This review will contain spoilers for Cinder, but any Scarlet spoilers will be under a cut. 
 Scarlet begins where Cinder left off. Cinder is imprisoned in New Beijing, awaiting extradition and almost certain death at the hands of Queen Levana. She has just learned that she is actually Princess Selene, the supposedly dead daughter of the previous Lunar queen and rightful heir to the throne. She must escape from prison and make some pretty tough decisions about how she will go forth knowing her true identity. 
 Scarlet Benoit, a new character, is the granddaughter of Michelle Benoit, the French veteran-turned-farmer who we previously learned has some connection with Princess Selene. She is our Little Red Riding character. She is in a desperate search for her missing grandmother, despite everyone in town (including the police) assuming her grandmother finally went fully crazy and ran away. Scarlet teams up with Wolf, a more-than-slightly sketchy if devastatingly handsome street fighter, who she believes can help her rescue her grandmother. 
 Of course, romance ensues. A little more in this one than in Cinder, but it's still not overwhelmingly romantic. There's still much more to the story than just beautiful people falling in love. 
 I loved the new characters. Scarlet, Wolf, and Thorn all become major characters in this book. Characterization is one of the things I love most about the Lunar Chronicles (and Marissa Meyer's books in general). All of the characters have depth and full personalities. They all have unique voices that really do shine in the stories. Plus, they experience growth and maturation. It's really fantastic. 
 This book does have a bit of insta-love that I know I should be a little frustrated about, but I didn't mind it nearly as much as I usually do. It could be because I'm rereading this series and already know how the characters grow. And I think I give it a pass because the series does so much to break the standards of fairy tales that a little fluff is okay.