You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
My full review can be found here!
It’s been so long since I last read a book in one go, but I could not put Red Hood down. It grabbed me from the very first page, the words sinking into me with tooth and claw, and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. I have a strong suspicion that Red Hood will be just as polarizing as Damsel, another of Arnold’s books. This will either be for you, or it won’t—and it won’t often fall between those two extremes.
First, there are a myriad of content warnings for this book—sexual assault, rape, unsolicited sexual pictures, violence, victim blaming and slutshaming, blood, gore, animal death, abuse, death of a parent, trauma, abortion, drugs, and vomiting. I’m not 100% convinced the tone may be appropriate for the younger spectrum of YA readers, but I’m also not going to police what books people should or shouldn’t read.
One of my favourite things about Arnold’s writing is how she uses fairy tales to reflect upon relevant real-world issues, particularly for young women. She doesn’t shy away from “retellings” even darker than the source material. She isn’t afraid to pull us into stories that are dark and terrifying and even make your skin crawl, sometimes.
Without a doubt, this is a feminist tale focused on empowering its female characters as they take on a system—and a world—designed to do everything but that. There is a deft handling of relationships and consent, of critiquing toxic masculinity and rape culture, and of tackling stigmatized elements of womanhood by writing about them with an unashamed honesty. There is a wonderful focus on (multigenerational) female friendships, and women that come together, supporting one another in a world that would rather beat them down and tear them apart.
I also really loved how Arnold navigated so many teenage firsts, from periods to sex. I was ecstatic to see such an open, honest dialogue about menstruation. It too often suffers from stigma (and that stigma has several awful repercussions). Because of that, I’m sure how Arnold chooses to describe periods will seem “disgusting.” I’m sure there will be readers who wish certain passages hadn’t made it into the book—such as the manner in which endometrium sheds in large globs and clumps, or the scene where Arnold’s protagonist Bisou inserts a tampon for the first time.
I am truly, extremely grateful for the straightforwardness here.
If anything, within the context of the story I was made uncomfortable by the way in which Bisou’s powers are entwined with her monthly cycle gave me very strong “anything you can do, I can do bleeding!” vibes. While it works for this particular story, and while I understand that periods can be empowering for some…on a larger scale it’s a very exclusionary approach to menstruation—because menstruation is not a function experienced only by women—and feels like a kick in the gut to those of us for whom that sentiment could not be more false (speaking from personal experience, my periods have only ever been awful and debilitating, due to having endometriosis).
In terms of craft, another of my favourite elements in Red Hood is the second person narration. It’s not a format you encounter often in books but its implementation in this particular book was perfect. It draws you in without ever making it feel as though you’re being preached to. The switch in narration for a portion of the novel was also beautifully chosen and executed.
If there were one qualm to have with Red Hood, it’s that I’m not quite sure where I sit with its conclusion. There is empowerment, of females coming together, but the execution undercut a lot of what I felt to be a more powerful message conveyed throughout the earlier portions of the book. Is the answer to violence, more violence? Can we condone some murders but not others? There is a questionable morality that I’m not convinced best reflects Arnold’s characters. Framed differently I think it would feel less unsettling.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“The animal confronting you is both a wolf and not a wolf. And you—you are both a girl and not a girl. You are a hunter, and this wolf, though he thinks he is the predator, is your prey.”
My full review can be found here!
It’s been so long since I last read a book in one go, but I could not put Red Hood down. It grabbed me from the very first page, the words sinking into me with tooth and claw, and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. I have a strong suspicion that Red Hood will be just as polarizing as Damsel, another of Arnold’s books. This will either be for you, or it won’t—and it won’t often fall between those two extremes.
First, there are a myriad of content warnings for this book—sexual assault, rape, unsolicited sexual pictures, violence, victim blaming and slutshaming, blood, gore, animal death, abuse, death of a parent, trauma, abortion, drugs, and vomiting. I’m not 100% convinced the tone may be appropriate for the younger spectrum of YA readers, but I’m also not going to police what books people should or shouldn’t read.
One of my favourite things about Arnold’s writing is how she uses fairy tales to reflect upon relevant real-world issues, particularly for young women. She doesn’t shy away from “retellings” even darker than the source material. She isn’t afraid to pull us into stories that are dark and terrifying and even make your skin crawl, sometimes.
Without a doubt, this is a feminist tale focused on empowering its female characters as they take on a system—and a world—designed to do everything but that. There is a deft handling of relationships and consent, of critiquing toxic masculinity and rape culture, and of tackling stigmatized elements of womanhood by writing about them with an unashamed honesty. There is a wonderful focus on (multigenerational) female friendships, and women that come together, supporting one another in a world that would rather beat them down and tear them apart.
“Strange how one thing can strengthen one person and weaken another.”
I also really loved how Arnold navigated so many teenage firsts, from periods to sex. I was ecstatic to see such an open, honest dialogue about menstruation. It too often suffers from stigma (and that stigma has several awful repercussions). Because of that, I’m sure how Arnold chooses to describe periods will seem “disgusting.” I’m sure there will be readers who wish certain passages hadn’t made it into the book—such as the manner in which endometrium sheds in large globs and clumps, or the scene where Arnold’s protagonist Bisou inserts a tampon for the first time.
I am truly, extremely grateful for the straightforwardness here.
If anything, within the context of the story I was made uncomfortable by the way in which Bisou’s powers are entwined with her monthly cycle gave me very strong “anything you can do, I can do bleeding!” vibes. While it works for this particular story, and while I understand that periods can be empowering for some…on a larger scale it’s a very exclusionary approach to menstruation—because menstruation is not a function experienced only by women—and feels like a kick in the gut to those of us for whom that sentiment could not be more false (speaking from personal experience, my periods have only ever been awful and debilitating, due to having endometriosis).
“But you know that today is today and not yesterday. You know time flows only in one direction—onward—and that you flow, too, that the stickiness between your thighs is proof that all of it happened.”
In terms of craft, another of my favourite elements in Red Hood is the second person narration. It’s not a format you encounter often in books but its implementation in this particular book was perfect. It draws you in without ever making it feel as though you’re being preached to. The switch in narration for a portion of the novel was also beautifully chosen and executed.
“It’s not that we need more wolf hunters. It’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves.”
If there were one qualm to have with Red Hood, it’s that I’m not quite sure where I sit with its conclusion. There is empowerment, of females coming together, but the execution undercut a lot of what I felt to be a more powerful message conveyed throughout the earlier portions of the book. Is the answer to violence, more violence? Can we condone some murders but not others? There is a questionable morality that I’m not convinced best reflects Arnold’s characters. Framed differently I think it would feel less unsettling.
An amazing book!
I wish something like this happened to me every time I get my menses.
I wish something like this happened to me every time I get my menses.
This is bloody. Gory. Gross. Gripping. Not for the faint of heart. I can see why some people are hating on it...these are the same who didn’t like Arnold’s other book Damsel. Meanwhile I loved this book. Yes, the message is bloody and violent, but it opens up discussions of female empowerment, periods, blood, and taking back our own narrative. I love it for that.
TW: rape, sexual assault, murder, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual harassment, sexual content
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of Red Hood. All opinions discussed here are my own.
Ohh I don't even know where to start with my review of Red Hood. Whilst I found the overall message of the book important and largely well-done, the book was such a confusing read and the focus on periods and wolves really knocked the actual message of the book for me. It almost felt like the book wanted to be two separate things and juts decided to merge them together?
Bisou makes a comment in this book about how it's not that we need to teach women about how to protect themselves from wolves, "it’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves” but the rest of this book doesn't really back that up? This is the message that should have been shouted from this book but sadly it just seemed to be about violence? Don't get me wrong, women definitely need to stand up for themselves and fight back to keep themselves safe, but we shouldn't be sending the message that this is the only way. Toxic masculinity is the thing that needs to change but this message just didn't really come across? Instead we end up with four women coming together in a bizarre sort of coven. I really don't feel like i'm explaining my view of this book well but that is just because it's so confusing it's hard to write my thoughts.
We have men in this book becoming literal wolves, but we get no explanation of this apart from the fact that it's meant to represent their "wild" and "bad" side. But I want to know why this happens because it spills this largely contemporary book into fantasy, and again detracts from the message for me.
There also seems to be a strong suggestion that women are only strong because of their periods? It's great to actually talk openly about periods but it sort of blurs the lines a bit and the heavy focus on periods again throws off the message of this book.
I love the idea of what this book wanted to be, I just don't think it was executed well and the message sort of gets lost in amongst the violence and blood.
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of Red Hood. All opinions discussed here are my own.
Ohh I don't even know where to start with my review of Red Hood. Whilst I found the overall message of the book important and largely well-done, the book was such a confusing read and the focus on periods and wolves really knocked the actual message of the book for me. It almost felt like the book wanted to be two separate things and juts decided to merge them together?
Bisou makes a comment in this book about how it's not that we need to teach women about how to protect themselves from wolves, "it’s that we need men to stop becoming wolves” but the rest of this book doesn't really back that up? This is the message that should have been shouted from this book but sadly it just seemed to be about violence? Don't get me wrong, women definitely need to stand up for themselves and fight back to keep themselves safe, but we shouldn't be sending the message that this is the only way. Toxic masculinity is the thing that needs to change but this message just didn't really come across? Instead we end up with four women coming together in a bizarre sort of coven. I really don't feel like i'm explaining my view of this book well but that is just because it's so confusing it's hard to write my thoughts.
We have men in this book becoming literal wolves, but we get no explanation of this apart from the fact that it's meant to represent their "wild" and "bad" side. But I want to know why this happens because it spills this largely contemporary book into fantasy, and again detracts from the message for me.
There also seems to be a strong suggestion that women are only strong because of their periods? It's great to actually talk openly about periods but it sort of blurs the lines a bit and the heavy focus on periods again throws off the message of this book.
I love the idea of what this book wanted to be, I just don't think it was executed well and the message sort of gets lost in amongst the violence and blood.
Think Red Riding Hood meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Red Hood is a YA book full of girl power and friendship. The action scenes were well written and I'd highly recommend the audiobook to full immerse yourself in them. It's very much a concept and character-based book and doesn't have much of a plot so beware if you need a fast-paced, plot-heavy book. It is never explained why boys are turning into wolves so that might be a source of frustration for readers. I will also warn you that this book talks a ton about periods and goes into detail about sex so if that makes you uncomfortable, maybe avoid this one. I will say that it was a bit refreshing to have menstruation not be a taboo topic and have a main female character like sex. I was pleasantly surprised to see that part of the book took place in Canada (in Quebec).
I've loved two of Elana K. Arnold's books and I'm looking forward to see if she write any other YA fairytale retellings.
I've loved two of Elana K. Arnold's books and I'm looking forward to see if she write any other YA fairytale retellings.
I just … I don’t even know what to say about this book. Actually, I do know what to say … and it’s that this ain’t it. Let me tell you why.
It’s not even that the story is bad … in fact, I was totally sucked into the story and found it mostly enjoyable overall. However, I think it could have been told with a whole lot more finesse.
First of all, the basic gist behind this story is that there are werewolves and during Bisou’s menstrual cycle she has the power to kill them. The thing about these werewolves is that they’re all bad, bad men and boys. We’re talking domestic abusers, sexual predators, you name it.
Sounds like an empowering, feminist tale, eh?
Except it’s not. First of all, it completely ignores that not all women menstruate. There is SO MUCH space in this book for transgender and non-binary representation. It’s not there though. In the real world, transgender individuals are in SO much danger of sexual violence, which is the main premise behind this book, yet they simply aren’t present. That alone makes this book scream TERF-iness. It made a seemingly interesting story leave a bad taste.
Furthermore - how to these men and boys become werewolves? Apparently we’re not really going to worry about that I guess? Is it not important? It may have been touched upon briefly but honestly I’m not even sure - all I know is they exist. I guess.
Another issue I had was the “men are inherently bad” plot. If I remember correctly, there are only TWO supporting male characters in this story that get any sort of page time that don’t end up being villains. One, the main character (Bisou) is constantly suspicious of and the other is someone she runs from within the first few pages because she does not trust his potential reaction to something embarrassing. (Yet Bisou is singing his praises a few chapters later, saying, “oh he’s not like that.”)
If one can get past the fact this book is told entirely from second person, one has to wonder if the author forgot that boys, transgender and non-binary folks also make up young adult readerships? I am all for feminist YA novels and feminist reimagining of typical YA tropes, but this definitely had a “you don’t matter” quality to it. The second person perspective forces the reader to self-insert, but also delivers the message that men are the enemy, only women who menstruate are powerful, and trans/enby folks literally don’t exist in this world.
I also want to point out that this book is certainly upper YA, as it has graphic descriptions of menstruation, including tampon insertion and blood talk, as well as detailed descriptions of sex. I don’t usually mind stuff like this, but the way the author wrote these moments made it feel very voyeuristic and in-your-face. Again, pointing out how the only women that seem to matter in this book are those who menstruate.
I am just not really sure what to make of what I read. Again, the *idea* behind the story is there. Despite the ridiculous second person perspective, I found myself drawn into and engrossed by the story. But there were SO many missed opportunities. So much space for representation that was left void. I want to read Damsel by this author as well, which I’ve owned for a few years and understand it has also been marketed as a feminist novel, however I feel like … with the borderline TERF territory this novel ventures into, I need to keep an eye on this author as well.
It’s not even that the story is bad … in fact, I was totally sucked into the story and found it mostly enjoyable overall. However, I think it could have been told with a whole lot more finesse.
First of all, the basic gist behind this story is that there are werewolves and during Bisou’s menstrual cycle she has the power to kill them. The thing about these werewolves is that they’re all bad, bad men and boys. We’re talking domestic abusers, sexual predators, you name it.
Sounds like an empowering, feminist tale, eh?
Except it’s not. First of all, it completely ignores that not all women menstruate. There is SO MUCH space in this book for transgender and non-binary representation. It’s not there though. In the real world, transgender individuals are in SO much danger of sexual violence, which is the main premise behind this book, yet they simply aren’t present. That alone makes this book scream TERF-iness. It made a seemingly interesting story leave a bad taste.
Furthermore - how to these men and boys become werewolves? Apparently we’re not really going to worry about that I guess? Is it not important? It may have been touched upon briefly but honestly I’m not even sure - all I know is they exist. I guess.
Another issue I had was the “men are inherently bad” plot. If I remember correctly, there are only TWO supporting male characters in this story that get any sort of page time that don’t end up being villains. One, the main character (Bisou) is constantly suspicious of and the other is someone she runs from within the first few pages because she does not trust his potential reaction to something embarrassing. (Yet Bisou is singing his praises a few chapters later, saying, “oh he’s not like that.”)
If one can get past the fact this book is told entirely from second person, one has to wonder if the author forgot that boys, transgender and non-binary folks also make up young adult readerships? I am all for feminist YA novels and feminist reimagining of typical YA tropes, but this definitely had a “you don’t matter” quality to it. The second person perspective forces the reader to self-insert, but also delivers the message that men are the enemy, only women who menstruate are powerful, and trans/enby folks literally don’t exist in this world.
I also want to point out that this book is certainly upper YA, as it has graphic descriptions of menstruation, including tampon insertion and blood talk, as well as detailed descriptions of sex. I don’t usually mind stuff like this, but the way the author wrote these moments made it feel very voyeuristic and in-your-face. Again, pointing out how the only women that seem to matter in this book are those who menstruate.
I am just not really sure what to make of what I read. Again, the *idea* behind the story is there. Despite the ridiculous second person perspective, I found myself drawn into and engrossed by the story. But there were SO many missed opportunities. So much space for representation that was left void. I want to read Damsel by this author as well, which I’ve owned for a few years and understand it has also been marketed as a feminist novel, however I feel like … with the borderline TERF territory this novel ventures into, I need to keep an eye on this author as well.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was interesting enough to keep me reading. It was written in 2nd person point of view, which isn't very common, so that took a bit of getting used to. It was also unnecessarily detailed at some points, like when she was putting her first tampon in. It pointed out a lot of issues in society and would probably get younger girls thinking about things that happen in society and they maybe didn't realize were sexist or a result of toxic masculinity and the patriarchy, but sometimes it was a bit heavy-handed. Overall, it was interesting.
Red Hood was the first book by Elana K Arnold that I have read, but now I have to go back and read Damsel! Red Hood was SO GOOD!
I don’t think I’ve ever eyeball-read a 2nd Person POV before. The only other one I can think of is You by Caroline Kepnes and I did the audio for that one. I know in the discussion, some were turned off my the 2nd POV, but I felt it put me more into the story. I was so immersed. It makes me want to look for other 2nd POV books!
The story follows Bisou, who gets her period and things get weird. Both for her, and the book. Like, the end of the first chapter is CRAZY. I’m not going to go into it, because spoilers, but omg. Never read anything like it and don’t think I will again. It’s WILD.
I was so immersed in the story. I loved learning about Bisou’s heritage. There’s a POV shift in part two, and it was like being told a bedtime story, albeit a very messed up one. It was so interesting to me.
Bisou has been through a LOT, and she handles it so well. She’s vulnerable, but strong. I loved following her. The side characters were great, too. Meme was my absoloute favorite.
This is a very feminist story. I loved the girl power, that girls are strong, and we can overcome the wolves. We’ve all met a wolf. We’ve all been victimized by one. Bisou handles them with such ferocity you’re left wondering who is really the predator, and who is the prey. This is also the only Little Red Riding Hood retelling I’ve ever read, and I loved it!
I recommend this to anyone who loves YA retellings, feminist novels, or books with super strong female protagonists. You won’t be disappointed!
I don’t think I’ve ever eyeball-read a 2nd Person POV before. The only other one I can think of is You by Caroline Kepnes and I did the audio for that one. I know in the discussion, some were turned off my the 2nd POV, but I felt it put me more into the story. I was so immersed. It makes me want to look for other 2nd POV books!
The story follows Bisou, who gets her period and things get weird. Both for her, and the book. Like, the end of the first chapter is CRAZY. I’m not going to go into it, because spoilers, but omg. Never read anything like it and don’t think I will again. It’s WILD.
I was so immersed in the story. I loved learning about Bisou’s heritage. There’s a POV shift in part two, and it was like being told a bedtime story, albeit a very messed up one. It was so interesting to me.
Bisou has been through a LOT, and she handles it so well. She’s vulnerable, but strong. I loved following her. The side characters were great, too. Meme was my absoloute favorite.
This is a very feminist story. I loved the girl power, that girls are strong, and we can overcome the wolves. We’ve all met a wolf. We’ve all been victimized by one. Bisou handles them with such ferocity you’re left wondering who is really the predator, and who is the prey. This is also the only Little Red Riding Hood retelling I’ve ever read, and I loved it!
I recommend this to anyone who loves YA retellings, feminist novels, or books with super strong female protagonists. You won’t be disappointed!