sarahd7276's review against another edition
3.0
Bisou’s mother was killed by a werewolf when she’s 4 and goes to live with her grandmother. She discovers her sleeve face to face with a werewolf and kills it before it kills her. There’s a family’s secret legacy and unfinished business.
samidhak's review against another edition
3.0
I read this one on audio and in-part from the physical copy. The chunk of it I finished in one sitting. I really liked the second person perspective. It makes us, the reader, complicit in the death, rapes, sexual harassment and physical violence of the characters. It is a great way to include the reader but also make the case for #metoo.
I liked the story; although, I am unsure if violence is the answer to everything. This was much more direct than the author’s previous book, Damsel, which I loved. It not black or white, it has grey elements to it. So it doesn’t say ”all men.” What I would’ve liked to see was why the men turned into wolves? And at what point they changed into wolves. This particular theme was brought up again and again, but never truly answered. It’s the sexist and gender norms in our society that make men turn to wolves too. Sometimes, the culprit is the strict code of conduct which leads to toxic masculinity, and if the book had had that discussion, it would’ve been more powerful.
I felt like the narrative made its point very clear in the beginning few chapters and so after the half way point, it
seemed a bit like filler.
For me, I thought the ending was metaphorical. Just like the concept of the wolves. It isn’t about killing the wolf or the bad man, but it is more about confronting an act of violence that maybe didn’t scar you physically but did traumatise emotionally. And also, female solidarity. Showing up and standing together, rather than you know, murdering people.
I love the original meaning behind Red Riding Hood, and the French version of it which basically acts like a cautionary tale to young women who recently start their periods to stray clear of strange men who are just out to get them. The whole fairy-tale screams policing of female sexuality. Another great author to read on the subject of feminist take on fairytales would be Angela Carter. I love her for being the visionary she was. So, keeping with the original source tale, I thought this book did a pretty fantastic job of making me feel satisfied, that for once it was the wolf who suffered.
EDIT: So much like Damsel I just realised that this was marketed as YA, and again I feel that’s highly inappropriate, just because it has themes of murder and sex, and a lot more adult themes.
meaganreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
mariethelibrarian's review
5.0
raeanne's review against another edition
4.0
About Red Hood:
IMHO: Red Hood
I do admit the second person narrative with Bisou threw me at first. I haven't been 16 for a long time. Teens will probably be more open and roll with this style better than all the adults talking about it.
Then the bloody face scene happened, where I was not sure what kind of blood it was at first and I thought, this just might not be for me. However, she fought the wolf right after, which was badass.
But what really got me, once I got into the "you" flow", was Maggie and Keisha. Two radically different young women in different situations. Their unfolding relationship is what makes this amazing.
» Took a little bit to get into.
» Itched to get to the point while Bisou was reeling from killing the boy/wolf by herself.
» YAAAAS Keisha and Maggie
» LOVE MEME.
» Sex positive
» Real period talk
» Blunt and non sensationalized.
» There are good guys. But that’s not the point.
» It is easy to just go with the sexist flow, harder to stand up against to make a difference
» Nice to have a world set up with protectors and justice
Highly recommend giving this one a chance, even if the narrative style isn't appealing off the bat. No brainer for the justice cravers that liked Foul is Fair and The Kill Club. Or if you want more witchy coven girl support like The Babysitter's Coven and The Nowhere Girls but with more kick.
Favorite Quotes from red hood:
“Darling,” she said, and her hazel eyes were electric, her mouth a straight flat line, “it is not your job to make boys happy.”
“Making one mistake does not oblige you to make another in the same direction,” she had said, which made no sense to you at all.
Before she gets in, she says, “You know, Bisou, there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”
It’s the sound you made once, years ago, for your mother.
Your knees are soft; your grip hard.
“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters,” you say. “It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”
About the Author:
Giveaway of red hood:
Prize: Win a copy of RED HOOD by Elana K. Arnold (US Only)
Starts: 18th February 2020
Ends: 3rd March 2020
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon
eli_b0204's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
-The second person pov was something I loved, it really put you in a tense and off putting mood from the start, which I think was the intended effect.
-The first few chapters were really gripped you and made you want to read more
-The poems were absolutely exquisite
-Mémé. Loved her to bits, and I loved her relationship with her granddaughter and the other girls, I think intergenerational friendships are so underrated and it felt like a balm to read those precious moments
Things I did not enjoy:
-Unfortunately, after those few first chapters, I truly began to lose interest, the plot points lost all mystery
-Idk if anyone else felt that way, but the way it felt like they centered their womanhood around their cycles and biologies really bothered me, I wish the author had brought up that your biology does not define your womanhood and vice versa
-The pacing felt all off, I mean, the climax of the book starts barely 50 pages from the end, making the ending feel very rushed
Overall, not a book I particularly liked nor that I would recommend, despite the positive aspects.
readabookorfive's review against another edition
1.0
So I really did not like this book. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, that is still The Island but I hated this book.
For starters, this book should not be marketed as young adult, it’s very mature young adult like 17+ so it should be more marketed as an adult novel.
So, where to start, when people talk about radical feminism, I feel like this book is up there. I feel like this book was basically like men = bad and women = good. There was one male character in this book that came off in a good light everyone else was bad. It did spread important messages about toxic masculinity and rape culture and about victim blaming but apart from that the book basically said every man will do bad things to women and it was disgusting.
Also, why was there graphic descriptions of putting a tampon in.
I didn’t even mind the second person, I got used to it but everything else was just trash I hated this book honestly 2* seems generous. The only reason I finished it was bc it was such a quick read. Do not recommend.
kriff08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence