Scarlet

Scarlet
4★
Pensei que não me lembrava bem do que ocorria em Cinder. Mas relendo (escutando) Scarlet agora, percebi que meu Alzheimer está de parabéns.
Só me lembrava da Scarlet, Wolf, e da casa, e que eles se pegavam no trem em menos de 24h que se conheciam; e que em algum momento Ze'ev (o perfil de homem dos meus sonhos) aparecia maravilhoso de uniforme; e que havia uns capítulos misturados com o que acontecia com o pessoal do Commonwealth.
E dos tomates. E do /alpha female idea/.

Havia me esquecido que o trem não foi direto para Paris, dos dois pulos, e do irmão de Ze'ev; que eles iam para Paris e que o Louvre fora destruído (tantos anos depois e tendo conhecido aquele lugar, doeu até o último fio de cabelo ler aquilo. O impacto da guerra mesmo que fictício é de doer a alma). Que Scar é pelo menos 1/4 Lunar, e que em Stars Above tem um dos melhores spinoff de todos sobre isso.
Havia me esquecido que a frase mais lacônica do Kai

> I don't see that her being cyborg is relevant.

era nesse volume (e comecei a gritar no carro, sozinha, enquanto escutava a conferência), e que esses capítulos eram os mais divertidos do livro. Que Thorne é um safado apaixonante. Ele e Cinder conversam em sarcasmo fluentemente.

Havia me esquecido da crueldade de Levana em tacar fogo, literalmente, em uma criança.

Havia esquecido do ataque sem lágrimas que a Cinder teve quando soube da decisão de casar-se com sua tia (isso tem seu humor negro) para parar com a guerra.

E que gosto da Scarlet. Ela é bem no modo que sempre me comporto embora não possa: estourada, fala o que pensa, faz o que quer e se arrepende depois, se finge de forte - porque é, mas engole muito o que sente de verdade. Gosto que ela foi a primeira que deu uma chave de braço na Cinder para acordar e fazer a diferença.

E amo o fato de só ter mulherão nessa série, cada uma a sua maneira e todas determinadas.

> And then, I will stop hiding.

Essa frase é muito ��pica. Muito mesmo. Deixa um cliffhanger muito... gritos internos de quero mais.
Com tudo isso, e por isso que da primeira vez não gostei tanto tanto tanto desse volume mas amei/amo a série.

A sickening howl stopped her, sucking the air out of her lungs. The night's chatter silenced, even the loitering city rats pausing to listen. Scarlet had heard wild wolves before, prowling the countryside in search of easy prey on the farms. But never had a wolf's howl send a chill down her spine like that.

What a wonderful sequel. I found the plot so creative and enthralling. Also, I was not let down neither by the characters nor by writing. I though they were great. The book was so fast paced and addictive. I couldn't put it down, I tore through it.

The romance between Scarlet and Wolf was the only thing I had some doubts about, it was too sudden, but considering the circumstances of the conflict it makes sense it would happen that way. I also enjoyed Cinder so much more that in the previous book. I thought she was quite kick-ass and I loved it! Overall, this is a great addition to the series and I am definitely excited about the future books.

Trying the sequel to a book you have really enjoyed is often a bit of a double edged sword, if it turns out that the book is as good as or better than the predecessor then you have sheer joy and a chance to spend more time with your favourite characters however there is always that fear that the second book is poorer than the first and instead of moving the story along in a fulfilling way it kills the vibes you had for your favourite characters and leaves you feeling that you wish they'd left well alone.

I think this initial worry is what meant I took nearly 6-8 weeks between reading Cinder and picking up the second Lunar Chronicles novel, Scarlet. Scarlet, like Cinder, is a fairy tale retelling and in this book we follow Scarlet, who is loosely based on Red Riding Hood, and a fighter she meets called Wolf. Scarlet's grandmother has been taken from their farm and Scarlet has no idea where she is and no one seems to want to help her find the old woman. During her search she meets Wolf, a fighter who goes from place to place earning his living by fighting and he offers to help her find her grandmother.

This story of Scarlet and Cinder is fishtailed into the continuing story of Cyborg Cinder who we left at the end of book 1 in the series languishing in a New Beijing prison awaiting execution. In this book, she again plays a central role as she begins to adjust to the news that she is a Lunar and that she is, in fact, the lost Lunar princess, Selene. Her friend and love interest Emperor Kai has promised to hand her over to the Lunar Queen in exchange for her leaving his people alone and he is facing the moral dilemma of the safety of his people versus what his heart is telling him to do.

The stories of these two couples become intertwined in this novel and lead to more revelations about Cinder's early life and the lengths people have gone to in order to keep her safe whilst also exploring the extent of the Lunar Queen's plans for earth. There's lots more action along the way and lots of romance too.

I liked this second book in the series but I do have to be honest I didn't enjoy it as much as I did book 1. I think that I would have liked to have seen more plot development in this book. Essentially we didn't move forward as much as I would have liked by way of showdowns between Cinder and her aunt. I also wanted some Kai and Cinder time which we didn't get in this book. There were some high points though, I loved the time we had with Scarlet and her grandmother, the small family moments Meyer treated us too were really emotional and moving and I would have liked a little more of that. I also loved the bits with Cinder and Scarlet together which don't come till quite late on in the book and I'm looking forward to more of this in book 3.

This isn't my favourite series, I like the twist on the fairy tales and giving them a really futuristic twist but sometimes I think there's a lot of focus on the surroundings and I would like more dialogue between the characters that is meaningful and emotional, sometimes it's all a bit superficial. I want to fall in love with the characters but I find them a tiny bit two dimensional and I feel like I'm only ever scratching their surface, I want to know more, I want more detail. I hope we will get this as the series progresses because I want to root for them but I'm not totally invested in them yet.

It's a good second book, it's not as good as book 1 but I am willing to hang on in there and give book 3 a try.

I think it was better than Cinder in terms of pacing and such. I was definitely intrigued with the storylines of Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder, and Thorne. However it was kind of silly for Cinder to keep her true identity from Thorne? Well, whatever, it was still good. They're a good pair, and I mean that platonically. Scarlet and Wolf have really good chemistry. Also, something that's been on my mind is how similar Cinder and Scarlet are. Though Scarlet is definitely more confident than Cinder is, their similarities shine. This is good though, so I'll definitely read the next one!

Cinder has a new hand and a new foot. All she needs now is the courage to escape from prison. Meanwhile, Scarlet is living a simple farm life, except for the fact that her Grandmother has been kidnapped. Even though Scarlet is far, far away, they will be thrown together, fighting for their lives and everyone's around them. I loved Cinder, and when I started this book, I wanted it to start right where Cinder left off. But, it started with Scarlet and her life. It turned out to be a great book, with new characters for me to love! This is one of my new favorites!

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Scarlet

Known as an eccentric woman, no one thinks twice when Scarlet's grandmother disappears. But Scarlet knows her grandmother would never abandon her. As she searches for her grandmother, Scarlet will cross paths with Wolf. A man who seems to be more animal than human. He has an idea of who has her grandmother, and despite her doubts, Scarlet will follow him. Right into trouble.

As Scarlet searches for her grandmother, Cinder escapes from prison. She enlists the help of Thorn, a fellow inmate, and spaceship captain. As they race across the globe, Queen Levana seethes. She will do whatever it takes to pressure Kai into finding Cinder. Even if it means she has to kill every human on the plant.

Marissa Meyer continues the theme of retold fairy tales by basing Scarlet's story off of Little Red Riding Hood. This one did have more elements of the base story woven into it than Cinder. There was no mistake that this was a retelling. Even if it did involve spaceships, science, and cyborgs.

Scarlet is a strong-willed and independent girl. Once she has an idea in her mind, she is not going to let it go. Even when she is knocked down, it doesn't take her long to be back on her feet and fighting. She and Wolf make a good team, even though they often find themselves at odds. What Scarlet lacks in physical strength, Wolf makes up for it.

Thorn was a great addition to Cinder's storyline. He kept her in check and provided plenty of comic relief for the reader. It was also great to see Cinder evolved as a character. Instead of being the doubtful and fearful girl we saw in the first book, she isn't afraid to put Thorn in his place and follow through on her actions.

The plot progresses much more quickly than the first book. Having laid down the foundations in Cinder, Marissa Meyer lets the reader see more of the world in Scarlet. It is also less of a love story and more of an adventure-based tale. There are still hints of romance for those readers that enjoy it, but I was much more satisfied to see the gun battles and mystery.

A great addition to The Lunar Chronicles. I can't wait to read the next one!

I definitely enjoyed this more than Cinder, but I really am not a fan of Scarlet. She is just a little bit too much for me. She grew on me a bit toward the end of the book, but for the most part she is very self-centered and only focused on one thing. That being said, Captain Thorne is a great character. I really loved his friendship with Cinder. Those two definitely made this book really enjoyable.

I really liked how expanded the world became in this book. It was not just Cinder and Kai we were following, now there are a bunch more characters that all connect somehow.

I'm really hoping to marathon this series and read and finish Cress and Winter right away, but not sure that will actually happen.

Mais um livro da saga Crónicas Lunares, este é o segundo livro e conta com a presença da “Capuchinho Vermelho”. Custou-me um pouco começar o livro, mas depois de conhecer o Lobo não parei. Neste livro as histórias entrelaçam-se, ou seja, continuamos com a Cinder e a aventura dela, MAS por outro lado, conhecemos a Scarlet que está desesperada em encontrar a sua avó que desapareceu há duas semanas. Quem a vais ajuda é o Lobo, no entanto ela não sabe se pode confiar nele, pois tudo diz que não, mas ela quer acreditar que sim!

This books is so good that I am love it so much and I can't wait to jump into Cress next. I love Wolf and Scarlet so much that it made me keep on reading more. My favorite part is on page 242 we they kiss. Ok so my favorite part are we Scarlet and Wolf are together. I like that we keep on reading more about Cinder and how she meets with Scarlet.