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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a blood-soaked book. I have not read Damsel, although I've heard it's controversial. I'm not sure if it would have prepared me for this or not? It also has some of the more graphic sex scenes I've read in a YA book. The tense is second person. To me, a lot of these things should somehow combine to make a book that is hard to read and absorb. And at times, it is. And at times, the period talk is so frank that you are surprised, and then feel disappointment that something that happens to roughly 51% of the population is so shrouded in mystery. There was something about this book that reminded me of Rory Power's work, so I think those would be interesting to read in conjunction.
girl power? normalizing periods? garbage abusers getting what they deserve? this book has it all and i love it
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Red Hood is a neat take on Little Red Riding Hood. As a full fledged adult, it was awkward reading explicit sex scenes between two sixteen year olds, but if I was reading this at sixteen, I would be totally taken (I choked on my tea when Bisou’s mother’s birth year was revealed and she’s only a year than me). Love that menstruation is a central figure in this book, the women characters support and love each.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Such a disappointment...I didn't finish hence no ratings. There is potential but second person POV
Well that was...edgier than I expected. One star is for January narrating because wow she is just amazing at it. I thought I liked where it was going, but I was hoping for more resolution. It’s very nail on the head. And very violent. And surprisingly sexy. So, make of that what you will. I’m not sure if there’s an actual teen I would give it to, but I’d love to talk to one about it. I appreciate the narrative choice to write in the second person, but it did NOT work for me.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a kind of letter between generations of feminism. Definitely Atwoodian in its brand of cathartic female power (I'm reminded of [b:The Power|29751398|The Power|Naomi Alderman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462814013l/29751398._SY75_.jpg|50108451] with its also-clear Atwood influence). It's styled a bit more to reach the current generation, and is one of those books that slips in advice to girls who might need it—basic feminist terms and concepts, ways of understanding or thinking about periods, positive examples of healthy sexual relationships in youth—but ultimately I think the feminism is more second-wave than third-. The book is enjoyable, the plot pulls you along, the characters are not deep but are deep enough to hold up. It's more parable than full world, with a rather black-and-white conception of morality that makes this book good but not a standout.
More of a high 3. A light fairytale retelling this is not. This is a book that is as much message as novel, which is pretty much par for the course with Arnold. There is a lot of metaphor and symbolism and it is definitely not for everyone.