Scarlet (2013) by Marissa Meyer is the second installment in The Lunar Chronicles, a futuristic YA series that reimagines fairy tales through a sci-fi lens. This time, Meyer twists Little Red Riding Hood into a high-stakes adventure starring Scarlet Benoit, a fiery French farm girl searching for her missing grandmother. Her path collides with Wolf, a genetically enhanced streetfighter with a mysterious connection to the sinister Lunar Queen Levana, and Cinder (the cyborg Cinderella from Book 1), now a fugitive wanted across Earth and Luna.
Meyer blends pulse-pounding action (hovercraft chases, underground fights) with slow-burn romance, as Scarlet and Wolf’s trust evolves amid betrayals. The novel expands the series’ worldbuilding, threading in political intrigue and the looming threat of Lunar mind-control.
A standout for its gritty charm and clever fairy-tale subversion, Scarlet deepens the saga’s stakes while keeping its heart.
