Author: Sarah Blakley-CartwrightPublished by: Poppy (Jan. 6, 2011)
Genre: Fairy Tale/Fantasy
My Rating; 4 Stars
Goodreads Description:
The body of a young girl is discovered in a field of wheat. Her flesh mutilated by telltale claw marks. The Wolf has broken the peace.
When Valerie learns that her sister has been killed by the legendary creature, she finds herself at the center of a dark mystery, one that has plagued her village for generations. It is revealed that the werewolf lives among them, and everyone in the village immediately becomes a suspect. Could her secret love Peter be behind the attacks on her town? Is it her betrothed, Henry? Or someone even closer to her?
As the men in the village hunt for the beast, Valerie turns to her grandmother for help. She gives Valerie a handmade red riding cloak, and guides her through the web of lies and deception that has held her town together for so long. Will Valerie discover the werewolf's identity before the town is ripped apart?
This is a dangerous new vision of a classic fairy tale, the happy ending could be hard to find.
My Review:
I really wanted to read this book before I watched the movie because the movie trailer just looked so good and I knew the book had to be really interesting too or at least I was hoping that is was. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.
I love that this wasn't a typical retelling of little red riding hood going off to visit her grandmother while the big bad wolf follows her and tries to out smart her along the way. In fact, if you are expecting that, then be forewarned, this is so not that story.
Instead, this story takes everything you know about the bid bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood, sticks it into a blender, shakes it up and spits it back out so what you are left with is a twisted, beautiful tale that will knock your socks off.
Not only that, but the story at the end leaves you hanging with a teaser to check out a website for more, (which I did of course, how could I be left hanging like that?!) and thankfully you get 10 more well crafted pages of twisted fairy tale that faintly hint that maybe, just maybe Red Riding Hoods tale isn't quite over yet.
This truly is a well crafted retelling of a classic fairy tale that will leave you spinning and wanting more of Red Riding Hood and her Wolf like never before.
I have been wanting to see this movie and read the book, now I really can't wait to see how Sarah Blakley-Cartwright shook up the fairy tale!
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely shaken up. A little dark but really good.
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