I was looking forward to reading this book, because I've always loved the Red Riding Hood story and was looking forward to reading a retelling with a new twist.
Valerie lives in the town of Daggorhorn with her sister and her parents. They live within a fortress to keep the Wolf from entering their town, and instead offer him a 'sacrifice' every month. Valerie's strong and different, doesn't care as much about boys as her sister and friends. Well, not until a boy from her past--Peter--appears again. She's pretty much tempted by him right away, but is soon betrothed to Henry.
When her sister is killed by the Wolf, a dangerous cycle begins and Father Solomon--a determined werewolf hunter--pops in to help them out. Slowly a very dark and hidden secret is revealed...and Valerie gets caught in the middle of it.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and got swept up in the story. I liked Valerie right away and also the mystery. I couldn't wait to find out who the Wolf really was, and kept suspecting one person, and then another. However, as soon as Peter entered the scene, I found my interest waver. All of a sudden, Valerie seems to make strange decisions that I found a little out of character, even considering what falling in love can do to someone, it just didn't seem to fit.
After that, I lost interest and couldn't follow any of the characters. Also, although the story was well written, the unexpected head-hopping kept pulling me out of the story's flow. Oh, and the fact that the book ends but there's mention of a 'bonus chapter available on the website' made the experience even less fulfilling. I didn't like that without reading this 'bonus chapter' you don't even find out who the Wolf is.
Red Riding Hood is a tension-filled thriller with a lot of twists and turns, but ultimately, I wasn't as bewitched by it as I'd hoped I'd be.
Red Riding Hood, March 2011, ISBN 9781907410826, Atom Paperback
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