Красная Шапочка

by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, Сара Блэкли-Картрайт

Кузнец зовет ее замуж.
Дровосек зовет ее сбежать из дому.
Оборотень зовет ее... стать ему подобной.
Сестра Валери была красавицей, умницей и очаровашкой. Теперь она мертва. Красавчик Генри, сын кузнеца, и рад бы утешить Валери, но ее дикое сердце отдано другому: странствующему дровосеку Питеру, который зовет Валери в другую жизнь, вдали от дома.
После ужасной смерти сестры мир Валери раскалывается. В течение многих поколений Волк, живущий в лесу, довольствовался ежемесячной данью. Но теперь его не устраивают куры и мелкий скот, он жаждет других жертв. Охотник на Волка открывает жителям деревни ужасающую правду: адское создание живет среди них! Более того, им может оказаться любой.
Вскоре становится ясно, что Валери - единственная, кто способен внимать голосу оборотня. И она знает, что должна стать следующей жертвой, прежде чем кровавая луна пойдет на убыль... или все, кого она любит, умрут.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Retellings, Paranormal, Werewolves, Fairy Tales

Hardcover

First published January 25, 2011

Reviews

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Red Riding Hood, a tie-in novel to the 2011 movie of the same name, tries to be many things: a love story, a fairy tale, a mystery, and a thriller. The trailer for the movie is beautiful and seductive -- but does the book hold that same allure? Frankly, I can't say it did. The movie trailer held the promises of danger, secrets, and seduction. . .but the novel held none of that for me.

Quite honestly, this book made me see red.

I usually give novels about one hundred pages to grab me before I set them to the side and promptly forget about them. After the 100-page mark with this book, I was ready to give it up, but I was just so frustrated by it that I was stubbornly set to finish it and give it a slamming review. There's nothing really outstandingly likable or even tolerable about this story: the heroine is fickle and unreliable; the love interests are so flat and two-dimensional that you're supposed to take the 'love factor' at face value alone; the other characters waft among being cowardly, secretive, or just downright reprehensible; and the big bad Wolf mystery is so back and forth that, by the end, you just don't care who the Wolf is since you want the damn book to be over already! Not to mention the fact that the story is like the bastard child of The Village and Twilight with some splashes of the original Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale thrown in as allusions. It all just made me so dang annoyed.

As far as the writing itself goes -- everything about this book was inconsistent. Whether it be characterization, prose, writing style, or simple plot, none of it was at the same level throughout the entire novel. Sometimes I really liked the writing for its fairy tale-esque simplicity. Other times I hated it for its simple 'he said/she did/it ran'-type sentences, its choppy narrative style, its fickle characters, and its nonsensical attempt at being a horror story and a love story wrapped into one. Granted, I realize that this book was first a script and then fleshed out into a novel -- but, honestly, that isn't an excuse. If a script is a story laid to its barest bones to clock in under a time limit, then a novel has endless ground to expand upon said story. The expansion here, however, was really quite underwhelming: too much tell and not enough show, too much lax hold with the pseudo-limited omniscient style, too many scenes that seemed ripped out of a script with only filler bits sprinkled around them. At best, it was a story with too little real emotion. At worst, it was an overlong read with next to no substance.

(I also really hated the heroine, Valerie. She may go up there on my list of most-hated book heroines along with Zoey, Luce, Nora, Ever, Bianca, and Mary. She was the most inconsistent character of the bunch. If she's such a doesn't-want-to-fall-in-love tomboy, then why does she fall for old blast-from-the-past friend Peter with no words exchanged and only a few heated glances? PLEASE. Even Edward and Bella talked a bit before they admitted they were in love with each other. There was no build-up to the romance. It was all just -- SMACK! Romantic tension! Jealousy! Heated kiss! "I'm not good for you!" "But I love you!" Eventual make-out session ensues. Yawn, yawn, yawn.)

Basically, this book is one that didn't make me care at all. It seemed more like a cheap marketing ploy than anything else, produced to give more buzz for the movie among the young adult set of paranormal romance fans. (I think this book would appeal to people who liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth, actually -- yet another young adult novel that seemed largely inspired by the movie The Village.) I can almost guarantee than any fan of the Twilight movies will flock to see the movie and then possibly read the book afterward (or vice-versa). There was no passion, no heart, no true goal in mind for the story. What was I supposed to have learned? That love lies? That scared group mentality will override morality any day? That villages in books and movies are doomed to be the center of dystopian and horror stories for centuries to come? Please, I already know that all from the LAST book I read like this one. I was not impressed, and I doubt others will be either. Then the ending is so shoddy and ambiguous that you will hate the book for it even if you liked the story before that point!

My verdict? Skip the book. If you're interested in the story, go see the movie. You'll waste a whole heck of a lot less time than I did for reading the actual novel.

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si queréis un cuento oscuro, aquí está. Si queréis leer sobre sangre, amor y traición, aquí está. Si queréis una historia sobre el hombre y sus sentimientos, aquí está. Si os gusta el clásico cuento de la Caperucita y las historias góticas, aquí está.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

For lovers of supernatural coming-of-age thrillers involving werewolves and hot, brooding guys...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I STAYED UP PAST MIDNIGHT FINISHING A BOOK THAT HAS NO ENDING.

Literally, this book has no ending. Internet rumors say that the ending will be released online when the movie is out. WTF!? We are teased with the identity of The Wolf and maybe it is this one person, but maybe... ? Honestly, this ending makes Charlaine Harris look like M. Night Shymalan (the Good Years).

Still, I am willing to recap what was good and compelling about this story. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, and this is a quick and fun read. Valerie is a wonderful heroine-- self-aware and strong. Her suitors are equally deserving-- no secretly evil Yuppie schmuck here. My complaint would be about the interchangeable supporting "girls", who will probably be easier to tell apart onscreen.

The character of Father Solomon is a wonder. The savior with ulterior motives is a unique and wholly interesting character. I gather that Gary Oldman is playing him in the film, which makes me really want to see it.

Julie Christie as Grandmother? Sign me up! Oh, HI, in case you Twihards were not adequately compelled to see this film, Charlie from the Twilight movies plays Cesaire the dad here. Because what this film needed was yet another Twilight connection. Jeremy Irons son plays Henry, Valerie's fine upstanding suitor. From his IMDB pix, he is no Jeremy Irons.

My point, and I do have one, is that this is a fun throwaway read but SERIOUSLY, THERE IS NO ENDING. I want to follow Sarah Blakely-Cartwright home and make her tell me the ending. Not in a Kathy Bates-iish stalker-y way. I'd be happy to bake her chocolate chip cookies, and I wouldn't be scary. In exchange for an END to the BOOK I BOUGHT.

So buyer beware.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[Zim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, it was a quick and interesting read. But there was several things that hit my boiling point.

1) Peter + Valerie = NO CHEMSITRY. So, apparently, Peter was a creepy weird kid in the village and left and he came back liked a decade later and Valerie is all like, "OMG he's so hot. It's him. All my feelings I didnt know i had has appeared in less then two seconds blah blah blah," They hardly say two words to each other. Example would be when she first say him. The only said this, Valerie "Do you remember_"
Peter, "How could I forget?" Cute, right? That's what i thought but 30 pages later, he decides to RUN AWAY WITH HER. Okay, let's take a step back... Yeah, they want to run away together. She hasnt seen him for 10 YEARS and she'll just go off a run away with him. WTF? HE COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE IN 10 YEARS! He could be a freaking pedophile for all she knows. I really hate dumb people.

2) Valerie Valerie was just annoying. The whole time she's like i want peter and only peter. Ugh it was like i was reading Twilight all over again.

3) The Ending THERE WAS NO ENDING! You might say, "what? How is there no ending?" Well there ISNT!! You dont even find out who the freaking wolf was! That's was all i was thinking about! WHO IS THE WOLF? The last paragraph really aggravated me over the top!

It said this, " She didn't care if he was the Wolf or not. And if he was a Wolf, then she would be one, too. And then she freaking kissed him. The FREAKING end. WHAT? Is he the wolf or not? How the hell do you end the story like that?!?

It's like my sister stealing a cookie from me and then leading me up to believe my brother did it and in the end telling me, "i might have taken it."

Like seriously? What was Sarah Blakeley-Cartwright thinking? Who does that? Ugh... and why did she capitalized the W in wolf. It's not a name.

***
The only thing I liked about this story was Henry Lazar. He seemed like the only person that did make sense! Even after his father died, he went a bit drunk but i still liked him because he was the only one really trying to find the wolf!

This brings me back to WHO THE F**K WAS THE WOLF?

After I finished this book, i wanted to slap it across Sarah's face.

I think I'm done with my long rant. Overall I say dont read this. I'm going to watch the movie and HOPEFULLY there will be an ending. :)

[Sammi Ennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book (from what I understan) is written by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (Author), and David Leslie Johnson (Author). Hardwicke is responsible for the introduction...

I bought this book last night, and was unable to put it down. The writing is absolutely lovely, it does a great job of really capturing the fairytale feel of the world, and overall I just really loved this book. Just read the first chapter... you'll see. :)

EDIT:

So I finished it. And yes, there is no ending. Goes down a star just for that. And ok, she falls for her love interest way too fast. She goes from "I knew him as a kid." to "Oh hey, I guess that means I love him!", which was silly.

But lack of good characterization, and horrible terrible lack of an ending (Which really is unforgivable. Like I wasted my time to reach an end that wasn't there)aside, it was still interesting, and the writing was beautiful.

If you can get past the lack of ending, I would still say it's worth a read. :)

[Gray Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of Gray's love for fairytale re-tellings, we can only hope that her love for such books will pull a Jesus miracle and resurrect in a few days...

Seriously. Is this book joking? Is this a joke?!?!?

*whispers*

Is this the Bee Movie???

PETER AND VALERIE HAD NO CHEMISTRY! ZERO. NONE. GOOSE EGGS.

And Valerie... no thank you.

This book had promise, I saw the trailer for the screenplay it is based off of, and it looked so beautiful and aesthetic, I hoped that this would be just as good when I picked it up in my library.

I WAS DECEIVED BY THE TRAILER, THE PRETTY GOTHIC COVER AND PAGE ART. XD

And the ending?

What ending? There's none. It wasn't even a cliffhanger, it was just unfinished. *shudders*

This was a MAJOR fairytale re-telling turn off...

I'm sorry for all of my friends on here that were excited for this book when they saw that I was reading it! I thought it was going to be a hidden gem, sadly I was wrong. Maybe y'all will still enjoy it though.... but for me it's a let down. Disappointed.

[Nikoleta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο ‘κοκκινοσκουφίτσα’ δεν είναι βασισμένο στη ταινία, είναι η ταινία!!! Από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος ακουμπάει αυτολεξεί στο σενάριο. Κ εδώ είναι που έρχεται το πρόβλημα. Σε άλλες ανάγκες πατάει ένα σενάριο, το οποίο είναι γραμμένο έτσι ώστε να αφήνει χώρο στην αφήγηση να μιλήσει μέσω της εικόνας, κ άλλες ανάγκες καλύπτει η αφήγηση (τριτοπρόσωπη ή πρωτοπρόσωπη δεν έχει σημασία) ενός βιβλίου. Αυτό λοιπόν είναι το μεγάλο λάθος στο συγκεκριμένο ανάγνωσμα, δεν αφήνει χώρο στην ιστορία να εξελιχτεί σωστά. Η συγγραφέας, αντί να πασχίσει να κάνει ξεπατίκωμα της ταινίας(μόνο η Amanda Seyfried δεν ξεπήδησε από τις σελίδες… α όχι ξέχασα, υπάρχει στο εξώφυλλο!), έπρεπε να δουλέψει πάνω στη�� διήγηση όπως αυτή αρμόζει σε ένα λογοτεχνικό ανάγνωσμα. Nα δώσει χώρο στους χαρακτήρες να εξελιχτούν κ στην ίδια τη ροη να κυλίσει ομαλά, όχι με αυτή τη τρελή ταχύτητα που εν τέλει τα στρίμωξε όλα σε 300 κ κάτι σελίδες, παραδείγματος χάρη, δεν νιώθεις να κυλούν στην ουσία οι μέρες σε φυσιολογικό επίπεδο, όλα συμβαίνουν τσακ μπαμ, ερωτευτήκαμε, έλα να κλεφτούμε, ουπς επιτέθηκε ο λύκος κ σε υποπτεύομαι,όλα σχεδόν αυτοστιγμής. Δηλαδή, πιο αναλυτικά, οι ήρωες αναγκάζονται να πράξουν και να βιώσουν πολλά σε πολύ σύντομο χρονικό διάστημα, κάτι το οποίο τους κάνει να φαίνονται εξαιρετικά αφελείς, αυτό αναγκαίο κακό της ταινίας, αλλά, ανοησία της ροής του βιβλίου. Στα συν η αγωνιά, η δράση, το μυστήριο και ο έρωτας. Ίσως άμα δεν είχα δει τόσο πρόσφατα τη ταινία να μην έμπαινα στην άδικη σύγκριση, αλλά c'est la vie!

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason she's really getting a 1 star is for effort...And I can't rate it any lower.
Just a warning, this has spoilers in it, but I figured no one would see it if I click the "has spoilers" button. I wasted my money on this book. Wish I hadn't. But me being me, I was too stubborn to give up.

No offense to the author, but this was the WORST book I have ever read. I'm gonna address each problem. While the plot sounded good, there were holes and inconsistencies everywhere in the story, and it was full to the brim of cliches. Characters did things outside of their normal personalities, and somehow knew things that were never explained to them.

One thing that bugged me personally (sorry, have to get this out) is that PETER IS A JERK. He's supposed to be this great, selfless, hot guy, but he's a *badword*. I would have slapped him about a million times during this book. I mean, at the festival-WHAT? He was grinding with Rose (did they even have that kind of dancing back then?) and then the next second him and Valerie are making out. And Valerie hardly even asked, "What the heck was up with that?" Not even a slap. She said, "what were you doing with Rose, anyway?" and then let it drop. Peter is a jerk. Henry was by far the nicer guy, and I would have VERY happily married him. Henry is kind, thoughtful, doesn't pressure Valerie and allows her to be herself. He respects her space. But she throws that away for the jerk? Uh, no. Not me. But that's more of a personal issue.

A major issue related to that, though, is that Peter and Valerie's relationship is RUSHED. Here's the timeline: They played together when they were 5 or 6, Peter and his dad left town. Peter comes back when they are 17. Valerie sees Peter at harvest. They say, and I quote: Valerie: "Do you remember...?" Peter: "How could I forget?" *walks away* Then, the next day, Valerie goes to give water to the woodcutters (Peter is of that profession) and he's like "run away with me!" and they're going to but find out that her sister died before they can and they never bring up the subject again. It just dies. So there you have it. In one conversation they are in "love".

Another problem. The story was full of holes, inconsistencies and just plain stupid details. For one, Peter, who ends up being the Wolf, has a personal thought about the evil of the Wolf, and how he would not allow it to take her. Why is this important if HE is the Wolf? He doesn't need to disguise his thoughts. The author wants to fool us, but she should do it other ways. The only way for Peter to have thoughts like this would for him to have no idea he was the Wolf, if he never had any memory of what he does on full moons. But the book never explained that, gave that as a fact. And you would think you might begin to notice a pattern, blacking out every full moon in a town plagued by a werewolf. Also, Valerie begins to doubt and suspect /everyone/ around her, including her family members. However, Soloman explained to them that the curse of the Wolf is hereditary. Therefore, that should eliminate any suspicion she has of her family, because she would be a wolf as well. But she still suspects her grandmother and her mother. She suspects multiple other people for a plethora of reasons. A big cause of suspicion is the eyes. She think multiple people's eyes look like the Wolf's. She becomes just plain paranoid. I won't go into it all, but there's a lot more.

Cliches. This was a MAJOR problem in this book. I got so annoyed with how many utterly over-used scenes there were in this book I had to scream at the poor thing. Here's some of the worst: Valerie follows Peter into an alley. He is trying to stay away from her (this will come up again. Gah.) for "her own good". He says that he will never be able to provide for her like Henry (the person she is arranged to marry) will be able to, blah blah blah. She says she doesn't care about money. And then this is said: "Valerie," he said, giving her another chance to back out, "I'm wrong for you." "So what?" Finally he turned to face her, daring to believe...(and then they make out, basically. Which was disturbing.) That whole scene was over-dramatic and CLICHE. You know what I thought when I read that? Twilight. Ew. Another of the bad ones is that she is accused of being a witch and the whole town (including all of her friends) turn on her (gasp!). They lock her up and then leave her outside at night (with a humiliating wolf mask on) as a sacrifice for the Wolf, since he wants her. Then she gets freed, yada yada, gets to the church, confrontation, gets on holy ground (where the Wolf can't go) but the Wolf says he'll just come back. She decides to (oh so selflessly *rolls eyes*) go with him, and then, one by one, ALL THE VILLAGERS STEP UP AND REFUSE TO LET HER GO. The villagers that, 2 PAGES AGO, were talking behind her back, calling her a witch, and leaving her for a sacrifice for the Wolf to save their own butts. And NOW they're standing up for her? When she's going WILLINGLY? That is an ultimate cliche and very, VERY unrealistic.

Another problem was characters acting outside their personalities, and in a couple instances, having sudden mood swings or something. For example, kind, sweet Henry, who has stayed pretty much fine the entire book (except for when his dad died and he got drunk and tried to randomly fight with Peter, which was the author trying to add tension, I guess...)decides at the end to leave with the Wolf hunters and spend his life hunting and killing them...Uh, WHAT? For one, he's been portrayed the entire book as sweet and gentle, NOT as someone capable of killing. I mean, he failed miserably in his fight with Peter. And, secondly, why would all those well-trained soldiers decide to take on a 17 year-old, untrained guy as their leader? Especially when, in addition to being untrained, he has never killed and failed at the one sort-of fist fight he's ever been in? Uh, none. And as for mood swings, Valerie was unafraid when the Wolf was stalking her and Roxanne, she was calm. Which interested the Wolf. And then it looks at her and she gets all scared (very suddenly, too) and you know what pops out of her mouth in that moment of terror? "What...big...eyes...you...have...." (exactly that, too.) I understand that the author wanted to put this in, since that was a part of the fairy tale, but here? Not good. How she did it later, in the dream, is fine. Though after that isn't, but okay.

Another thing that irked me was that characters randomly knew things that were never explained to them, and Valerie always knew what the other person was thinking and what she needed to say to appease them. For example, Suzette, Valerie's mom, opens the door to someone when Lucie has died and people are paying their respects. It's Peter, and it's the first time she's seen him since he came back to town. (by the way, where's his dad? the only mention of him is in the memories, and I think you'd ask your father first before you randomly moved to another town. Without getting your things, I might add.) Valerie has mentioned to no one how she feels about Peter, and vice versa. However, she takes one look at him, even after he says that he's just there to pay his respects, and tells him that he is not right for Valerie, could never provide for her, blah blah, cliche, over-used, ew. She magically knows about their relationship. And (another cliche, yay) he decides (way too easily) that she is right and that he should leave Valerie alone. *rolls eyes and bangs head into hardest surface available* Ugh. And when Valerie is talking to someone, she knows when they are doubting her, or not satisfied, and then says exactly what they want her to say to get her way. -.-

Last problem (I think. I keep thinking of more I mentioned whilst ranting to my poor friends). At the end of the book she has been hit in the head and knocked unconscious. She wakes up after having a dream about her grandmother. She jumps up, puts on her cloak, grabs a wicker basket (for no reason) and then runs out the door. She's running all the way to her grandmother's house. MIND YOU SHE HAS JUST BEEN HIT IN THE HEAD AND WOKEN UP FROM BEING UNCONSCIOUS! She even mentions she feels light-headed and the world is blurring in and out of focus. She wouldn't be able to run that far, if at all. She's convinced her grandmother is in danger. Then Peter shows up quite randomly, and she (without coming to the conclusion, having absolutely NO evidence to back up her claim, and without being told) is like "She didn't care if he was the Wolf or not. And if he was a Wolf, then she would be one, too." Seriously? Okay, let me get this straight. So, even though less than five pages ago Valerie was talking about how horrible and evil the Wolf was, she now doesn't care? Despite the fact that the Wolf killed her sister and scarred her mother for life? And Peter has the you-know-what, or let's just say, nerve, to have done that and still say "Oh, I love you"? What??
And that's the end of the book. Valerie decides to contradict herself and love Peter, and completely forgets about her grandmother, who she was convinced was in mortal danger literally less than a page ago. No more mention of her. Instead she's kissing her sister's killer and mother's attacker. Fun.

This, and the inscription at the end of the book that says "Is this truly the end of Valerie's story? Go to blah blah to find out!" leads me to believe there's going to be another one. I pray that's not the case. It's a waste of paper, ink, and money. No offense.

[Just Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, this was bad.

I was honestly sucked in by the pretty cover, and who doesn’t love a good re-telling of an amazing fairytale.
#iwillneverbetoooldforafairytale

This just didn’t cut it.
Messy, boring characters and the plot was just so... not very entertaining.
I saw the movie too. I adore the female lead, but the movie not so much.

Read: 28/12/2011
1st rating: 1 star
Genre/sub-genres: Re-telling fairytale/ romance/ YA
Cover: 3.5 stars
POV: 3rd person
Will I recommend: No. Not even the movie🤷🏻‍♀️

[~Tina~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some Spoilers
(2.5 stars)

I really wanted to love Red Riding Hood since the movie looks really good and I'm looking forward to watching it, but the book...not so much.
While the writing is strong, almost poetic at times, I didn't like the style of writing.
I can live with the fact that the story is told in thrid person, but I don't think it was necessary and it only distracted me more then anything from an already slow moving pace.
In a nut shell? It felt like reading a very plot-driven scrip where everything is described all at once through various random characters.
It lacked flow, emotion and most importantly fascination.

I can't say that I particularly liked any of the characters, in fact I think it was only the Wolf who provided real entertainment with his killing spree and fixation on Valerie, but then again it could have just been the writing.
Valerie and Peter is what really just killed me. I've always been a reader who doesn't mind love-triangles or even instant-romance, but this?? It was comically hilarious just how rushed it is for these two.
Valerie and Peter were childhood friends till Peter left the village after a tragic mishap. Ten years later Peter is back in town, they see each other and there bond is newly reformed. When Valerie is 'promised' to the rich and handsome Henry, she goes to Peter and make there plans to run away together, but the Wolf had other idea's....
I felt like there was absolutely no time to feel any chemistry between the two whatsoever and that goes for Henry as well. I wouldn't call this a triangle really, since the girl would have to have some kind of inner battle within herself, but Valerie has always known who she wanted.

With that said, I started liking it around 160+pages in, once Father Soloman came into town to fix this Werewolf problem (he's a real ass btw). I liked the dark Gothic twist to this tale and once the lore started taking real shape and the whodunit finger started pointing...it got better.
However, the ending has no resolution, so just in case your expecting to know who the "big bad wolf" is...you don't. Sure, there are suspects but no real closure, so I'm guessing sequels are being planned for both book and movie, cause really, they can't leave it here.

Overall, it wasn't a terrible-terrible book, it was just seriously lacking, which is a shame since I could see a lot of potential.
While I didn't love the book, it wont stop me from seeing the movie. This may be one of those rare cases that the movie is actually better then the book. I guess we'll have to see, in any case I'm just hoping that it will be delivered a helluva lot better then this.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simply put, don't read this book.

I know I promised myself I was going to stop reading so much Young Adult Fiction, but how could I resist this book after seeing that gorgeous preview for the film with Amanda Seyfried gliding across the snow with that bright red, velvet cloak trailing behind her in the billowing wind?

I only wish the book lived up to that scene.

I actually purchased the book first for a friend as a gift, not realizing that the book itself was not an original novel but a novelized adaptation of the original screenplay responsible for that beautiful movie scene I just described above. My friend loved the book, so she lent it to me to give it a try. The story itself is engaging, a fact which we can hardly credit novice writer Blakely-Cartwright for since she was using someone else's plot to support her messy web of cringe-inducing similes (at one point she compared a shared history between two romantically linked characters as being a smooth, polished egg. I'm still chewing that one over.) and dizzying jumps in points of view. It was a very bold thing of Blakely-Cartwright to choose omniscient third person, and it made it completely impossible for me to keep up with who was an important character and who was not. Several scenes in the book were no more than two sentences long and from a character's point of view we'd never heard before - an unnecessary and distracting addition that kept breaking my attention away from several of the truly great and well-described scenes in the book.

As if the poor writing weren't criminal enough, this book is actually - TRULY - incomplete! The last sentence of the book is a cliffhanger - is the person she suspects of being the Wolf truly a monster? Or has she guessed wrong? Unfortunately, as the book's website jauntily informs me, the final (so-called "bonus") chapter will be released ONLINE a few days after the movie is released in theaters. Perhaps I missed some trend in popular culture wherein it is ACCEPTABLE to sell a book to an audience without informing them that it is unfinished? Nowhere on the cover of the book is any warning that the book you are about to spend actual, hard currency on is incomplete and therefore completely worthless in terms of re-read value. What do they expect their customers to do? Print out the bonus chapter, fold it into a neat little square, and then Scotch tape it into the back of their book?! It's a cheap, infuriating scam to get people to go see the movie so they can find out the ending - a laughable premise since I can almost guarantee you every person who bought the book did so with every intention of seeing the movie afterwards. I seriously doubt someone weighed the options over in their head and decided they'd rather spend $10 on the book version rather than $7 on a movie ticket. I certainly wish I'd done it the other way around.

[JAM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely hated every second of this book, and it might just be that it was to girly for me. There wasn't a second reading this book that I wanted to tear my eyes out. The book began boring and ended, well it didn't really have an ending. This book left you wondering and was just terrible. If you read this rating, don't let it discourage you from reading because you might like it. I'm just saying that I thought it wasn't good.

[Omaira · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Una historia que desaprovecha todo su potencial. Podría haber presentado un romance que mezclara lo prohibido y lo oscuro, pero todo se queda en un par de amoríos simplones que no logran resultar especiales. El misterio del lobo tiene demasiados altibajos y, lamentablemente, consigue generar muy poca tensión. Hay algunas páginas en las que hay más acción, y solo por ese motivo no le doy la mínima puntuación. Y una advertencia: tened cuidado, pues parece que no todas las ediciones incluyen el capítulo final, así que puede que os quedéis sin la respuesta a la incógnita principal de la novela".

Reseña completa: https://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspo...

[Kristen's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

... there is no definite ending... am I just suppose to assume!? Cuz we know that's never a good thing.
...I need to sit on this before finishing the review...

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there is a village much like other villages in the time of yore. In this village is a girl named Valerie, her older sister named Lucie, and their parents, Suzette with unrequited love for another, and Cesaire, the town drunk who carries sorrow in his heart. In a different house lives the grandmother who has been accused of being a witch.

The village has an agreement with a very big, very bad wolf. Full moon comes and a goat or some other poor creature is sacrificed for the wolf's meal. And the wolf leaves the villagers alone. But then the wolf kills Lucie. At the same time, Valerie's childhood friend, Peter arrives. He has secrets. Coincidentally, Valerie becomes betrothed to the village hottie, Henry. And this is the requisite love triangle.

I read on the internet (so I KNOW it must be true) that this novel started as a screen play. In fact, the movie will be released in March. Along with the final chapter of the book. So, yes, the book ends with a cliffhanger but I'm pretty certain I know who the wolf is and it's none of the usual suspects. In fact, the speculation will definitely drive up the hype for the movie release. But even with my "knowledge" of the wolf, there are still unanswered questions. I'm just going to put my suspicions in the envelope here and let you open it after the identity is revealed.

Hint: It's not someone that Valerie or any of the other characters suspect. If I'm wrong, I'll buy you all ice cream.

Also found on the internet (very reliable source), I found that this book stands alone. The answers had better be in that final chapter. I reserve the right to change my star rating. Including up.

What I loved: The imagery evoked is astonishing. Although a little slow in the beginning, I enjoyed the quiet tale reminiscent of M. Night Shamalayan's The Village. Particularly the moment when the wolf slips down part of its face to reveal human eyes as it talks to Valerie with a voice both male and female, beast and human. (I heard: We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile). Continuing with the imagery, this is a bloody book. The wolf really is big and bad.

What I didn't love: Character development. I wouldn't go so far as to accuse any of the characters of being one dimensional, but a couple come pretty close. I would have liked to know what qualities both Peter and Henry possessed to be of interest. Also, something happened to make Peter and his father disappear all those years ago. Is that when Valerie and Peter bonded? Then what is the attraction now? Then there's Henry with better character development which leads to me wonder why Valerie isn't leaving Peter in the dust. Suzette and Cesaire have secrets that need to be revealed for me to have closure. I believe that Valeries parents and grandmother know much more about the wolf than they let on.

Also what I didn't love: The non-ending. However, since the book was supposed to coincide with the release of the movie (as per internet gossip), I can see this as a great marketing tool to boost sales for the movie which looks FANTASTIC, by the way. Catherine Hardwicke of Twilight fame is directing it. I've made no secret about my disappointment for the first Twilight movie (which nixed the next three) but this is not Twilight. This is not a Chick Flick.

Back to my love: The writing and the story is compelling. I went into it without expectations and found it to be a compelling page turner. I would not suggest the reader skip the book and just read the last chapter when it is released on the internet. It is a truly unique and enjoyable read.

*Ammendment* I hate to do this but I just read the last chapter. Maybe I lost the magic of the book since I read it and then finished the last chapter at redridinghoodbook.com but I was so disappointed. The wolf is revealed. Interesting. Not expected at all. Not a bad ending. But it didn't end there.

I know the Brothers Grimm were morbid and the real fairy tales have been greatly composted with unicorns pooping rainbows. I didn't expect an ending that brought all the dead back but I did want a little satisfactory feeling at the end. Instead it went something like this:

Big reveal.
More death.
Explanation why Valerie's sister was killed which was a great big HUH? That doesn't even make sense! Why would he kill her for that?
Fight scene.
Someone dies.
Someone gets bit.
Yet even after all the trauma, let's throw in a gratuitous sex scene.
Nobody lives happily ever after.

[Anto M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivisitazione in chiave dark-horror della celebre favola di Perrault. L'ambientazione, oscura e tetra, fa vivere una costante inquietudine e in qualche modo affascina il lettore facendolo immergere nella storia e farlo diventare parte attiva, per comprendere chi sia il lupo che di notte uccide senza pietà gli abitanti del villaggio di Daggorhorn. Peccato che poi prenda una piega diversa, con cambi di scene repentine che non fanno comprendere bene cosa sia successo e un finale che poteva essere assolutamente migliore.

Leggendo qualche recensione alla fine della lettura ho compreso il perché di questo stile che via via diventava più inconcludente: è un libro tratto da un film! Quindi l'autrice probabilmente si è limitata a trasporre su carta una sceneggiatura e non è riuscita a far emergere determinate sensazioni.
Vorrà dire che guarderò il film per un confronto.

[Shainlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty gothic version of the story as if it weren’t already a dark tale. This version is just with a teenage/ ya Valerie as RRH and you see all of the village life, her family, why the wolf comes for her, and what is in her heart and mind. It’s actually a mystery. I loved this version of the story. Don’t be fooled by the description, there is an element of true love in here vs marrying whomever her parents say but there is so much more to this story. Betrayal, family secrets, religious fanaticism, torture-yes it can get pretty grisly! I never said it was a lite version!

[lobelyys · Rating 3 out of 5]

This honestly was sooo boring. Like there was an eerie type of feeling, but it was so stretched out that it became only annoying. I gave it three stars because... honestly I don't know. Like it was bad, but it captivated me enough that i actually wanted to know what happened in the end even if I hated it.

[Mizuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's be very frank here, this book is one hell of a disaster. If I can give it zero star, I would have done this. If you don't want to feel disappointed and cheated, stay the hell away from it. If you think Twilight is bad, then you can try this one in order to see what lowest of the lows looks like. I don't know how this Red Riding Hood manages to outdo Twilight at being silly and bad. But trust me, it does.

Looks like Red Riding Hood is its author first ever novel, but I only saw the name of Catherine Hardwicke, director of Twilight and Red Riding Hood on the cover, but not the name of Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, the author of the text. I would have felt sorry for Blakley-Cartwright if her novel isn't so poorly written.

The characters are one of the main problems why this novel is so much of a failure. The 'heroine' Valerie is plain and unlikable, she's supposedly 'different' from other villagers, but I just don't see how she is different. The Wolf wants her for himself because he senses they have things in common. The proof of it being: Valerie killed a rabbit when she was a kid.

Oh my goodness, does the author ever know hunting, handling and slaughtering animals was once part of the daily life for people who lived in medieval villages? Sorry, if Valerie didn't do anything worse than killing a mere rabbit, then I can't see how there's an inner darkness lurking inside her.

And there're Peter and Henry, the love interests. Oh god they are those empty cardboard cutout good-looking male leads whom you can find everywhere in the YA genre ever since Twilight. They're featureless and flat, they can barely even be counted as characters. The love triangle between Valerie, Peter and Henry is also very uninteresting.

Did I mention that the teenager characters in the book sound like they are American high school kids in the modern era instead of residents of a medieval village?

We also got a lot shifts of POVs from one secondary character to another, those extra POVs are so clumsily excised that they are counter-productive to the story. Characters' thoughts and feeling should be naturally revealed to the audience through the storytelling, not being spoon-fed to us as mechanically as the author had done! I don't need to hear what Valerie's mother, Claude or even Father Solomon are supposed to be feeling, damnit!

The Big Bad Wolf in the novel is one hell of a clichéd villain, he wants only Valerie and threats to kill everyone she loves. Oh please, I'd rather have a wolf that kills people at random because IT IS HUNGRY, NOT BECAUSE IT WANTS A GIRL. I also think the idea of a Big Bad Wolf which accepts monthly animal sacrifice then (mostly) leaves the villagers in peace is stupid and lame. Plus the Wolf later murders Valerie's sister, but said sister is so flat and vague a character that I can't bring myself to care about her AT ALL.

I cannot help comparing Red Riding Hood with Angela Carter's The Company of Wolves, an amazing, poetic collection of short stories which deals with love, sexual awakening of young girl, revenge, magic, gender roles and power struggle between male and female. Oh my goodness! Comparing the epic fault that is Red Riding Hood with a classic of fairytale-retelling makes the former looks like a piece of crap. I'm sorry but there's no nicer way to say it. Plus comparing the two books makes me suspect Red Riding Hood rips off from Carter's good works (e.g an older sister who was killed by the Wolf, the Wolf being a werewolf, etc).

I also suspect that the author wrote this book after watching the movie version and then penned every single scene down and stuff them into her story, while adding a lot of 'inner thoughts' of different characters which involves a great deal of 'tell, not show'. The author has nothing more than 'cardboard cutout characters live in a cardboard cutout village in a cardboard cutout world' to offer us. That isn't how a novel should work! Not to mention the story is supposed to be a 'gothic' one but for the life in me, I just can't see how!

Now I'll get down to the worst part: This novel has no ending! No, the publisher didn't have the decency to publish a completed book! You can imagine my disappointment and anger when I turned the last page only to find I'm supposed to check out the final chapter on a website!

Through the years, the classical fairytale of Red Riding Hood has become a rich foundation which helps authors to expose the nature of desire, sex, danger, violence, death, social norms, a girl's weakness and strength, but Sarah Blakley-Cartwright's version of Red Riding Hood tells us nothing new, in fact it barely manages to hold its story and characters together. If you want to read about werewolves and Little Red Riding Hood, try The Company of Wolves or Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls or even watch VAST's Pretty When You Cry music video instead.

[Cachotia · Rating 3 out of 5]

El clásico cuento de caperucita pero desde una visión gótica y tétrica.
Es la historia del cuento, pero desde un nuevo punto de vista, que suma a la trama un triángulo amoroso, secretos, misterios y suspense.
En esta nueva versión, Valerie, hija de una familia humilde y pobre, es una joven atrevida, extrovertida, y sin miedo a vivir y disfrutar. Sus padres la comprometen con Henry aunque ella no lo quiere.
Henry es el joven más rico de la aldea, tranquilo y trabajador, evita problemas y su gran amor es Valerie.
Peter, el último miembro del triángulo amoroso, amigo de travesuras de la infancia de Valerie, es humilde y trabajador, es leñador, extrovertido y aventurero.
Peter y Valerie están enamorados pero no aprueban su amor. Deciden huir, una huida que se ve truncada por el lobo, un animal que lleva amenazando durante décadas la tranquilidad de esta aldea.
Algo que me ha gustado mucho es que se conserva la ambientación de la casa de la abuela, que vive en el bosque separada del resto de aldeanos, y la capa roja que la abuela regala a Valerie.
A lo largo del libro, la escritora juega con la mente del lector, haciéndote dudar de la identidad humana del lobo, provoca tu desconfianza hacia todos, exepto de quién realmente es.
El final es realmente inesperado, te aseguro que te va a sorprender, lo único que no me ha gustado es que se trata de un final abierto y que no hay continuación del libro.
Al inicio el libro es algo lento, pero una vez que lees unas cuantas páginas, te engancha. Está narrado en tercera persona, desde el punto de vista de Valerie, los capítulos son cortos, por lo que la lectura es más rápida.
Un buen libro para pasar el rato.

[Kaede · Rating 1 out of 5]

First thing's first, I'll admit I didn't finish this book. So those of you out there who take pleasure in going to different one-star DNF reviews and yelling at the reviewers, stating that they have no right reviewing a book they didn't finish, you can back off now. Because while I admitted to not finishing this book, I did skim the remaining 50 pages I had left. I am fully aware of the events that occur within this book, and therefore am not basing my opinions with no support.

The biggest fault Red Riding Hood has going for itself is the fact that it has no ending. Yep, that's right. You want to know how it really ends? You can either:

A) Watch the movie.

B) I believe it is available online, but don't quote me on that.

Red Riding Hood has a remotely interesting plot, a nice spin off the original fairytale. But maybe it's because it was spun off and taken from another story, it's basic premise was already invented, crafted, and a story I myself am quite familiar with, the overall plot lost some of it's appeal.

I also, much to my dismay, found the characters bland and irresponsible. Sadly to say, I just wasn't interested.

The movie wasn't bad though. Not at all.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I rate a book with 3 stars this mean that the book means nothing to me. It's good, I didn't mind to read it but I would have preferred spend the time that I spent reading it, doing (or reading) anything else. For me this book is indifferent. Have read it or not would have been the same thing. Well not exactly the same thing. I spent time reading it...

I liked the idea. It's interesting, really interesting and I really liked the way the references to the Little Red Riding Hood appear, discreetly.

I liked the plot. Valerie lost her sister. She was killed by the Wolf, a dangerous werewolf that scares Valerie's village. She is sad, hurt and scared. And to make matters worse she is betrothed to the blacksmith. He is kind, beautiful and rich but is not the one who Valerie's want. She wants the woodcutter, her childhood friend who needed to run away but now is here again. And then the village receive a news. The Wolf is one of them. He is someone in the village and anyone is safe while he is alive.

But I didn't like the way how it was written. I don't know... something about it makes impossible I connect with the characters or feel the story even if the plot is good and the characters really creative. I don't know... I can't connect with them!

And this makes the book indifferent. Nothing special. For me it means nothing and it is a shame because the synopsis was really good and I had high expectations when I start reading it...

[Arybo ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non sono 4 stelle piene, soprattutto a causa del finale. Resta il fatto che sia un libro scritto bene, che spinga ad andare avanti nella lettura e che possa dare anche spazio ad una indagine paranormale del tipo "chi è il Lupo?... Zun zun".
Quindi ciao.

[Dolceluna ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Era partito bene, atmosfera oscura, ambientazione rurale, trama che faceva presagire una storia gialla più che soprannaturale. Poiché nel villaggio in cui vive la nostra eroina, la giovane Valerie, avvengono strani omicidi e la credenza popolare li attribuisce a un “lupo” al quale, nel corso degli anni, i villeggianti hanno sempre sacrificato animali. Ma si intuisce che sotto al lupo ci può essere uno degli altri personaggi, forse Henry, il ricco fabbro cui essa è promessa sposa, forse Peter, il bello e dannato di cui lei è innamorata, forse una delle sue tante amiche. L’autrice gioca con gli elementi classici della fiaba di Cappuccetto Rosso (c’è il lupo, la nostra Valerie indossa un mantello rosso e poi sì, c’è anche Nonna, personaggio inquietante, possibile assassino!) e ci costruisce attorno questa fiaba nera. Che all’inizio, sì, mi aveva presa. Poi, verso i tre quarti della libro, con un aggrovigliarsi di azioni, mi sono un po’ persa e il mio interesse e il mio entusiasmo sono calati un po’. Eppure la storia resta gialla di fondo, lo dico perché questo a mio avviso è importante. E se si ha la sensazione di non avere capito nulla dopo aver terminato l’ultima riga, beh, basta andarsi a leggere il capitolo “segreto” (indicato con un link sul libro stesso) e si scoprirà l’identità del lupo, con risvolti, lo ammetto, quasi comici.
Nel complesso non è memorabile ma non è nemmeno una boiata.

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces]

Read this several years ago in preparation for the movie (which I never saw as everyone said it was terrible). The book is not worth your time. The writing is like that of a seventh grade dropout and get this, the ending is not written just so you can go see the movie and see how it ends. Seriously?! I felt pretty conned by that. Don't buy this as it's basically cheating you.

[Kayla Silverss · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually found this book lying around. I picked it up and it was actually okay!

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'era una volta una ragazza. E c'era una volta un Lupo.

Gli ingredienti ci tono tutti: il villaggio, il bosco, la nonna, il lupo, e lei, Valerie, il Cappuccetto Rosso di questa storia.

La Nonna le aveva regalato un meraviglioso mantello rosso. Non aveva mai visto niente del genere. Era il rosso delle distanze, delle fantasie, un rosso straniero, un rosso che non apparteneva a quel posto.

Il rosso del Male, il rosso del Diavolo, il rosso delle streghe...

Atmosfera cupa e misteriosa quanto basta per farne - oltre che un fantasy (e tanto romance) - quasi un giallo: chi si nasconde sotto i peli del Lupo? A chi appartengono quegli occhi così luminosi? E quella voce suadente? Di chi fidarsi e chi invece temere?

Nonostante io non sia più in una età tale da apprezzare appieno questo tipo di storie, devo dire che nelle ultime pagine un po' di pathos l'ho vissuto. Anche perché il racconto quasi lo impone (le scene di violenza non mancano!). Per un po' mi è sembrato di tornare ragazza e di rivivere certi stati di attesa...

Ah, un gran bella sensazione!

Sensazione che però - in questo caso - non mi fa andare oltre le tre stelle, ma che - nello stesso tempo - mi ha fatto venir voglia di curiosare ancora in questo Regno.


📖 GdL tema del mese (set. 2018): il colore (nel titolo) 🎨

🦄 Nel regno della fantasia

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado, pero debo de admitir que el final no lo entendí. Tiene huecos, si no te has visto la película cuesta de entender y al mismo tiempo como ya se el final ser pierde el factor sorpresa, lo que hace que el libro no sea tan disfrutable, ya que es tirando a misterio.
Ha sido interesante de leer, hace años era muuy fan de la película, me la he visto más de 10 veces. Aunque no me gusto que en la novela Valerie fuera insegura con Peter, en la película ella lo quiere sin dudarlo desde el minuto 1.
Y me deja claro cosas que dudaba del principio de la película.

[Marilena ⚓ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Για retelling δεν μου άρεσε..