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Red Hood
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You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked.
And the wolf is angry.
Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds h ...more
And the wolf is angry.
Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds h ...more
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Elana Arnold
RED HOOD is a singular creation.
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yes, the main character has a boyfriend throughout the whole novel and there is explicit sex hope that helps
Community Reviews
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Start your review of Red Hood
There’s a great many things hard to fathom immediately after you finish a book that set themselves straight only later, in solitude, in memory. Like removing a pair of smudged-up glasses that fuzzed everything you saw. Red Hood troubled me for days, simmered in the cauldron of my mind. Many things about this novel did not sit well with me, and hung like gun smoke in the air.
I couldn’t put myself into the picture of it. And here, I think, is the reason why.
But first, what is this book about?
Bisou ...more
I couldn’t put myself into the picture of it. And here, I think, is the reason why.
But first, what is this book about?
Bisou ...more
You are the hunter, and this wolf, though he thinks he is the predator, is your prey.
Elana K. Arnold is one of my favourite writers of the twisted and disturbing. I eagerly seek out her new books and always find myself feeling a little shaken at the end. However, I've said before of Damsel that it should have been marketed as an adult book, and I think that is even more true of this one. Arnold's novels get these gorgeous YA fantasy covers, but I think it leads them into the wrong hands.
In R ...more
im just not buying whatever brand of ‘feminism’ this book is trying to sell.
this story attempts to show the strength and empowerment of women through the retelling of a classic fairytale and i highly encourage that message, especially within novels directed towards teens (even though this story is definitely on the mature side of YA). but wow, i really do not agree with how that message is conveyed in this.
killing men because they mistreat you is not the answer. the taking of another life is nev ...more
this story attempts to show the strength and empowerment of women through the retelling of a classic fairytale and i highly encourage that message, especially within novels directed towards teens (even though this story is definitely on the mature side of YA). but wow, i really do not agree with how that message is conveyed in this.
killing men because they mistreat you is not the answer. the taking of another life is nev ...more
Dec 13, 2019
Nilufer Ozmekik
marked it as to-read
I loved GIRL IN RED and now another captivating retelling is out there! I want this wolf! I want this hood! I want every retelling of Grimm Brothers' bloody stories!
...more
Elana Arnold continues to flex on the entire book world by writing unflinching, raw, powerful novels about women taking back their power.
Mar 03, 2020
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library-book
3.5 stars. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is I’m tired of people using wolves as the bad guy/animal. And I hated the female period stuff. Gross. But the killing of evil bastards was the 5 star part 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
I originally rated this novel 4 stars, but the more I think about it, the more I am bothered by and uncomfortable with the ending. So I am leaving the rating off. Maybe one day I will settle on something...
__________________
Hoo boy, this review is a hard one for me to tackle. I am a huge Elana K. Arnold fan, but I am not sure I can get fully behind Red Hood, like I gladly did with Damsel. Some more people need to read this ARC and tell me if I'm wrong.
Red Hood is a sort of, kind of a retelling o ...more
__________________
Hoo boy, this review is a hard one for me to tackle. I am a huge Elana K. Arnold fan, but I am not sure I can get fully behind Red Hood, like I gladly did with Damsel. Some more people need to read this ARC and tell me if I'm wrong.
Red Hood is a sort of, kind of a retelling o ...more
The Written Review
Just released my Worst 2020 Books Video - now that you know this one made the list, click the link to find the rest!
Bisou was raised by her grandmother - and her g-ma was a cool one. She could go to her for anything...until she couldn't.
“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters,” you say. “It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”
On the first day of her very first period, Bisou finds herself confronted by a vicious wolf. And, somehow, she manages to kill ...more
[English Review - Reseña en Español]
|English|
I love you Elana K. Arnold, thanks for writing this wonder!
I didn't know I needed this book.
I mean, I requested an ARC from t ...more
|English|
“Maybe there could be more of you. More fighters.”
“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters,” you say. “It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”
“What we need right now,” Mémé says, her voice a cautious warning, “is to get through these next few days. Heads down. Eyes up. The world is not kind to women who cry wolf.”
I love you Elana K. Arnold, thanks for writing this wonder!
I didn't know I needed this book.
I mean, I requested an ARC from t ...more
Soo first off this book was very hard to get into and I definitely couldn’t connect with it on any level. A big part has to do with the fact that this was written in 2nd person. So this was a big no go for me.
![destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1557144778p2/15335689.jpg)
I desperately want Elana K. Arnold to focus the rest of her writing on endless feminist fairytale retellings ♥
Dec 26, 2019
h o l l i s
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
contemporary,
crime-mystery,
fantasy,
finished-in-december-2019,
hello-diversity,
retellings,
romance,
ya,
2019-reads,
arc
I requested this book for one reason only : because of DAMSEL. It's a book a lot of people hate, or dislike, or just feel uncomfortable about. And I don't begrudge anyone their feelings. But somehow it just worked for me. So when I saw yet another feminist sorta-retelling by the same author? I wanted it.
While this saying a lot of things, and unpacking all the societal gender issues, it just didn't quite work as a story. It felt very literal, the good girls killed by the wolves aren't good girls ...more
While this saying a lot of things, and unpacking all the societal gender issues, it just didn't quite work as a story. It felt very literal, the good girls killed by the wolves aren't good girls ...more
Jul 11, 2019
Candace Robinson
added it
Oh man... So I really liked the writing in Damsel which is why I requested this one to read. But I just couldn’t finish this one because I didn’t know it was written in second person POV!! I just can’t do the second person! 😩
4.5 stars
"There isn't always a wolf," Mémé reminds you, "but there is always the threat of one."
I came into this prepared to be salty and infuriated like I was with Damsel . . . but instead was utterly blown away by the sheer power of this book. This was such a fierce piece of feminism wrapped in a well-known fairytale. To say I loved this would be an understatement, and to say this is powerful would also be a drastic understatement. This book doesn't pull any punches but neither is it overtl ...more
I came into this prepared to be salty and infuriated like I was with Damsel . . . but instead was utterly blown away by the sheer power of this book. This was such a fierce piece of feminism wrapped in a well-known fairytale. To say I loved this would be an understatement, and to say this is powerful would also be a drastic understatement. This book doesn't pull any punches but neither is it overtl ...more
2.5 stars.
My expectations were a bit too high after reading Damsel. That was a damn near perfect book and after learning Elana would come out with a Red Riding Hood inspired novel, my expectations were high. However, the first sign of trouble started off when I learned this would be written in 2nd POV. Which... OK, it may not be my cup of tea but I hoped the story would be good. That was the second sign of trouble.
Needless to say, Red Hood was mediocre at best. The positives are outweighed by th ...more
My expectations were a bit too high after reading Damsel. That was a damn near perfect book and after learning Elana would come out with a Red Riding Hood inspired novel, my expectations were high. However, the first sign of trouble started off when I learned this would be written in 2nd POV. Which... OK, it may not be my cup of tea but I hoped the story would be good. That was the second sign of trouble.
Needless to say, Red Hood was mediocre at best. The positives are outweighed by th ...more
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss+ for an honest review.
“I stumbled to me feet and took off running.
Well, dear, he chased, and I am sure you know where this story goes. It’s your story, too, after all.
I ran, and he chased, and soon I became aware that it was no longer a man who followed me – it was a beast, a wolf.”
“who’s afraid of the big bad wolf
i am afraid
of everything.”
Bisou Martel ran from the car to escape t ...more
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss+ for an honest review.
“I stumbled to me feet and took off running.
Well, dear, he chased, and I am sure you know where this story goes. It’s your story, too, after all.
I ran, and he chased, and soon I became aware that it was no longer a man who followed me – it was a beast, a wolf.”
“who’s afraid of the big bad wolf
i am afraid
of everything.”
Bisou Martel ran from the car to escape t ...more
Thank you Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, death, murder, unwanted sexual pictures, being forced into a relationship, sex scenes (consensual and nonconsensual, but not too graphic), and menstruation
This review is really going to suck because I could easily ramble on about how amazing this was. Because this book is amazing. It is multigenerational looking at the same issues that women have dealt with throughou ...more
CW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, death, murder, unwanted sexual pictures, being forced into a relationship, sex scenes (consensual and nonconsensual, but not too graphic), and menstruation
This review is really going to suck because I could easily ramble on about how amazing this was. Because this book is amazing. It is multigenerational looking at the same issues that women have dealt with throughou ...more
I'm going to be honest - I actually read 50% of the book and then skimmed the rest because I just couldn't do it anymore.
This book was very problematic for me. In my opinion, it was written to make you uncomfortable. From the second person perspective to the very graphic and detailed descriptions about blood and periods and sexual experiences. I feel like this is the type of book you either "get" and love or don't get at all.
Unfortunately, I am the latter category. I didn't get it and I didn't ...more
This book was very problematic for me. In my opinion, it was written to make you uncomfortable. From the second person perspective to the very graphic and detailed descriptions about blood and periods and sexual experiences. I feel like this is the type of book you either "get" and love or don't get at all.
Unfortunately, I am the latter category. I didn't get it and I didn't ...more
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie DeFelice
This story can be described as bloody and brilliant. My favourite thing about Elana K. Arnold’s books is that they’re so unapologetically meant for the empowerment of young women. I relished diving into the world of Red Hood after reading Damsel, because I couldn’t wait to see what world Arnold would craft for us. She manages to turn the narrative of the Little Red Riding Hood and imbues it with the strength of a woman instead o ...more
This story can be described as bloody and brilliant. My favourite thing about Elana K. Arnold’s books is that they’re so unapologetically meant for the empowerment of young women. I relished diving into the world of Red Hood after reading Damsel, because I couldn’t wait to see what world Arnold would craft for us. She manages to turn the narrative of the Little Red Riding Hood and imbues it with the strength of a woman instead o ...more
Nice is different than good.
I will read everything Elana K. Arnold reads forever. I really loved our main cast, and I loved the second person POV. My one complaint is that I wish it had talked about how not every woman has a period, and not everyone who has a period is a woman; due to the focus on periods in this.
I will read everything Elana K. Arnold reads forever. I really loved our main cast, and I loved the second person POV. My one complaint is that I wish it had talked about how not every woman has a period, and not everyone who has a period is a woman; due to the focus on periods in this.
Gross.. so gross, but weirdly good?
Red Hood was an interesting retelling book. In it, you will meet Bisou who lives with her grandmother in Seattle. At first, I was a bit shocked with what was happening but then I quickly got over that and was fully invested in this book.
It all begins with Homecoming night. Like all good stories, Bisou is being running for her life in the woods. She is being chased by a vicious wolf.. or so it seems. Let's backtrack though, she went to the dance with her boyfri ...more
Red Hood was an interesting retelling book. In it, you will meet Bisou who lives with her grandmother in Seattle. At first, I was a bit shocked with what was happening but then I quickly got over that and was fully invested in this book.
It all begins with Homecoming night. Like all good stories, Bisou is being running for her life in the woods. She is being chased by a vicious wolf.. or so it seems. Let's backtrack though, she went to the dance with her boyfri ...more
The first word I thought of to describe ‘Red Hood’ is outstanding. It holds a potent message of female empowerment and gives us a whole new image of ‘Little Red Hiding Rood,’ and it’s coated in so much blood it feels like a murder-mystery. If just that makes you uncomfortable or woozy, you probably won’t be able to handle all the intense themes and topics* that author Elana K. Arnold weaves into this hypnotic coming-of-age tale. But if you love a brave story where cruel realities meet bold fanta
...more
Poetic, unusual, powerful. A gritty Little Red Riding Hood with strong messages of consent, and the power of friendship as well as the power of femininity. If you think about it too hard, with regards to world-building, as you would with a regular fantasy, it doesn't answer a lot of "How" questions. But that's irrelevant. It's more of a prose poem about womanhood than anything else.
But although I am all for demystifying periods, I really, and I mean really, do not need actual details about chan ...more
But although I am all for demystifying periods, I really, and I mean really, do not need actual details about chan ...more
2.5
Issues I Had With This Book
* Why the 2nd Person?: I feel like if you are going to write a book in 2nd person, there should be some impact but I didn't feel it here.
* I See What You're Doing Here: My friend and I were reading this at the same time and she pointed out how Arnold is teaching teens how to do stuff such as make tea and put on a condom. And although some teens do get sex ed in books and I didn't find anything wrong with teaching, I just wish Arnold could have found a more clever wa ...more
Issues I Had With This Book
* Why the 2nd Person?: I feel like if you are going to write a book in 2nd person, there should be some impact but I didn't feel it here.
* I See What You're Doing Here: My friend and I were reading this at the same time and she pointed out how Arnold is teaching teens how to do stuff such as make tea and put on a condom. And although some teens do get sex ed in books and I didn't find anything wrong with teaching, I just wish Arnold could have found a more clever wa ...more
Spectacular!
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Dear Lord this review is a hard one to write. Not because the book was bad, but because it was SO DAMN GOOD!
I knew after reading "Damsel" that Elana would do the same with Red Hood too: deconstruct the fairytale and give to the readers the spirit of the story set in the real world: that everywhere there are predators and sometimes women have to fight back and become equally ...more
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Dear Lord this review is a hard one to write. Not because the book was bad, but because it was SO DAMN GOOD!
I knew after reading "Damsel" that Elana would do the same with Red Hood too: deconstruct the fairytale and give to the readers the spirit of the story set in the real world: that everywhere there are predators and sometimes women have to fight back and become equally ...more
I am sad - and furious - that so many women have internalized misogyny to such an extent that they deem this book an attack on men. There are brave, progressive, feminist men in this book - men as heroes and accomplices to women wronged. And even if there hadn’t been, the fact that I’m sitting here watching women label this book as misandry - when every man killed is slain by women defending themselves from a murderous attack — is appalling. Every young woman should read this book. We can expand
...more
Three reasons to not give 3 stars:
1. Second person POV. (Really I can't bear the second person narrations).
2. Start was so slow.
3. Couldn't bring myself to agree with the feminism part which the author tries to narrate through this story. ...more
1. Second person POV. (Really I can't bear the second person narrations).
2. Start was so slow.
3. Couldn't bring myself to agree with the feminism part which the author tries to narrate through this story. ...more
I'm excited to be a part of the RED HOOD blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from, February 18th - February 24th, 2020!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
Content Warning: Premarital Sex, consensual and non-consensual, Death of a loved one and on-page death, Murd ...more
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
Content Warning: Premarital Sex, consensual and non-consensual, Death of a loved one and on-page death, Murd ...more
Imagine if you just barely escaped one of the most embarrassing moments of your life to find yourself at the mercy of claws and teeth. You're running through the forest, but you know in your heart that you aren't fast enough to escape the wolf. You turn around and make a stand as adrenaline courses through your veins and a sense of purpose washes over you. The wolf is dead at your feet.
The first thing that stood out to me about this book was the second person POV. Very few books I have ever read ...more
The first thing that stood out to me about this book was the second person POV. Very few books I have ever read ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Buddy Readers'...: Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold - Starting April 14, 2020 | 3 | 14 | Apr 19, 2020 03:05PM | |
| Mock Printz 2021: March Selection: Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold | 3 | 89 | Mar 06, 2020 07:30PM |
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ELANA K. ARNOLD writes books for and about children and teens. She holds a master’s degree in Creative Writing/Fiction from the University of California, Davis where she has taught Creative Writing and Adolescent Literature. Her most recent YA novel, DAMSEL, is a Printz Honor book, Her 2017 novel, WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and her middle grade novel, A BOY ...more
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“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters,” you say. “It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”
—
7 likes
“Freshman year, you said yes to Graham when he asked you to be his date to a dance, even though you didn't want to. Mémé, who was driving you to the school to meet him, kept looking at you out of the corner of her eye, until at last she said, "Dear one, why did you agree to go out with this boy when you are so clearly unhappy about it?"
"Because," you said, "I felt sorry for him, and he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Mémé had pulled the car into the next parking lot and turned off the engine. She turned in her seat t face you. "Darling," she said, and her hazel eyes were electric, her mouth a straight flat line, "it is not your job to make boys happy.”
—
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More quotes…
"Because," you said, "I felt sorry for him, and he wouldn't take no for an answer."
Mémé had pulled the car into the next parking lot and turned off the engine. She turned in her seat t face you. "Darling," she said, and her hazel eyes were electric, her mouth a straight flat line, "it is not your job to make boys happy.”
