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howlinglibraries 's review for:
Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
When Linh Cinder escapes her prison cell with the help of Dr. Erland and a newly-convicted criminal, Captain Thorne, the Commonwealth is turned upside down. Queen Levana is threatening war if the cyborg princess isn't found, and all Emperor Kai can do is sit idly by and watch in turmoil as the girl he found himself falling for runs from her execution. Meanwhile, Scarlet is determined to find her grandmother, who has gone missing; Scarlet is convinced it is a kidnapping, and sets out in search of finding and bringing home the only family she has left in the world.
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5 stars! I loved Cinder, as my review of it from a few weeks ago will tell you, but Scarlet was leaps and bounds better. Maybe it was because I was already attached to Cinder's character and the world Meyer presents, but I didn't feel that Scarlet had the same slow start that Cinder had. I love a good fairytale retelling, but this was my first Little Red Riding Hood retelling in book form, and it did not disappoint.
The book takes turns switching perspectives between Scarlet and Cinder primarily, with a few chapters from the Emperor and even one from the Queen herself. If you have a problem with shifting POVs, this may bother you, but I found it well-done, especially during the second half when the writing style helped to build suspense. This title showed off Meyer's skill for writing fight scenes, which never felt boring or overdrawn, but at the same time, were long enough to keep me on the edge of my seat a few times. Much like the first book in the series, the romance was light enough to pique my interest without turning it into a love story; first and foremost, these books have held up (in my opinion) as sci-fi/fantasy stories, which is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is, admittedly, mostly overrun with romance.
As far as the characters go, while I like Cinder alright, I adored Scarlet's character. She's sassy and smart, and has her priorities in order. Captain Thorne is also a pretty delightful new character with his sarcasm and jokes, and *SPOILER*: *END SPOILER*
All in all, this was a delightful read that pulled me even further down the rabbit hole that is The Lunar Chronicles, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next title.
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5 stars! I loved Cinder, as my review of it from a few weeks ago will tell you, but Scarlet was leaps and bounds better. Maybe it was because I was already attached to Cinder's character and the world Meyer presents, but I didn't feel that Scarlet had the same slow start that Cinder had. I love a good fairytale retelling, but this was my first Little Red Riding Hood retelling in book form, and it did not disappoint.
The book takes turns switching perspectives between Scarlet and Cinder primarily, with a few chapters from the Emperor and even one from the Queen herself. If you have a problem with shifting POVs, this may bother you, but I found it well-done, especially during the second half when the writing style helped to build suspense. This title showed off Meyer's skill for writing fight scenes, which never felt boring or overdrawn, but at the same time, were long enough to keep me on the edge of my seat a few times. Much like the first book in the series, the romance was light enough to pique my interest without turning it into a love story; first and foremost, these books have held up (in my opinion) as sci-fi/fantasy stories, which is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is, admittedly, mostly overrun with romance.
As far as the characters go, while I like Cinder alright, I adored Scarlet's character. She's sassy and smart, and has her priorities in order. Captain Thorne is also a pretty delightful new character with his sarcasm and jokes, and *SPOILER*:
Spoiler
Iko's return had me absolutely grinning, as I am head over heels in love with the little android who thinks herself a human girl.All in all, this was a delightful read that pulled me even further down the rabbit hole that is The Lunar Chronicles, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next title.