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Hey y’all!
Happy Super Bowl Sunday and welcome to my stop on the Scarlet Blog Tour!!!! I have an awesome guest post for you today
from Marissa about why she chose France as a setting and some wolfish
information too. Also make sure to check out my review of Scarlethere!
I also have a giveaway US/Canada only for a paperback of Cinder and a hardcover of Scarlet
to one lucky winner!
Cinder
returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-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 and 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 has no choice
but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As
Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross
paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar
Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her
prisoner.
Why France? Scarlet
and the Beast of Gévaudan
By Marissa Meyer
I get asked a lot about the
settings I’ve chosen for The Lunar Chronicles: China, France, the Sahara Desert…
Having been born and raised in America, it would have been easiest for me to
keep the series in a futuristic version of America, but setting the books in locations
around the globe was a decision I made very early on in the planning of this
series.
One of my main reasons was that I
wanted the series to feel big. A lot of problems that are facing the
characters—the plague, the war being threatened by the Lunars—are problems that
would impact every person on the planet. So by spreading out the story
locations I felt I could better convey the idea that these are big, scary,
global issues.
However, I still had to decide where,
exactly, to set each book. I’ve talked about my choice for China for Cinder on
my web site (http://www.marissameyer.com/faq),
and I’m sure I’ll talk more about choosing Africa for Cress in the future, but
for the purpose of this blog tour and the launch of Scarlet, today I’m answering:
Why France?
When I was first outlining Scarlet,
I had a vague idea that werewolves were going to play a part, taking on the
villainous role of the Big Bad Wolf. I wasn’t yet sure how “wolfy” they would
be or how that very paranormal creature was going to tie into my very
tech-oriented world, but I did know that I wanted a setting that would support
some sort of werewolf beings.
Specifically, I wanted a location
that already had a history of werewolves. Somewhere I could play up an almost
subconscious terror of these mythical beasts, even in a society in which no one
has given in to such superstitions for hundreds of years.
That didn’t exactly narrow it
down, though, as werewolf mythologies are found all over the world. Then one
evening, as I was skipping through channels on TV, I came across a documentary
on the Beast of Gévaudan.
The Beast of Gévaudan was an
animal described as being as large as a horse, with features resembling those
of a wolf, bear, or hyena. It was thought to be responsible for at least sixty
deaths in the farm areas surrounding Gévaudan in southern France in the
1760s—though some accounts put the death toll into the hundreds.
Many of the victims were
children, including a young girl who was found to have had her heart ripped out
of her chest.
However, the beast also attacked
and killed numerous women and even men—sometimes it would attack large hunting
groups, leaving multiple eye-witnesses behind.
The killings were never truly
solved, and it’s impossible to tell how much of the story was peasant
superstition and how much was fact. If the beast was real, it was like no
animal we know of today—both with regards to its physical description, but also
in the way that it hunted and devoured its prey. If the beast was a costumed human
doing the killings, it did not follow any sort of victim pattern that would fit
the modes of serial killers today.
In the 1760s, though, the
townsfolk were convinced that the Beast was a Loup-Garou—a Werewolf. They
believed that it was a human sorcerer who transformed into a vile beast in
order to prey on humans and eat their flesh.
Eventually, King Louis XV himself
put together a team of professional wolf hunters and charged them with finding
and killing the Beast. The hunt continued for months, while the killings piled
up. The hunters did kill an enormous wolf—the largest anyone had ever seen—and
they believed they had finally brought down the notorious Beast. However, a few
months later, two more children were killed…
When the Beast was finally killed
for real (at least, in theory), it was by a local hunter named Jean Chastel. As
the myth goes, Chastel shot the beast with a silver bullet after receiving a
tip from God himself.
(And thus began the mythology of
silver bullets alone being able to kill a werewolf.)
When I finished watching that
documentary, it seemed the choice had been made for me. Southern France not
only had a history of werewolf mythology, but it had a history that had
influenced the mythologies we still talk about today. A history that is still
largely based on an unsolved mystery, that merges elements of truth and legend,
that combines the reality of horrific killings and eye-witness accounts with
stories that have been skewed by superstition and terror.
So Scarlet came to be set in the
rural farmlands of southern France, where the Beast of Gévaudan had roamed the
countryside long before there was any notion of Queen Levana and her merciless
werewolf army.
Cinder
returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-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 and 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 has no choice
but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As
Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross
paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar
Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her
prisoner.
Holy crap
Scarlet was flipping fantastic! I
loved Cinder and how Marissa turned a
fairy tale into something new and sci-fi but, kept the Cinderella elements
there. She did the same with Scarlet but in my opinion she did it even better!
What I
loved about this book is we still get Cinder’s POV but we also get Scarlet’s as
well and now we have two kick ass heroines in one book! Also we get to see
Kai’s POV (but not very much I hear he has a bigger part in Cress) and a newcomer
Captain Carswell Thorne who is so funny he made me snort in a few parts! The
one character I was really intrigued by was Wolf. When I met Marissa all she
would say was “He’s sexy… a street fighter with a dark and mysterious past.
That’s all I can say for now.” Ok well she had me hooked with sexy lol but,
what I didn’t expect was that I’d fall so damned hard for this guy. Prince Kai
fans may not; they are two completely different people but I like my guys a
little rough around the edges and Wolf was definitely that! He now owns my
heart completely. Don’t get me wrong I still love Kai but he’s not my dude.
Scarlet is Red Riding
Hood on steroids people! This story has so much action and pure craziness you
will love it! I love that Marissa seemed
to up the sci-fi aspect too more ships and aliens, also more danger and
swoon-worthy moments! I cannot tell you how much I am dying to read book 3 Cress now! This wait is going to
suuuccckkkkkk!!!!!
I chose a couple passages because I couldn’t choose just one lol.
Cinder and Thorne:
“It seems that
you’ve stumbled into the wrong jail cell. Do you need directions to get back to
yours?”
She blinked.
Thorne smiled.
The girl
frowned.
Her irritation
made her prettier, and Thorne cupped his chin, studying her.
He’d never met a
cyborg before, much less flirted with one, but there was a first time for
everything.
“These cells
aren’t supposed to be occupied,” she said.
“Special
circumstances.”
She surveyed him
for a moment, her brows knitting together. “Murder?”
His grin grew.
“Thank you, but no. I started a riot on the yard.” He adjusted his collar,
before adding, “We were protesting the soap.”
Her confusion
grew, and Thorne noticed that she was still in her defensive stance.
“The soap,” he
said again, wondering if she’d heard him. “It’s too drying.”
She said
nothing.
“I
have sensitive skin.”
Scarlet and Wolf:
“It
wasn’t me,’ He said, his tone unwavering. “There are other tattoos like mine.
It was someone else.”
“Oh, really?
Like you’re part of some cult or something?” The feathered body of one of the
chickens pressed against her leg and she started, barely managing to keep the
gun level.
“Or something,”
he said with a flinching shrug. One foot crunched against the gravel.
“Don’t come any
closer!” Scarlet yelled. The chicken clucked and dawdled away. “I will shoot,
you know.”
“I know.” A
flicker of kindness passed over him and he pointed at his temple. “You’ll want
to aim for the head. That usually makes for a fatal shot. Or, if you’re feeling
shaky, the torso. It’s a larger target.”
“Your head looks
pretty big from here.”
He laughed—the
expression changing everything about him. His stance relaxed, his face warmed.
So today’s topic is Best Books I've Read in 2012 (Doesn't have to be
released in 2012, just a book you've read in 2012). And I had a hell of a time
narrowing it down to just 10 so there are a few honorable mentions added to
this list. If you want to know anything about the books I chose just click on
the title and it’ll take you to the Goodreads page!
1. Splintered by AG Howard.
Yes it releases January 1st
but I read it in 2012 and it was my favorite of the year hands down!!!!!
2. Grave Mercy by RL LaFevers.
This was one fantastic historical fiction with a paranormal twist. I loved
everything about this story! Assassins rock!
3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh
Bardugo. High Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this makes my Top 10
all-time list!
4. The Crown of
Embers by Rae Carson. Like my 3rd choice this series is on my
all-time list! Rae is an amazing writer and Hector will definitely make my book
boyfriends list!
5. Sweet Evil by Wendy
Higgins. This was the first book of 2102 that I made all of my friends read. I
mean I made them drop whatever they were reading to start this one!
6. Shine by Jeri
Smith-Ready. Such an amazing ending to one of my favorite series. Many tears
were shed.
7. Cinder by Marissa
Meyer. A cyborg Cinderella set in a futuristic world yes please! This book was
awesome!!!!
8. Under the Never
Sky
by Veronica Rossi. One of my favorite dystopian stories hands down and I loved
that it was told in dual POV’s!
9. Masque of The
Red Death by Bethany Griffin. Based on an Edgar Allen Poe tale with an awesome
main character and two equally sexy leading men whom I still can’t choose
between!
10. Unraveling by Elizabeth
Norris. Set in a city near and dear to my heart with some of the best sci-fi
storytelling set in a real world environment. Plus Ben reminds me of Max from Roswell and the
dimension travel reminds me of SlidersJ
Honorable
Mentions
Renegade by JA Souders.
A dystopian tale set in a lush underwater world with one of the most evil
villain’s I’ve had the pleasure of reading about!
The Golden Lily by Richelle
Mead. I love Richelle’s books and this one kicked my ass! The ending *gasps*
Onyx by Jennifer L.
Armentrout. I love Jennifer’s books and even though I just recently read Opal.
Onyx was just a little bit more of a favorite.
The Immortal
Rules by Julie Kagawa. Loved this one! Love all of Julie’s books!
For Darkness
Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund. A modern retelling of Jane
Austen’s Persuasion that rocked my world! It was a sci-fi/dystopian that I
adored!
Did any of my favorites make your list? Fill out the linky and let me
know! And good luck with the giveaway :) Today’s giveaway is hosted by Lisa fromA Life Bound By Books so make sure to stop by her Top 10 Post!
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Jaime’s review….
I love Fairy Tales and I love modern retelling of Fairy Tales so when I heard what Cinder was all about I just knew I had to get my hands on a copy! Marissa Meyer wrote a beautiful tale once I picked it up I had a hard time putting it down to eat or sleep.
It was really funny though I kept imagining Drew Barrymore as Cinder I know some of you are probably like “whaa?” but if you’ve seen Ever After you might get it. Drew’s character Danielle was strong and independent just like Cinder trust me go watch the movie.
I loved the setting of New Beijing and that Cinder was a cyborg I just thought that was sooo flipping cool! Not to mention there were humanoid people inhabiting the moon called Lunars that had bioelectric abilities like sharks! I also loved the part about the plague because it made the story different not just the normal prince meets Cinderella falls in love, she goes to the ball, blah, blah, blah, and then they live happily ever after. Actually the ending of this story left me going “huh?” shit I need book 2 now!!!!!!
There’s no fairy godmother but there is a doctor who is really cool and a total crack up and an android Iko who the story wouldn’t have been the same without! Oh and Prince Kai I really loved him I didn’t fall in love with him; he’s completely for Cinder but, he was so sweet and funny and self depreciating it was hard not to like him. I also loved that there’s a twist so we have more to look forward to and Scarlett (Book 2) can’t get here soon enough. I’m meeting Marissa on Thursday I’m hoping for some spoilers ;)
Ok the teaser scene this time is right after Cinder gets asked to the ball and don’t say “Gah that’s spoilery!” because we all know Cinderella gets asked to the ball ;)
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Thank you—I…Thank you, your Highness. But I must respectfully decline.”
He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected. “No it’s all right. I understand.”
Dr. Erland leaned back against his desk. “My sincerest condolences, Your Highness. In more ways than one, it seems.”
Cinder cast him a frosty glare, but he focused his attention on cleaning his spectacles again.
Kai scratched behind his neck. “It was nice to see you again, Linh-mei.”
She flinched at the return of the formality and made to speak, her voice catching at apologies, explanations, but the prince didn’t wait for them. The door was already shutting behind him.
She snapped her jaw shut, thoughts sparking in her head. Dr. Erland clucked his tongue, and
Cinder prepared to rail at him with those budding explanations, but he turned away before she could and paced back to his seat.
