Cinder's funny android friend finds her way back into the story as the AI for their space ship. He lightens the mood of the book and is a welcome addition. Her new-found companion is arrogant and fancies himself a ladies man. The mystery surrounding her is intriguing, as well as her new emerging abilities. The original character Cinder makes appearances and manages to keep the book from sinking into a black abyss. Add that to the already annoying character and its easy to see how this thrilling series took a nose dive. The narrator attempts to give her a french accent, which is at times thick and at other times almost non-existent. She has zero forethought and her supposed 'bravery' comes off as idiotic and rash. This girl has no common sense and she comes off extremely whiny. 'I've got to find my grandmother!' and repeat. And she is constantly saying the same things over and over. I am referring to both the character in general and also her intellectual level. As the story progresses, Scarlet becomes nearly unbearable. Every time the book cut away from a scene with Cinder to a scene with Scarlet, I found my finger itching to fast forward and my annoyance on the rise. Much of the book focuses on Scarlet's missing grandmother and her quest to find out the mystery behind her disappearance. Meyer introduces a new character, Scarlet. What I got was an okay story, when even less okay characters. That said, I was anticipating book 2 with eagerness to find out what happens to our heroine. The story was fast paced and kept the reader wanting more. In book 1 Marissa Meyer took one of our beloved fairy tales and turned it into an intriguing sci-fi set into a future with cyborgs and Lunar inhabitants. What did you like best about Scarlet? What did you like least?

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer