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httponyo's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Adele stressed me out to no end. There wasn't a single decision she made that didn't have me yelling at the pages and having to put it down outta stress & nerves. Spoilers ahead I feel like it was INCREDIBLY DANG OBVIOUS that the Tom kid was not human. I also think the momma should've caught onto that immediately, the merchants were dead for a good day or so and ain't no way the kid would survive that long on their on in the dark woods
Every choice was selfish , now she's a child who just learned about an extremel dangerous destiny , which was why i was willing to give her a chance. But I didnt feel like she grew by the end of the book at all. In the beginning she made some sense to me , thinking that her lover would understand & the stress of the situation , but I could tell during one of their convos that he was definitely not the right choice. I understand it's hard to forget love , but peoples life's were on the line here. And don't get me wrong , I don't agree with the Max option either. Idc about the time period , she's 16 & he's 19. It was really unnecessary to have the age gap. Besides the gap , morally he's just a stupid as herm I can't even call it being morally grey, because they both had very open moral codes just for them to suddenly?? Not? I understand, maybe plot-wise , why Adele would suddenly not , but Max made no sense. All of it happened way too fast
My thoughts on the ending echos some others , it came really fast and unexpectedly. I thought there'd be a second book by the way it ended but there isn't, maybe in the future? This book isn't HORRIBLE , I just can't find it in me to like it.
Every choice was selfish , now she's a child who just learned about an extremel dangerous destiny , which was why i was willing to give her a chance. But I didnt feel like she grew by the end of the book at all. In the beginning she made some sense to me , thinking that her lover would understand & the stress of the situation , but I could tell during one of their convos that he was definitely not the right choice. I understand it's hard to forget love , but peoples life's were on the line here. And don't get me wrong , I don't agree with the Max option either. Idc about the time period , she's 16 & he's 19. It was really unnecessary to have the age gap. Besides the gap , morally he's just a stupid as herm I can't even call it being morally grey, because they both had very open moral codes just for them to suddenly?? Not? I understand, maybe plot-wise , why Adele would suddenly not , but Max made no sense. All of it happened way too fast
My thoughts on the ending echos some others , it came really fast and unexpectedly. I thought there'd be a second book by the way it ended but there isn't, maybe in the future? This book isn't HORRIBLE , I just can't find it in me to like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Animal death, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death of parent
nicnacsmom's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book started out so slow, that I nearly lost interest. However, if you can push through & keep reading, you'll be rewarded. The story is very much both character & plot driven. While it feels a bit light at the beginning, the themes tend to get heavier & tense later on, and there are some slightly graphic descriptions. If you'r good at guessing book endings, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by this one. I definitely enjoyed this take on Red Riding Hood & the twists it entailed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
darth_twain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book started out really slow. I was getting frustrated by what felt like a lot of exposition and not much plot. Hang in there, though. The story is super character driven and you need to understand the character at the beginning to understand the choices she later makes. Don’t read this thinking you’ll have a lighthearted read, it gets pretty heavy. I still ended up really enjoying it. I’m excellent at guessing book endings, but this one threw some unexpected twists my way, which I really appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
haley49's review
4.0
I couldn’t tell if this was a masterpiece or a dumpster fire. All I know is that I read it in one day. Did I feel empty after? Yes but it did end on a bit of a cliffhanger. (No book 2 in sight) There is moral ambiguity on the part of the main character but the other characters (outside her family and love interest) are so bad to make her sacrifices seem fruitless. It was frustrating and yet so compelling. The world building wasn’t really good but I survived.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Murder
cloudbooks's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is a retelling of The Red Riding Hood though it warps it into something new.
Adele, the main character, lives in a small village named Oakvale. All around is a forest full of monsters but unlike the other villagers, Adele has a grandmother who lives in a clearing in the forest. She is also a descendant of a long line of guardians who have watched over the villages in surrounded by the woods. When her time comes, she has to make a choice between the love of her life and the life she was destined to live from birth.
It's a quick read but well written!
The bad:
The premise sets up a typical YA story and that's exactly what you get. Adele is sixteen, stubborn and her head is full of teenage love and boys. She tries to stray away from her mother's advice and believes she knows better than all the other women before her. It's an old story at this point and quite common for YA.
The bad was mainly that the story spends so long setting up the woods as this common enemy but spends the vast majority of the time circling around the kind of love triangle and Adele's doubts about who to love and trust. It makes for a rather forgettable story.
The outcome is also rather obvious from the start and you don't really ever get convinced by Adele that she's right.
The good:
The ending! This book went where most YA won't go. I won't spoil the ending but I would have loved if the ending had been longer and we had spent a lot less time fussing over boys and teenage issues.
Would I read it again? Probably. It's not a bad book because of the ending but it's not the first book I'd reach for if I was out of books to read.
Adele, the main character, lives in a small village named Oakvale. All around is a forest full of monsters but unlike the other villagers, Adele has a grandmother who lives in a clearing in the forest. She is also a descendant of a long line of guardians who have watched over the villages in surrounded by the woods. When her time comes, she has to make a choice between the love of her life and the life she was destined to live from birth.
It's a quick read but well written!
The bad:
The premise sets up a typical YA story and that's exactly what you get. Adele is sixteen, stubborn and her head is full of teenage love and boys. She tries to stray away from her mother's advice and believes she knows better than all the other women before her. It's an old story at this point and quite common for YA.
The bad was mainly that the story spends so long setting up the woods as this common enemy but spends the vast majority of the time circling around the kind of love triangle and Adele's doubts about who to love and trust. It makes for a rather forgettable story.
The good:
The ending! This book went where most YA won't go. I won't spoil the ending but I would have loved if the ending had been longer and we had spent a lot less time fussing over boys and teenage issues.
Would I read it again? Probably. It's not a bad book because of the ending but it's not the first book I'd reach for if I was out of books to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Grief, and Murder
words_and_dreams's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really fun retelling of Red Riding Hood.
Adele, when she is 16 finds out that she is from a long line of Guardians who protect the villagers from the dark wood and its many monsters. She is a werewolf, a Redwulf who can transform into a wolf protector.
The story is all about duality and destiny.
Her dreams for the future are now not possible. Can she be with the boy she loves or does she need to be with her betrothed. There is a love triangle of sorts but it was not the main focus if thats not your thing. The focus of the story is on Adele and her choices and how her worldview changes.
Brutal in places but still hopeful.
Though set in a relatively small world it felt well rounded and atmospheric. I loved the ending and the choices Adele makes, chosing the 3rd path of her own. Her dreams for the future become a reality, just not in the way she used to think.
Adele, when she is 16 finds out that she is from a long line of Guardians who protect the villagers from the dark wood and its many monsters. She is a werewolf, a Redwulf who can transform into a wolf protector.
The story is all about duality and destiny.
Her dreams for the future are now not possible. Can she be with the boy she loves or does she need to be with her betrothed. There is a love triangle of sorts but it was not the main focus if thats not your thing. The focus of the story is on Adele and her choices and how her worldview changes.
Brutal in places but still hopeful.
Though set in a relatively small world it felt well rounded and atmospheric. I loved the ending and the choices Adele makes, chosing the 3rd path of her own. Her dreams for the future become a reality, just not in the way she used to think.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Murder, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Religious bigotry
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