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sofiaaeelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bethandthebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Red Wolf plunges you into a dark, thrilling and emotional story as sixteen-year-old Adele’s life is completely turned upside down when she discovers that she is a Guardian: part woman, part wolf, she is tasked with protecting her village from monsters that live in the surrounding woods. I was completely gripped by this high-stakes story.
Up until her sixteenth birthday, Adele had her life completely mapped out. She was going to marry Grainger Colbert, who helps protect the village from the monsters in the woods, and live next door to her best friend. However, after her first transformation, she soon learns that she is betrothed to a boy called Max, who is a carpenter and lives in another village. The difference between Grainger and Max is that Max already knows Adele’s secret and is prepared to prove himself worthy of calling Adele his wife. Grainger, on the other hand, is completely in the dark about the Guardians and if he, along with the other villages of Oakdale, ever found out about Adele’s secret, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Rather naively, Adele is determined to prove to her mother that Grainger is just as worthy as Max and that he will understand about her being a Guardian. While this is a love triangle, it wasn’t a massive part of the story so it didn’t bother me at all.
Despite Adele’s naivety when it comes to her future, she is an incredibly likeable character and I really was rooting for her to have a happy ending. She’s faced with some difficult choices throughout as she slowly comes to terms with the realisation that her life is going to be completely different to what she imagined. She has to keep secrets from those she loves, battle monsters and protect the villagers of Oakdale. It’s a massive weight on such young shoulders, but Adele manages to remain true to herself and I really admired her for that. She’s entirely selfless as she always puts the safety of others above her own and there’s some scenes where you get to see just how courageous she is for a sixteen-year-old. A lot more happens in the story as a result of Adele’s decisions and she must face the ramifications as she’s now a protector, so it is her duty to decide what’s right and wrong. I thought this was explored really well throughout – is there always a good and bad decision? How do we decide what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the lives of others? The story and its outcomes are entirely hinged upon the decisions that Adele makes, which makes it very thought-provoking as the line between right and wrong becomes blurred.
Red Wolf is a brilliant and entirely original take on Red Riding Hood. While the beginning is a bit slow as it sets everything up, the pacing soon picks up and the second half is packed with plenty of heart-stopping scenes. I’m not sure if this is a standalone or not but I am dying for a sequel after that explosive ending. I was completely immersed in this dark and ominous reimagining.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Up until her sixteenth birthday, Adele had her life completely mapped out. She was going to marry Grainger Colbert, who helps protect the village from the monsters in the woods, and live next door to her best friend. However, after her first transformation, she soon learns that she is betrothed to a boy called Max, who is a carpenter and lives in another village. The difference between Grainger and Max is that Max already knows Adele’s secret and is prepared to prove himself worthy of calling Adele his wife. Grainger, on the other hand, is completely in the dark about the Guardians and if he, along with the other villages of Oakdale, ever found out about Adele’s secret, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Rather naively, Adele is determined to prove to her mother that Grainger is just as worthy as Max and that he will understand about her being a Guardian. While this is a love triangle, it wasn’t a massive part of the story so it didn’t bother me at all.
Despite Adele’s naivety when it comes to her future, she is an incredibly likeable character and I really was rooting for her to have a happy ending. She’s faced with some difficult choices throughout as she slowly comes to terms with the realisation that her life is going to be completely different to what she imagined. She has to keep secrets from those she loves, battle monsters and protect the villagers of Oakdale. It’s a massive weight on such young shoulders, but Adele manages to remain true to herself and I really admired her for that. She’s entirely selfless as she always puts the safety of others above her own and there’s some scenes where you get to see just how courageous she is for a sixteen-year-old. A lot more happens in the story as a result of Adele’s decisions and she must face the ramifications as she’s now a protector, so it is her duty to decide what’s right and wrong. I thought this was explored really well throughout – is there always a good and bad decision? How do we decide what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the lives of others? The story and its outcomes are entirely hinged upon the decisions that Adele makes, which makes it very thought-provoking as the line between right and wrong becomes blurred.
Red Wolf is a brilliant and entirely original take on Red Riding Hood. While the beginning is a bit slow as it sets everything up, the pacing soon picks up and the second half is packed with plenty of heart-stopping scenes. I’m not sure if this is a standalone or not but I am dying for a sequel after that explosive ending. I was completely immersed in this dark and ominous reimagining.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
desertlover's review
3.0
3.5 STARS
This was a unique retelling. It was close to a 4 STARS rating, but the abrupt ending and countless bad decisions of Adele kept me from "loving" it. However, I enjoyed it enough that I would definitely read a followup.
This was a unique retelling. It was close to a 4 STARS rating, but the abrupt ending and countless bad decisions of Adele kept me from "loving" it. However, I enjoyed it enough that I would definitely read a followup.
typographic_whimsy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
daphx00's review
4.0
Rachel Vincent and shifters just go really well together. Really enjoyed this one
librarianlizreads's review
4.0
Star Rating: ****
Genre: Supernatural, Werewolves
Notable themes: Strong female lead, gruesome violence (blood +gore alert!), violence against children, witch fever (superstition, mob-mentality)
Romance Level: Kisses and warmth in the pit of your stomach
My personal take: Well, this was an interesting ride. It started out a little slow and I wasn’t sure where we were going to end up in the beginning. I struggled to get into the story for quite a bit. Then suddenly everything started happening. I got sucked in and I was absolutely loving the story.
I honestly thought I was going to be writing a really excited review for a book I wanted to recommend. However the end of the story through me for a loop. I’m not sure I like how things ended. It wasn’t bad, just abrupt.
However, if you enjoy werewolf/shifter stories and you’re willing to take the ride, I think you should give it a try. :) Overall I do still like the book
Recommended for: Readers who enjoyed Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
HP House: Slytherin for the cunning strength needed to be a guardian.
Display Ideas: Werewolf books, supernatural reads
Reader’s Note: I am a teen librarian at a public library. I write these reviews to remind myself of book plot + theme, help potential readers with content, and/or to help other librarians.
Genre: Supernatural, Werewolves
Notable themes: Strong female lead, gruesome violence (blood +gore alert!), violence against children, witch fever (superstition, mob-mentality)
Romance Level: Kisses and warmth in the pit of your stomach
My personal take: Well, this was an interesting ride. It started out a little slow and I wasn’t sure where we were going to end up in the beginning. I struggled to get into the story for quite a bit. Then suddenly everything started happening. I got sucked in and I was absolutely loving the story.
I honestly thought I was going to be writing a really excited review for a book I wanted to recommend. However the end of the story through me for a loop. I’m not sure I like how things ended. It wasn’t bad, just abrupt.
However, if you enjoy werewolf/shifter stories and you’re willing to take the ride, I think you should give it a try. :) Overall I do still like the book
Recommended for: Readers who enjoyed Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
HP House: Slytherin for the cunning strength needed to be a guardian.
Display Ideas: Werewolf books, supernatural reads
Reader’s Note: I am a teen librarian at a public library. I write these reviews to remind myself of book plot + theme, help potential readers with content, and/or to help other librarians.
priya_amrev's review
2.0
The last line makes this seem like a serial killer origin story. Although I don’t suppose that’s the point. Interesting enough story but not enough to make me read the next book.