SCARLET is the second book in THE LUNAR CHRONICLES. The first book is CINDER. I was looking forward to this book because I enjoyed CINDER so much. This is a YA science fiction with fantasy elements. This isn’t just a retelling of the fairy tale, but rather a whole new take on it. Just because you know the fairy tale, it doesn’t mean you know how the story will end, especially with SCARLET. The things that draw me in:
The background behind the character Wolf. I thought I had him figured out, but there was more to him than I initially realized. Granted some other readers may be quicker at figuring it out than I was. Not only Wolf, but the other new characters in addition to the ones from CINDER, were unique and drew me in.
The blending of science fiction and fantasy is marvelous. It adds a depth to the story that I feel other YA stories are missing. This also includes the way the fairy tale is incorporated. It just adds another depth and keeps me interested. I am a fan of fairy tales but the book can get old if it isn’t done well.
I like the fact that Scarlet was 18. Random, I know, but it is the truth.
The things that kick me out:
I thought the beginning was kind of slow. Part of the problem I decided is that there were more viewpoint characters. I wanted to stick with one character longer. The jumping around added for more redundancy because we got the same information from multiple perspectives at times. However, by half way I didn’t feel as bothered by it.
The character Scarlet was annoying at times. She was so one track minded that I was bothered by how it made her stupid. I think if it was toned down at times it might have been a little better or at least not pulled me out.
As a side note, I don’t like this cover as much as CINDER. It is still better than a lot of the photograph covers, but it doesn’t have the same impact.
Conclusion
Should you read it? If you enjoyed CINDER, read this one. Sci-fi Red Riding Hood and villian's mind-controlling lunar powers = awesome.
Should you buy it? It is a book I want to own because I know I will read it again. Despite how much I was annoyed by Scarlet, the interaction between her and Wolf made me happy.
I agree with you that Scarlet was a bit annoying at times. Though I think the thing that bothered me the most at the beginning is that it almost seemed as if she wasn't going to continue on with Cinder's story. But she did so it's okay now.
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