Scarlet: The Lunar Chronicles, Book 2

Gr 9 Up—In the second title (2013) in Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles," listeners are introduced to Scarlet Benoit, a teenager in rural France whose grandmother has been missing for over two weeks. She's certain that her grandmother has been kidnapped and will do anything to find her, even place her trust in the mysterious and dangerous street fighter Wolf. Meanwhile, Linh Cinder has escaped prison in New Beijing with the help of a roguish thief named Thorne and is evading authorities in a stolen spaceship while she decides what to do about the revelation that she is really Princess Selene, the true heir to the Lunar crown. Rebecca Soler gives another solid performance of the futuristic fairy tale series. Her youthful voice is well cast to narrate the concurrent stories of the two teenagers, seamlessly navigating between the story lines. She gives Scarlet's dialogue a slight accent, helping to distinguish her from Cinder, and voices supporting characters with their own nuances. Soler's narration succeeds in conveying the plot's building tension. She fully inhabits the passionate, headstrong, and determined Scarlet, while also expressing Cinder's struggles with the tempting powers her Lunar heritage make possible and her hesitancy to lead a revolt against evil Queen Levana. Fans of Cinder (2012, both Feiwel & Friends) will be completely satisfied as action and romance abound and the stakes are even higher in this installment. Listeners will be clamoring for the next two titles in the quartet.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL