Scarlet Review: New Characters, New Twists And A Kickass Heroine Make This Book Worth Reading
If you have read my review on Cinder you will know that I purchased the entire Lunar Chronicles without reading the first book which means that I have no option but to read all the four books because I own them. However, I dived into Scarlet not only because I owned it but also because I felt that a book series so highly praised must have something good in it. So, with fingers crossed, I started reading Scarlet hoping it to surprise me and so it did. Though the first 150 pages was a struggle, when the story actually took off it only rose higher from there. It then took me one sitting to finish the rest of the book because it was too gripping for me to leave it without reaching the climax.
Scarlet By Marissa Meyer
Synopsis: Scarlet Benoit used to run a farm with her grandmother in Rieux Tavern when one day her grandmother went missing from her house. The local police stopped looking for her grandmother citing lack of evidence to prove a case of kidnapping and instead suspect her to have committed suicide. However, Scarlet knows her grandmother too well and is sure that she wouldn’t kill herself. She is determined to find her grandmother and her only hope is a street fighter Wolf who probably knows something about the people who she suspects to have kidnapped her.
Meanwhile, Cinder is now Commonwealth’s ‘most wanted’ fugitive after having escaped prison. Queen Levana is leaving no stone unturned in finding Cinder. At the same time, she has upped her efforts at pressurising Prince Kai in giving in to her wishes.
Scarlet and Cinder have a connection and they are required to work together to stop Queen Levana from creating havoc on Earth by forcibly marrying Prince Kai.
Points I Liked About Scarlet
Scarlet: The highlight of the Lunar Chronicles is that each of its books revolves around a female protagonist whose life is intertwined with the protagonist of the other books in the series. These four girls need to work in unison to get rid of a problem that looms large. Scarlet is a young girl looking for her grandmother who is MIA for three weeks. Her father offers her no help whatsoever and she can only rely on herself to get her grandmother safe home. She finds some hope in a stranger named Wolf but she doesn’t let her guard down at any moment. She takes every step cautiously and does whatever she can to get closer to her grandmother. She wasn’t a tough girl but circumstances hardened her and I like that fact. She tactfully handles crisis and looks like a matured, reliable protagonist here to save the day.
New Characters: The book is the sequel to Cinder, an introduction to Scarlet, and a background of how a common enemy connects the two girls. This book has two new characters, the handsome and flirtatious Carswell Thorne and the dark and mysterious Wolf. The two men are poles apart in almost every aspect. They give the story a new direction and help the two girls find what they are looking for. The two men join Cinder and Scarlet in their fight against evil Queen Levana and bring the much-needed substance to the story.
Points I Did Not Like About Scarlet
Slow Start: It took me 150 pages to actually start enjoying the book. The first 150 pages go into building the premise. Once it starts going there is no stopping. But you need some patience to get to the interesting part of the book.
Final View: The plot, story, and character building in Scarlet are better than Cinder. If you liked Cinder you will definitely enjoy its sequel. If you did not enjoy Cinder you will be surprised by Scarlet as it offers an interesting twist to the series.
You can check Amazon.in for a discount on this book.
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