by Marissa Meyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 5, 2013
Readers who can ignore the flaws will find the book goes down easy, and they will be happy to wait in line for the third...
Meyer returns with the second installment of the Lunar Chronicles for a futuristic spin on “Little Red Riding Hood.”
Feisty, red-hoodie–wearing Scarlet is beside herself; her beloved grand-mère has been missing from the family farm in the French countryside for two weeks. A mysterious, tattooed street fighter named Wolf may be able to help her—and he has these awesome green eyes. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Commonwealth, cyborg Cinder—who learned she was the long-lost Lunar princess, Selene, in the eponymous first book (2012)—escapes from jail with the roguish Thorne, a charming petty crook cast in the Han Solo mold. Cinder has a new, jacked-up cyborg hand and her Lunar powers of mental manipulation to help her in her quest to find…Scarlet’s grandmother, who may hold the key to her past. Meyer’s story ticks along smartly, showing no sign of second-volume sag. Both fairy-tale and romance elements are blended in to pleasing if predictable effect. Less successful from a plausibility standpoint is a bloody new Lunar plot to take over the world, though it does contribute to tension. Also troubling is Meyer’s tendency toward peculiar word usage that in a more stylistically distinguished work would seem fresh but here seems just, well, peculiar and may haul readers out of an otherwise effective story.
Readers who can ignore the flaws will find the book goes down easy, and they will be happy to wait in line for the third installment. (Science fiction/fairy tale. 12 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-312-64296-9
Page Count: 463
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
Share your opinion of this book
More by Marissa Meyer
BOOK REVIEW
by Marissa Meyer ; illustrated by Joelle Murray
BOOK REVIEW
by Marissa Meyer & Joanne Levy
BOOK REVIEW
by Marissa Meyer ; illustrated by Chuck Gonzales
by Stephanie Garber ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022
A disappointing delivery on a potentially gripping second volume.
Evangeline faces new dangers in her quest for happiness in this follow-up to 2021’s Once Upon a Broken Heart.
As Evangeline Fox seeks a cure for her poisoned husband, Prince Apollo, the enticing and infuriating Fate Jacks reappears, offering to save Apollo if she unlocks the Valory Arch. Remembering the long list of ills brought upon her by the Fate, Evangeline refuses. When the new heir arrives and Apollo wakes with a new curse and glowing red eyes, she is forced to delve into the mysteries of the Valors and find the arch’s four missing magical stones whose powers are luck, truth, mirth, and youth. The inclusion of expanded Valor lore alongside the preexisting blend of fairy-tale and paranormal creatures is intriguing and fits the overarching theme of storytelling as history. The ongoing use of emotions as a scale for displaying and determining one’s humanity, especially by Fates, is equally interesting. Unfortunately, the impact of Evangeline’s often amusing narration and numerous surprising plot twists is diluted by the meandering pacing, convoluted sensory descriptions, and close focus on Evangeline’s fluctuating attraction toward her potential love interests. Despite the positive emphasis on hope and happily-ever-afters, Evangeline’s romantic relationship with Jacks borders on manipulative and toxic. Evangeline reads White; side characters are fantasy diverse.
A disappointing delivery on a potentially gripping second volume. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-26842-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
More by Stephanie Garber
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Neal Shusterman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2016
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
19
Our Verdict
GET IT
Kirkus Reviews'
Best Books Of 2016
New York Times Bestseller
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
More by Neal Shusterman
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Neal Shusterman ; illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.