Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer
published: Feiwel and Friends, 2013
pages: 454

Scarlet's grandmother is missing and nobody seems to care. But she knows that her grandma would never just leave without telling her where she's going.  Scarlet decides that if the police won't do anything, she's going to find her.  With the help of a mysterious stranger,Wolf, she finds clues about her grandmother's whereabouts and uncovers secrets that she has kept from Scarlet.  In the midst of all this, Cinder is now running for her life, unsure what to do next.  Will she fight the evil Queen Levana or will the pressure of who she is be to much to handle.

I love fairy-tale retellings in any form of media and I loved Cinder, so I had high hopes that Scarlet would be just as excellent, if not more.  And it was.  I thought the way Marissa Meyer incorporated the story of Little Red Ridding Hood was a great addition to the overall story of Luna and the Earth.  It's a little easier it hide Cinderella in a story because the rags to riches theme is quite common but Little Red Ridding Hood is very distinct and quite often very noticeable when retold.  However, Meyer hid the story quite well.  The highlights complimented the plot and did not overwhelm the story at all.

I think my only complaint about this book is in regards to the characters, in that there are so many of them.  Well, actually there aren't that many, but they all have a moment in the spotlight.  The point-of-view changed quite frequently and while that wasn't really a problem, it sometimes felt like there was too much going on.  Specifically, Scarlet and Cinder primarily split this novel, so there was less time to see Scarlet and the characters in her story develop.  Whereas, Cinder had an entire book to herself and then her story continued in this book.  This makes me curious as to how much the future books will be split and hopefully the character development will be balanced well.  But I'll have to wait for that.

That being said, I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment.  I'm ready for more Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder, Prince Kai and the new arrivals.  I loved reading this book and I'm still incredibly impressed by the way Marissa Meyer weaves the fairy-tales into the world she has created.  I don't want to wait until February, but the anticipation is fun!

Stars: 4.5/5

Praise:

"The author has stepped up the intrigue and plot from the first novel, and readers will be eagerly awaiting the next."
     --School Library Journal

"The sci-fi elements are stronger than the fairy-tale allusions this time out, but the story remains just as absorbing...Readers will be thrilled to discover that this steampunky fairy-tale/sci-fi mashup promises two more installments."
     --BCCB

"Returning fans of Meyer's Cinder will gladly sink their teeth into this ambitious, wholly satisfying sequel."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred review