Amy Reads

Book 2! This was a fast read for me. Finished in under 48 hours. As with my previous post, I am not giving a lot of detail and do not want to ruin any portion of the story. There are other websites available which detail plot lines and endings. That is not what this is. This is only my perspective of the book written.

Scarlet is the infamous Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tales we all know and love. She has a red hoodie and red hair. And isn’t a hoodie just a hooded cloak for the twentieth century? She has a grandmother, meets a “hunter,” and a “wolf.” But as with Cinder, this story isn’t the same fairy tale we are used to. This story takes place in the future, same time period as Cinder, and in a world we have just stepped foot in through book one. Cinder is still a main character in book two taking half of the book’s real estate.

Scarlett meets a character named Wolf and who, as she finds out, has wolf tendencies due to modification. Disregarding him at first, she soon discovers she needs him in order to find something very important to her. For me, this story has 3 main characters: Cinder, whose story continues from her own book, Scarlett, who is Red Riding Hood, and Wolf.

Cinder’s story continues as she journeys through her past intersecting with Scarlett’s grandma. She finds out more of who she is and what made her the way she is. I love the backstory on this as it is explained.

Scarlett loses her grandma because she is kidnapped due to something she knows. Scarlett’s journey to find her is empowering and adventurous.

Wolf comes into the book as a mystery character who street fights for money and is shy outside of the rink. He stands up for Scarlett and she doesn’t know what to think of him. He is endearing and I grew to love his character. I wish there was time for a bit more depth into his past, but hopefully that will come.

This book has an overlaying theme of good versus evil, but in the midst of the big story there is a theme of love and friendship. Scarlett’s love for her grandma is what spurs the book along. She is on a quest to find her at all costs. I found I was rooting for a love connection between Wolf and Scarlett, but also understood the complexities of this relationship. Friendship emerges with Cinder and Captain. Cinder maintains her friendship with Iko as she grieves for relationships lost.

While at first I didn’t like the split narratives, and I usually love them, Melissa Meyer did this well. She continued her story of Cinder and introduced new characters. She kept both stories alive and as a reader I was yearning to read more. I hope in the next installment, Melissa will continue her story of Cinder, keeping Scarlett and Wolf’s story alive, then introduce another character combining all together for a powerhouse of great characters.

I can’t wait for the next story in this series! What do you love most about this book, or what do you like least?