Cinder & Scarlet – Marissa Meyer – Book Reviews

Recently I read the first two books in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and, boy, are they good. This is just a post of my reviews for both, so if you skip it I won't be terribly insulted (not that I'm even going to know). I admit, I often do that with the blogs I follow -- unless I know they're particularly interesting books that I have read, or want to read.
I also wrote quite a long review for Scarlet...sorry. If you've got enough time or need help with some procrastination, read on! And if you don't, then just go buy a copy of this series. Trust me, you probably won't regret it.

Cinder - Book One

Really, really cool. I enjoyed this heaps and would seriously recommend it to anyone looking for page-turning YA fiction. Cinder has high stakes, fast pacing and that distinctive un-put-down-able aspect. An epic story. Five star.
I can't think of any bad content at all. There’s a bit of romance but what Cinderella retelling couldn’t have some of that? I didn’t mind it at all.


I really liked all the characters - except for the evil ones, which I didn't like at all -and they're all really well written. Cinder is so real, and she goes through unfairness and struggles and just pulled me into the story. I really experienced the whole thing. I also just have this thing for mechanics.

Prince Kai is cool, and I’m not afraid to admit that I reckon he and Cinder were so perfect together. If only Cinder could have just said yes! Kai’s situation is just as bad, if not worse, than Cinder’s and he has the weight of an empire resting on him, how he rises to that just made me like him even more. I just loved his character.


The wit in the book is just my style, and Cinder is by far one of the most unique retelling of Cinderella ever (drawing on a close tie with A Wish Made of Glass). This is the kind of series I want to see on my bookshelf. I’m really wanting to read the next book now.

Scarlet - Book Two


A great, amazingly written sequel to Cinder. I'm only giving this four stars (rather than five) because of two reasons.


• The Wolf-Scarlet relationship

I mean seriously, one day? They met, they ran, they fell in love. There’s only one or two kisses and it doesn’t go into much detail though, so that side isn’t too bad – too bad, as in, I still love the book.

• The Violence/Blood-and-Gutsy Stuff

Violence and fighting and doesn’t bother me to a certain level, but those wolf-warrior-villain dudes had some interesting (‘interesting’ = ehh) methods of killing (to put it nicely), and it was almost worse because they still looked mostly human. So the ‘gross level’ went up since Cinder.


Now that I’ve gotten the bad stuff over with, I can head over to the good stuff!


Naturally, as the sequel, it wasn’t quite as good as Cinder but I still enjoyed it. The stakes are raised, the deadline draws closer and basically the whole world is at stake. Page-turning and full of tension, Scarlet follows on directly from where Cinder left off. The villains are wonderfully villainous and totally freaky. I’d better not forget the important twists that I was to engrossed in the story to notice until they were right in front of my eyes. Hey, give me a break, I’m short-sighted after all. :)


The characters, new and old, were all interesting (‘interesting’ = cool/amazing/these guys totally rock/eeeviilll/well written in general), but Cinder remains my favourite. Her struggles with how to use her power drew me in, and although I’m not pleased about some of the things she did, I can’t help root for her even more than before.

Captain/cadet Thorne is strange. I kept switching between not liking him, to thinking he wasn’t so bad. He considers himself a ‘ladies man’ and voices it often enough, and he’s got some funny things to say a lot of the time. I can’t really think what exactly it is that puts me off him, but there’s something that banishes him from the ‘coolest characters’ bench. I’ll allot him a spot in the ‘still working on me’ section.

I must admit, the Kai chapters frustrated me, ‘CAUSE HE STILL DOESN’T KNOW!!! But I still like him heaps anyways. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention: Adri Linh is eeeviilll.

Wolf. Now there is a complex character. He’s good…He’s bad…He’s good…Okay, what side is he on? He kept me guessing, and fulfilled my darkest suspicions near the end. But he’s intriguing, and incredibly so. He seemed so capable and yet afraid. I really wanted to learn more about him.

Scarlet (the character, not the book) is rather impulsive and quick to anger. She has her sweet moments, and I liked getting to know a new character.

I’d better stop rambling before this review becomes a complete novel in itself. To summarise: I want to read Cress!

As you can tell, I really liked these books. I think it's cool how they're all retellings of different fairy tales. I'm quite amazed at how long my review for Scarlet was...the longest I've ever written I think! Anyway, I'd better actually do some schoolwork now. Just for a change. :)

Fare Thee Well!