Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release Date: February 5, 2013 (hardcover)
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 464
Source: Bought

Overall: 5 Stars

Summary:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. 

My Thoughts: 
Just like with Cinder, Marissa Meyer reimagines another famous fairy tale – this time Red Riding Hood – in a completely fresh and futuristic way. Scarlet is brave, impulsive, sassy, and not afraid to speak what's on her mind. When nobody believes her reclusive grandmother is missing, it just makes Scarlet all the more determined to find her. Her search leads her to encounter Wolf, a street fighter with secrets and a dark past. Much like Scarlet, I felt an irresistible pull towards Wolf, but I was also wary to trust his intentions, even if he was really the only person who could help her.

Kai feels betrayed by Cinder's unintentional lies, and since discovering she's a Lunar, he's begun to doubt that the moments they shares together were genuine. Even so, he can't help rooting for her to never be caught by the evil Queen Levana. As the new emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth and faced with the threat of war, Kai has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. It will just make you hate Queen Levana even more.

With the help of the arrogant and charming Captain Thorne (loved him right away!), Cinder escapes prison and also begins to search for Scarlet's grandmother. Marrisa Meyer has carefully left clues regarding Cinder's past, and we begin to fully grasp just how much it was a risk and danger it was to smuggle Cinder to Earth when she was such a young girl. Painful memories begin to surface, and while Cinder is not quite ready to accept her royal heritage, she's not trying to deny it anymore.

Marissa Meyer's Scarlet is a brilliant addition to The Lunar Chronicles series. The action and suspense found on every single page will ensure you can't put the book down until you're finished!