Review of KINDLE Ebook Scarlet – Book 2 of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Cinder – see my review here – and promptly went out and bought Scarlet, which I tucked into while I was still recovering from a heavy cold.

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, is trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her.

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