Rachel Girard

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Scarlet, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Cinder.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Scarlet Benoit has always loved her grandmother's farm near Toulouse, France.  From the earliest years of her life, it's been the 18-year-old's home, her sanctuary, her paradise.  The quiet, country life suits Scarlet, just as it does her grandma.  Which makes the elderly woman's disappearance even stranger—Michelle Benoit never would have left her farm, or her granddaughter, voluntarily.  The police may not agree, but Scarlet knows this to be true.  Something sinister has happened to her guardian.  And Scarlet intends to find out what.  She won't rest until her grandmother, the only real parent she's ever had, is back at the farm, safe and sound.

When Scarlet meets Wolf, a mysterious street fighter, she's intrigued—and not just because she thinks he might know about her grandmother's disappearance.  Something about the dangerous stranger makes her heart beat a little faster.  She doesn't want to, but trusting Wolf may be her only chance to rescue her beloved guardian from the clutches of a bloodthirsty gang.  Can Scarlet make it in time to save her?  And what do these people want with gentle Michelle Benoit?  Wolf says the old woman is keeping secrets, but that can't be.  Can it?  

Meanwhile, miles and miles away, Linh Cinder—the world's would-be savior—has been imprisoned by the ruthless Lunar queen.  To stop the evil woman from brainwashing the entire populace into submission, Cinder must find a way to fight.  With the help of charming "Captain" Carswell Thorne, a 20-year-old airman on the run, she'll give it her best shot.  But will that be enough to save Earth from a power-hungry queen with limitless power?  Will it be enough to rescue the man she loves from the woman who would make him her slave?  

As the fates of Scarlet and Cinder intertwine, the tug-of-war between the Lunars and Earth's population continues—with control of the planet as the ultimate prize.  Cinder holds the key to victory, if only she can figure out how to use it.  In the meantime, there's a grandmother to locate, a prince to rescue, and a deadly plague to stop.  It's a race against time, which is quickly running out ...

You may remember back in December when I gushed about Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.  Well, guess what?  Scarlet (available February 5, 2013), the second novel, is just as good.  How often does that happen?  Not often at all.  It starts with a new character, sure, but that doesn't matter as Scarlet's plight soon becomes just as compelling as Cinder's.  Plus, the viewpoint alternates between Scarlet and Cinder, guaranteeing the reader will never get bored with either story line.  With intriguing characters, plenty of action, and some fun plot twists, Scarlet keeps up the intensity that makes the Lunar Chronicles such a delightful series.  The only downside?  I have to wait another year to read more.  Boo.    

(Readalikes:  Cinder by Marissa Meyer)

Grade:  A

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild language, violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Scarlet from the generous folks at Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan).  Thank you! 

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Caren Gray never intended to return to the Louisiana plantation where she grew up.  Serving in the "big house" was her mother's ambition—never hers.  But, here she is anyway, walking the land where slaves once toiled.  If she'd been born 150 years earlier, Caren would have been working alongside those dark-skinned workers—her ancestors—cutting cane, polishing the master's silver, and raising a family in the tiny slave cottages that still stand on Belle Vie's vast grounds.  Instead, she makes good money managing the plantation, inviting everyone from schoolchildren to senior citizens to visit and learn from its history.  Maybe it's not the career she imagined for herself, but it works for the 37-year-old single mother.

Then, comes a terrible discovery:  the body of a young migrant worker is found on the grounds of Belle Vie. Murder.  Caren doesn't recognize the dead woman, but the vicious killing rocks her to her core.  She's always felt safe at Belle Vie (the plantation's ghosts notwithstanding), but now she worries—are she and her 9-year-old daughter safe living in such an isolated spot?

As the police struggle to find the murderer, Caren finds herself and many of the people she works with at the center of the investigation.  Caren knows she didn't commit the crime, but who did?  Was it someone who knew the woman well, a fellow laborer, perhaps?  Or a local, upset with the migrant workers for "stealing" jobs that could belong to him?  And then there's Groveland—plenty of people are angry with the corporation's aggressive land-grabbing tactics.  Could a fanatic protester have gone too far?  Or is the killer something less down-to-Earth?  Because, as no one but Caren knows, this isn't the first murder to have happened on the grounds of Belle Vie.  Maybe the slaves are finally getting their revenge ...

Although I didn't care much for Attica Locke's debut novel, Black Water Rising, I loved her sophomore attempt.  The Cutting Season offers just about everything I look for in a literary thriller—a twisty plot, complex characters, a vivid setting, skilled writing, etc.  Atmospheric and haunting, the story kept me mesmerized from beginning to end.  I don't give out A's very often, but this one definitely deserves—and receives—high marks from me.    

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a teensy bit of Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman)

Grade:  A-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and mild sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Cutting Season from the generous folks at Harper Collins.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ruby Daly wakes up on her 10th birthday expecting the usual fanfare—hugs, kisses and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  That's not what happens.  Not by a long shot.  What does happen gets Ruby sent away to a government-run camp for "special" kids like her. Six years later, she's still there, still trying to understand the dark, dangerous powers swirling inside her.  The harsh "rehabilitation" camp hasn't changed Ruby, except to make her more cautious, more lonely and more scared.  Kids on the "outside" don't live past age 10; kids in the camp do, but to what end?  To become powerful machines with no families, no friends, no futures?  Ruby doesn't want that kind of "life."     

When Ruby sees a chance to escape the camp, she takes it without looking back.  But "freedom" isn't quite what it's cracked up to be either.  Now, she's on the run, hiding from various enemies, one more cunning than the next.  She doesn't mean to involve anyone else in her problem, but hooking up with a small band of fugitives like herself might be the only thing that can save her.  Or kill her faster.  As her pursuers get ever more desperate, it's starting to look like the latter ...  

The Darkest Minds, a new paranormal YA novel by Alexandra Bracken, has received all kinds of buzz around the book blogosphere.  I'm still trying to figure out why, exactly.  Yes, it's an intense, non-stop action kind of book, but, the story line feels way too familiar.  Like something I've read before—over and over and over.  Same goes for the characters, the romance, the, well, everything.  Add copyediting issues to the mix and you see why The Darkest Minds just didn't earn my eternal book love.  It kept me reading, I will say that.  It just needed some originality, a streamlined plot and a better-developed cast.  In other words, a major re-write.  No biggie.      

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the Gone series by Michael Grant; Doomed by Tracy Deebs; and a little of the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language (a few F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Darkest Minds from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion.  Thank you!