Book Review- Red Riding Hood

By Sarah Blakely-Cartwright

With an introduction by Catherine Hardwicke

Screenplay by David Leslie Johnson

Book Published by Little Brown

Released on Janruary 25th, 2011

Source- book from Little Brown for review

4 stars- It's a good read

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 (quoted from Goodreads).

I enjoy reading a well written re-telling of a classic fairytale, which there's been a few of lately. Little Red Riding is one of them. I liked that the book is based on the movie, which I felt read well. I really liked the twists that were thrown in to this unique spin on Little Red Hiding Hood. I liked that this story isn't one for little kids, as it's darker undertones will be more appealing to teens and adults, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie.

Valerie the main character is someone I admired, as she's drawn to the wolf, despite the fact the wolf has turned her tiny village into a place of mass hysteria and panic from it's recent attacks. Mixed into all this is a love triangle between Valerie, Peter and Henry. Peter is the guy Valerie grew up with, roaming the woods, spending their childhood days together and until Peter leaves town abruptly with his dad one day and doesn't return until 10 years later. Then there's Henry, the mysterious handsome boy who Valerie seems to connect with on a different level. To add to all this is the cunning wolf who Valerie is also drawn to. There's something familiar about it....

With the story being told from the various view points, I was constantly trying to figure out which of the characters could be the wolf. Was it Peter or Henry or could it be someone else. There's an air of mystery surrounding many of the characters and the wolf, and I like that I was drawn into the story by trying to figure out who it could be. The plot twists were great as no one knows for sure who the wolf is, and I really liked that the classic fairy tale details were left in the book with the red cape, Grandma living in the woods alone, Valerie being the smart, fearless maiden and of course an evil intelligent wolf.

I really enjoyed the setting, which is in a mountainous area surrounded by woods, and has a feeling of a mid-century era to it, though the year is never revealed. Then there's the ending, which I enjoyed as I'm left wondering who the wolf is! Knowing there's a movie that will reveal the ending the book doesn't, I like that the book doesn't giveaway any spoilers and I know what I'll be doing on March 11th, 2011! If you're not able to see the movie, be rest assured that Little Brown will reveal the final chapter to Red Riding Hood on March 14th, 2011 @ am EST on www.redridinghoodbook.com. I for one am looking forward to finding out who the wolf is, as I have my suspicions nailed down between two people.

I recommend picking up Red Riding Hood. It's a fun read that offers something to both teen and adult readers. It's definitely not the fairytale I was read when I was a little kid. There's a lot more action in this story and I'm looking forward to seeing that brought to life on the big screen.