Reviews

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is mostly on par with the last one, but with two distinct flaws that made it less enjoyable. First, it's too long. The pace drags a lot, and that makes it less fun.
And the expansion of characters was a flaw. I was expecting to follow a red riding hood retelling, but that's very thin. And the cut backs to Cinder - which are necessary to keep the plot of the overall series moving - distract from Scarlet's story. Ultimately, it feels like both of them aren't incorporated together well. And that contributes to the pacing issues.
Otherwise, it's still fun. But it's just a slow down of the series.

bltessier94's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katykelly's review

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4.0

An excellent continuation of the story from 'Cinder'. Having read this several months after finishing Meyer's first, I thought I might not remember the plot and characters but it actually came back instantly.

The famous fairy tales set in the future, Scarlet focuses on Red Riding Hood, or Scarlet Benoit, who lives with her grandmother on a farm, selling their produce for a living. Finding herself caught up with a street fighter called Wolf (see what she did there?), her story begins to intertwine with that of Cinder, the cyborg mechanic from the first book and Queen Levana.

It has to be read as part of the series, but its just as compelling as the Hunger Games trilogy or Uglies/Pretties/Specials, with a very visual dystopian future.

Prince Kai suffered this time around, seeming a little weaker, but probably due to underexposure. And the magnificently evil Queen barely appeared, maybe she'll be back in the next instalment.

Cinder and Scarlet are great heroines, strong and vocal, and there are some nice (but not overdone) romantic moments and undertones to keep the reader interested.

Despite its size it doesn't take long to read, and will be devoured by Twilight/Hunger Games fans.

Think I like it enough to look out for Cress, book three.

courtney_anne's review against another edition

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5.0

Fast paced and exciting! Even better than the first book in my opinion. The different takes on the fairy tale stories are wildly imaginative and inspirational. It is clear that Meyer has an amazing way of writing a story to draw the reader in and keep them hooked until the very end. I look forward to reading more in this series.