Scarlet

Scarlet  *****
by Marissa Meyer

Overview: This is book two in the Lunar Chronicles series. (Cinder was book one.) This is a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. The main character, Scarlet, has to rescue her grandmother from some men who have been genetically altered to act like wolves. Her grandmother has information that the evil queen from the moon wants so she can take over the Earth. Scarlet and one of these "evil" wolves fall in love.

Themes: friendship, good vs. evil, sacrifice, love

Positive elements: The story shows that love means sacrifice and putting others first. Teamwork is praised, and things are only accomplished when the characters work together. 

Negative elements: Wolves kill people by biting their throats. People are tortured and murdered. An alcoholic ruins his family. People are controlled and made to hurt other people. There is a war.

Conclusion: This was overall a fun, enjoyable read. The gory parts of book aren't described in much detail, and the story doesn't linger in the dark. It is mostly about the heroes battling the bad guys, learning to work together, and falling in love, too.