Continuing with Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet takes us away from the Eastern Commonwealth and drops us into rural France, giving us another side of Princess Selene’s story. I love the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale, and seeing it brought into a sci-fi space context made it all the more enjoyable. In fact, it might be my favourite of the whole series (don’t worry, Cinder, I still love you).

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison, even though she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive if she does. 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 meets Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust him, but is inexplicably drawn to him, as he is to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder and the strange ex-prisoner Captain Thorne. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

Let’s start off with Scarlet. I love her. She is such an entertaining character, even though she is also painfully naive at times. She is a badass, a strong woman loyal to her grandmother, and a lonely girl looking for comfort. Cinder is also giving badass energy, even with her uncertain romantic feelings for Kai. I love seeing the girls in this book prove they can take care of themselves and pull their own weight while also acknowledging when others can help. The guys are all giving different energy, from Kai’s regal leadership with a hint of desperation and broken-heartedness, to Wolf’s mystery and layers of backstory and inner turmoil, and the dramatic, flippant and often deluded personality of Thorne. Scarlet brings a mixed bag of characters into this story world, creating moments of great character interaction, dialogue, and emotional conflicts that keep things engaging and entertaining.

As this book have multiple perspectives, Scarlet and Cinder for the majority but there are some moments when Kai or Thorne are the ones in focus, the action is split between areas. I like jumping to and fro between Scarlet’s plights in rural France, Cinder’s dramatic escape scenes, and Kai’s tense political meetings. There is a palpable energy in these chapters and the overarching plot is lining up really nicely, while leaving questions and uncertainties in the air. We get a wider glimpse at the world building and the power of the Lunars but we don’t lose sight of our characters and our favourites among the chaos.

I cannot wait to see what Cress has in store. I remember a few bits and pieces of the story, but the order of things is not right in my mind and I am missing more than a few key parts of the narrative. I have reached the midpoint, and while I know there is still a lot to go it also feels like the end is very much in sight, which can’t be true because I don’t want this to end. Alas, I know I will zoom through Cress, so the end is approaching at a rapid pace and Winter will soon be in my hands.