Audible Book Review: Scarlet, The Lunar Chronicles, Book 2, by Marissa Meyer

This introduced new characters to help Cinder face her destiny. The story/series is engaging.
Scarlet
The Lunar Chronicles, Book 2
By: Marissa Meyer
Narrated by: Rebecca Soler

Series: The Lunar Chronicles, Book 2
Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 02-05-13
Language: English
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Adaptations, Alien, Fantasy, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0; Audio 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the best-selling 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. 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 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.
©2013 Marissa Meyer (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Review:
Scarlet, named for her red hair, is desperately searching for her missing grandmother. The authorities are inclined to think grandmother has just gone off of her free will, but Scarlet is convinced she wouldn’t go without leaving some word. Scarlet continues to run her usual errands but she is greatly frustrated. She happens to run into a young man on the streets, a street fighter who seems keenly interested in her. Scarlet suspects she should be afraid of Wolf but she is oddly drawn to him.

Wolf shows up at Scarlet’s farm as she is arguing with her alcoholic father who is tearing the home apart. She had not seen her father for years and now it appears he has knowledge about her missing grandmother. Her father has clearly been tortured and Scarlet fears for her grandmother.

Wolf convinces Scarlet to let him help her go to Paris seeking her grandmother who has been taken by a pack group that Wolf claims to have left. He tries to talk Scarlet out of it noting how dangerous it will be but she will do whatever it takes to get to her grandmother.

Meanwhile Cinder escapes from prison and picks up another prisoner, “Captain” Thorne. He claims to have an airship they can use to escape authorities. The two are at odds but trouble makes strange companions. Iko adds snark when Cinder brings her back as part of the airship computer.

Evil, awful, Queen LeVana is tightening the trap around Prince Kai as her fury rages at Cinder’s escape. Kai secretly roots for Cinder, not realizing how important she is, even perhaps to his own survival.

I enjoyed the new characters and the tension between Scarlet and Wolf. I liked how the author moves them along with danger and suspense until they meet Cinder late in the book. The mysteries and dangers continue to surround the characters and I will keep reading or listening to learn if Cinder is willing to do what it takes to challenge the Lunar Queen.

Audio Notes: Rebecca Soler does a good job with the narration. She infuses great emotion into the characters, even a trapped Iko. The energy helps carry the story along at a good pace, although at times the voices are too intense. Still, I enjoyed the audio experience and will probably look to get book three, Cress, on audio.

Source: December 2017 Audible Credit Purchase. This qualifies for 2018TBR, Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I really liked the sci fi, cyber elements and intrigue in this Cinderella twist.

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1)
by Marissa Meyer

File Size: 1206 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (January 3, 2012)
ASIN: B005KJJ4F8
Genre: Adaptations, Alien, Fantasy, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

The #1 New York Times Bestselling Series!
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Review:
Cinder has a good reputation as a gifted mechanic who works hard and makes a good bargain. She keeps hidden from her customers that she is a cyborg with a mechanical foot. She was adopted by a scientist father who died before he could make it clear to anyone what his intent was. Cinder is the one who works supporting the “stepmother” (legal guardian) and older stepsister who revile her.

Cinder meets handsome Prince Kai when he brings an android unit in for repair. Her excitement at meeting the prince is overshadowed when the plague outbreak hits her friendly stepsister, Peony. Cinder gets blamed since Peony was with her when she became ill. Her stepmother turns Cinder over to authorities who are testing virus cures on cyborgs. When the doctor tests Cinder he discovers that she is immune to the virus but he learns more than that. He wants to hide her special nature as he suspects some greater intrigue.

Prince Kai loses his father, the king to the plague. Now he is being pressured to marry the Lunar Queen who uses magic to create illusions about her appearance and is extorting his compliance with the promise of an antidote to the virus. Kai must struggle between his duty to his people and his personal desires.

Cinder apparently is immune to the Lunar illusions too which results in great danger as she may be on earth illegally and subject to a death sentence. Only one person knows the full truth, but it isn’t clear if he is a friend or an enemy. Cinder has the chance to escape the city but will her leaving cause Kai to sacrifice his freedom for duty?

I really like Cinder and Kai as primary characters. The doctor and Cinder’s android friend, Iko, are good secondary characters. I enjoyed this cyber twist on the Cinderella story and I like the sci fi lunar intrigue. I am curious to see where Cinder goes in the next book, Scarlet, which I picked up with a December Audible Credit. I recommend this as an entertaining read to those who enjoy sci fi cyberpunk and fairy tale retellings.

This was in my Kindle library since 2014 and qualified for my 2017 TBR reading.

Book Review: Coiled by H. L. Burke

This is a wonderfully engaging fairy tale.
Coiled
by H. L. Burke

File Size: 4134 KB
Print Length: 235 pages
Publisher: Uncommon Universes Press LLC (June 15, 2017)
ASIN: B0713VTDB3
Genre: Adaptations, Fairy Tale, Retellings
My Rating: 4.75 0f 5.0

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.
Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.
But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.
A YA mythology/romance that retells the myth of Eros and Psyche with adventure, magic, and true love.

Review:
Princess Laidra and her twin sister, Ellea, were cursed at birth. Ellea is beautiful but her beauty is enhanced by her acts of cruelty to others, such as crushing a small bird. Laidra has the gift of healing but with every healing touch she becomes uglier with moles and wiry hairs on her face and body.

Laidra’s mother insists she cover herself with a cloak and hood and forbades her from healing. But Laidra still helps the servants when they are ill or innocents who are injured. Since she knows she is already hideous she finds her worth in healing and helping others.

In another empire Prince Calen and his twin brother, Volen, suffer from a different curse. Volen becomes a monster serpent if he is left alone with no one to see him; Calen becomes the monster when anyone sees him. Their father chose to protect Volen by assigning him guards to be in his presence at all times while Calen was sent to a private island with a servant who is invisible and doesn’t trigger the curse.

Volen and the King think that perhaps the curse will be cured, or at least ‘fixed’ if Calen murders (eats a princess) or if Volen marries one. They have planned to take Laidra to abandon her to Calen or they will marry Volen to Ellea.

Laidra escapes and comes to Calen’s island where he rescues her from the waves. Now Calen and Laidra develop a friendship as they talk and share music together, but never look upon each other. Could either of them risk committing the other to a life long tie if the curse isn’t cured for either or both?

Meanwhile the man/god who started the curses is surprised by Laidra’s play in events. He wants to continue to punish his old enemies. But perhaps the other gods will step in to allow the young people to change their undeserved fates.

I really found this a charming fairytale. It is a story of evil intentions and good souls facing obstacles. There is sorrow, fear, character growth and love. The writing is clean and a good blend of description and character building although there were a few scenes that didn't seem to have complete follow through. I am not familiar with the Eros and Psyche mythology that this is based on so it does make me curious about that story. It also made this story 'new' to me. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a good fairy tale with curses, magic and love.

I received this from NetGalley and it was the final read in my 2017 NetGalley Challenge.