A hoodie or a cape it makes no matter - Scarlet

Blurb:

The second book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.

This is not the fairytale you remember.  But it's one you won't forget.

SCARLET BENOIT'S grandmother is missing.  The police have closed her case.  The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.

Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive - when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.

As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels.  Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner ...

*** Red Riding Hood-meets-Percy Jackson in a thrilling new spin on Grimm by Marissa Meyer, the author of Cinder. ***

Review:

I am not really sure how to review this book without giving too much of the plot away.

I liked the addition of Scarlet to the Cinder family.  This reader feels that this story is a mix of both Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast.  This story picks up immediately after the end of Cinder and we meet the swoon worthy Carswell Thorne as Cinder escapes prison and he is soon recruited to her cause; and he has a spaceship.

As Cinder is escaping prison we are also told of the story of Scarlet.  Instead of the traditional red cape she has been given a hoodie that she has a strange connection with (even as it becomes ragged) as it was made by her grandmother.  Just like Cinder Scarlet is a tough, witty and feisty young woman she is determined, progressive in her thinking, very sympathetic and just a tad too readily trusting.  Her mission is to find her grandmother; who has been kidnapped.  I loved it when Cinder was rather rudely introduced to Scarlet and how they formed an alliance, together with the loveable rouge who is Carswell Thorne (of whom we are sure to learn more, in due course).

Then there is Wolf who is kind but certainly mysterious, shy does he just turns up out of the blue (and asks Scarlet for work) and what are his true motives?  Although I guessed the origins of Wolf (having read The Queen’s Army) this did not detract from the story.

The race across France was fabulous and I especially enjoyed the bit when Cinder was on Scarlet’s property (without giving too much away – that is where the connection lies).  This is just one of the twists and turns along the way when reading the novel, some are fairly obvious yet others are not.

While Cinder’s love interest languishes in the Palace in New Beijing we have a blossoming love interest with Scarlet and Wolf (this is where I see the Beauty and the Beast theme coming in).  They both realise that their interest is baseless and with a short history but they would risk their lives for each other (as any true romantic couple would) and well for the rest you need to read the book.

There is less Kai in this book but to be honest we do not need that distraction.  This reader felt that Kai is really a cardboard cut-out compared to Thorne or Wolf.

I loved the changing points of view and as each character has a totally different voice it is clear whose point of view we are reading.  It is like while Scarlet is doing this, this is what Cinder is up to.  Throughout all of this more secrets are discovered and others hinted at.  So although this story is really about Scarlet the other continuing story of Cinder receives equal attention.  And as I have said already I love the way the two stories merge.  Sometimes it is difficult to remember that the characters in these books are still teenagers or young adults, they act so mature for their ages.

This reader loves how we are introduced to the main protagonist of the next novel in the closing chapters of the preceding novel; whetting the readers’ appetite for the next instalment.  These characters then form an integral part of the following novel in the series.  Marissa you are an artist.  You have created a world where we all want to live and interact with these characters.  And then you (the author) make us wait an age until the next novel.

The plot and pacing were brilliant and this reader was never bored. To find out what is really happening in this series pick up this book (or even the preceding one) and read for yourself.  You will be glad you did.

Another 5 star novel