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
Things I enjoyed:
-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.
-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
1.0
trigger warnings; gore, death, animal death, death of a parent, rape and rape culture, toxic masculinity, sex, periods, pregnancy, abortion
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.
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
dark
emotional
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
shorereader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
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.”
tmcphetridge4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really didn't vibe with this book at the beginning. I thought the start was slow, and when it got to the first peak point, I was interested, but quickly lost interest again. I don't think the MC was all that memorable. I think the idea is really interesting, if a bit punitive, but I really like the idea that it becomes more of a collective at the end instead of a solo thing. Women power and all that. Strange book but set locally, so that was neat too!
summyrenea's review
3.0
Good concept and story that needs to be told. It takes the classic fairy tale and turns it into a metaphor for violence against girls and women. The second-person narration took a while to get into. There are also descriptions that are quite a bit more graphic than usual for a YA.
freesien's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the fairy-tale-atmosphere of this book, how it is a loose Red-Riding-Hood-retelling, and the openness with which menstruation, toxic masculinity and rape culture is talked about. But that ending... not so sure I am on board with that message.