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 against another edition
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
shorereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
starryeved's review against another edition
3.0
You are the hunter, and this wolf, though he thinks he is the predator, is your prey.
Elana K. Arnold's frank, unflinching depiction of taboo subjects such as menstruation and the macabre is spot-on, as always. And, as always, her writing is wonderful. And, as always, we love a loose Red Riding Hood retelling.
However - and I think many readers have this issue - the underlying message of female empowerment comes across more as violence = justice. That to face toxic masculinity, sexual harassment and violence, the danger of "incel" mentality, and more, we must resort to raging violence. I don't know how comfortable I feel with that. While I love Arnold's critique of these issues - and boy, are they serious issues that are constantly overlooked - the overall takeaway from the novel shies away from what might arguably be a more constructive path.
If you liked this, you can find a marginally similar concept in One in Four Are Birds. For now, though, I'll hold my reservations. Unlike Arnold's previous works, Red Hood is far more on-the-nose, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet.
“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters,” you say. “It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”