Name: B. K.'s review of The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
Item: The Girl in Red
Rating: 4
Author: B. K.

Christina Henry

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic "Little Red Riding Hood"...about a woman who isn't as defenseless as she seems. It's not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn't look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago. There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there's something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined. Red doesn't like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn't about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods....

The Girl in Red

B. K.

( CAN'T WRITE A PROPER REVIEW RN BUT THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD. I LOVE RED. I LOVE THE POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD OF RED RIDING HOOD WITH DASH OF THRILLER THAT GIVE ME LITERAL CHILLS. )

Strong, independent female lead. Relying on her brains to survive the mess the world has become. Written incredibly beautiful. 

Karen

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a post-apocalyptic take on the perennial classic Little Red Riding Hood...about a woman who isn't as defenceless as she seems. It's not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn't look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago. There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there's something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined. Red doesn't like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn't about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods... 'As always with Henry's work I was completely drawn in, I read this action packed story in one sitting and highly recommend it to any fans of horror, SFF or retellings.' -- An Average Life Review 'Another great offering from Christina Henry that takes a fairytale we are all familiar with and twists it into something even more awesome. Henry never shies away from the gory details and darker themes such as mental health and racism.' -- The Paperback Piano Review 'If you like your twisted, apocalyptic, survival novels served up with a side of sass and excitement then look no further than The Girl in Red.' -- Bookshelf Butterfly Review 'If you want a fairy-tale retelling with a strong female lead that takes no prisoners in an apocalyptic world then look no further than Christina Henry's The Girl in Red.' -- Books Love Readers Review 'I did not expect this to blow me away quite this much...I knew I loved Red on page 10 and it only gets better from there. 5*s' -- Books and Lemon Squash Review

I've had this book since it came out last year AND I DIDN'T KNOW IT HAD QUARANTINE CAMPS AND A PANDEMIC. What timing for me to pick it up to read now.

This was such a unique take on red riding hood I loved it so much. It was so intense and had me worried through the entire thing about if she was gonna make it to grandma's house or something horrid was going to happen first. Red was such a strong determined main character and I really enjoyed reading her story. I really love this though I do wish it went more into detail about some elements of the story instead of just ~it's classified~ (I HAVE QUESTIONS!!) and that there was a sequel to be honest. It did feel like it ended kind of open and I'd honestly love to read another book in this world so I can hope!!

I really need to go back and read Henry's Peter Pan retelling and the sequel to Alice BECAUSE I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN'S WRITING AND IDEAS

Ilona Labská 

I just finished this amazing book. At first, I didn't expect the storyline to be this chilling. But hell it was. A Red Riding Hood won't be the same for me anymore. 

I'm going to read the next book from this astonishing author.

Shay Henrion

This had a lot of promise. At the beginning... it starts out in the middle of the action, and as the story progresses, Henry fleshes our the back story of “the Crisis” and Red’s journey through the woods. 

But suddenly, about 2/3 of the way through the book, things get really rushed, and then BOOM it ends. This needed to be way longer, and the story would feel like it had a stronger finish.

Jayme Bosio

I really enjoyed Christina Henry's other novels, "Lost Boy" and "Alice", so I was super excited to read The Girl in Red. Unfortunately, I was seriously disappointed to discover that it was just another YA dystopian fiction with a STRONG FEMALE LEAD (in all caps...with lights burning bright..and sound effects).

Amanda

Katharina Hoffmann

Probably one of the most entertaining and daring fairy tale retellings I ever read!
I won this book in a giveaway and I'm glad I did because otherwise I might have never heard of it!

Three things really stood out for me:

1. The main character was a girl with a physical disability!
Ahh, I absolutely loved spending time reading about Red. She is so fierce and clever and intelligent and so real, like, sometimes I caught myself thinking: same, girl, same. Red had to have the lower part of one of her legs amputated when she was younger. She doesn't let her disability define her but the author made sure to pay attention to how Red would run or move in an environment in comparison to able-bodied characters. I bloody loved it.

2. Bloody is what brings to my next bullet point:
This book had so much slashy action with knives and axes (Red swings an axe; how cool is that?) and blood and dead bodies, oh my God, I loved it! It's definitely not gory, not in a Game of Thrones sort of way but I loved that it was just murder-y enough.

3. This book doesn't include any kind of romance or romantic relationship which was sooooo refreshing, ahhh! Instead it focused on the relationships between sisters and brothers and teenagers and kids! AMAZING! Even though there's no romantic relationship between any of the main characters Red once mentions that she used to have a girlfriend. Now, I wouldn't count that as lgbtq+ representation but I still liked that the author made her main character gay. Beautiful.

The only thing that I didn't like was the ending. Not because I didn't agree with it but because there was no real ending. I was so invested in the story and its characters and then, suddenly, the book ends. It doesn't explain what happens next. The 'next' was simply missing.

Otherwise this book is so incredibly enjoyable and much fun; I'll make sure to re-read it at some point.

danielle bush

I was completely sucked in to this post apocalyptic story where following a viral outbreak people begin dying. They call it the cough, and if you catch it your dead within a couple days.. Red is trying to get to her grandmother house. She has to use her brains and her axe to make it through the woods and the people that think they can take what she has.. not only does she have to avoid "normal people" but there is also the military who are round people up to put them in quarantine camps to keep them "safe", and the militia who just want to take everything. 
I loved this, and read it in one sitting. Red proves just how kick ass she is over and over again.. She is smart, and stubborn.. She knows what needs to be done to give the best chance of survival. And she is going to survive..

Kath Lau

The Girl in Red is a post-apocalyptic retelling of one of my most favorite tales, Little Red Riding Hood. We have Red, our main character, who is on her way to her grandmother’s house for safety after a mysterious virus outbreak (also called as the “Crisis”) has wiped out a large majority of the population in the United States.

I was immediately drawn to Red and her story. She’s an amazing protagonist. She is flawed but she also has a lot of characteristics that I really liked. She’s clever, determined, and fierce. Having a prosthetic leg doesn’t stop her from taking a very dangerous and frightening journey through the woods. I also liked that she’s biracial and queer.

The story is told from Red’s perspective and alternates between the past and present. Through this, we get to see how she ends up alone in the forest with an ax protecting herself from the “wolves”. Her excellent surviving skills which she learns from reading books and watching horror films help her to navigate her way to her grandma’s remote cabin in the woods.

I really liked that the wolf (rather wolves) in the story is not an actual wolf like in the tale. I have only read The Mermaid last year and the author’s writing was one of my favorites. Though the writing style was undeniably great, I had mixed feelings about the ending of this book. I though it was too abrupt which made me feel quite disappointed. I wanted to know more about the “Crisis”. How and why it all started? Also, what about gradma? I was completely immersed in the story so the open ending style didn’t work out perfectly for me.

The Girl in Red was a very entertaining read. It’s dark, fast-paced, and gripping. I would recommend this especially if you enjoy retellings with strong protagonist and don’t mind an open-ended narrative.

Jordan Robinson

Adrianna Giunta

3.5

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would as I don't usually enjoy red riding hood retellings for some reason. I enjoyed Red's character and the post apocalyptic setting. The only reason I knocked a star off is because the ending kind of gave me whiplash, it was such a sudden ending to a slow built book. I would still totally recommend this if you enjoy retellings though!

Bianca Pereira da Ponte

•Esse livro é um reconto do clássico chapelzinho vermelho, só que no caso a personagem vive em um mundo pós apocalíptico que está acabando após uma doença que causa tosse matou boa parte da população e ela está tentando sobreviver enquanto faz sua jornada para a casa da sua avó.
•A personagem Red é tudo aquilo que eu queria que a maior parte dos personagens de filmes ter terror fossem, espertos o bastante para saberem seus limites, ela é uma mulher de 21 anos, bisexual, com uma prótese em uma das pernas e multirracial.
•A autora fez uma divisão no livro que ficou dividido entre a Red jà na caminhada dela e no passado enquanto sua família ainda estava reunida antes do mundo "acabar" de vez.
•Ela é o irmão dela tem um relacionamento que me lembrou bastante o relacionamento com o meu irmão, tirando o fato de que Adam (o irmão dela) tem ações muito burras durante o livro que comprometeram a segurança deles e eu senti vontade de descer ele na porrada.
•Red calcula demais os seus passos e ações, que é algo algo chato, mas o lado positivo e que a personagem sabe disso e tenta melhorar.
•O final foi muito abrupto na minha opinião, mas diferente do que eu vi outras pessoas comentando não acredito que ele precisa de uma continuação.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Alice and Lost Boy comes this dark retelling of Red Riding Hood It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that was perfectly sane and normal until three months ago. There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined. Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods...

Tess wigman

5 out of 5, I really love books like this one, it is kinda based on the red riding hood and it is such a good book. You should read it if you love this kind of books. I really loved reading it and I’m definitely gonna read it again 

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this via Berkley in exchange for an honest review**

The Girl in Red takes the story of Little Red Riding Hood and completely flips it on its head. Instead of a meek little girl, Red is a woman who knows her strengths and how to navigate this world that is so unlike the one she grew up in. She's just trying to survive to get to her Grandma, who she's convinced is still alive. That blind faith is what propels her and keeps her going. Along the way she crosses paths with some truly evil men, but others who are kind and willing to help, and it's those moments where Red sees there's still some humanity left in this world.

Like all of Henry's other work, I flew through this because I was gripped right from the start. There's a lot of post-apocalyptic stories out there, but I felt this was different in its approach. Rather than a disease creating zombies, this sickness starts off with a cough and then progresses into something more Alien-like. There were a few bits that I wish were explored a little more, such as the character of Lieutenant Sirois and more of the disease itself. I also found myself getting a little confused by the timeline at some points. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you're a fan of retellings, definitely check out this.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Red was a fantastic character, in this dark post-apocalyptic world. The writing was smooth, but the hook took me a while to get into the story.

Honestly, in a lot of ways, this novel reminds me of The Road, and if you aren't ready for a very sad/dark novel, please keep going and find something else.

But, the writing was good, and the story was good. I can't help but be left wondering if there will be a sequel.

Jeremy Cote

** spoiler alert **
           I wanted to like this book, I really did. But the ending killed it for me. The whole thing wrapped up way too quickly for my liking, and I was waiting for more. My impression of the book was that the character just gave up being inquisitive by the end, and this seems like a bad transformation of character. As such, I didn't enjoy the book. (But I imagine others will.)

B. K. &
The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

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