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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
The use of second person was really unnerving considering the first chapter has an oral sex scene
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
couldn’t get past 45 pages - to much detail left nothing for me to imagine - plus the details were gross not something i want to read about !! very disappointing!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pleasantly surprised by this book and kind of wish it was a series! Very descriptive menstrual cycle content but other than that, it felt like a very unique read.
Finished this a while ago and forgot to update.
A truly odd story. Not bad, but just...weird.
I did appreciate the female strength and bond that happened in this book. And it was unflinching in it's honesty about women's menstrual cycle, which I think is important so as to not make something natural for half of the world's population, an oddity, or scary/disgusting thing. I appreciated that.
Not sure I enjoyed it, but there was some good in there.
A truly odd story. Not bad, but just...weird.
I did appreciate the female strength and bond that happened in this book. And it was unflinching in it's honesty about women's menstrual cycle, which I think is important so as to not make something natural for half of the world's population, an oddity, or scary/disgusting thing. I appreciated that.
Not sure I enjoyed it, but there was some good in there.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Edelweiss, and Balzer + Bray for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Red from Once Upon a Time (shown in the gif above) is immediately who I thought about when I was reading about Bisou. Mostly because this was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but man is Bisou not our average Red. She really does remind me of Red from OUAT because she is so much stronger than what we were initially given as little kids, and Bisou fights back.
The first time she comes up against a wolf, she fights it, and wins. Like… that never happens in Little Red Riding Hood. Not the way that we see in this novel. She physically fights the wolf somehow, and even though she’s in a state of undress – like literally she tells you that her dress has fallen past her breasts – and yet she still kicks the wolf’s ass. It was an intense scene, and I was just in awe of her.
This story is told from Bisou’s point of view, but it’s in the second person POV – everything is YOU doing this and YOU doing that; YOU are basically Bisou and she is telling your story – and honestly I don’t know how I felt about it at first. This just happened to be the second female MC I’ve read this week that had this kind of POV and it was weird for me with the other MC, and it was weird for me with Bisou. Maybe because Bisou got more technical with everything that was happening around her, from her body to the sex she was having with her boyfriend. Not sure, but I eventually got over it and it didn’t stop me from reading it.
I loved all the feminist messages that were sprinkled throughout the book – those that were glaringly obvious and those that were almost too subtle. There were lines that I just had to highlight because I was like “Yep, that’s so true. Yep, you tell ’em. Yep, that’s right.” And it was so cool to see something like that in this novel, a traditionally non-feminist novel that has Red at the mercy of a wolf that ate her grandmother, you know? That kind of feeling and plot just isn’t around in this novel, and it was so refreshing to me.
“Also, my darling, you do know, don’t you, that having sex in the past does not oblige you to have sex in the future. You never have to do anything that you don’t want to do. You don’t James – or anyone – access to your body. Not now. Not ever.”
bisou’s grandmother (mémé)
I loved that line, and how instead of persecuting Bisou for having sex with her boyfriend, Mémé was accepting of it and just made sure that she was careful, and also reminded her that she could say no in the future if she wanted to. That reminder and that kind of adult conversation that Bisou and Mémé were able to have about something that most kids are afraid to tell their parents about because it’s seen as taboo, was really great to see in a YA novel, regardless of how you personally feel about high school students having sex with one another.
So yeah. Long story short, go read this because I really liked it and I think you will to. It’s raw and bloody and real but totally worth the ride if you can handle it. It was very, very, very engaging.
Red from Once Upon a Time (shown in the gif above) is immediately who I thought about when I was reading about Bisou. Mostly because this was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but man is Bisou not our average Red. She really does remind me of Red from OUAT because she is so much stronger than what we were initially given as little kids, and Bisou fights back.
The first time she comes up against a wolf, she fights it, and wins. Like… that never happens in Little Red Riding Hood. Not the way that we see in this novel. She physically fights the wolf somehow, and even though she’s in a state of undress – like literally she tells you that her dress has fallen past her breasts – and yet she still kicks the wolf’s ass. It was an intense scene, and I was just in awe of her.
This story is told from Bisou’s point of view, but it’s in the second person POV – everything is YOU doing this and YOU doing that; YOU are basically Bisou and she is telling your story – and honestly I don’t know how I felt about it at first. This just happened to be the second female MC I’ve read this week that had this kind of POV and it was weird for me with the other MC, and it was weird for me with Bisou. Maybe because Bisou got more technical with everything that was happening around her, from her body to the sex she was having with her boyfriend. Not sure, but I eventually got over it and it didn’t stop me from reading it.
I loved all the feminist messages that were sprinkled throughout the book – those that were glaringly obvious and those that were almost too subtle. There were lines that I just had to highlight because I was like “Yep, that’s so true. Yep, you tell ’em. Yep, that’s right.” And it was so cool to see something like that in this novel, a traditionally non-feminist novel that has Red at the mercy of a wolf that ate her grandmother, you know? That kind of feeling and plot just isn’t around in this novel, and it was so refreshing to me.
“Also, my darling, you do know, don’t you, that having sex in the past does not oblige you to have sex in the future. You never have to do anything that you don’t want to do. You don’t James – or anyone – access to your body. Not now. Not ever.”
bisou’s grandmother (mémé)
I loved that line, and how instead of persecuting Bisou for having sex with her boyfriend, Mémé was accepting of it and just made sure that she was careful, and also reminded her that she could say no in the future if she wanted to. That reminder and that kind of adult conversation that Bisou and Mémé were able to have about something that most kids are afraid to tell their parents about because it’s seen as taboo, was really great to see in a YA novel, regardless of how you personally feel about high school students having sex with one another.
So yeah. Long story short, go read this because I really liked it and I think you will to. It’s raw and bloody and real but totally worth the ride if you can handle it. It was very, very, very engaging.
"He does not fear you. He does not respect you. Do not mistake the stance he takes , the pause in his attack, as proof of either. You are prey to him. You are a consumable object."
Red Hood is a twisted, thought provoking, very loose Little Red Riding Hood retelling that I would love to recommend to all of my feminist book lovers. This isn't a story you can take at face value rather it needs to be analyzed as a heavy social critique on male entitlement, consent, rape culture, sexism and so on. That being said, I'm questioning the choice to publish this as a YA. Although I loved the honest portrayal of menstruation I'm worried that if adult reviewers are missing the message of this tale so will the younger readers.
""Darling... It is not your job to make boys happy."
We have the wolf, it's prey, but our main character is the Hunter. Bisou's earliest memories are soaked in blood and after being taken into her grandmother's care at a young age she's kept to herself until she started to date. After their homecoming dance Bisou and her boyfriend James were hooking up for the first time. Unfortunately, her period decided to make its first appearance at that moment. Out of embarrassment she fled into the woods and that's where she encounters a wolf. She was able to kill it and makes her way home, questioning the whole encounter the next morning. But when she arrives at school it's not a dead wolf anyone is talking about, rather a dead classmate and Bisou can't help but wonder if she was the one responsible.
The author tackles many modern day issues using this old fairytale as her vessel. Emphasizing the importance of consent, clawing at male entitlement, encouraging safe and loving relationships without the book seeming like a long lecture. It's dark and grim and doesn't hold back any punches. But the author isn't there showing you just the right path to take. The woods are large and confusing and it's easy to get lost in the rage of the injustice of it all. I think Arnold exploring that aspect is what led to a lot of readers misunderstanding of the message she's trying to deliver.
"There is a tree at your back. It rises behind you like all of history-your history, the history of girls in forests, the history of wolves and fangs and blood"
In Little Red Riding Hood the wolf dies. The Hunter kills it and in the original story Little Red and her Grandmother aren't saved. Most of the women in this book aren't saved. They're ravaged, throats torn out bellies clawed open because it is a wolf attack. They are werewolves, but what turns them into such beast is male entitlement and toxic learned behaviour. It's an allegory. The author is not promoting vigilante executions of men despite what some reviewers seem to have gotten from it. "It's not that we need more wolf hunters," you say. "It's that men need to stop becoming wolves." It's a social critique not the avocation of murder. The reviewers are proving the point the author is making! That "A dead boy...seemed to make a much bigger impression on just about everyone than two dead girls." The girls are "A morality tale for the rest of us. A warning." We accept the deaths, the rapes, the forced marriages of girls in fairy tales because that is the way the story is written but when the wolf dies, as the story goes, there's an outrage. Even after the author clearly points out that what is happening isn't right. Arnold even makes it very clear that the wolf killings aren't stopping more men becoming wolves. Bisou discourages other girls to become Hunters, rather find other ways to communicate their message, which they do through the school paper. This starts a more open dialogue between the genders about these sexist problems meanwhile the deaths only caused "blood thirsty glee [which] is so gross".
Red Hood isn't a pretty story and it's not one you can idly skim through. I cried, I got angry, I had to put the book down and think . Arnold wrote an impressive critique and touched on a lot of vital topics that need to be continued to be discussed and most importantly questioned. In a world where you can't avoid thousands of stories and force fed opinions it's relieving to see an author let her audience think critically even if her ratings suffer for it.
Red Hood is a twisted, thought provoking, very loose Little Red Riding Hood retelling that I would love to recommend to all of my feminist book lovers. This isn't a story you can take at face value rather it needs to be analyzed as a heavy social critique on male entitlement, consent, rape culture, sexism and so on. That being said, I'm questioning the choice to publish this as a YA. Although I loved the honest portrayal of menstruation I'm worried that if adult reviewers are missing the message of this tale so will the younger readers.
""Darling... It is not your job to make boys happy."
We have the wolf, it's prey, but our main character is the Hunter. Bisou's earliest memories are soaked in blood and after being taken into her grandmother's care at a young age she's kept to herself until she started to date. After their homecoming dance Bisou and her boyfriend James were hooking up for the first time. Unfortunately, her period decided to make its first appearance at that moment. Out of embarrassment she fled into the woods and that's where she encounters a wolf. She was able to kill it and makes her way home, questioning the whole encounter the next morning. But when she arrives at school it's not a dead wolf anyone is talking about, rather a dead classmate and Bisou can't help but wonder if she was the one responsible.
The author tackles many modern day issues using this old fairytale as her vessel. Emphasizing the importance of consent, clawing at male entitlement, encouraging safe and loving relationships without the book seeming like a long lecture. It's dark and grim and doesn't hold back any punches. But the author isn't there showing you just the right path to take. The woods are large and confusing and it's easy to get lost in the rage of the injustice of it all. I think Arnold exploring that aspect is what led to a lot of readers misunderstanding of the message she's trying to deliver.
"There is a tree at your back. It rises behind you like all of history-your history, the history of girls in forests, the history of wolves and fangs and blood"
In Little Red Riding Hood the wolf dies. The Hunter kills it and in the original story Little Red and her Grandmother aren't saved. Most of the women in this book aren't saved. They're ravaged, throats torn out bellies clawed open because it is a wolf attack. They are werewolves, but what turns them into such beast is male entitlement and toxic learned behaviour. It's an allegory. The author is not promoting vigilante executions of men despite what some reviewers seem to have gotten from it. "It's not that we need more wolf hunters," you say. "It's that men need to stop becoming wolves." It's a social critique not the avocation of murder. The reviewers are proving the point the author is making! That "A dead boy...seemed to make a much bigger impression on just about everyone than two dead girls." The girls are "A morality tale for the rest of us. A warning." We accept the deaths, the rapes, the forced marriages of girls in fairy tales because that is the way the story is written but when the wolf dies, as the story goes, there's an outrage. Even after the author clearly points out that what is happening isn't right. Arnold even makes it very clear that the wolf killings aren't stopping more men becoming wolves. Bisou discourages other girls to become Hunters, rather find other ways to communicate their message, which they do through the school paper. This starts a more open dialogue between the genders about these sexist problems meanwhile the deaths only caused "blood thirsty glee [which] is so gross".
Red Hood isn't a pretty story and it's not one you can idly skim through. I cried, I got angry, I had to put the book down and think . Arnold wrote an impressive critique and touched on a lot of vital topics that need to be continued to be discussed and most importantly questioned. In a world where you can't avoid thousands of stories and force fed opinions it's relieving to see an author let her audience think critically even if her ratings suffer for it.
I was gifted an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I requested this one because I really enjoyed Damsel by Elana K. Arnold when I read it last year, even though it was quite a controversial book, and I was keen to see what she did next.
The thing I loved most about this book was definitely the writing style. Elana K. Arnold writes in a really fairytalesque way and the story reads like a classic fairytale, even though it's set in the modern world. It's also written in the second person POV which threw me at first but after the first chapter I really got into it and it really worked for me. As you can probably tell from the title this story is inspired by the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale and I think this worked really well. It wasn't a direct retelling and there was a lot of original content however, there were very clear nods to the classic tale and I felt that it all blended together nicely.
This story really delved into a lot of modern day issues and I think it handled them really well. There was a lot of positive commentary surrounding periods, loosing your virginity and having sex for the first time which I don't think is spoken about often enough in books so I thought this was great. There was also a lot of commentary about toxic masculinity and sexual assault and how important it is to stand up for what's right and what you believe in which was good too. I liked the main character and enjoyed watching how her friendship with two other girls grew throughout the story. I liked this depiction of friendship and how they all supported each other.
I did find the ending a little odd however, the book spent most of the duration exploring how to challenge peoples views and opinions and it seemed that the girls believed murder to be the solution to all their problems which just felt a little bit off to me. That being said I really enjoyed this one and I think it is a really important read and it covers some really important topics. I will definitely be picking up anythings else Elana K. Arnold writes in the future.
The thing I loved most about this book was definitely the writing style. Elana K. Arnold writes in a really fairytalesque way and the story reads like a classic fairytale, even though it's set in the modern world. It's also written in the second person POV which threw me at first but after the first chapter I really got into it and it really worked for me. As you can probably tell from the title this story is inspired by the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale and I think this worked really well. It wasn't a direct retelling and there was a lot of original content however, there were very clear nods to the classic tale and I felt that it all blended together nicely.
This story really delved into a lot of modern day issues and I think it handled them really well. There was a lot of positive commentary surrounding periods, loosing your virginity and having sex for the first time which I don't think is spoken about often enough in books so I thought this was great. There was also a lot of commentary about toxic masculinity and sexual assault and how important it is to stand up for what's right and what you believe in which was good too. I liked the main character and enjoyed watching how her friendship with two other girls grew throughout the story. I liked this depiction of friendship and how they all supported each other.
I did find the ending a little odd however, the book spent most of the duration exploring how to challenge peoples views and opinions and it seemed that the girls believed murder to be the solution to all their problems which just felt a little bit off to me. That being said I really enjoyed this one and I think it is a really important read and it covers some really important topics. I will definitely be picking up anythings else Elana K. Arnold writes in the future.