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kawooreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
With every Christina Henry novel I devour, I grow to love the author even more. Her ability to take fairy tales, unravel them, and re-weave into new stories is unmatched. This one, if you can't tell by the cover, is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. Only this book is in modern times, and Red is trying to cross a plague-ridden land to get to her grandmother's house hidden in the woods, isolated from infection and vigilante survivors. This book was published in 2019, so reading about a societal collapse due to the killer "Cough" was chilling in a post-Covid world. Red is a badass, a young woman traveling through the woods with a survival pack, sharp hand-axe, and a prosthetic leg. As she comes upon survivors, she must vigilantly decide the risk of infection as well as the risk of attack. Convinced she is not a heroine, she performs some pretty heroic acts. As she gets closer to Grandma's house, she begins to gather clues as to what exactly this contagion is and why it's ripping people apart. Nothing is as it seems. I love that in this rendition, there is no damsel in distress, that Little Red Riding Hood fights the "wolves" herself! This book is horror science fiction, so the content warnings include a multitude of moments related to death, body trauma, blood, violence, grief, etc. It's not a pretty story, but it is a good one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Death of parent
nrogers_1030's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Hate crime, and Racism
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