Wishlist Wednesday #21

Hosted by Pen to Paper

Title: Cruel Beauty

Author: Rosamund Hodge

Publication date: January 24, 2013

Publisher: Balzer & Bray (HarperCollins)

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Why I want: 

1. I love fairytale retellings. You all know that. But with reoccurring Beauty and the Beast retellings, I love to read the new ones, finding which version I like best. Besides, Beauty and the Beast rocks. 

2. Assassin falls in love? Yes, please. She's been training to kill him and then she falls in loooove. Let the swooning commence.

3. That cover. 

What are you wishing for this Wednesday? 

Review: SCARLET by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publication date: February 5, 2013

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Review: 

I read a post not too long ago about how you might be afraid to give a negative review for a book that is written by an author you adore. Or a book that has had such high ratings. I will try my best to not let my biased feelings and emotions get in the way, but...guys. 

Marissa Meyer is an amazing writer and Scarlet is her testimony to that fact.

**WARNING**

This is the second book in the series. 

If you have not read Cinder, I do not recommend this review.

It may contain spoilers from only Cinder.

Scarlet is feisty and strong willed. She is loyal to her grandmother and is determined to save her from whatever has kidnapped her. When her father comes to her house, she knows that whatever does have her grandmother is dangerous since they tortured her father (that is not a spoiler). Everyone in the village thinks that her grandmother is crazy and Scarlet is overreacting. But then she meets Wolf. Wolf is a very cute street fighter. She keeps him at a distance, but soon they both go on the journey to rescue her grandmother. 

That's the summary of the beginning. My thoughts? 

My favorite chapters in Scarlet were when Cinder appeared. Pretty soon, Cinder popped up almost every other chapter and I was thrilled. Because between the two characters, Cinder won for me. She had gotten tougher, more sarcastic, and less timid. She took charge (the first time we see her is when she is breaking out of prison) and even used her Lunar glamour. We also meet "Captain" Thorne, who was absolutely lovable. He was also in prison and they met very Count of Monte Cristo-like with Cinder appearing in his jail cell and they both worked together to find a way out of there. Not only was he lovable, but hilarious. He made me smile and laugh through the whole thing, definitely one of the best additions Marissa Meyer could have done, in my opinion. Like she says on her Twitter profile, "Fond of...sexy spaceship captains."

Iko? She comes back! Iko was one of my favorite characters in Cinder and while not having as much of a spotlight in this one, she still made me smile. We also see bits of Kai in there, which I was immensely grateful for. I wanted to see what he was up to and how he was feeling. Don't worry, you do. And Wolf is a great addition to the story in the way that you never really could understand him until the end. Was he really the Big Bad Wolf or was he just misunderstood? 

The characters and plot built-up were great. However, there is always a but because I have to mention the negative for me. 

Let me explain a little more about why I did not like Scarlet as much as Cinder. Along with the facts I mentioned above about Cinder, I was not a huge fan for Scarlet. She was determined and focused, which I love. But she was blind to the things around her and annoyed me quite a bit in some parts. She did not pull me in and like my friend Alice says in her review, we go back to an ignorant character after going through such a revelation with Cinder. I can deal with that sometimes, but this time, I did not think the execution on Scarlet's revelations were done as well. While pigheadedness can be a good thing, it can also lead to doom. Hers was doom for me in some areas. Areas, I unfortunately cannot explain due to spoilers. 

At one point, she was even being a butt to Cinder and I was about to hop off my treadmill before I talk all ghetto to her for speaking that way to MY character, thank you get really upset. Although that might have been due to all the stress I had already been having in the novel so it all built up to a big thing where I was getting set off easily. 

All in all, Marissa Meyer gets another thumbs-up from me. The ending? It hints at what will happen in the next novel (actually, Cinder lays it all out), but I wish we had gotten an extra sliver of what will happen with the next protagonist, Cress (Winter is the last one:). I was actually freaking out when I closed it and realized there wasn't even a cover to drool over. 

Verdict: A great sequel that does not beat the first one, but does a well-done job at tension.