Scarlet (book) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet is science fiction, the second book in Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. This time around, the series takes some of its cues from the story of Little Red Riding Hood. However, this isn't as much of a fairy tale relling as Cinder was.

Synopsis:

Cinder's story continues, as she breaks out of her prison cell and, along with Thorne, a fellow escapee, tries to decide what to do next. Reluctant to do as Dr. Erland told her (join the resistance as Princess Selene), she instead opts to find the pilot who helped rescue and hide her when she was a child.

Meanwhile, a brand-new character named Scarlet is desperately looking for her grandmother. She is sure her grandmother was kidnapped, but no one will believe her. Then her alcoholic father shows up, wild and afraid, claiming that he and her grandmother were held captive and tortured. He was freed only on the condition that he find whatever it was his captors were looking for. Unfortunately, he has no clue what that is, and neither does Scarlet. Her father's rantings and ravings do at least point Scarlet in the direction of Wolf, a newcomer in town who may know where her grandmother is being kept.

Review:

I loved Cinder. I fully expected to love this book. It saddens me to say that I did not. It took a tremendous amount of effort to even finish it.

Cinder (book) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is a science fiction retelling of the Cinderella story. I got it via interlibrary loan.

Synopsis:

When she was little, Cinder was found and taken in by Linh Garan, who died of the letumosis plague a short while later. Her stepmother grudgingly took care of her, but, as a cyborg, Cinder has few rights. Eventually, Cinder becomes her new family's sole source of income, working hard as a mechanic at her booth in New Beijing's weekly market. Her only friends are Peony, her youngest stepsister, and Iko, an android.

When Prince Kai stopped by her booth to ask her to fix one of his androids, it was like a dream come true. She might not be able to go to the upcoming ball like her stepsisters, but she still got to meet and speak with the Prince. Not many girls can say that, much less cyborgs like her.

Prince Kai's father, the Emperor, is quickly dying of the plague. Levana, the Lunar queen, is poised and ready to swoop in and give Kai little choice but to marry her, after which she will probably enslave as much of Earth as possible. Kai's android may contain key information, but Cinder has to fix it first, and she suddenly has a lot on her plate. Peony has contracted the plague, and stepmother has volunteered Cinder for cyborg plague testing, something no one has ever survived, in order to get the family payoff (quick money).

Review:

For a while now, I've been kind of worried that I've lost the ability to love the books I read. It seems like everything I've read lately has just been “okay” at best. I wasn't sure how to break out of my funk. Should I read a new-to-me book by an author whose works I've enjoyed in the past? Should I reread an old favorite? I fretted that my reading funk might cause me to dislike books I'd normally enjoy.

Then Cinder came in via interlibrary loan. I read it in a couple days and loved it. It's not flawless, but I loved it anyway, and that makes me so happy. It confirms that my ability to love the things I read is not broken.