Name: Red Riding Hood
Rating: 3.156862745098039 (51 reviews)
ISBN: 9780316176040

Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Red Riding Hood

Kaela Childers

This book is based on a screenplay and is a darker version of the classic fairy tale.

It's advertised as a love triangle, but there really isn't one, Henry is her betrothed, but she doesn't love him, she is in love with Peter, which I don't know how she's so in love with him, because they didn't even have a real conversation before she decided she wanted to run away with him. 

As for who the wolf is, I never found out. That's what I dislike most about this book, there is no ending. Actually, there is a bonus chapter online, which is supposedly the ending, but I wouldn't know because when I went to read it, I couldn't open it. So I still don't know the ending of the book, which is driving me crazy. 

I like when I can connect with the characters, but I didn't get that with this book. I was standing on the outside looking in, I didn't become attached to the characters at all. I haven't seen the movie, but I watched the trailer and the movie looks like it might be better than the book, which is almost never the case for me. 

I think this book had a lot more potential I was really excited to read this when I read the summary, so I was disappointed with what I got.

Paige Green

** spoiler alert **
           FYI some spoilers. I try to keep the spoilers to a minimum and to things that come early in the book.

Valerie's sister was the "good" daughter. Beautiful, kind, sweet, the perfect daughter. Lucie was also the perfect sister for Valerie, and Valerie loved her with all her heart. But now Lucie is dead. Killed by the Wolf, who is only supposed to come out full moon each month. A sacrificial offer was presented the month Lucie was killed, but this month a new moon has come: a blood moon. The four days this moon will be in allow the Wolf to openly attack anyone. Anyone bitten in this period will become a Wolf as well. During this tumultuous time period, Valerie's life starts to fully unravel. A marriage is sudden thrust upon her. Her true love, a man who is hated by the village and was outcast years ago, wants to run away with her. Her betrothed is someone who her sister loved dearly. Her mother is trying to control her. And her father is the town drunk. When an expert, brutal huntsman comes to help the small village and the Wolf threatens to kill everyone Valerie loves, Valerie must make decide if she will be the damsel in distress or if she will be the hero of the day.

This book is a retelling of the classic fairy tale of the same name; however, the classic part of the fairy tell doesn't come into play until you read the bonus chapter on the website. You heard that right: the book is incomplete. It could end where it does in the book, but that ending leaves the story open to a lot of interpretation. The end chapter is also very vague on who the Wolf really is. You really do need to read the bonus chapter on the book's website to figure out the whole story and have a complete ending. I do not like how the author and/or publishing company decided to do this. It feels like it was a cheap way to get views on their website. I also have issue with how the book was written. I like how a lot of books, such as The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy, switch POV throughout the book. With other books the POV switches chapter to chapter, meaning each chapter is a different character. This book does switch POV, but it switches POV sentence to sentence sometimes, meaning a random sentence in the chapter will start a different narrative. Not only was this confusing to me, but it made the story not flow as well in my opinion. I can understand why the author chose to write the book like this. The book is based on a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson and the way the writing is would be perfect for a play adaptation. Despite these criticisms I found the book enjoyable. I loved the world Sarah Blakley-Cartwright created and thought the characters were engaging and charming, despite the many confusing scenes and the ambiguity of the book ending. I give this book 3/5.

Valerie is in love with the dangerous and unlikable Peter (a woodcutter, of course) but is betrothed to the rich hot blacksmith in town, Henry. Their town has been terrorized by a wolf - a wolf that appears only at the full moon - and when Valerie's sister is brutally murdered the message is clear: she's next.

Simona Andrijauskiene

nothing much to say. It was like watching a movie all over again :) One thing that made me cringe was that instalove between Valerie and Peter

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It added a little more twist than what was just in the movie.

That being said, this was pretty much just like the movie (from what I can remember).

I know. This isn't very helpful.

This is a mix of romance, long ago childhood friendship turned into something more, mystery, fantasy, and a bit of horror.

The characters are deep and well written, though I must admit I wish we would get to know more about some of the secondary characters.

Overall, I recommend this novel to anyone who isn't afraid of a little scary things.

Chelsea Breher

I listened to this book while sitting by a fire at a campsite one afternoon and it was wonderful. I enjoyed this retelling of the classic Red Riding Hood story and honestly am hoping for a sequel though I am not holding my breathe on that one!

Red Riding Hood

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