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dannywithaygreenlikethecolor's review against another edition
4.0
"People aren't pastries, divisible only into quantifiable sections. Maybe they are more like sourdough--indefinitely full of potential, able to share and again, only to rise and grow and fill each space. "
4.5 STARS
I thoroughly enjoyed this feminist retelling and if you loved damsel you would love this book. she has a way to impact her readers with the smallest details and heart felt trauma.
4.5 STARS
I thoroughly enjoyed this feminist retelling and if you loved damsel you would love this book. she has a way to impact her readers with the smallest details and heart felt trauma.
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
A dark and gory feminist tale, perfect for the chilly weather and dimmer evenings we're getting now at the tail end of the year. It's a loose retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, where the girl in the woods is a teenager going home to her grandmother's house after a homecoming dance, and when she manages to kill the wolf that attacks her, its corpse transforms into the naked body of a boy from school. And he's not the only one out there.
What follows is a brutal look at male violence and entitlement, made stronger by the late reveal that even in a supernatural setting, not all of the villains are werewolves. Some threats stay stubbornly human in form, and so are harder to dispatch. (There are good men here too, just to clarify, but they're not the focus of the story.)
Although not initially sold on the second-person point-of-view -- or the graphic descriptions of sex and menstruation -- I've ended up drawn in by the immediacy of the text and author Elana K. Arnold's clear talent for poetical prose. Certain readers may object that the novel is a celebration of vigilante justice, but as the protagonist herself says: "It’s not that we need more wolf hunters. It's that we need men to stop becoming wolves." The very fact that I wasn't sure this book was for me practically demanded that I sit with that discomfort and keep reading, and I'm ultimately quite glad I did.
[Content warning for sexism, domestic abuse, death of a parent, MRA/incel rhetoric, slut-shaming, and sexual assault/rape.]
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
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What follows is a brutal look at male violence and entitlement, made stronger by the late reveal that even in a supernatural setting, not all of the villains are werewolves. Some threats stay stubbornly human in form, and so are harder to dispatch. (There are good men here too, just to clarify, but they're not the focus of the story.)
Although not initially sold on the second-person point-of-view -- or the graphic descriptions of sex and menstruation -- I've ended up drawn in by the immediacy of the text and author Elana K. Arnold's clear talent for poetical prose. Certain readers may object that the novel is a celebration of vigilante justice, but as the protagonist herself says: "It’s not that we need more wolf hunters. It's that we need men to stop becoming wolves." The very fact that I wasn't sure this book was for me practically demanded that I sit with that discomfort and keep reading, and I'm ultimately quite glad I did.
[Content warning for sexism, domestic abuse, death of a parent, MRA/incel rhetoric, slut-shaming, and sexual assault/rape.]
--Subscribe at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke to support these reviews and weigh in on what I read next!--
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
buddy524's review against another edition
2.0
This is a book that would make for good discussion but I wasn’t a fan. The relationships between the characters seemed forced and the tension wasn’t all that developed. It’s way too mature for some teens too.
avidbooknerd2028's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Harper Collins Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thought this book was a Red Riding Hood retelling. I thought this book would have a badass heroine.
This novel only did one of these things....
I understand why it could be considered a Red Riding Hood retelling, however, I think it was so far off it shouldn't be considered one. Maybe I read into the title to much and made assumptions I'm not entirely sure.
There was a badass heroine and I loved her with everything I could have. She takes the information she is given and just works with it. She doesn't shy away even though it seems like the craziest thing to ever happen.
However, I did not enjoy the way the author uses description in this novel. There were some parts that were just too described when it didn't need to be. Then when there was something you wanted more information about, she didn't give enough description. There were loose ends left untied, and information I wanted answers to.
All in all I thought this book was "meh", it didn't wow me.
I thought this book was a Red Riding Hood retelling. I thought this book would have a badass heroine.
This novel only did one of these things....
I understand why it could be considered a Red Riding Hood retelling, however, I think it was so far off it shouldn't be considered one. Maybe I read into the title to much and made assumptions I'm not entirely sure.
There was a badass heroine and I loved her with everything I could have. She takes the information she is given and just works with it. She doesn't shy away even though it seems like the craziest thing to ever happen.
However, I did not enjoy the way the author uses description in this novel. There were some parts that were just too described when it didn't need to be. Then when there was something you wanted more information about, she didn't give enough description. There were loose ends left untied, and information I wanted answers to.
All in all I thought this book was "meh", it didn't wow me.
jaydiebug's review against another edition
1.0
This is VERY LOOSELY inspired by "Little Red Riding Hood."
The feminist message is supposed to empowering and talks about consent, but it was executed poorly.
The feminist message is supposed to empowering and talks about consent, but it was executed poorly.
l1ndz7's review against another edition
3.25
This is a feminist retelling of Red Riding Hood written in second person. It touches on toxic masculinity, women empowerment and shame.
It uses menstruation as an empowering tool instead of something to be ashamed of, which I appreciated. It definitely feels taboo to talk about. Judging about the amount of reviews saying how gross it was that menstruation was a component of the story, I wish talking about it was more normalized. At first, I was taken back by how much menses was mentioned but once I understood the purpose, it didn’t bother me as much.
This book portrays toxic men as wolves which was great but her message at the end of the book implies that the only way to deal with this is to treat men the same way they’ve treated women. I don’t agree with that message at all and judging by the reviews, a lot of people heard the same message. At first, I thought this book was portraying all men as wolves but it was refreshing to see that our FMC had a wonderful, loving, supportive bf the whole book.
I wish this wasn’t categorized as YA because there is explicit content in here that I wouldn’t let someone as young as twelve to be reading. I would categorize this more as new adult.
It uses menstruation as an empowering tool instead of something to be ashamed of, which I appreciated. It definitely feels taboo to talk about. Judging about the amount of reviews saying how gross it was that menstruation was a component of the story, I wish talking about it was more normalized. At first, I was taken back by how much menses was mentioned but once I understood the purpose, it didn’t bother me as much.
This book portrays toxic men as wolves which was great but her message at the end of the book implies that the only way to deal with this is to treat men the same way they’ve treated women. I don’t agree with that message at all and judging by the reviews, a lot of people heard the same message. At first, I thought this book was portraying all men as wolves but it was refreshing to see that our FMC had a wonderful, loving, supportive bf the whole book.
I wish this wasn’t categorized as YA because there is explicit content in here that I wouldn’t let someone as young as twelve to be reading. I would categorize this more as new adult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Sexual harassment
whut_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.75
Loved it and the concept. For 5 stars, I would have preferred there to be a greater discussion around picking apart the root of mysogyny in relation to the male perspective. But overall, I quite enjoyed it and the themes it explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
clowdywings's review against another edition
I hated this. I hated Damsel, so why'd I pick up this? I have no clue. If you're a fan of Damsel and the author's writing style, then great! I don't enjoy it. I don't like her stories. I understand feminism. I understand the need to protect yourself against gross sick men. But she took that to a whole new level and omg... It was bad. Never going to read this again.
sklewis's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.75