Saturday, March 24, 2018

From the shelf: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Date read: March 22-24, 2018
Dawn Rates:  (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: 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. 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 Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback:
Juggling between real life and bookworm life is hard when you're an adult. But I needed to make time for the second book since the ending of Cinder left me wanting more. The good thing about starting this series late is that I wouldn't agonize the waiting period for the next book where I read and wait for a whole year then the cycle repeats once more. There's always time for reading. Always.

I've said this time and time again that the second book in a series is always a make or break for me. Sure the first book captured my attention now the second installment should always reel me in till the end. There are lots of series that disappointed me and I'm glad that this one wasn't one of them. Usually a second book would start where the first left off or in some cases would have a time skip that would be explained later on but this one introduced a whole new character: another re-telling of a popular children's tale, we see Red Riding Hood take life as Scarlet. 

I was taken aback and even thought that the book had a slow start when Scarlet is thrown into the mix but what reeled me in is the way everyone was connected. Sure, I already anticipated that the author went that route but it was fun seeing it unfold before you. Scarlet and Wolf's relationship was okay for me and I'm kind of sorry that my attention weren't with them but I really anticipated Cinder and Thorne's dynamic more. I loved Thorne from the first appearance where he winked at the security camera till the very end. The buildup towards the climax was rather slow for me though I should give it a pass since the author was establishing the characters towards the real climax. Towards the end, when everyone was gathered together REALLY reeled me in because finally, we will get some action. And just before i turn the page, the second book ended. 

Well, played Marissa Meyer. Now, I have to read Cress.

Till the next read....

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

From the shelf: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)


Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Date read: March 20-21, 2018
Dawn Rates:  (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

A forbidden romance.

A deadly plague.

Earth's fate hinges on one girl . . .

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 becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre 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.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.


My Review: (also in goodreads)

I'm finally back and I missed this.

I didn't know what took me so long to finally read this series but I'm glad I did give it a chance. Hey, better late than never right? I would've easily given this 4 stars but the book's progress was a slow burn for me so I gave this 3 1/2 stars.

This is a re-telling of a popular fairy tale infused with elements of the science fiction and dystopian genre. It awed me how the author re-vamped Cinderella into a cyborg mechanic and how she made me curse the stepmother again and love one of Cinder's stepsisters dearly, though I was a bit heartbroken towards the middle. Yes, this was a slow burn for me because maybe I expected too much for the introductory novel that would somehow warp me into a world where I would anticipate the next installment of the series. I am also a bit glad that the middle part caught my attention and though there were scenes where I easily knew who Princess Selene was, it still made me turn the page fast. I loved how the author did build up the story. I hope I could see more of Dr. Erland's backstory and somehow I have this feeling that his daughter Crescent Moon will be vital to the series I hope though that when Kai and Cinder would meet again, there would be no resentment. I tried so hard not to read any spoilers regarding the next books of the series in order to have the element of surprise and now I can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd book.

Till the next read...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...