The Red Riding Hood

Retold of Old #1

by G. Lawrence

This is a tale of grandmothers, wolves, witches, woodsmen and a girl with a red cape... But it's not the one you know.In a land torn first by war, and then by the great shaking of the Earth, heroes and heroines will rise from the most unlikely of places, taking part in a quest to find the Chosen One and stop the red darkness rising beneath the earth from taking over their world. This is a tale of courage and compassion, retribution and revenge, of heroes, magic and what it takes to heal a world and its people. The Red Riding Hood is part of the Retold of Old series by G. LawrenceThe author's thanks are due to Brian Milton, proof reader of this work and Giusy D'Anna, the cover designer.

518 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2020

About the author

I am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.

The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.

I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...

You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...

Reviews

[Christie Powell]

This is an excellent book, with a strong story and relatable characters. However, it's not a book to binge read. It's a book to read slowly and savor (perhaps out loud). There is a lot of wisdom worked into the story. The omniscient narrator makes it feel like a fairytale--a very long one that twists and turns. Some of the observations made me laugh aloud. It's a story about life, with so many quotes that I'd love to paint on my wall. It's a great experience to read and I highly recommend taking the journey.

[Evelyn Chartres]

Stories have a life of their own, and as they are retold, they take on the personality of the storyteller. The tale of The Red Riding Hood is no exception, and indie author Gemma Lawrence does a fantastic job of breathing life into a fairy tale that we all know and love.

The life of this story is infused through the narrator, a wise (cracking) entity who never fails to pass on their pearls of wisdom. The reader is introduced to the reality that this particular story has been simplified over the generations, distilled and distorted until it became a perversion of the truth.

This variant is more of an epic fantasy, filled with mythical creatures, battles, revenge, wolves, grandmothers, and chosen ones. Despite the grand scale, the narrator never loses that fairy tale voice.

Effectively, this story reminds me of a bunch of drunken fishermen challenged to come up with the best fishing story. In truth, this works beautifully for this story.

If you are looking for yet another rendition of the tried and true Little Red Riding Hood, then steer away. If you seek a new creation that borrows from elements but marches to the beat of its own drum, then seek and ye shall find.

Well worth the price of admission!

[Jillian Bald]

"The Red Riding Hood" has a great cover with a wolf in a cape, but I am not so sure it can be called a "Retold of Old."

In the story there is a cape that happens to be red; a girl, someone's grandmother; wolves; a woodsman... It is more like "The Lord of the Rings" than the "Little Red Riding Hood" tale. It is a fantasy story set in a magical world with faes, trolls, witches, and humans.

G. Lawrence is a great storyteller, and her characters are always interesting and well-developed. Like all fables, there is a moral to share, and the author included many warnings to the reader. As I continued reading, I thought these slowed the story down in places where I would have preferred to move on with the action and whittle down some of the "lessons"--it was a long book, especially for a fairy tale.

G. Lawrence usually writes historical fiction/Tudor era novels. If you enjoy fantasy books, I would recommend checking out "The Red Riding Hood."

[T.A. Bound]

I have wanted to read one of G. Lawrence's books for some time, and this enchanting reimagining of Red Riding Hood was where I began my journey.
First, this is not simply a retelling of the familiar children's tale but is far more sweeping. The author takes the threads of the fairy tale and spins a garment of her own creation, which takes us in an unexpected direction. Let me say that my reading taste does not include high-concept fantasy, of fae or witches and magic, but G. Lawrence captivated me with her creativity and world-building. Like high-concept novels are supposed to do, she tackles serious issues in a pleasant and endearing way that drew me in.
I won't ruin the fun with spoilers, just trust me: read this book and enjoy the journey as I did!

[Dao My]

I have just read Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault Fiction. It's a great book! The main character is a little girl who wears a red hooded cloak. Little Red Riding Hood helped her mother bring food to her sticky grandmother. She met the wolf on the way and get tricked by the wolf so she revealed her grandma home address. After that, both grandma and the little gril swallowed by the wolf. In the end, they were saved by the hunter. I think it's a very exciting story. It has educational for everyone, especially children about life skills: stay away from strangers, do not reveal important information,... The illustrations are amazing, good plot, colourful, and I read it over and over without getting bored.

[Emily Kakolewski]

Read this book-great story!

What a wonderful story, the ones you treasure as you read and don’t put down until you have finished-but you will always carry it with you. Beautiful and humble. This author is a truly magical storyteller in all her books. Her way with words is brilliant.

[serena debesa]

Wonderful tale

Love G. Lawrence,...great author I've read all of her books mostly historical fiction and this one did not disappoint! Different genre but such a great story teller