Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2 
Source: Paperback copy
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: February 7th 2013
Age Genre: Young Adult

This is not the fairytale 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 . . .

You see, I had a plan. I didn't just wait to read Scarlet until now. I had a very meticulous, well-thought out plan that I'm kind of hating right now because it made me delay reading this book. Anyways, the plan was: as Cinder already promised this would become a favorite series, I would just... wait. Until it was over. To binge read. That was the plan.

DID I MENTION THAT I NOW HATE THAT PLAN??

This book... just... asdfghjkl is the best adjective. The feels, man. The feels. Much in the fashion of Cinder, Scarlet doesn't beat around the bush of introducing us to the next duo in the series we're going to adore. Thy name is Scarlolf.

Err, I mean-- Scarlet and Wolf. (BTW, I don't really like their ship name. Can't we have ship names like OUAT for this series? Like Scarlet Wolf sounds way cooler lol)

Scarlet Benoit is looking for her grandma. Remember way when, as Nainsi booted up again mid-sentence and relayed information about the possibility of an ex-military pilot from the EF hiding the Lunar Princess? That's the one. Yeah, I had to rack my brain to remember to. Way to go Meyer.

So, Scarlet was delightful. She's a firecracker, but she's not stupid. She's kind of a hot-head but she's got the brains to make it a deadly combination. And she's really not afraid to shot you. All the girl wants is her grandma, her farm, and peace. Why can't anyone give that to her?!

Now Wolf....

What I Expected

What I got

....

....

....

....

I'M TAKING HIM AND NEVER GIVING HIM BACK! Seriously, what is this adorableness!? I wasn't expecting it! But I highly approve! Wolf is such a sweetheart! Yes, sometimes he shows some of that first gif but mostly he's just a precious cinnamon roll and I love him so dearly and asdfghjkjhgfd

And together??? The shipping is real guys. It's like, Cinder and Kai? Cuties. Wolf and Scarlet?

only with less rage and more heart-eyes

Seriously. Ruining me here Meyer!

Not only with Wolf, but with Cadet Captain Thorne too! Like, I didn't expect him to be in this book. I didn't expect half the novel to be about Cinder and him at all and I loved it. And him. Again, exception versus reality and reality is so much better! He is such a goofball! He made me laugh, and I kind of think Cinder really needs someone like him around *heart eyes*

ALL the males in this world ruin me. Take Kai for example - I was so afraid that he was going to go the bitter "she played me" route, and while he entertains the thoughts (because how can you not) he is not that at all. He still cares for Cinder, still can't think she's anything less than what she showed herself to be. He is listening to his heart and I HEART IT.

Is this a review? Is this a lovefest. I don't even know but I don't even care!

Speaking of things that ruin me negatively - Adri and Levana. I hate them both.

Like, I didn't hate Adri in Cinder (I really, really pitted her existence), but now I'm genuinely hoping Winter has a scene where Cinder becomes empress and Adri tries to mooch of it by saying she's always cared for Cinder and Kai steps up and be all like "remember that time you tried to send her to her death, accused her of all sort of things and said you wanted nothing to do with this aberration? yeah, fun times. GOODBYE BIYOTCH".

As for Levana... she is horrifying. And the scene from her pov? nope nope nope nope nope nope nope. Like, I don't want to read Fairest because that sounds so disturbing but now I kinda feel like I have to??

(BTW - is that wolf soldier gonna have more important meaning later on? I feel like he will)

Also - this book moves from the cutest thing ever to the gloom and doom in like three seconds flat. Be prepared to not be prepared for it coming at all.

FAN LUNAR CHRONICLES FACTS!

Levana in Hebrew means Moon. She is literally Queen Moon.

Ze'ev in Hebrew means Wolf. So Wolf's name is... Wolf. lol.

Nitzan★

Thursday Oldie: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

CLICK HERE TO READ AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW! 

So as you guys know, I just moved here. And that means my old blog now lies abandoned... alongside all my old reviews. But because I feel like some of them don't deserve such an awful treatment, I'm going to slowly move my favorite reviews here, especially if my opinion differs than Megs. (though some editing may occur, as I'm a little OCD about my reviews, and the older they originally are, the more likely I am to have things I want to rephrase). 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Source: own paperback
Publisher: Puffing Books
Publication Date: January 5th 2012
Age Genre: Young Adult
Originally published: Sep 11, 2012

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life become entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's she finds herself at the center of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

In contrast to last time's oldie, this time I'm going to talk to you guys about one of my absolute favorite books: Cinder. 

The most shocking thing about this book is that I almost didn't read it - maybe it was because it has cyborgs in it, and I haven't read many--if any--of those. Maybe it was because it was a first in a new series at the time, and I don't read those (I hate the wait). Maybe it was just because. 
But whatever the reason, thank god for Goodreads Group Reads. Without them, I may have never given this amazing book and world a chance.

You know a book is good when you're this close to crying - and the book has barely stared. You know a book is good when in just a few pages the author has managed to make you so in tune with the characters and their feelings that you cry for them. It's also interesting that we learn very early on with this book that this Cinderella story doesn't always have a Happily Ever After.

Cinder, the main character, was amazing. She's smart, courageous and strong. She's an MC you can love, fully support, and root on. Her love interest and another of the main characters is Prince Kai. He's very likable, sweet and charming. The title "Prince Charming" fits him well.

As for the romance... to be honest - I don't think there was any. Cinder and Kai are attracted to one another. They are in the process of falling in love with one another throughout the book. But they are both at the "liking" stage and feeling the waters. Just talking to one another, sending signals, withdrawing them... Their real romance has't started yet - but you can tell it will be epic once it does. Though it's going to have to overcome all those obstacles first. Judging by this book, "trust" will probably be one of them *sigh*.

All the supporting characters (IKO!!!) added to the story and were well done themselves.

Now, let's address a few points: Cinder presents itself as a retelling of Cinderella.
We have the evil stepmother (Adri). We have (one) evil stepsister (Pearl). We have the prince, and the ball, and we have the shoe... sort of.
But honestly, calling this book a retelling of Cinderella is underrating it. Cinderella is the theme, but it's not the story.

I don’t want to give up too many details, but the story of Cinderella? You know, the one in which a servant girl desperately wants to go to the ball and dance with a prince, and a fairy comes and—well, you’ve seen the Disney movie. Cinder has very little to do with that. She doesn’t even want to go to the ball!

Instead, the story is about slavery, and about how living, breathing people are owned. It's about death. It's about dictatorship. And it's about finding yourself, the small individual, among it all. At least, this is what this story was to me. 

And speaking of the theme, I've seen people saying the book could do without it - but I disagree. It fit the story, in creating some form of guidelines we could look for but also in making the real and serious topics of the story pop out against the sparkly premise of Cinderella. If anything, the theme makes the book appeal to all crowds, and shows us even childhood fairy-tales can be turned into bad-assed, suspenseful tales of great female strength and a great message.

Does it make the story predictable? Only in aspects we would've already predicted. Would Cinder and the prince fall in love? Naturally. Would I not know that if this book wasn't "based" on Cinderella? Err, I kind of would. Does it tell me she'll end up in the ball? Yes. Does it happen the way you assume it will? No. So, in the end, what does it matter?

The only real predictable aspect of the book has nothing to do with the theme, and I don't rally think Meyer intended for it to be a secret. I never felt like the "big revelation" was supposed to be a shocker. No, that was left to the entire scenario in front of us, the entire road that leads to it. The entire world and then entire makeover to the tale of Cinderella. The fact I didn't see that cliffhanger coming kind of proves that, to me.

Meyer takes the fairy-tale, makes something entirely different out of it and inside puts references to the story we all know in ways that makes you quirk a smile.

Speaking of Meyer... I may be, possibly, in love with her writing style. Because, to me, it was very unique and special. She made us sweat for information. There isn't an "explanation" most of the time. No paragraphs of details and world building. Instead, the answers to the many questions we have present themselves throughout conversations, memories, actions, and the eyes of the characters. Never once does Meyer sits us down and says "listen up, now. A cyborg is..."
Oh no. She leaves it up to us to gather the clues, trusting our intelligence. And it works. What we haven't figured out yet, I trust Meyer to show us in the next books. She sure doesn't seem in a rush to expose her brilliant world to us.

Nitzan★