Name: Kelly Casey's review of Red by S. J. Sanders
Item: Red
Rating: 4.5
Author: Kelly Casey

S. J. Sanders

There were certain truths everyone knew. Never wear red or any other bright color. Make as little sound as possible if one had to be outside the protection of the sanctuary settlements. And never, ever, go out in the wild places alone. The Ragoru, an alien species set down to live among them, dwell within the forests and everyone knows that they crave all things red.Arie's life has always been one of playing by the rules. She doesn't draw attention to herself. She doesn't leave her home without her hood that conceals her bright red hair. It is a secret from everyone, and her hood protects her secret so that she may continue to live safely within the village until one day that secret comes to light. Absconding into the woods soon becomes her only safety, and she will risk her very life into the care of the very dreaded beings that all people fear, the Ragoru, in hope of making it to her grandmother's house in the citadel at the other side of the great forest.When circumstances reveal them to not be the monsters of human imagination, but that they stir the ravenous beast within her, Arie finds that she is willing to risk far more to find a way to be with them forever. Even if that means severing ties with her grandmother, rejecting the human comforts of the citadel, and facing the horror of the Order of the Huntsmen.A new spin on the Little Red Riding Hood Story, bringing a well known fairy tell to a dystopian future with a wolfish alien species.

A Dystopian World Alien Romance

Ellie S

Kelly Casey

This book was such a surprise to me. I recently read another dystopian romance that left me very frustrated and unsatisfied, and I needed a break before continuing with that series so I picked this book at random because I had it on Kindle Unlimited. Red is a reverse harem little red riding hood retelling in a dystopian setting with werewolf aliens called the Ragoru. The Ragoru are very similar to other werewolf or shifter characters in the way they mate for life and are very protective of their mate. However, unlike many other similar characters the main Ragoru characters in this story happen to be very loving and devoted characters without being overbearingly controlling and testosterone-y. I gave a friend of mine who hates these kinds of stories because of how the male characters usually act a spoiler-filled rundown of the story, and she actually thought it sounded refreshing and wanted to read it. Getting their approval is a high compliment because I'll read and enjoy trash books, but they are very discerning. So continuing on, Red is about a girl named Arie cast out of her village and hunted because of her red hair which supposedly incites the Ragoru to violence (really it is a sacred color to the Ragoru). She gets lost on her way to the Citadel where her grandmother lives, and is saved from a viscious hog by a Ragoru triad. Ragoru form family groups of three men, a triad, who seek out a single female mate. The Ragoru triad of Rager, Warol, and Kyx decide to escort Arie to the Citadel to ensure her safety, and along the way they form a connection amidst many dangers. I thought the romance between Arie and her mates was the sweetest, and I truly enjoyed the characters. I also thought that Arie went beyond being a helpless damsel, and often fought back as hard as she could in dangerous situations until her mates could help save her. She ended up being a very fierce female main character that I thoroughly enjoyed, although she did have her dumb damsel moments which led to her being put in danger. However, she wasn't the only character that did stupid impulsive things that led to dangerous situations. Her mate Warol also often found himself in those same situations, and I found it refreshing to see that the story had male and female characters making bad decisions instead of it just being the female main character. There were many scenes that made me very emotional, and I think the author truly did a great job at establishing a compelling storyline. Overall, I think this was a fantastic book. The only reason it didn't get five stars from me was that I dreaded the third and last part of the story which detracted from my enjoyment. However, the last part did include a great political plot that I enjoyed. I just wish we had more romance at the end instead of so much darkness.

I would 100% recommend this book to romance readers or sci-fi readers who are interested in romance. Also my non-binary friend who leans towards asexuality found my detailed rundown of the story very intriguing, and therefore I believe this story could be enjoyed by a wide range of people. In fact, the story has an underlying point of going beyond judging people based on their outward appearance to discover the true value of who they are as a person. However, there is definitely steamy scenes, and if that is not something you wish to read then this book is probably not for you.

Ellie S &
Red by S. J. Sanders

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Ellie S &
Red by S. J. Sanders