Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 02/01/2013 When the Toulouse police refuse to pursue any leads regarding Scarlet’s missing grandmother, eighteen-year-old Scarlet takes matters into her own hands, following a tip from a streetfighter named Wolf that eventually leads her to the Parisian den of a notorious crime organization. Meanwhile, Cinder, the cyborg mechanic whom readers last saw rotting in a New Beijing jail cell for treason against the Empire (in Cinder, BCCB 2/12), has escaped and commandeers a rogue spaceship, piecing together information about her unknown past and the recent revelation that she is the rightful heir to the Lunar throne. The two stories converge in a brilliant climax that places Cinder, Scarlet, and Wolf in the grasp of the evil Lunar queen, who threatens to take over Earth with the help of her genetically engineered army. Meyer manages an impressive balancing act here, introducing a new character and storyline alongside the continuation of Cinder’s story while maintaining reader investment for both along the way. The sci-fi elements are stronger than the fairy-tale allusions this time out, but the story remains just as absorbing; as the characters journey from the streets of New Beijing to the French countryside, the world is more fully developed, raising the stakes of the fallout of a Lunar invasion. The romance between Wolf and Scarlet, two hardened and stoic creatures unfamiliar with either tenderness or sentiment, unfolds with a quiet simplicity that makes for a poignant contrast to the often violent and ugly landscape they are forced to inhabit. Readers will be thrilled to discover that this steampunky fairy-tale/sci-fi mashup promises two more installments. KQG - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 01/01/2013 *Starred Review* Cinder, the beautiful lunar cyborg mechanic, is back, this time in what initially appears to be parallel story lines with Scarlet, the granddaughter of a former military pilot turned farmer in the small town of Rieux, France. After her midnight fall down the palace steps and her imprisonment, Cinder is a media sensation, escaping the New Beijing prison with Captain Carswell Thorne, a handsome if rather clueless petty thief. Scarlet, on the other hand, is trying desperately to gain the police’s attention. Her grandmother has disappeared and is surely in danger; the officers speculate that the eccentric old woman has wandered off. Only when Scarlet meets the violent yet attractive Wolf, an alpha human with animal instincts, is she on the trail of her beloved grand-mère, and a trajectory that intersects with Cinder’s attempt to save the earth by foiling Lunar Queen Levana’s marriage to Emperor Kai. It’s another Marissa Meyer roller-coaster ride, part science fiction/fantasy, part political machinations with a hint of romance. Readers will be pushed into a horrific alternate universe where violence, especially mind manipulation and control, create ethical and life-threatening situations for both teens. With at least one more Lunar Chronicle to come, the suspense continues. And which fairy tale will Meyer morph next? HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Cinder (2012), the first title in the Lunar Chronicles, was a New York Times best-seller. Even without the major promotional campaign, teens will be waiting for this follow-up. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2013 Gr 7 Up—Scarlet picks up immediately where Cinder (Feiwel & Friends, 2012) ended. Cinder Linh is in prison, armed with the secret knowledge that she is the long-lost Lunar Princess Selene, and that Lunar Queen Levana will do anything to get rid of her and her claim to the throne. She breaks out with a fellow prisoner, and they use his hidden spaceship to escape and figure out their next move. Meanwhile, Scarlet Benoit is barely holding on. Her grandmother has disappeared, the police are no help, and she is trying to run her grandmother's farm and figure out how to find her. Enter Wolf, a street fighter who has a distinctive tattoo and might know more than he's saying. And Emperor Kai is still busy trying to make Queen Levana happy without sacrificing his people's freedom. Meyer does an excellent job of subtly using the tale of Red Riding Hood to move the plot along and even gives readers some things to contemplate. Wolf is big, and bad, but does he mean to be? Can he overcome his past? There are plenty of viewpoints in the book, but transitions are seamless and the plot elements meld together well. This novel has enough backstory to stand on its own, but is much better after reading Cinder. The author has stepped up the intrigue and plot from the first novel, and readers will be eagerly awaiting the next.—Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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