Read & Reviewed: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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This is not the Fairy Tale 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...

Marissa Meyer's Scarlet took me back a bit - as a child, I would actively read books until the break of dawn, sitting by my bedroom door with only a small filter of light that poured through my barely-open door, pretending that I was asleep, when really, I was flying through the pages of the book I was reading at the time. Now though, whilst I was instead sitting in bed, my light fully blaring above me as I read on and on, I was much like that little girl who read her books until she heard the birds chirping outside, 6am already and the sun coming up.

I haven't read for so long in a while, I thought to myself. I felt happy to realise that my love for reading could still take me away from the night, and escape me to the morning.

I finished Scarlet in about three to four days I believe, and I only really read when I went off to bed - this is mostly because, during the day, I try and write and interact with friends online, and also because I spend a good chunk of my time with my niece. I barely get peace during the day, so reading is best done during the evening or at bed time.

Since finishing Scarlet, I have already moved on to Cress and have already flown through Part One of the book, but that isn't the book we're talking about today, is it? So before I go off on a tangent, let's talk about the book I'm supposed to be focusing on, rather than the one I'm currently delving into, shall we?

Now I did enjoy Scarlet when reading, though not as much as I had enjoyed Cinder or as much as I am Cress right now, I admit - it's a well written book, and I am pleased to see that Meyer's passion never once leaves, nor does the progression of the characters and their development, or the world that she has created. I enjoy that each person or creature she creates is full of personality and flaws, and that none suffer from perfection in any way possible. I especially loved the addition of Carswlel Thorne, who has quickly become one of my favourite characters, thanks to his comical but friendly approach. Certainly, he is the comic relief character, but he does it so well, and it suits him.
 Actually, I laughed quite a bit with this novel, and it is this humor that endeared Carswell to me, I admit.

The story for me, however, felt a little more obvious than what Cinder did. With the character Wolf especially, I felt as if who he truly was was not as masked as it could have been. I knew right away who and what he was from the get-go, after what you find out in the first novel, and when the big reveal came, it didn't come as much of a shock - of course, it still hurt, because the character hurts too and Meyer really brought those feelings across, but even then... well, it feels very romance-movie in how some of the dialogue goes. Generic, a little embarrassing to read, and all too fabricated.
 Still, at that moment I did feel for Scarlet and just wanted to hold her.

The one thing that disappointed me the most with this book, however, was the direction that it chose to take. When reading, I couldn't help but feel like the narrative had the exact same pace and tone as Cinder did, with a similar romance storyline, but instead with the roles reversed in who was the one hiding their true identity. Essentially, Scarlet's plot was more of a role-reversal, but with different characters and vastly different personalities.
 It was a big disappointment for me as a reader, and I'm still quite sad that the book was as disappointing as it was, but I do still think it's a good read, no matter what.

Though I do find that this book, of the three, is currently the weakest because of the repetitive feel it has (and I'm saying this only thirteen chapters in with Cress) I do like what Scarlet provides in further continuing the story, and further developing and introducing the characters of the Lunar World. It's not a bad book by any means, in fact it does have its share of surprises and some great anticipatory moments, but the real greatness of this book lies at Part Four of the book - the end almost, if you will. At this point, everything becomes exciting, and you're left wanting more, and I appreciated how great the ending was as it makes up for how similar the first three parts of the book are to the original, Cinder.

It has its flaws, but overall, Scarlet is a good book and provides us with the continuation we all needed. It's not the best of the bunch, but it introduces to us all key characters and progresses what we already know, as well as begins the war we had been waiting to begin, and certainly sets the tone for Book Three, Cress. No, Scarlet is not a favourite, but what it provides is invaluable to the central story.

If you still have not read either Cinder or Scarlet, then be sure to find a copy when you can and indulge in the world of Lunar. It is a great series to get invested in, and it doesn't take too long to read, either, so be sure to check the books out when you have time, and if you have interest.

Until we meet again, Happy Reading and Writing!
~ Kelly