Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles 2) by Marissa Meyer

Hardcover, 454 pages

Published February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends

Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Synopsis: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic from book 1, is trying to break out of prison so she can save the world from the Lunar People. If she succeeds, she'll be the most wanted fugitive in all of the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Scarlet's grandmother is mission. She runs into a streetfight named Wolf who offers to help her find her grandmother. Scarlet quickly learns there was much she didn't know about her grandmother and everything she discovers only leaves to more questions. They run into the cyborg fugitive and together they must find a way to save the world from the lunar queen before Prince Kai becomes her husband and her prisoner and she gains power over the entire Commonwealth.

This book was just as good as the first one. LOVED it!! I was sad Cinder wasn't in it as much but as I got to know Scarlet, I was no longer disappointed. I enjoyed following both their story lines and going back and forth between them in the book. So fun and such an addictive book! I didn't want to put it down. :)

Author: To learn more about Marissa Meyer, check out her website here http://www.marissameyer.com/.  

Rating: **** Five Stars

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 387 pages

Published January 3rd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis: In a futuristic Earth, a plague ravages the people. The Lunar people watch from the moon for their chance to take over the people of earth with their powers of the mind. There is one hope of a lunar princess who may still be alive to stop the lunar queen. Of course, the odds of that are very small. Meanwhile, on earth, is a young girl named Cinder who is a Cyborg, a second class citizen who meets Prince Kai when she, being one of the best mechanics of New Beijing, repairs his robot and learns of something she should not be privy to. Soon, she finds herself in an impossible situation as she discovers information about her past and must made decisions about her future that could affect the rest of the world.

Who doesn't love a good fairy tale....er.... a good sci -fi.... er.... a good romance.... er... this book!  I seriously LOVED this book. It's the first of a series and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of it. It's based off the story of Cinderella only it's much more gritty and intense than the fairy tale we are all used to. I love reading stories that are based off fairy tales, I love sci-fi and fantasy and love a clean romance. This had all of them rolled up into one book. My perfect dream book! haha! I totally recommend this book.

Author: This is Marissa Meyer's debut novel. She lives in Washington with her fiance and cats. To learn more about her, visit her website here http://www.marissameyer.com/

Rating: ***** FIVE STARS

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Flashback Friday: Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

It's Flashback Friday again. The day that I review a book that is not a new release. Sorry that I've been a bit behind this week in my reviews... I have a good excuse. At least, I think it's a good excuse. I had oral surgery earlier this week and I thought it would be a great time to read but little did I know that the drugs would all just make me sleepy so... I got behind. Sorry. So... anyways, here's the flashback Friday review.

Genre: YA - Fantasy - Fairy Tales

Review: This is set in the same world as, the better known story, Ella Enchanted (if you have only seen the movie then I totally recommend reading that book too). The fairy Lucinda is at it again, giving gifts that no one really wants. But Aza has a gift that's all her own -- the gift of singing. In the Kingdom of Ayortha Aza is shunned because she is far from the fairest of them all but in the Ontio Castle, the land of the singers, her voice is captivating and the Queen wants it to be hers while the prince finds himself drawn to it. This is the story of self discovery for the young lady Aza who may not be beautiful but her voice can melt the heart of the one she loves.

This story was a take on the classic tale of Snow White and I loved what Levine did with it. She and Shannon Hale both do such amazing things with fairy tales. I recommend reading them all. I was a bit disappointed with this one at first because it was soooo different from the classic story but as I continued reading it I couldn't help but to fall in love with the characters and the story.

Author: Gail Carson Levine was born in New York City in 1947. She, her husband, and her Airedale, Baxter all reside in a two hundred year old farmhouse in New York State.

Rating: *** Three Stars

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Flashback Friday: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

It's Friday again so it's time for me to review an older book instead of all the new releases I keep getting to review. True, Heidi sometimes reviews older books but I want a chance to as well. :) So, today I'm going to review The Goose Girl which was originally published in 2003.  I was out of high school for two years. ;)

Genre: YA- Fantasy

Review: Ani is the crowned princess and is swept off to marry a prince in another kingdom. Her lady in waiting pulls a trick and switches places with Ani and Ani is forced to be a servant to the King of this new kingdom where she knows no one. Fortunately, she has a few tricks of her own. All her life she had a special gift -- the ability to speak to animals. She has to use her own skills to find a way to get back what is properly hers.

This is a retelling of a classic fairy tale and I must admit, I love fairy tales. The Grimm version of "The Goose Girl" is quite graphic. This one is a lot better. It's the first book in the Bayern series and it's the only one I've read, unfortunately. It was a tale that Hale did a great job in bringing it to life and cause me, as the reader, to continually turn the page... after page... after page. I actually took this one on vacation with me and ignored everything else just so I could read it! Loved it

Author: Shannon Hale was born Salt Lake City, UT in '74 where she still lives with her husband and four small children. She has written six young adult books, two adult books, and has a new adult novel coming out in 2012. She also co-authored two graphic novels. I have read four of her novels (3 YA and 1 adult) and have loved every single one of them.

Rating: **** Four Stars

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