A review by sarahannkateri
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
3.0
Awesome cover, but the book was only okay for me.
Rosie and Scarlett March were only children on the day the Fenris (werewolf) came to their house, killing their grandmother, terrorizing Rosie, and maiming Scarlett as she saved her younger sister's life. Now, years later, the sisters, along with Scarlett's partner Silas, hunt and kill wolves who prey on young girls, trying to make sure what happened to them never happens again.
While Scarlett, with her scarred face and missing eye, lives for nothing but hunting, Rosie has other dreams. She wishes for a normal life, and finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to Silas, only to be constantly reminded by Scarlett that she doesn't have the right to a normal life since her knowledge of the Fenris means she has a responsibility to stop them.
As more and more Fenris start showing up, the bonds between sisters and friend are stretched to the breaking point. Will they be able to keep their relationships and themselves alive, or will the Big Bad Wolf finally get them?
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I thought the 'sisters sharing one heart' thing was overdone, and I thought they were remarkably slow on the uptake re: the potential. I might have missed a passage explaining it, but I don't get why they had to wait for a Fenris to completely turn into a wolf before killing it. Once they saw the fur & claws sprouting, shouldn't that have been close enough? Also, why did they consider using guns at the end, but never at any earlier point? As evidenced in the fight scenes, a hatchet and knives weren't a very safe or effective way of killing wolves. Wouldn't a gun have been better? I was a little uncomfortable with how close the author treaded to 'girls who wear skimpy clothing & flirt are just asking to get attacked by monsters, because the monsters just can't control themselves.' I'm sure Pearce didn't mean it that way, but I did notice a tiny "girl was asking for it" theme that jarred with the feminist streak in Scarlett and Rosie. Also, I hate that I see a #1 after the title. I think this worked really well as a standalone & doesn't need a sequel.
Those things aside, the story was good. I thought the characters & their conflicts were believable, I liked a lot of the descriptive writing, and unlike some fairy tale adaptations, it wasn't overly cheesy. The gore might turn off Twilight-style paranormal romance fans, but for girls who like darker urban fantasy, this would be a good choice.
Rosie and Scarlett March were only children on the day the Fenris (werewolf) came to their house, killing their grandmother, terrorizing Rosie, and maiming Scarlett as she saved her younger sister's life. Now, years later, the sisters, along with Scarlett's partner Silas, hunt and kill wolves who prey on young girls, trying to make sure what happened to them never happens again.
While Scarlett, with her scarred face and missing eye, lives for nothing but hunting, Rosie has other dreams. She wishes for a normal life, and finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to Silas, only to be constantly reminded by Scarlett that she doesn't have the right to a normal life since her knowledge of the Fenris means she has a responsibility to stop them.
As more and more Fenris start showing up, the bonds between sisters and friend are stretched to the breaking point. Will they be able to keep their relationships and themselves alive, or will the Big Bad Wolf finally get them?
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I thought the 'sisters sharing one heart' thing was overdone, and I thought they were remarkably slow on the uptake re: the potential. I might have missed a passage explaining it, but I don't get why they had to wait for a Fenris to completely turn into a wolf before killing it. Once they saw the fur & claws sprouting, shouldn't that have been close enough? Also, why did they consider using guns at the end, but never at any earlier point? As evidenced in the fight scenes, a hatchet and knives weren't a very safe or effective way of killing wolves. Wouldn't a gun have been better? I was a little uncomfortable with how close the author treaded to 'girls who wear skimpy clothing & flirt are just asking to get attacked by monsters, because the monsters just can't control themselves.' I'm sure Pearce didn't mean it that way, but I did notice a tiny "girl was asking for it" theme that jarred with the feminist streak in Scarlett and Rosie. Also, I hate that I see a #1 after the title. I think this worked really well as a standalone & doesn't need a sequel.
Those things aside, the story was good. I thought the characters & their conflicts were believable, I liked a lot of the descriptive writing, and unlike some fairy tale adaptations, it wasn't overly cheesy. The gore might turn off Twilight-style paranormal romance fans, but for girls who like darker urban fantasy, this would be a good choice.