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A review by cloudbooks
Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent
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