universalbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I have been meaning to purchase or borrow a digital copy of this book for a while. I was finally able to find it for e-loan at my library.
Perhaps because I waited so long, I had higher expectations that I should have. As a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Sisters Red brings a fresh look at many aspects of this traditional tale. First there are two "little reds", and they do not rely on a woodsman to rescue them for the big bad wolf. Instead, the oldest granddaughter, Scarlet protects her younger sister Rosie from a vicious Fenris (a werewolf like creature) after this monster murders their grandmother. Thus some originality, and modern day values are added. Also, the gruesomeness of the opening scene is true to the fairy tale's opening.
Despite the above, there were enough cliches in the story-line (mean beautiful people, a love triangle, and family secrets) that I had to put the book down and return to the story later. Finally, though the story is told in modern time ...I felt the plot points were better suited to a more historic piece. The small town setting, eerily without much technology reminded me of an out-of-time story rather than rural America.
All this said, this is really a good fairy-tale retelling, with more originality than most. I will be reading Sweetly at some point.
Perhaps because I waited so long, I had higher expectations that I should have. As a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Sisters Red brings a fresh look at many aspects of this traditional tale. First there are two "little reds", and they do not rely on a woodsman to rescue them for the big bad wolf. Instead, the oldest granddaughter, Scarlet protects her younger sister Rosie from a vicious Fenris (a werewolf like creature) after this monster murders their grandmother. Thus some originality, and modern day values are added. Also, the gruesomeness of the opening scene is true to the fairy tale's opening.
Despite the above, there were enough cliches in the story-line (mean beautiful people, a love triangle, and family secrets) that I had to put the book down and return to the story later. Finally, though the story is told in modern time ...I felt the plot points were better suited to a more historic piece. The small town setting, eerily without much technology reminded me of an out-of-time story rather than rural America.
All this said, this is really a good fairy-tale retelling, with more originality than most. I will be reading Sweetly at some point.
rainmisoa's review against another edition
3.0
Well, this book was a lot better than Pearce's first book. This one had a lot of action, great suspense, and wonderful fairy tale lore. The writing improved tremendously from her first book to this one and I like her re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood. The characters were ten times more better than they were in her previous book. I especially liked Scarlett. She was a total badass! I liked her drive and her no-nonsense attitude. At times she was a little too obsessed with the hunt but I could overlook that. Rosie wasn't that bad either. I didn't like her as much as Scarlett because I felt her mind was always on less important things but... whatever. Silas... I am torn about. I really loved him for the majority of the book but then he does something and it makes me question whether I like him or not... but that could be mostly of personal reasons. What I didn't like about the book was that I felt there was too much mush. The romance between Rosie and Silas, though cute at first, got really old really fast. There were some parts where I felt the book dragged on and on about nothing important. Even though I really enjoyed the main plot, those other unnecessary things really got in the way for me. Still, I highly recommend you read this book if you like fairy tale retellings and a book with fairly enough action! It's worth the read.
jennifervu's review against another edition
3.0
Not much plot. I didn't feel the sisterly love which isn't good...
janicewangg's review against another edition
2.0
Lot of things I didn't like about this book like... wow... I really thought I'd love it and there were parts I really did like but... 2 stars...
SPOILERS DOWN BELOW
Important Points
-Did anyone else know that Silas was the one from the minute "Potentials" were brought up? I just felt like it was so blatantly obvious, but the story progress as though it wasn't, and when the revelation of who the potential was came up, it felt like it should've been shocking and dramatic, but it just wasn't...
-Scarlette was pretty much my favorite character in the book as opposed to Rosie. Scarlette was freaking kickass. The girl haunted by her past with a missing eye who dedicates her life to avenging her grandmother's death by killing the soulless monsters who took her life. She dedicated her life to saving lives and she protects the ignorant. She's like tortured you know? I applaud her for that! Go Scarlette. She never got distracted. She fell in love with hunting(instead of Silas which sucks because I shipped them together) She did the right thing.
-Rosie, on the other hand, was completely annoying. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand her yearning to do something other than hunting and be normal, feel normal, for once. The thing is... While reading from her perspective, she would always express how guilty she felt and she would just go back and forth, here and there, choosing between hunting and normalcy. It got really agitating and let's not talk about her relationship with Silas! At times, I sort of liked them together, but most of the time they were really annoying. It was constant slight touches, nervous smiles, blushing, and the whole gooey glob.
-I loved the sisterly love and the dynamic of it all. I liked how they were of one heart. How they were one.
-I'm not sure if it was supposed to do this, but I liked how the book kind of represented real life and the dangers of talking to strangers. Though in the book it's only strange men and young girls are the only victims which is obviously not true in the real world.
-The book was pretty slow. The beginning and the ending were pretty much the only interesting parts in the book. The middle was just non-stop random Fenris attacks that had no purpose... It was just attack after attack after attack. They were all action packed, but pointless.
-The ending pretty much killed me. Let's first talk about the part where Silas was bitten but wasn't turned. Why? I was pretty much sobbing when Silas told Scarlette to kill him. Then he wasn't turned because the wolf bit him past the deadline. Why??? As much as I cried for him when I thought he was being turned, I wanted him to be turned! The ending wouldn't have been happy but it would've been an interesting ending. A better ending for me at least.
-The second part of the ending also killed me. THEY FREAKING SEPERATED! WHAT THE F*CK? I don't understand why??? It was an awful ending! I didn't want them to go there separate ways. I could not believe that Rosie basically ran off with Silas leaving Scarlette behind to hunt by herself. AGH. The sisterly dynamic was split! I can't even! The heart was separated! I hated the ending... I mean I get their differences and all but I don't understand why they couldn't do both. Meet in the middle. Why separate entirely?
I'm still continuing on with the series and hopefully it'll get better. Hopefully...
SPOILERS DOWN BELOW
Important Points
-Did anyone else know that Silas was the one from the minute "Potentials" were brought up? I just felt like it was so blatantly obvious, but the story progress as though it wasn't, and when the revelation of who the potential was came up, it felt like it should've been shocking and dramatic, but it just wasn't...
-Scarlette was pretty much my favorite character in the book as opposed to Rosie. Scarlette was freaking kickass. The girl haunted by her past with a missing eye who dedicates her life to avenging her grandmother's death by killing the soulless monsters who took her life. She dedicated her life to saving lives and she protects the ignorant. She's like tortured you know? I applaud her for that! Go Scarlette. She never got distracted. She fell in love with hunting(instead of Silas which sucks because I shipped them together) She did the right thing.
-Rosie, on the other hand, was completely annoying. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand her yearning to do something other than hunting and be normal, feel normal, for once. The thing is... While reading from her perspective, she would always express how guilty she felt and she would just go back and forth, here and there, choosing between hunting and normalcy. It got really agitating and let's not talk about her relationship with Silas! At times, I sort of liked them together, but most of the time they were really annoying. It was constant slight touches, nervous smiles, blushing, and the whole gooey glob.
-I loved the sisterly love and the dynamic of it all. I liked how they were of one heart. How they were one.
-I'm not sure if it was supposed to do this, but I liked how the book kind of represented real life and the dangers of talking to strangers. Though in the book it's only strange men and young girls are the only victims which is obviously not true in the real world.
-The book was pretty slow. The beginning and the ending were pretty much the only interesting parts in the book. The middle was just non-stop random Fenris attacks that had no purpose... It was just attack after attack after attack. They were all action packed, but pointless.
-The ending pretty much killed me. Let's first talk about the part where Silas was bitten but wasn't turned. Why? I was pretty much sobbing when Silas told Scarlette to kill him. Then he wasn't turned because the wolf bit him past the deadline. Why??? As much as I cried for him when I thought he was being turned, I wanted him to be turned! The ending wouldn't have been happy but it would've been an interesting ending. A better ending for me at least.
-The second part of the ending also killed me. THEY FREAKING SEPERATED! WHAT THE F*CK? I don't understand why??? It was an awful ending! I didn't want them to go there separate ways. I could not believe that Rosie basically ran off with Silas leaving Scarlette behind to hunt by herself. AGH. The sisterly dynamic was split! I can't even! The heart was separated! I hated the ending... I mean I get their differences and all but I don't understand why they couldn't do both. Meet in the middle. Why separate entirely?
I'm still continuing on with the series and hopefully it'll get better. Hopefully...
sarahannkateri's review against another edition
3.0
Awesome cover, but the book was only okay for me.
Rosie and Scarlett March were only children on the day the Fenris (werewolf) came to their house, killing their grandmother, terrorizing Rosie, and maiming Scarlett as she saved her younger sister's life. Now, years later, the sisters, along with Scarlett's partner Silas, hunt and kill wolves who prey on young girls, trying to make sure what happened to them never happens again.
While Scarlett, with her scarred face and missing eye, lives for nothing but hunting, Rosie has other dreams. She wishes for a normal life, and finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to Silas, only to be constantly reminded by Scarlett that she doesn't have the right to a normal life since her knowledge of the Fenris means she has a responsibility to stop them.
As more and more Fenris start showing up, the bonds between sisters and friend are stretched to the breaking point. Will they be able to keep their relationships and themselves alive, or will the Big Bad Wolf finally get them?
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I thought the 'sisters sharing one heart' thing was overdone, and I thought they were remarkably slow on the uptake re: the potential. I might have missed a passage explaining it, but I don't get why they had to wait for a Fenris to completely turn into a wolf before killing it. Once they saw the fur & claws sprouting, shouldn't that have been close enough? Also, why did they consider using guns at the end, but never at any earlier point? As evidenced in the fight scenes, a hatchet and knives weren't a very safe or effective way of killing wolves. Wouldn't a gun have been better? I was a little uncomfortable with how close the author treaded to 'girls who wear skimpy clothing & flirt are just asking to get attacked by monsters, because the monsters just can't control themselves.' I'm sure Pearce didn't mean it that way, but I did notice a tiny "girl was asking for it" theme that jarred with the feminist streak in Scarlett and Rosie. Also, I hate that I see a #1 after the title. I think this worked really well as a standalone & doesn't need a sequel.
Those things aside, the story was good. I thought the characters & their conflicts were believable, I liked a lot of the descriptive writing, and unlike some fairy tale adaptations, it wasn't overly cheesy. The gore might turn off Twilight-style paranormal romance fans, but for girls who like darker urban fantasy, this would be a good choice.
Rosie and Scarlett March were only children on the day the Fenris (werewolf) came to their house, killing their grandmother, terrorizing Rosie, and maiming Scarlett as she saved her younger sister's life. Now, years later, the sisters, along with Scarlett's partner Silas, hunt and kill wolves who prey on young girls, trying to make sure what happened to them never happens again.
While Scarlett, with her scarred face and missing eye, lives for nothing but hunting, Rosie has other dreams. She wishes for a normal life, and finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to Silas, only to be constantly reminded by Scarlett that she doesn't have the right to a normal life since her knowledge of the Fenris means she has a responsibility to stop them.
As more and more Fenris start showing up, the bonds between sisters and friend are stretched to the breaking point. Will they be able to keep their relationships and themselves alive, or will the Big Bad Wolf finally get them?
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I thought the 'sisters sharing one heart' thing was overdone, and I thought they were remarkably slow on the uptake re: the potential. I might have missed a passage explaining it, but I don't get why they had to wait for a Fenris to completely turn into a wolf before killing it. Once they saw the fur & claws sprouting, shouldn't that have been close enough? Also, why did they consider using guns at the end, but never at any earlier point? As evidenced in the fight scenes, a hatchet and knives weren't a very safe or effective way of killing wolves. Wouldn't a gun have been better? I was a little uncomfortable with how close the author treaded to 'girls who wear skimpy clothing & flirt are just asking to get attacked by monsters, because the monsters just can't control themselves.' I'm sure Pearce didn't mean it that way, but I did notice a tiny "girl was asking for it" theme that jarred with the feminist streak in Scarlett and Rosie. Also, I hate that I see a #1 after the title. I think this worked really well as a standalone & doesn't need a sequel.
Those things aside, the story was good. I thought the characters & their conflicts were believable, I liked a lot of the descriptive writing, and unlike some fairy tale adaptations, it wasn't overly cheesy. The gore might turn off Twilight-style paranormal romance fans, but for girls who like darker urban fantasy, this would be a good choice.
bungleboo's review against another edition
3.0
So so!! I think I need to read more to decide what I really think!
Sometimes the story was a little slow and with the ending as it was I'm not sure where this story is going to go now!
Sometimes the story was a little slow and with the ending as it was I'm not sure where this story is going to go now!
hhndoll's review against another edition
3.0
I had seen people recommend this series and thought that it sounded up my alley. A retelling of fairy tales I am all for it! That was until I started reading, I liked the book well enough; but it leans more to the meh side but it's has not deterred me from reading the rest.
We start of meeting 11 year old Red, just as a wolf meets her and her sister at their grandmother's house. Red and Rosie hide as the grandmother tries to hold back the wolf till the woodsman gets there. Sadly grandma dies and Red goes after the wolf.
Skip to about 7 years later. A disfigured Red is out hunting for wolves. Silas the woodsman's boy is returning from a trip to San Francisco and Rosie although trained to be a hunter is left home by an overbearing sister.
The 3 go off to Atlanta to investigate the ideal of a Potential; someone who is destined to become a wolf, and to stop a lot of murders that are happening because of the congestion of so many wolves. The 3 each learn more about themselves and Rosie and Silas find love.
The beginning and last 1/3 of the book are more than enjoyable but there are parts in the middle I could have done without. The love story between Silas and Rosie is almost elementary school (blush, no, blush, no, kiss, instant couple).
I liked Red and would have loved to see more of a change in her development. With any of the character's developments to be honest. With so much focus towards Red even when in Rosie's point of view it would have been a stronger story to make her a love interest, not necessarily Silas but anyone.
Again I really want to continue with this series but it's not as high on my TBR list as it once was.
We start of meeting 11 year old Red, just as a wolf meets her and her sister at their grandmother's house. Red and Rosie hide as the grandmother tries to hold back the wolf till the woodsman gets there. Sadly grandma dies and Red goes after the wolf.
Skip to about 7 years later. A disfigured Red is out hunting for wolves. Silas the woodsman's boy is returning from a trip to San Francisco and Rosie although trained to be a hunter is left home by an overbearing sister.
The 3 go off to Atlanta to investigate the ideal of a Potential; someone who is destined to become a wolf, and to stop a lot of murders that are happening because of the congestion of so many wolves. The 3 each learn more about themselves and Rosie and Silas find love.
The beginning and last 1/3 of the book are more than enjoyable but there are parts in the middle I could have done without. The love story between Silas and Rosie is almost elementary school (blush, no, blush, no, kiss, instant couple).
I liked Red and would have loved to see more of a change in her development. With any of the character's developments to be honest. With so much focus towards Red even when in Rosie's point of view it would have been a stronger story to make her a love interest, not necessarily Silas but anyone.
Again I really want to continue with this series but it's not as high on my TBR list as it once was.
shonaningyo's review against another edition
3.0
Let me just say I LOVE the cover art. I love it. The way the two faces' hair just flows into each other no matter if you have it right side up or flip it upside down.
That being said, this book was one thing to me:
Average. Very average.
The romance seemed out of place, the story telling was okay but really didn't grip me. I don't know why.
Scarlett I thought was crazy, and I really felt bad for Rosie for being sucked into such a dark obligation to fight werewolves with her sister simply because Scarlett protected her. Yes, it's kind of like an eternal bond and they are kind of working through this living nightmare together, but come on. They aren't conjoined twins, no matter what they may think in their silly heads.
If you are so angry at Rosie and Silas for not taking the job of hunting Fenris as seriously as you are, then why don't you recruit people who DO know that they exist? I'm sure you could easily find people who have survived an attack or have witnessed one transform and slaughter a friend or family member like you have and are trying to reach out --secretly, because everyone around them would probably think they're crazy--to find people who would say, "Yes they are real." . Um, ever heard of the INTERNET? For God's sake, you act like you are the "Chosen Ones" when apparently this phenomenon of Man-Wolves is as common as herpes.
So yeah... I liked the switching of points of view. Thank God it didn't ever switch to Silas. I couldn't give less of a shit about him. Like I said, the romance felt forced, and the "fairy tale retelling" basically is loosely constructed of the Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf theme, but ooh there's TWO hoods now!
AND! The "Fenris" as the wolf-men are called spout lines that are very similar to the fairy tale script this book is inspired by!
Seriously, I'm sorry. I wanted to like this book, but it was just too...average. Like really REALLY average.
That being said, this book was one thing to me:
Average. Very average.
The romance seemed out of place, the story telling was okay but really didn't grip me. I don't know why.
Scarlett I thought was crazy, and I really felt bad for Rosie for being sucked into such a dark obligation to fight werewolves with her sister simply because Scarlett protected her. Yes, it's kind of like an eternal bond and they are kind of working through this living nightmare together, but come on. They aren't conjoined twins, no matter what they may think in their silly heads.
If you are so angry at Rosie and Silas for not taking the job of hunting Fenris as seriously as you are, then why don't you recruit people who DO know that they exist? I'm sure you could easily find people who have survived an attack or have witnessed one transform and slaughter a friend or family member like you have and are trying to reach out --secretly, because everyone around them would probably think they're crazy--to find people who would say, "Yes they are real." . Um, ever heard of the INTERNET? For God's sake, you act like you are the "Chosen Ones" when apparently this phenomenon of Man-Wolves is as common as herpes.
So yeah... I liked the switching of points of view. Thank God it didn't ever switch to Silas. I couldn't give less of a shit about him. Like I said, the romance felt forced, and the "fairy tale retelling" basically is loosely constructed of the Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf theme, but ooh there's TWO hoods now!
AND! The "Fenris" as the wolf-men are called spout lines that are very similar to the fairy tale script this book is inspired by!
Seriously, I'm sorry. I wanted to like this book, but it was just too...average. Like really REALLY average.