aely's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Ableism, Blood, Hate crime, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Grief, Body horror, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Torture, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, War, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Medical content
icarusandthesun's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
gory and greatly entertaining!
a story that keeps you on your toes. reading this for the second time made me realize quite a few details that i hadn't noticed before.
the characters were great - diverse without feeling like some sort of caricature. i loved red and her attitude, loved the dynamic between her and adam (their conversations and banter were so painfully real for siblings) and her whole personality in general. her family was nice, and the two kids, too.
henry is just so good at writing children. they seem almost lovable when she writes them.
and i liked the story. sometimes the inevitable encounters with soldiers and so forth felt a little forced and unrealistic, maybe even a bit repetitive (but that might also just be because of my already having read the book once).
one of the major plot twists () was a little random, i guess?? entertaining, but really random.
()
but whatever, it's fine. great book, great characters, great story.
a story that keeps you on your toes. reading this for the second time made me realize quite a few details that i hadn't noticed before.
the characters were great - diverse without feeling like some sort of caricature. i loved red and her attitude, loved the dynamic between her and adam (their conversations and banter were so painfully real for siblings) and her whole personality in general. her family was nice, and the two kids, too.
henry is just so good at writing children. they seem almost lovable when she writes them.
and i liked the story. sometimes the inevitable encounters with soldiers and so forth felt a little forced and unrealistic, maybe even a bit repetitive (but that might also just be because of my already having read the book once).
one of the major plot twists (
Spoiler
these slug parasite monster thingies(
Spoiler
i mean, these thingies were introduced in the middle of the book and then it wasn't even resolved in the slightest. just i know this book is about a deadly virus, but by the way, some government lab also created an otherworldly weird science-fiction ass, human-eating monster that nests in people's stomachs. like whuuutbut whatever, it's fine. great book, great characters, great story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Medical content and Violence
Minor: Hate crime, Grief, Racism, Vomit, and Gun violence
ladykatka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
First off, I love Christina Henry, I have purchased all of her books to date and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them including this one, even if I didn't really care for the ending. I think this was a really clever update and modern version of Red Riding Hood, it was well told and easy to read. That being said when I got to the penultimate chapter I was left thinking how is she going to wrap this up. And it turned out that it was more of a non-ending than an ending.
Red says a couple times in the book that she is not the main character in a movie, that becomes abundantly clear at the end when we are provided no answers what so ever on the virus, or the creatures, or the camps, or the lack of women, or anything really. This book is in desperate need of an epilogue.
Red says a couple times in the book that she is not the main character in a movie, that becomes abundantly clear at the end when we are provided no answers what so ever on the virus, or the creatures, or the camps, or the lack of women, or anything really. This book is in desperate need of an epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, and Violence
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Overall really enjoyed it. I loved that our main character, Red, is mixed race and enjoyed the brief discourse on race and how some people, even in times of crisis, will gladly let their racism fly. In the beginning when one antagonist basically asks Red her ethnicity upon first meeting, it reminded me of so many people doing it to me. It's annoying to say the least.
I think as a retelling of a fairy tale, it was quite good too. Loved that it was a dystopian kind of setting although it wasn't the best idea for me to read a book on a respiratory pandemic while living through C19 and seeing parallels to how some fictional characters acted and how real life people are acting. Humans are predictable I guess.
<Spoiler>since Red and the kids were able to make it to grandma's safely and that the grandma seems to be alive and safe, I'm believing some of DJ's family made it to him as well. He was such a kind man and he deserved the best
I do wish we got a little more about the but reading this after reading Near the Bone it seems the author likes to leave stuff like that pretty open.
This isn't a perfect book, there was a lot I feel could've been cut down since I could glance through paragraphs and still not miss any of the major story, and it was a little slow here and there, but I was def interested in it the whole time and needed to know what would happen.
I think as a retelling of a fairy tale, it was quite good too. Loved that it was a dystopian kind of setting although it wasn't the best idea for me to read a book on a respiratory pandemic while living through C19 and seeing parallels to how some fictional characters acted and how real life people are acting. Humans are predictable I guess.
<Spoiler>since Red and the kids were able to make it to grandma's safely and that the grandma seems to be alive and safe, I'm believing some of DJ's family made it to him as well. He was such a kind man and he deserved the best
I do wish we got a little more about the
Spoiler
creatures that burst out of people like how it escaped the lab, what even was the point in creating the creatures, how they got inside of people, how they would get rid of themThis isn't a perfect book, there was a lot I feel could've been cut down since I could glance through paragraphs and still not miss any of the major story, and it was a little slow here and there, but I was def interested in it the whole time and needed to know what would happen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Grief, Violence, Body horror, and Child death
Minor: Confinement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
kawooreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
With every Christina Henry novel I devour, I grow to love the author even more. Her ability to take fairy tales, unravel them, and re-weave into new stories is unmatched. This one, if you can't tell by the cover, is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. Only this book is in modern times, and Red is trying to cross a plague-ridden land to get to her grandmother's house hidden in the woods, isolated from infection and vigilante survivors. This book was published in 2019, so reading about a societal collapse due to the killer "Cough" was chilling in a post-Covid world. Red is a badass, a young woman traveling through the woods with a survival pack, sharp hand-axe, and a prosthetic leg. As she comes upon survivors, she must vigilantly decide the risk of infection as well as the risk of attack. Convinced she is not a heroine, she performs some pretty heroic acts. As she gets closer to Grandma's house, she begins to gather clues as to what exactly this contagion is and why it's ripping people apart. Nothing is as it seems. I love that in this rendition, there is no damsel in distress, that Little Red Riding Hood fights the "wolves" herself! This book is horror science fiction, so the content warnings include a multitude of moments related to death, body trauma, blood, violence, grief, etc. It's not a pretty story, but it is a good one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Death of parent
scribblesbysammy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ending felt a tad rushed, but still a great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment
ericadawson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The author's sparse and straight to the point writing style was great for a dark retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It was gorey without being over the top, and I enjoyed Red's character--her flaws were front and center, even if she could be harsh on herself, her family, and potential allies alike.
I enjoyed the voice and the pacing--the story is more about Red and the kind of woman she becomes than it is about her getting to her grandmother's house. Despite the sheer amount of loss she suffers through, the book ends on a very hopeful note. I enjoyed the fact that Red's opening up to other people and allowing herself kindness ends up leading to her making it to her grandmother's house. I like that the author also keeps the plot in perspective--whatever is going on with the world isn't for Red to figure out. She just needs to get somewhere safe.
I enjoyed the voice and the pacing--the story is more about Red and the kind of woman she becomes than it is about her getting to her grandmother's house. Despite the sheer amount of loss she suffers through, the book ends on a very hopeful note. I enjoyed the fact that Red's opening up to other people and allowing herself kindness ends up leading to her making it to her grandmother's house. I like that the author also keeps the plot in perspective--whatever is going on with the world isn't for Red to figure out. She just needs to get somewhere safe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Cursing, and Racism
It's a very good but very dense and heavy book! Expect things like blood, stress, and anxiety throughout.evaag_2796's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Vomit
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Hate crime, and Racism
almyworld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
An interesting take on the story of Little Red Riding Hood, although an arguable bad timing to release a novel about a pandemic in a literal pandemic. It was very obvious where Christina Henry took her inspiration from, with the cough and all that. Although it was a good read an I hope for a sequel since the ending was a bit open and has room for a continuation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Trafficking, Car accident, Rape, and Sexual harassment