Title: Red Riding Hood Author: Sarah Blakey-Cartwright
Publisher:Poppy
Date: January 25th 2011
Rating-Three Stars
Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.
After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.
It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.
Now I am an avid lover of fairytale retelling, having seen Mirror, Mirror this book I'm reviewing and Snow White and the huntsman. But I don't find myself a particular fan, of this particular retelling. Please don't ask me why, but it didn't do much for me. I loved the majority of the characters, and their was a tear jerking moment and another moment where I wanted to strangle someone but other than that...Nah! It was really good at the beginning and everything, the middle was okay, but there's just something abut this book that did not captivate me enough to say that I wanted to read this like a thousand times over, as I do with all books that I like.
The setting was eerie and perfect for the mystery surrounding the werewolf that appeared during the red full moon. I love books set in eras like the Middle Ages, medieval and all those wonderfully historic places, so this was by no means necessarily a bad thing. The mystery and suspense was in that closed up little village had me feeling more suffocated than Valarie, the heroine who was pretty cool I must admit.
The characters were either shallow, love sick, slow, petty, vain, gentle, tough, the whole nine yards, which created a sort of realistic vibe and feel to the whole thing. I can't complain there. They were well rounded and everything. Went really well with the setting and was a really good guide to go along with the movie I'm guessing. I really liked the theory about Valarie's grandmother though and the story behind Valarie's sister. Its just...wow...when you sit and look back at certain parts. I mean really sit and like, think about it, ya' know?
The writing...hmm...maybe it was the way the story was written? No that wasn't it. I have no idea what it was, I just really didn't get grasped by this book, same thing with Shiver, and I love werewolves, I always thought that they were a little too undermined. Vampires get all the glory and werewolves are pushed back so I try to buy/read as many as I can, and I find myself being turned off. Maybe I need to read to read this again or something, but, my blood just didn't take to it. I don't know...
Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.
After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.
It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.
Now I am an avid lover of fairytale retelling, having seen Mirror, Mirror this book I'm reviewing and Snow White and the huntsman. But I don't find myself a particular fan, of this particular retelling. Please don't ask me why, but it didn't do much for me. I loved the majority of the characters, and their was a tear jerking moment and another moment where I wanted to strangle someone but other than that...Nah! It was really good at the beginning and everything, the middle was okay, but there's just something abut this book that did not captivate me enough to say that I wanted to read this like a thousand times over, as I do with all books that I like.
The setting was eerie and perfect for the mystery surrounding the werewolf that appeared during the red full moon. I love books set in eras like the Middle Ages, medieval and all those wonderfully historic places, so this was by no means necessarily a bad thing. The mystery and suspense was in that closed up little village had me feeling more suffocated than Valarie, the heroine who was pretty cool I must admit.
The characters were either shallow, love sick, slow, petty, vain, gentle, tough, the whole nine yards, which created a sort of realistic vibe and feel to the whole thing. I can't complain there. They were well rounded and everything. Went really well with the setting and was a really good guide to go along with the movie I'm guessing. I really liked the theory about Valarie's grandmother though and the story behind Valarie's sister. Its just...wow...when you sit and look back at certain parts. I mean really sit and like, think about it, ya' know?
The writing...hmm...maybe it was the way the story was written? No that wasn't it. I have no idea what it was, I just really didn't get grasped by this book, same thing with Shiver, and I love werewolves, I always thought that they were a little too undermined. Vampires get all the glory and werewolves are pushed back so I try to buy/read as many as I can, and I find myself being turned off. Maybe I need to read to read this again or something, but, my blood just didn't take to it. I don't know...
