Blog Tour (Review): The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Today's my stop on The Sin Eater's Daughter blog tour! My first five-star read this year. ;)

The Sin Eater's Daughter 

by Melinda Salisbury

Series: The Sin Eater's Daughter #1

Genre: YA, historical, paranormal/fantasy

Expected publication: February 24th 2015 by Scholastic Press

Source: Tour host

Purchase: Amazon* Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Local purchase/order: Fullybooked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love? 

My Thoughts:

*This review is based on advanced reading copy. There might be some changes with finished copy.

The Sin Eater's Daughter is an irresistible book. Like most readers, I took a moment to sit back and let the blurb sink in to me. Because it does sounds like Shatter Me (Tahereh Mafi). Some says it also sounds like Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas) and Graceling (Kristin Cashore) because  of the same power the main character has, but I haven't read them yet. So I'm debating if I should read this book or not. I don't want to read a book similar to the other book I've read before, but the Goodreads rating and reviews didn't make it easy for me. Not long, though, I found myself signing up on Pinoy Book Tours for The Sin Eater's Daughter blog tour. I guess I really want to read this book. Bahala na si Batman (means). Come what may.

You know when you read a book, it's like you've opened a door to another world. In this book, I've opened a door to another dimension of that world. Like, literally different from the ones I've been. I almost feel like I'm dreaming. The writing and the world-building was exquisite and unique, almost to the point you can hardly believe it but it's beautiful at the same time. The author also wrote an extra-ordinary tale and characters that you cannot predict. There was some sort of a love triangle but I'm super glad there's no "she's mine, she deserve me" or "OMG, these two are super hot I cannot even decide who to pick" or--with a relieved sigh--insta-love.

And when I say you cannot predict the story and characters, I meant, YOU. CANNOT. PREDICT. My heart spent jumping and thudding so hard most of the time I'm reading. When there's a moment to finally recover to a thrilling scene, then another twist will appear. I swear I don't think it ever stops. Sometime near the ending, I took a break from the suspense. Because I needed air and I don't want to end it yet. And this is what I found out and realized after reading this book: it's not exactly like Shatter Me. It's different. If you hated it, you'll love this. If you loved it, you'll love this too. This is more than I/you thought it was.

The Sin Eater's Daughter was alluring and stunning and exciting and amazing and I LOVE it so much--not only because of the twists and thrill, but also because the overall was equally beautifully crafted. So, SO good. This book would make you catch for breath and your heart race. Amazing debut. Melinda Salisbury, you're brilliant. Gosh, I just can't move on. I love it so much and I wanted the sequel SO BAD. A literal example of a roller coaster ride/read. 5 solid stars for my first fave read in 2015!

If you're looking for a novel that sounds intriguing and exciting from the outside, read The Sin Eater's Daughter. If you're looking for a novel that sounds intriguing and exciting from the outside, has more surprises than you could ask for in the inside, would leave you breathless, and extra-ordinary compared to the previous books you've read, read The Sin Eater's Daughter. Because the inside is even more delicious than it appear to be on the outside. So you better check this out!

*Thank you Pinoy Book Tours for lending us a copy for review and to Scholastic Philippines for providing the copy in exchange of an honest review!

Rating:

WWW Wednesdays (87) / Waiting on Wednesday (87): The Trouble With Destiny

(Info)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

I didn't knew Frostfire by Amanda Hocking was part of Trylle world/trilogy. But the author replied on my tweet saying that yes, I could still read this book without reading the previous trilogy. Phew! Now I can continue reading it. :)

Finished Reading:

Finally received Fairest by Marissa Meyer last week on the mail! Jumped to read it and no surprise, it was full brilliance. Check out my review here and you can also win a signed copy here!

Read Next:

Reading Dreamfire by Kit Alloway next. I really wanted to read this book and with great luck, I saw a ready-to-download review copy on Edelweiss last Monday. Yay!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.

The Trouble With Destiny

by Lauren Morrill

Expected publication: December 8th 2015 by Delacorte

Blurb (Goodreads):

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey... 

With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize. 

Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.

But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.

This one looks like a light, fun, romantic, and really interesting contemporary read. And I love those kind. Excited to read this!

***

Check out my current giveaway, a signed copy of Fairest by Marissa Meyer!

How's your week been doing? Share them on the comments below! :)

Book Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to the fourth and last day of Feb Feels presents The Lunar Chronicles!

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Marissa Meyer's latest addition to TLC series, Fairest.

Check out the complete Feb Feels schedule here.

Fairest

by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3.5

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fantasy, retelling, dystopian
Published January 27th 2015 by Feiwel & Friends
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon* Barnes and Noble * Book Depository
Local purchase/order: Fully Booked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series. 

My Thoughts:

I was not ready to read Fairest. I'm not even sure if I wanted to read it. It's about Queen Levana. The character I hated the most in The Lunar Chronicles. But she was also the character I'm most curious about. Since I've met Levana on the first book, Cinder, she has made my eyes narrow and my blood boil. She's the evilest, the villain you could read on a fairytale. Only, Levana seems to have the upper hand on this story, thanks to her powerful brainwashing and glamour. I decided to read this book because I'm a huge fan of this series and would read any thing published under it and because I realize wanted to--surprise--know her more and see what she really looks like behind the veil.

I'm not a fan of villains for obvious reasons and this book was pure evil from the beginning til the end. The beginning showed an innocent Levana haunted by dreams caused by an earlier incident--the reason behind her glamouring--which was elaborated in the ending. The story continued and I get to know Levana and the Luna more. It was also amazing that through Levana's story I've also got to witness the past of the important characters and events in this series. Cinder and her mother, the true Queen, letumosis, the plague on Earth, the soldiers, Levana's own "love story", Princess Winter, and even Jacin Clay. You wouldn't imagine how 220 pages of the past would have a huge effect. It's amazing that Marissa Meyer got an idea about this book--Levana's story--in the midst of writing the last book in the series, Winter. She truly knows how to use her own magic.

Marissa Meyer gave more meaning on Queen Levana's character on this book. She wove a brilliant back story for Levana, though how sickening and more evil she became and sometimes I pity her. Despite of Levana's ugly nature, I saw this book written in brilliance, elegance, and cleverness. Rating this book will be a tough one but I will stick to the one the matters the most--the added world building, story, answers, and depth to the characters especially to the "fairest" queen, Levana.

You can win a signed copy of Fairest here! Check out my reviews for Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.

*Thank you so much Macmillan International for the review copy in exchange of an honest review!

Rating:

Feb Feels presents The Lunar Chronicles 2015: Interview + Giveaway

Welcome to the third day of Feb Feels presents The Lunar Chronicles! Today is a very special day because I'm featuring some fun Q&A with the brilliant mind behind this magnificent series, Marissa Meyer, to fangirl with (all over again) PLUS a giveaway!

These set of questions were asked by readers from Goodreads and Marissa Meyer answered them personally. I cannot feature all but if you want to check it out, click here. Here are the questions and answers that caught my interest. From fangirling to the series, to Marissa's new series, and so much more!

Note: Careful on what you read if you haven't read the books. You might read some spoilers.

***

If you were to change something in the previous books what would you change?

If I could go back and change something, I would make the Lunar gift less powerful. Winter is mostly set on Luna, so we're in a society surrounded by people with the ability to manipulate and control, and it's really complicated parts of the plot for me! I've been able to make it work just fine, but I could have saved myself a lot of heartache by putting more restrictions on Lunars from the start.


Hi Marissa! I just wanted to tell you that I got really excited when I first heard about Cinder, since I love books which are based on other stories... Sooo I was wondering if you had thought about writing more books like this, maybe based on The Little Mermaid or something like that?? :)

Marissa Meyer Thank you! I actually did write a short story retelling of The Little Mermaid (the Andersen story, not Disney in this case). The story is called The Little Android and can be read for free on my WattPad page.

In addition to fairy tales I'm also writing a book called Heartless, based on Alice in Wonderland. Beyond that, I don't have any more plans for retellings (my next series will be superhero based), but I do love fairy tales and wouldn't be surprised if I get inspired for more retellings in the future. We'll see!


Can you share any details about your superhero series?

Marissa Meyer Ooh, good question! Everything is subject to change, but right now I'm calling it the Gatlon series, and it's essentially about a group of kids who go to a school for superheroes, and have to stand up to kids from a rival school who are walking the thin line between heroics and villainy. Plus, you know... action, romance, comedy... all that good stuff.


Is there anything you could share with us about Winter? :D Any teasers or such?  ❤ Would love to know just about anything. Especially about Kai :D Will we see lots more of him in Winter?

Marissa Meyer I can't tell too much about Winter yet, but all of our main characters have plenty of page time in it (yes, including Kai!), plus there's just a whole lot of everything in this book, from fights to kissing...


Who would you date? Kai, Thorne, Wolf or Jacin???

Marissa Meyer Ha! Who WOULDN'T I date?? ;)


What is your biggest tip for writing a bad guy?

Marissa Meyer I would say it's so important to know WHY they're bad. It can be tempting to make a villain evil-for-the-sake-of-evil, but that's not very interesting. Ask yourself what happened in their past to make them the way that they are, and what are their motivations for doing the things that they do? Some famous writer (I don't know who...) once said that the villain believes they are the hero of the story, and I think it's important to keep that in mind.


Is it hard for you to keep track of characters (such as location, or keeping in character) at times when writing?

Marissa Meyer YES! I am constantly making lists of which characters are in a particular place and what it is they're doing there. 

I also get confused all the time about weapons and injuries. I keep an ongoing file about who's been injured and what weapons or tools they have with them. Also - if a character has a gun, I try to keep track of how many times they've shot it so we don't get the Hollywood "neverending ammunition" syndrome. It can get really complicated.


Hello! After WINTER, will there be any more short stories or novellas after the final book has been released like your book, Fairest? Thanks!

Marissa Meyer There will be one more short story, currently titled "The Princess and the Guard" - it's obviously based on Winter and Jacin. :) I expect that will be released this summer sometime.

After that, I have some ideas of potential stories to add a bit more depth to the world, but nothing is cemented yet, and I am excited to move on to my other series. We'll see!


Can you estimate the page length of Winter? (I know it will be AMAZING!!! regardless) Additionally, what was the hardest obstacle when writing Cress?

Marissa Meyer Yes! The estimated (not-final) page count is posted on GoodReads at 800 pages, and that's going to be darn close!

Sidenote: 800 pretty pages! I cannot wait!


Who is your favorite character from the series of books "Lunar Chronicles"?

Marissa Meyer I don't think I have a favorite character (I adore them all for different reasons... even the bad guys!). That said, I enjoy writing the funny characters the most because they always make me laugh. I really enjoy writing Iko and Thorne. They're both just so ridiculous at times, but really heartfelt at others. They both knew who they were from the beginning, too, which makes my job a lot easier.


Whats it like to have books that so many people love?

Marissa Meyer It never stops being bizarre! I find that a lot of times when people compliment my books I feel like they're talking about someone else's books. It's really hard to connect the success of them to something that I wrote myself. Then you see the numbers - # of books sold, GoodReads ratings, etc. - and it just seems even stranger, like these things I concocted in my head have gone on to have a life completely separate from me. 

I don't know if that makes sense. It's a weird thing to describe. :)


Will you write more books in The Lunar Chronicles universe after Winter?

Marissa Meyer Winter will conclude this series, but I do have some ideas for potential spin-offs set in this world. I'm talking to my publisher now. We'll see...


Have you cried at all while writing Winter?

Marissa Meyer Yes. Yes, I did. Though to be fair, sometimes I was crying from joy. ^_^


What was your inspiration for writing about the queen in your latest book? You had so many characters to choose from to write about. Why her?

Marissa Meyer Levana was one of the first characters I thought of when I decided to write a series of sci-fi fairy tale retellings, and I've long been fascinated by the evil queen from Snow White. I always wanted to know what would make a woman place so much value on her beauty that she would do horrible, unspeakable things just to stay the "Fairest of them all." So Levana's story has really been building in my head from the very beginning when I started writing this series. 

Then as I was working on Winter, I found myself getting stuck on scenes that involved Levana and her relationships to Winter and Selene, so I decided to pause and write Levana's story. Once I gave it a chance, her story came pouring out of me, and I learned so much about her and made so many connections that I hadn't put together yet. It was definitely time to put her story on paper! And it did help me get past all those places that were giving me trouble in Winter, too, so it worked out really great. I'm just glad my publisher actually wanted to publish it, ha!


Marissa, what inspired you to make Snow White a person with dark skin, instead of leaving her the way that she's always been portrayed?

Marissa Meyer In my early, early conceptualizing for the series, I thought Winter would be your typical Snow White as described in the fairy tale: skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, hair as black as ebony. 

However, one day not long into my planning process I was reading through a health and nutrition blog and I came across a photo of this beautiful black model with thick curly hair biting into a red apple. The second I saw that picture I thought - that's her! that's my princess! So Winter became black.

It's not a very scientific approach to character building, but that's the story, lol.


The beta readers have posted some pretty upsetting and terrifying reactions to really bad news in Winter, and the fandom (particularly on tumblr) is starting to freak out. Can you please give us ANY kind of re-assurance that we won't all want to curl up in a ball and cry all day after reading Winter? Anything at all? It's a long wait til November and we're doing our best to promote these books, but now we're scared.

Marissa Meyer Hahaha, I love my betas.  ❤

I can't give any hints as to what's going to happen in Winter, but I will ask you to trust me! I think / hope the readers will find it to be a satisfying conclusion to the series.


My daughter is in school right now, but she asked me to send this on her behalf: I'm reading Cress right now and I loved Cinder and Scarlet! Your writing is amazing! I love writing sci-fi and I want to be an author. I was wondering...how do you tie up your stories and talk about the past and have so many secrets, with it still being so interesting?

Marissa Meyer This is a great question! I spend A TON of time rearranging my plots, moving scenes and subplots around, and trying to maintain a balance of characters throughout each book. I try to balance action with reaction scenes, too, so that if you have one "dull" scene where you're giving the reader lots of new information, then I want the next scene to be more exciting and suspenseful. Or if you have to convey a lot of backstory or resolve some mysteries, try to do it in an interesting way. 

SCARLET SPOILERS: For example, I could have had Cinder learn a lot more about her history and cyborg surgeries from Dr. Erland, but instead I decided to have her discover that information on her own when she stumbles across the underground lair where she was kept by Scarlet's grandmother. It was a much more interesting and visual way to uncover that information - for Cinder, and for the reader. (at least, I hope so, ha!)


Hi Marissa! i was wondering which couple do you enjoy writing scenes for the most in the series?

Marissa Meyer I love writing scenes for each of the couples - kissing scenes are always my favorite to write! I also love romantic tension scenes in general, where the characters get to be all awkward and dancing around their feelings... 


I don't really have a favorite couple, though. They're all so different and they all have moments that I absolutely loved writing.

***

About the Author

I now live with my husband and our three cats (Calexandria Josephine, Stormus Enormous, and Blackland Rockwell III), who go in and out, in and out, about eight hundred times a day. My favorite non-bookish things include Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, re-watching episodes of Firefly, and playing all manners of dress-up.

Find her: Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!

- one lucky winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Fairest

- open internationally
- write/paste honest and clear infos on each entries, including the daily entries if you want yours to be valid
- winner will have 48 hours to respond on the email notification. If failed, I'll pick another winner
- Marissa and I are not responsible for any lost or damaged package









a Rafflecopter giveaway

***

Click here for the Feb Feels schedule.

You can also check out my reviews for Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Fairest.

Thank you so much Marissa Meyer for the giveaway donation and for being a rockin' author!

Book Review: Cress by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to the day two of Feb Feels presents The Lunar Chronicles! Sorry for the delay.

I had a long day yesterday so I didn't have the time to finish this. But here it is!

Check out the [edited] schedule here.

Cress 

by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fantasy, retelling, dystopian
Published February 4th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends
Source: Bought
Purchase: Amazon* Barnes and Noble * Book Depository
Local purchase/order: Fullybooked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

My Thoughts:

Warning: Major fangirling overhead.

CRESS. I've been waiting for the day to be able to read this book to come. I pre-ordered Cress last year but never had the time to read it. Now I got to finish my priority to-review books, I was able to read Cress. Finally. And perfect timing for February, the month of love. So I thought, I should feature this series on Feb Feels, my Valentine-themed blog event. But this time, it's more "what I love". Not to mention the feels between Cinder-Kai, Scarlet-Wolf, and this book's pair. And dear, did I experience major FEELS!

Cress was the third book from The Lunar Chronicles. Cinder, the main character, starred in the first book as the not-exactly ordinary cyborg mechanic (a Cinderella retelling). Her story continues all throughout the series but each new installment comes with new characters and additional stories and twists. No wonder readers/fans loved this series so much. Yep, including me. The second book was Scarlet, a Red Riding Hood retelling. Another one with an epic twist and connection to the Lunar Chronicles world. Cress, on the other hand, was the retelling for Rapunzel. The Lunar girl imprisoned on a satellite for seven years. And with her very own magic, Marissa Meyer told more than just a simple long-haired girl stuck in a satellite. Cress was the continuation of Cinder's journey now together with Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf. A book that showed the meaning of true friendship and love. A book that showed that those people who has something to fight for most likely to succeed no matter how small you/people think you are than those people who just know how to fight. An exciting and will-push-you-over-the-edge-of-your-seat adventure. And so much more.

Just when I thought reading about Cinder, Prince Kai, Iko, and other wonderful things in this book makes it all easy to read it, then "Captain Carswell Thorne" was there, making it more easier--and eventful (Thorne must be puffing his chest out with this compliment). Since now I mentioned him, let's talk about Thorne. I'm glad Thorne end up..let's say, useful to this series. He first appeared in Scarlet and I'm afraid that he'd be one of those characters who will eventually die in the midst of war--or worse, be part of a love triangle. He's this good-looking so-full-of-himself in a adorable-annoying-funny way. Makes the book all lighter. And he's just so hilarious and so cute. I love him so much! He had more personality than Prince Kai. I hate to say that because I LOVE Kai and he's my prince charming but I'll give some credits to Thorne, alright.

Cress was a fun character too! Due to her imprisonment in a satellite for years, she became this innocent-to-the-world-outside girl. It makes her cute and funny too. She and Thorne makes the perfect pair! Their love story, however, wasn't exactly like Cinder-Prince Kai or Scarlet-Wolf, or any other pairs. Their story was much more different and all I felt throughout the book was like hugging a super cute baby and pinching her rosy cheeks or cuddling with your favorite pillow or stuffed toy, or the feeling when you received a bunch of free books. Yes, that's how it feels. And oh. My. Goodness. It wasn't just them. I have felt the deeper feelings Wolf have for Scarlet. They don't have the sweetest moment here in the book but I saw their connection and appreciated it more than on Scarlet. Let's not forget about Cinder and Kai. OMG. You guys, CINDER AND KAI! Their moments didn't last long but theirs was the one that made me jump, squee, and swoon. I am not exaggerating. My kilig (swoon) reflex did those. Swoon. Swoon. Swoon!

Cress had a total WOW factor. Full of adventures, feels, revelations, and twists. A middle book in a series usually end up flat or too much or unnecessary, but this book puts up more fuel in my burning love for The Lunar Chronicles. I haven't reached 100 pages but the action and the excitement have already started and it didn't left even especially until the ending. When I closed the book, I just want more, more, MORE!!! I seriously went crazy. Fangirling all over again! I cannot imagine Marissa Meyer ever failing us. She's this brilliant person who writes magnificent books. The Lunar Chronicles world is so big that's why I also love the way she manages to keep up with the entire story and characters. It's just so sad that the end is getting nearer. I cannot imagine ending this series. I love it so much I can't think of parting ways. I know I'll always have the books but more books is different, right? I deeply love The Lunar Chronicles. I can't believe that there are still people who haven't read this. Please do yourself a favor and read them.

Check out my review of the first two books, Cinder, Scarlet, and Fairest. Also, you can read my Goodreads status updates for Cress here.

Rating:

Book Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Welcome to the day one of Feb Feels presents The Lunar Chronicles! 

Check out the schedule here.

Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fantasy, retelling, dystopian

Published February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends

Source: Bought

Purchase: Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Book Depository

Local purchase/order: Fullybooked * National Bookstore

Blurb (Goodreads):

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling 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.

My Thoughts:

Scarlet was the second installment of The Lunar Chronicles. A series with incredible twists, actions, and magnificent futuristic re-envisioning of some famous fairytales. On Cinder, the first book in the series, we met Cinder, the cyborg mechanic. Marissa Meyer's version of Cinderella. Mixed with sci-fi, fantasy, and even dystopian-ish. (Learn more about Cinder here.) Cinder's story continued in Scarlet, where a part of her past was revealed, and also the introduction of new characters who are based from Red Riding Hood, and their roles in Cinder's story. Like in Cinder, Scarlet (and the entire series) was told in third perspective. I preferred first person POV for Cinder, but now in Scarlet, I can appreciate the third POV since the story and the scenes are not only focused on Cinder, but also to the supporting and additional characters, who, also, made the book--the story--even more exceptional.

Cinder had a character improvement, which I greatly appreciate. She became a fighter and a stronger girl in this book. Sadly, her and Prince Kai's appearance lessened due to the new added story and characters. However, I'm glad that I've come to meet these new characters. Despite several different scenes to cover--Cinder escaping, Kai handling all the chaos, plus the spotlight on the new characters like, Scarlet searching for her grandmother, and others--the author made sure that nothing will be left behind and still manage to rock this second installment. The Lunar Chronicles was like a companion series and a series at the same time. It picks up where the story left off but will also continue/introduce new characters.

I love the idea and the twists Marissa made on Red Riding Hood. The role of Scarlet and Wolf (not to mention, his true identity/origin), and the grandmother. It was brilliant. Wolf also was too cute to describe. (Plus, I might ruin some things you readers should find out for yourselves.) Even though I have read this book two years ago and just re-read it recently, I remember why this book became part of my Best of 2013. From page 1 'til the last, the mystery, excitement, and thrill, had made me breathless. I want to finish it but don't want to at the same time.

Scarlet was a fast-paced, heart-pounding sequel to Cinder. And just as I swore after reading Cinder years ago, I will read every book/novella published under this series--because I fell madly in love with it!

Check out my review of Cinder, which I wrote yeaaaaars ago, here. I might write a re-review one day. Let's see. Here's also my review for Cress (book 3) and Fairest (book 0.5).

Rating: