Scarlet Benoits grandmother has gone missing. Everyone tells her to not worry about it, theres nothing she can do, her grandmother is an individualistic kind of person, but Scarlet thinks theres something more insidious behind her grandmothers disappearance. The only person who will help her is a soft-spoken street fighter named Wolf, whom Scarlet hopes she can trust, but who may have an agenda of his own. Answers are discovered, but more questions raised, when they cross paths with Cinder, whose recent and widely publicized escape from a New Beijing prison just might start the war that the ruthless Lunar Queen has been waiting for.

Cinder was my unexpected enjoyable find of last year. After experiencing how effortlessly Marissa Meyer can weave together a convoluted yet exciting tale, I had high demands for the sequel, SCARLET. And in a way, SCARLET fulfilled them. In a way, it didnt.

The good first: everything we liked about Cinder is in here, except perhaps even a notch better. In particular, the characters, old and new, major and supporting, are easy to cheer on. I mean, there are exceptions. Kais role is reduced to that of beleaguered new and helpless emperor under international pressure. Wolf, Im sorry to say, did not appeal to me so much, not because I didnt like his soft and shy personality (I did) so much as I have known many misunderstood love interests with wounded hearts of gold (see: many adult romance male leads). But when you weigh the slightly annoyingKai and Wolfagainst the goodCinders resourcefulness and empathic internal struggle, Scarlets ferocity at protecting her loved ones, Thornes much-appreciated airheaded charm lightening the mood)the good comes out on top.

That being said, one of the issues that some reviewers noted as a weakness in Cinder is even more apparent in SCARLET, and that is the world-building. I remember thinking the world-building in Cinder was decent, but in SCARLET I found it lacking. Dont get me wrong: Meyer does a Richelle Mead-worthy job of setting up an elaborate yet believable backstory to the worlds current state, the one involving the Lunars and Princess Selene. But settings-wise, inadequate research and/or thought was glaringly apparent. At no point did the scenes in France distinguish themselves from what couldve been going on in any other place in a future Earth. I wanted the book to show me its vision of what a future Earth divided into regions like the Eastern Commonwealth and European Federation, and experiencing strained relationships with Lunar, would look, feel, hear, taste, and smell like. What distinguishes Rieux, Scarlets hometown, from other places in the world? How does Paris fare several centuries from now, and how does its altered cityscape affect the characters movements and experiences?

Still, SCARLET was fast-paced and exciting. My attention started wavering around the end when everyone was running around killing each other in a very blankly drawn future Paris, but Im still curious enough about how the Lunar/Princess Selene conflict will play out that I think Ill continue to hang around this series. Read at the surface level, SCARLET is a successful rollicking good read. But I hope the series will pick up a bit on its world-building, for fear that those cracks will end up pulling the books down.

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Short and Sweet:
Just excellent storytelling. Unputdownable. I welcomed the addition of Scarlet to Meyers world and can not freaking wait to read the next book. One of my favorites of 2013.

To Elaborate....
(If you have not read Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles, there will be spoilers.)
I adore the Lunar Chronicles. It kills my soul that Cress (Lunar Chronicles, #3) and Winter (Lunar Chronicles, #4) are so very far away.
Anyways.... Scarlet is another book that picks up right where it left off. Cinder is imprisoned, Kai is conflicted, and Queen Levana is hostile(as usual). If Cinder remains in her cell and is brought to justice (brutally murdered by the moon queen) Queen Levana will not immediately (but probably very soon thereafter) attack Earth. After all, she's had her heart set on Empress of Commonwealth for a very, very long time. So Cinder, of course, escapes with a little help from Dr. Erland and her co-fugitive 'Captain' Thorne.
Prince Kai is the least informed person in this book. While Kai knows that Queen Levana wants to murder him if he marries her and/or declare war if he does not, he is unaware that Cinder is not only a Cyborg, Lunar and fugitive, she is also the long lost Princess Selina and possible answer to his dilemma. *gasp* Thus why Queen Levana is laser focused on killing her: Cinder is the true heir to the Lunar throne. Fact: nobody likes to be dethroned.
Scarlet, this installment's namesake, is Ms. Meyer's adaption of Red Riding Hood and is not an intrusive story line at all. I was immediately drawn into her story. ;) Scarlet's story ties into Cinder's in many sneaky, clever ways. :) The perspective switches back and forth, but it is done seamlessly and I was always excited to return to each viewpoint. Marissa Meyer has done an excellent job creating a complex, exciting world that is a pleasure to be a part of and so very, very sad to leave. :)

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Scarlet Benoits grandmother has gone missing. Everyone tells her to not worry about it, theres nothing she can do, her grandmother is an individualistic kind of person, but Scarlet thinks theres something more insidious behind her grandmothers disappearance. The only person who will help her is a soft-spoken street fighter named Wolf, whom Scarlet hopes she can trust, but who may have an agenda of his own. Answers are discovered, but more questions raised, when they cross paths with Cinder, whose recent and widely publicized escape from a New Beijing prison just might start the war that the ruthless Lunar Queen has been waiting for.

Cinder was my unexpected enjoyable find of last year. After experiencing how effortlessly Marissa Meyer can weave together a convoluted yet exciting tale, I had high demands for the sequel, SCARLET. And in a way, SCARLET fulfilled them. In a way, it didnt.

The good first: everything we liked about Cinder is in here, except perhaps even a notch better. In particular, the characters, old and new, major and supporting, are easy to cheer on. I mean, there are exceptions. Kais role is reduced to that of beleaguered new and helpless emperor under international pressure. Wolf, Im sorry to say, did not appeal to me so much, not because I didnt like his soft and shy personality (I did) so much as I have known many misunderstood love interests with wounded hearts of gold (see: many adult romance male leads). But when you weigh the slightly annoyingKai and Wolfagainst the goodCinders resourcefulness and empathic internal struggle, Scarlets ferocity at protecting her loved ones, Thornes much-appreciated airheaded charm lightening the mood)the good comes out on top.

That being said, one of the issues that some reviewers noted as a weakness in Cinder is even more apparent in SCARLET, and that is the world-building. I remember thinking the world-building in Cinder was decent, but in SCARLET I found it lacking. Dont get me wrong: Meyer does a Richelle Mead-worthy job of setting up an elaborate yet believable backstory to the worlds current state, the one involving the Lunars and Princess Selene. But settings-wise, inadequate research and/or thought was glaringly apparent. At no point did the scenes in France distinguish themselves from what couldve been going on in any other place in a future Earth. I wanted the book to show me its vision of what a future Earth divided into regions like the Eastern Commonwealth and European Federation, and experiencing strained relationships with Lunar, would look, feel, hear, taste, and smell like. What distinguishes Rieux, Scarlets hometown, from other places in the world? How does Paris fare several centuries from now, and how does its altered cityscape affect the characters movements and experiences?

Still, SCARLET was fast-paced and exciting. My attention started wavering around the end when everyone was running around killing each other in a very blankly drawn future Paris, but Im still curious enough about how the Lunar/Princess Selene conflict will play out that I think Ill continue to hang around this series. Read at the surface level, SCARLET is a successful rollicking good read. But I hope the series will pick up a bit on its world-building, for fear that those cracks will end up pulling the books down.

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First there was Cinder as in Cinderella. Now there is Scarlet as in Little Red Riding Hood. Still to come are Cress and White. What a series this is becoming! If Meyer can continue in this vein, many who love fantasy/science fiction will snap this series.

Cinder was wonderful. Scarlet is almost as enjoyable but I rated it more like 4.5 stars rather five. That means I must round it up to five! Perhaps the rating is because I'm growing accustomed to the author's approach and her writing style.

Scarlet and her Wolf are creative, imaginative, devoted to those who love them and courageous. Their story hinges on the search for Scarlet's missing grandmother. Difficult and dangerous, the two combine their efforts to find her. Wolf is in love with Scarlet but he doesn't know it. Scarlet is naive in her belief that she can reason with those who kidnapped her grandmother. Wolf knows the dangers but, nevertheless, is drawn along in the search.

And, the author skillfully links Scarlet's story to Cinder's own. It a marvel that such different tales can merge so flawlessly but they do. The book description tells all one should know about this novel. Whether you read YA or not if fantasy/science fiction is holds your interest I recommend this one without hesitation. Do read it but begin with Cinder so you can get the entire story.

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Summary:
Scarlet takes us right into the action where Cinder is in prison but must escape. With a little help from a new, funny character, Captain Thorne, she manages to get out of prison and heads out on the run.

In the meantime, Scarlet's grandma has gone missing. The police have given up looking for her, so Scarlet is on her own. She meets up with Wolf. Wolf is a street fighter who may know a bit about where grandma is.

The foursome ends up meeting up because they are all looking for grandma. They must work together, even though all four have specific personalities that occasionally outshine one another. Also, both females can be very stubborn and since they are the lead in the novel, the decisions by the women are what move the story along.

My thoughts:
I know that my summary is a little vague. It's hard to figure out exactly what to say as a summary that doesn't give much away. I tried to keep it bare bones so you have an outline of what happens, but none of the details that really make this story worth reading.

A warning, this story is about Scarlet more than Cinder. I know that we all fell in love with Cinder in the last book and she is one of the main characters in this book, but the primary story is focused on Scarlet. Scarlet is an interesting character. I found her to be fierce, ready for anything, and no-nonsense. She is a little skeptical of people before trusting them, but once she does she is extremely loyal. As the main character of the story, the world building and character development focuses on her instead of Cinder, Kai, and Iko from the first book.

I love Iko! I think she is by far the funniest character in the book; however, Captain Thorne holds his own. There were definitely times that I laughed out loud while reading, much to the enjoyment of my high school students who were silently reading as well. Because of my clear enjoyment of the book, I had a waiting list of students who wanted to read before I was done. I haven't heard a negative review from anyone. This book has romance, suspense, action, drama, and comedy. What more could you possibly ask for?

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This is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles. There are four books planned in this series with the third book, Cress, releasing in 2014 and the fourth book, Winter, releasing in 2015. This was an excellent continuation of this series. This book focuses on Scarlet and adds some wonderful new characters to the story.

Cinders story does continue in this book, as she tries to escape from prison. The majority of the book though follows Scarlet. Scarlet lives in one of the few operating farms in the French countryside. When her grandmother goes missing she travels into the city to try and get help. She gets help in the unlikely form of a street fighter named Wolf. But could Scarlets grandmothers disappearance be tied in with the Lunars Queens politics?

The book switches between Cinder, Scarlet, and Prince Kais POV. The way the different POVs are done for this book works very well.

I absolutely adore the world this book is set in and the wonderful characters in this story. I love how fairy tale elements of Cinderella and Red Riding Hood continue to be woven throughout the plot. They are not the main plot elements but they are definitely there and influence the story.

The pace of the book is wonderful, the plot and characters are delightful. Cinder continues to be a very spunky character who is struggling with what she is and her responsibilities. Scarlet is less aggressive than Cinder but more caring and determined. Wolf is also an interesting character...he is torn between many loyalties but steadfast in his own way.

The story is definitely sci-fi...but it also has steampunk elements, cyborgs, aliens, and action galore. It was a wonderful read and I breezed through the book...it was so hard to put down. This is a really long book that feels really short when you read it.

I also love how Meyer has the very personal stories of Cinder and Scarlet tied in with the bigger story of war coming between the Lunars and the humans. The smaller story and the more epic story are balanced very nicely.

Overall just an absolutely wonderful and creative YA read. This has got to be one of the most creative YA series out there. The book is easy to read, with a very engaging storyline and characters that are easy to relate to. The story is growing to epic proportions but it is still easy to follow. I really look forward to reading future books in this series. Recommended to those who like young adult science fiction with a big dose of mystery and adventure.

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