• Scarlet

  • The Lunar Chronicles, Book 2
  • By: Marissa Meyer
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
  • Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,615 ratings)

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Scarlet  By  cover art

Scarlet

By: Marissa Meyer
Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
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Publisher's summary

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the best-selling 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.

©2013 Marissa Meyer (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

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What listeners say about Scarlet

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not sure if fault lies in performance or story

I was enchanted by the first in this series. Loved the plays on classic fairy tale tropes, but this installment left me irritated. Not sure if the fault lies in Scarlet's character and the weaker story or in the performance. The accent used for the character slips in and out and is incredibly shrill when she yells. The listener is left feeling as if they are in the presence of a banshee. This may seem a bit harsh and it may be second story in a trilogy syndrome but I wish that the charm of the first book had migrated to the second. I will listen to it again to better determine the fault. Despite these criticisms, I am still invested in Cinder's tale and eagerly anticipate the next installment.

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Didn't Live Up to Book 1

What did you like best about Scarlet? What did you like least?

In book 1 Marissa Meyer took one of our beloved fairy tales and turned it into an intriguing sci-fi set into a future with cyborgs and Lunar inhabitants. The story was fast paced and kept the reader wanting more. That said, I was anticipating book 2 with eagerness to find out what happens to our heroine. What I got was an okay story, when even less okay characters.

Meyer introduces a new character, Scarlet. Much of the book focuses on Scarlet's missing grandmother and her quest to find out the mystery behind her disappearance. Every time the book cut away from a scene with Cinder to a scene with Scarlet, I found my finger itching to fast forward and my annoyance on the rise. As the story progresses, Scarlet becomes nearly unbearable. She is stupid. I am referring to both the character in general and also her intellectual level. And she is constantly saying the same things over and over. "I've got to find my grandmother!" and repeat. This girl has no common sense and she comes off extremely whiny. She has zero forethought and her supposed "bravery" comes off as idiotic and rash. The narrator attempts to give her a french accent, which is at times thick and at other times almost non-existent. Add that to the already annoying character and its easy to see how this thrilling series took a nose dive.

The original character Cinder makes appearances and manages to keep the book from sinking into a black abyss. The mystery surrounding her is intriguing, as well as her new emerging abilities. Her new-found companion is arrogant and fancies himself a ladies man. He lightens the mood of the book and is a welcome addition. Cinder's funny android friend finds her way back into the story as the AI for their space ship. Her transition from an android into a gigantic space ship is funny and added to the enjoyment of Cinder's story.

The overall plot of book 2 didn't do a whole lot to further the story line of the series. Not much happens, and the main characters remain separate in their own stories until the very end of the book. As I read, I kept wondering why I should care about Scarlet at all. Unfortunately, this question was never answered. We do get to find out more about Cinder's past, and more about the Lunar queen's evil plot (that pretty much sums it up). Despite my disappointment with this book, I still want to find out what Cinder will do next and how she will fight against the odds. If you were a big fan of book 1 (like me) then I recommend suffering through Scarlet and cross your fingers that book 3 will put Scarlet into the back seat.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The fairy tale continues ...

Story - As Cinder (Book 1 in this series) is a clever futuristic twist of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, Scarlet (Book 2) is the same of Little Red Riding Hood. I enjoyed Scarlet but don't think it is anywhere near as good as Cinder. I am not a young adult, but I tend to enjoy certain books in this genre because I find the stories sweet and the romances touching and innocent. I absolutely loved the romance aspect in Cinder, but IMHO the one in Scarlet is kinda blah. Nevertheless, there is lots of stuff happening that make this book a good listen.

There are two story lines which alternate. One picks up where Cinder left off, and the second goes in a completely different direction and introduces totally new characters. The two become entwined in the end and hopefully set the stage for an awesome conclusion in Book 3 (which isn't out yet). I'm really ready for Prince Kye to find out who Cinder really is and for there to be a happy ending.

You should hear this series in order, and they are not standalone stories. In fact, the endings of both books will leave you hanging till the next one. They are relatively light, "easy listens" that also have mystery and quite a bit of save-the-world type action.

Narrator - Good job but nothing spectacular.

Story - Recommended for female listeners of all ages who can occasionally be young at heart, but you will need to hear the whole series to reach a conclusion.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Scarlet Ups the Game for the Lunar Chronicles

Marissa Meyer takes her Lunar Chronicles to the next level in Scarlet with a riff on another fairy tale, Litte Red Riding Hood, added to the series. In this sequel to Cinder, Ms. Meyer has two storylines to manage, each with their own set of characters and geography. (The Cinder storyline takes place in New Beijing and Scarlet takes place in the French countryside near Toulouse and Paris.) Along with the new storyline, she has the challenge of increasing the stakes for Kai, the Eastern Commonwealth and the whole Earthen Union. Ms. Meyer handles all this with aplomb making it seem natural and effortless, which, of course, is indicative of lots of effort.

What are some of the things I love about Scarlet?

- The characters: Iko shines in her new role, Wolf is cool, although some seem annoyed with Cinder, I like her and Scarlet as well.
- The storylines and how they come together. Each storyline is good in itself but the two together are marvelous.
- The broad use of the world; I like that we now have Europe involved as well as Asia and that American, Chinese and French are all in it. It adds local interest and overarching sweep.

What do I not love?

- The Lunars seem almost too powerful. I guess this will play nicely towards the end, assuming Queen Levant can be defeated. It's looking pretty hopeless right now. Maybe that's the point.
- Yes, Kai is just a little too perfect.

As is my practice, I went back and forth between the Kindle and Audible versions (using the magic of Whispersync for Voice to keep moving), although I leaned toward listening due to Rebecca Soler's fabulous narration. I continue to love her emotional Iko; ships with personality are always interesting (just ask Dave). Her own subtle lilting accent plays very nicely in the internationally flavored SciFi/Fantasy. Her pacing continues to be be spot on providing a sense of the urgency and excitement of the story while being readily able to follow her. I'm look forward to her narration of Cress.

For full review: wp.me/p2XCwQ-TP

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I miss Cinder

I miss Cinder. I enjoyed Scarlet and Wolf, but I wanted more Cinder and Kai. I feel like these should have been sister series like Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega. My fear is that book 3, and 4 will add even more characters and I will see Cinder even less.

Ok now that I have whinned about that let me actually review the book. It continues right from where the other one ends. We get to meet new characters and learn more about the consiracey, and about how Cinder got to where she is. The new characters are good, and are based off another fairly tail Little Red Ridding Hood. I actually liked Wolf a lot. He is an interesting spin on the warewolf without all of the shape changing and how much it hurts.

I already was checking to see when the next book would be released. I just hope we don't get another fairy tail and have to keep up with 3 female leads. If that happens I want a bigger book.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I loved Cinder (the first book) and I adored this second book in the Lunar Chronicle series. The plot thickened considerably where now we have two important characters we get to follow and we get to know. Cinder's dilema continues as she is a fugitive of both the earthen people and the Lunar Queen. A new and enchanting character we get to meet is Scarlett who is on a quest to find her kidnapped grandmother. Along the way she meet a boy by the name of Wolf who is both mysetrious and dangerous. I loved this story and it's many twists and turns and look forward to the next book in the series.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MM
  • 03-02-13

Awesome sequel, cannot wait for part 3!

Any additional comments?

This book surprised me, as it took things up to the next level. Scarlet is a character that is very loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. My biggest concern with Cinder was that it would try to mirror the Cinderella tale too closely, and now I realize my worries were unfounded. The Cinderella story has gone away, merely a stepping stone toward the larger, more awesome plot that has been unveiled.

I found all the new characters in this book very enjoyable. There was action, romance, drama... It reminds me of the television series "Once Upon A Time", but even better as it is set in an exciting science fiction setting.

I was not able to put this audiobook aside, so I listened to it all within a 48 hour period!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slightly disappointed.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Nope.

If you’ve listened to books by Marissa Meyer before, how does this one compare?

Not nearly as good as the first book, I just couldn't connect with the characters in this one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Still haven't finished it, I'm kind of dragging my heels at this point.

Any additional comments?

I didn't really care for Scarlet, but Cinder's character felt a little flat as well, it just doesn't compare to the first book. I wanted to love it, but couldn't.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not up to par, but solid

Not as cyberpunky and fantastical as the first book. I enjoyed Scarlet as a character and the culture and part of the world she lived in, in conjunction with Cinder's world. But I would have loved to see a similar, fast-paced tone in Scarlet... it's solid, but not up to the first one's standards.

My biggest issue is that we get to clearly see how Asia has changed in Cinder, and I would've loved to see the same world-building in Scarlet. Rural France seems to perpetually be rural France, despite spaceships and the changes in transport and all of that. It didn't feel believable.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Cinder trumps Scarlet

Recall: Cinder, the Lunar cyborg mechanic, was invited to the Royal Ball by the young and handsome Prince Kai. When Cinder finally arrives, (late, rain soaked, and dirty), she has an urgent message for Prince Kai: the evil Lunar Queen Levana wants to force him into a marriage alliance and then kill him. Queen Levana spotted Cinder at the ball, and demanded that she be arrested as a Lunar fugitive and returned to Luna.

At the beginning of this story, we are following two different characters; Scarlet and Cinder. Scarlet is in France and trying to track down her grandmother, who she believes has been kidnapped and gets some unexpected help from a street fighter named Wolf. On the other side of the world, Cinder is in the midst of breaking out of prison and pairs up with another fugitive, Captain Thorne, on the way. Their paths will cross when Cinder searches for the truth about where she came from and as Scarlet searches for her grandmother, who might hold the answers. The story has a "Little Red Riding Hood" meets "Cinderella" twist to it,while the wicked which releases chaos all over the world.

The story overall was cute, but not as good as book 1. The character Scarlet didn't particularly appeal to me, I would have preferred to hear more about what Cinder and Captain Thorne were doing, rather than listen to anything that Scarlet had to say. I'm still planning on reading the next book, even if it is for no other reason than I love Iko.

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4 people found this helpful