if you want to read on, feel free.[- The dual stories, I didn’t like how much time we spent onboard the Rampion with Cinder and Thorne. While it made sense that they didn’t just succeed on the first try, it also made me incredibly bored—I wanted to get back to the OTP.- Scarlet’s dad. He was a complete nutcase, even though he might have had his reasons. As someone who’s very close to her own family, that part was tough to read about. I fully understood Scarlet.- Scarlet’s past There were some things I wondered about for a long time. Not exactly plot holes, but.. something was sticking out first. Like, the device that Cinder’s adoptive dad invented: Apparently it could prevent manipulation from lunars? And, Scarlet's grandma had one, but she never thought it would be smart to give one to her grandchild, or child even. No, instead Scarlet’s a toy for the lunars.- Wolf’s brother I really wanted to now more about him. He was an interesting character.And, once again, I can’t get everything I ask for. Sadly.As mentioned before: I really adore this book so much. And it will definitely be re-read a couple of time.If you liked Cinder, you might not like this as much. The POV changes where jarring, and unless you're emotionally invested in everything Cinder is doing, her part of the story seems almost... boring... compared with Scarlet's story.And that's not really an entirely fair opinion. Because Cinder's story isn't boring at all. It just wasn't as action packed as we'd come to expect from the first book and Scarlet's portion of the book.As long as you don't exaggerate your expectations, then you'll love this book, and as soon as you read on, you'll appreciate the way it's written.Recommended for fans of Sci-fi, Fantasy, YA and fairytale retellings. Comes highly recommended.

Scarlet follows where Cinder left off whilst also adding another character’s perspective into it: Scarlet Benoit. Scarlet’s story is a retelling of Little Red Riding hood set in France at the same time as Cinder’s timeline. It follows Scarlet after her Grandmother goes missing and a man called Wolf seems to keep popping up.So, again, like Cinder I really enjoyed the twists on the fairytale, like Scarlet’s grandmother being kidnapped instead of eaten and the “wolf” being a pack of “wolf” things.Queen Levana becomes so much more menacing in this installment of the series: she’s rearing a secret army she’s blackmailing Kai, it’s a whole mess and we get to see her for what she truly is, which we didn’t see much of in Cinder. I’m excited to see what happens with her in the next 2 books in the series and I hope she doesn’t hurt my baby Kai.I’m not sure about how Cinder has grown used to her Lunar powers, she always has internal conflicts about it but I do worry that she is going to go slightly power mad but we shall see.I really like Scarlet, she is headstrong and independent and wonderful. Her relationship with Wolf is fantastic as well, the way its written you as a reader feel personally betrayed by him when he hurts Scarlet.I also like Thorne, who is kind of Cinder’s new sidekick, he brings some comedic relief to Cinder’s crazy hectic life, but the way things are going with them I’m worried there is going to be some sort of romantic connection between the pair which would be ok but I want Cinder and Kai to end up together first and foremost.Overall I enjoyed Scarlet and felt it was better than Cinder and hope that the next 2 books are even more exciting.

I read (listened to) this immediately after finishing Cinder, I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved the way the two stories fit together - they had their own styles but we're so well connected.As with Cinder, the characters are wonderful, the world Meyer has created is so impressive and gives the perfect backdrop to the wider story. I can't wait to read this again, even though I just finished the series this week.

I absolutely love this book, it's predecessor Cinder and the following ones in the series ( Cress and Fairest ). They are all a brilliant read and the story-line keeps building with new characters being introduced that fit seamlessly into the plot and it's subsequently a fantastic series. Marissa Meyer is a new addition to my favourite authors list and I have the final book in the series; Winter already on pre-order and I cannot wait to read it later this year. The series has been unputdownable and I have enjoyed every minute reading the books.Scarlet follows on immediately after the events of Cinder which I will mention but will not ruin the plot of Scarlet and so if you haven't read the first book and don't want anything revealed then I'd advise to stop reading my review now. Scarlet Benoit's Grandmother is missing and the police have stopped looking for her but Scarlet knows her Grandmother wouldn't abandon her and so she is determined to continue the search. Circumstances throw Scarlet into Street-fighter Wolf's path and she enlists his help to help find her Grandmother. There's another side to Wolf and also something different that Scarlet can't quite put her finger on and is there something more sinister behind her Grandmother's disappearance? Can Wolf be trusted to help Scarlet and can love over-rule animal instincts and conditioning?....Meanwhile Cinder is locked in New Beijing Prison and knows that is she doesn't escape and escape soon that Queen Levana will murder her when she is taken to the moon. An old friend helps Cinder with her escape plan and she also makes a new slightly narcissistic but ultimately lovable companion in the form of Captain Carswell Thorne (who's character I love) but will that be enough to escape Prison and then ultimately escape Levana's wrath?....A fantastic series with a new fresh take on the Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood tales and as I mentioned above I have read all four books in the series in fast succession as I loved the series so much and was immediately hooked. If you are a fan of dystopian or YA then I think you will love this book and this series and I can't wait for the next one due to be released in December this year. CinderCressFairestWinter

More like a 3.5, I liked this installment in the Lunar chronicles more than the first book, we got to know Cinder better and learn more about her and I found myself liking the new characters and liking the old ones more.I feel as though we didn't really get to know the new character of Scarlet as well as I would have wanted. It seemed as though a lot of her character was built around her relationships with others; her worry for her grandmother and her growing feelings for Wolf. However, I did really like their relationship and the suddenness of it even though parts of it were pretty predictable.I loved the way that the two story lines ran parallel to each other through most of the book and then joined together quite far into the book. Both of the main protagonists knew of each other but didn't actually make contact with each other or become relevant to one another until quite a way through the book.I love the way that Cinder seems to be taking more control of her circumstance in this book, and seems to be building up a resistance force against Queen Levana. She seems to have built up a little group by the end of the book and I'm thinking this is going to grow.Also I have to say I actually really like the character of Thorne, usually he's the kind of character I would hate. But I love him. He's just the right amount of funny and witty, and he's happy to take action when he needs to even though it doesn't really seem to be his fight. He seems like a pretty honest character and I look forward to following books - I hope he features heavily in them.I'm looking forward to reading Cress, Rapunzel has always been a favourite fairytale of mine and I'm curious to see the way in which Meyer presents her character in a modern way.

I enjoy this story but not as much as Cinder. I found it hard to connect with Scarlet initially at the beginning since all I was interested in was reading more about Cinder. Also, if you read Cinder, you would have figure out the mystery surrounding the grandma, so waiting for Scarlet to catch up with the readers was a task and took a long time, so up to then the only interesting bits were reading about Cinder and Thorne. And I couldn’t get into the action scenes, it’s not the writer’s greatest strength and I found myself skimming those scenes to the end to see who won or lost.The book did get more interesting halfway through with Scarlet’s storyline, and I do feel Scarlet and Wolf’s romantic relationship is much better done than Cinder and Kai’s, who I think just comes across more as friends than potential lovers.Still I enjoyed some of it but not quite as gripping as the first book.

The sequel to Cinder in the "Lunar Chronicles" series. Scarlett lives in France in a quiet country farm with her Grandmother. Her Mother abandoned her and her father slowly did the same. Her grandmother is all Scarlett has left in the world, so is mortified when she is kidnapped and the police close her case. Then along comes Wolf, a street-fighter, who claims to want to help Scarlett but seems to have some mysterious link to the disappearance of her beloved Grandma. Meanwhile, Cinder, now the most famous and most wanted fugitive in both Lunar and the Eastern Commonwealth is off on a travel to find the sole hair of the Lunar throne with Captain Thorne, a devilishly handsome but slightly arrogant pirate, as her reluctant assistant. These two unlikely stories combine in their quest to end the reign of the evil Queen Levana.I thought, going into this book, I was spoilt for everything that was to happen. Thankfully I wasn't. There were still many twists and turns and laughs and delights as I continued on in this incredible series with 'Scarlett'. I loved how it was set in different places at and I liked how it was set in different time sets. I have, by now, become accustomed to the world and I love how everything is was tided up together at the end. I did find it a bit frustrating in that the two main girls (Cinder and Scarlett) Don't meet until the very end of the book and how we don't ever get to meet Grandma until the end of the book either since - in Scarlett's time-line - she was the main focus of the story. I thought it was clever the way Meyer has done her story by taking two seemingly completely separate stories and building them towards the end to combine them together. The whole concept of The Plague was not really as strong as it was Cinder - in that it was mentioned once or twice but there seemed to be no involvement of The Plague. I loved how this series continued with the old character's you have grown to love but introducing new characters who also grow in fondness. I thought that Scarlett, as a character, was a lot more interesting than Cinder in that she is far more impulsive and single minded than Cinder; although loyal and true, Scarlett is a lot more wild in that she doesn't think things threw and doesn't bother to try and understand things fully and doesn't try and see things from other people's point of view as well as not really thinking about the other people around her when it comes to their thoughts, feelings, or even safety. I found Wolf, Scarlett's love interest, way more interesting than Kai; with Kai, you know he's the male hero of the story, even if he does seemingly wrong things, because you can see why he has to do it - with Wolf, you don't know if he's good, if he's bad, if he's on their side or if he even has a side, which makes him more interesting and more exiting to read about since he is not the classic hero or a classic double-crosser. Cinder, in this one, was far better, in character development; she does more, she's more in control in what she feels she should do and it doesn't hurt that she gets a new cyborg hand and foot (the hand being particularly cool). Kai was a lot distant in this one and I didn't see that as a bad thing since he seems to still be a very big part in the story-line. I loved that Iko is back in the picture and I love having her back in the story. I fell in love with Captain Thorne (although I keep thinking his name as 'Throne' instead of 'Thorne', at times) and am looking forward to see more of him. I see Scarlett's Grandma as an older and more wiser version of Scarlett - the woman that I am sure she will become in time. I found Wolf and Scarlett's love story much more interesting than Kai and Cinder's - probably because I completely get the whole 'Love you, but afraid of you' thing. My favourite part was when it's reviled to us that Wolf doesn't know what a tomato is or what a carrot is and he asks Scarlett about it - I think it shows an interesting side to Wolf's character. I also loved the part at the end when Wolf saves Scarlett's life by killing a man and he tells her he's about to kill her as well, but I found it moving when she told him about how he was not afraid of him and how he's not like the others (no spoilers!).Overall, I did loved Scarlett, but not enough so that I could confirm with Five Stars. There were times were I was a little annoyed at how the characters seemed to be spinning around in circles, not going anywhere, and I found that Scarlett was too much of a scattered character (one moment she loves him, the next she can't stands him, but then she loves him again etc.). Did I like Scarlett more than Cinder? Yes, definitely. Did I like it enough to give it Five Stars? No. Was it nearly Five Stars? Absolutely. I'm just not sure if I could give it Five Stars when this series is still in the making. I've got Cress, ready to be read, so I am looking forward in seeing what new and exiting characters come out of it.

4.5 stars. Loved this. It felt like a definite improve on Cinder for me, though that could just be because I prefer this kind of ‘on the run’ storyline. Wolf was adorable, Scarlet was strong and Thorne was YES. Basically I really liked all the new characters as well as the returning ones (I need Cinder and Kai to be reunited SOON). I liked the villains in this story as well, and how Meyer fit them in to the story to suit the existing Little Red Riding Hood storyline. Scarlet was a fun and original sci-fi retelling of such a classic tale.

This book!!!!!I read Scarlet within three days and it has been mind-blowing! After Cinder I didn't think the series could get better, however it did! What I really love about the books is the uniqueness that they come with, the author thinks of something so extraordinary and so different it leaves you wanting more and more!At first I wanted to read about Cinder and her journey more than I did to find out about the new character Scarlet. As the book merges Scarlet and Cinder together, I found it incredibly interesting. This book had so many strong "twists and turns". I was left reading chapter after chapter and I a lot of the time I couldn't put the book down!Another thing I need to mention is the two male characters. Without giving too much away there is one on Cinder's side and one on Scarlet side. The guys are both brilliant even though they both have equal parts one had me from the moment he spoke!I highly highly highly recommend this book!!!

After the last book, Cinder, was left on a cliffhanger i expected it to pick up right where it left off. However, it started from the perspective of a tough, fiery 18 year old girl called Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood). I was a bit upset, thinking that Cinder's story had just been abandoned but i was then so happy to find that there are different points of view in this book, from Scarlet, to Cinder, To Kai, to Wolf (the brooding, quietly dangerous male lead who i absolutely melted for!). I loved the way the different story lines intertwined and was so excited when they finally joined at the end.The retelling of Little Red Riding Hood was pure genius, keeping to the basic story as told by the brothers Grimm yet adding it's own twist that was absolutely brilliant! It was a whirl wind of mystery and action and romance! I don't think i have ever loved a leading male character as much as i love Wolf! The whole way through the book i was kept guessing at the mysteries, such as who took Grandma? Why is Wolf for aloof? How do these people link to Cinder? It also fun to be introduced to a new character, larger than life 'Captain' Carswell Thorne!If your not already reading this series, what are you doing with your life?

Scarlet is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. A little bit of Sci fi, blended with a retelling of an old Fairy tale and a little bit of fantasy too! What more could you want? Very good Teen read (and for adults like me). I don't want to give too much away and spoil the enjoyment, letting you work out the details for yourself. I enjoyed this very much and have just completed book 3. Cress. Book 4 awaits............ I shall be a little disappointed when I have finished the Lunar Chronicles.

** spoiler alert ** At first this book annoyed me with the continuous switch in point of view, it was happening so often at the beginning that I felt it halted the story and the progression of the characters. It made me want to skip chapters with the certain characters because I wanted to know more about Scarlet. After a while the POV switch eased off and I started to connect with the new characters and actually want to read more on Cinder.I'd give the cover art a 3.5 stars. I like that it's sticking to the same theme, with the image that sums up the protagonist and that it is red, white and blue but Cinder's glass slipper had a sci-fi-cyborg twist that Scarlet lacked.This being a sci-fi series I didn't manage (I don't know how haha) to connect the dots that Wolf wasn't just a werewolf, which you would think would the the most predicable plot for his character. He is named Wolf and this is a Little Red Riding Hood story, of course. But no, I was wrong. He's a Lunar solider. For some reason I didn't pick up on this, even though these morphed soldiers were spoken about and seen by Kai and the other world leaders in the first book. I was thinking more fantasy and stuck in that genre, instead of sci-fi. He's a lunar. He's an alien. That kinda creeps me out.Overall I liked this book more than Cinder and felt it was less predicable. Probably because Cinderella has been retold a hundred times but Little Red Riding Hood hasn't and it wasn't too stuck in that story, I felt that it branched out on its own. I'm looking forward to reading more of Scarlet and Wolf's story.Now, on to Cress!!