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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
This gave me all the feels! I couldn't put this book down. The characters are complex and dark. Heroes and villains are not clearly defined which keeps the reader guessing what will happen. The love triangle is glorious! The triangle comes about slowly and deliberately. The reader can realistically understand how both relationships form with Erec and Armand. Essentially, Rachelle must choose between two halves of herself represented in each guy. This story is also not just about a romance. Rachelle is an independent, headstrong, and dangerous fighter who is working toward redemption for her past. I highly recommend this one for anyone who loves dark fairy tales, complex characters, and romance!
fhdfhljdfhsdfkj it was doing so well. i was so into the world and the writing and the characters.....thennn it got turned into a love triangle. by then i was too emotionally invested to bail, so instead i had to watch the mc be indecisive and second-guess her feelings even though everybody knows who she's gonna end up with (hint: it's the guy who's name was mentioned in the blurb)
which is kinda disappointing because I was really enjoying it and all the french mythology. it's gruesome too not gonna lie but the forest is also so cool
which is kinda disappointing because I was really enjoying it and all the french mythology. it's gruesome too not gonna lie but the forest is also so cool
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very dark story with traces of fairy tales, Christianity and French history. The romance and the myth are a bit simplistic and the main charcoal is very gloomy. Still, interesting enough I wanted to read to the end (which was much happier than I expected given the tenor of the rest of the story).
This is indeed an interesting re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood.
I can even see why some love it.
The writing is great, it's a story rich in background and complex characters, plus- there are tons of twists. (I do like it when I'm caught off guard!) Anyways. I liked the book, but I just didn't connect with it enough to feel as passionate about it as a book I'd give 5 stars to.
I do however think I might check out other books by Hodge, because as I said- I think she's a great writer. Oh! And kudos for making it a standalone!
I can even see why some love it.
The writing is great, it's a story rich in background and complex characters, plus- there are tons of twists. (I do like it when I'm caught off guard!) Anyways. I liked the book, but I just didn't connect with it enough to feel as passionate about it as a book I'd give 5 stars to.
I do however think I might check out other books by Hodge, because as I said- I think she's a great writer. Oh! And kudos for making it a standalone!
When Rachelle was fifteen, she was good. So good, in fact, that she was willing to risk her soul to save the world.
This story begins with endless night and infinite forest; with two orphaned children, and two swords made of broken bone.
It has not yet ended.
This book was interesting, fun, frustrating and confusing at times. Rachelle has it in her head that she's going to save the world. It's kind of nice, actually, to come across a girl that would literally give up everything to save the world. I don't often come across those type of heroines in YA books. But Rachelle has a problem, she's got a martyr complex. She has to save the world.
Honestly, most of the problems I had with this book are Rachelle's fault. I felt like I never really got to know her because she was always putting on a front. Even by herself, it was as though she kept trying to be this tough girl - and it never really worked for me. While her character started off well enough (and it was even a mistake she made that kicked off the plot) eventually she turned into 'the only one that can save us'. *sigh* There was also the problem that with so many decisions she made, I not only disagreed with them, I couldn't even understand why she made them.
I liked several of the other characters. Armand is a very interesting guy but, while I do like him and find him entertaining, I wanted more information on him. It was almost as though he suddenly sprung into being six months ago because it seems like he's only got one trait from before then.
Amelie is…well, I'm not sure how to describe her. I love that girl and think her and Rachelle's friendship should have been the relationship focus of the book instead of the romance. Because these two girls are beautiful together. They're so different and complement each other perfectly.
But this is completely Rachelle's story. While it's told in the third person, except for the occasional piece of legend interspersed between the chapters, everything is narrated by Rachelle. While I'm usually a fan of third person, I think this book would have been served at least as well in first. (Because I would have given almost anything to get a few chapters from Armand and/or Amelie.)
The world is fascinating. It's very French but the mythology (what with the whole 'devourer of the sun and moon' bit) sounds Egyptian to me. I don't mind. (Seriously, I'd love Rosamund Hodge to get write a fairytale retelling with straight-up Egyptian mythology.) I wish we'd spent a little less time in the court and château and with people that were colorless. (Literally, just one spot of color with their flawlessly pale skin. *shrugs* What can I say? It's French.) But the setting itself is actually kind of cool what with the legend of the Devourer and the historical aspect and the forest.
One thing that I did love was the history/legend. Though this is where the confusing part comes in because, while I understood a good portion of it, some of it still left me scratching my head.
All in all, I did like the book and it would have gotten a slightly higher rating if not for my distance from Rachelle.
I would also like to mention the retelling aspect of this book. While it is marketed as a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, there is very little aspect to that in the book. (Most of it is in the prologue.) There is also a smidgen of The Girl Without Hands and Hansel and Gretel blended into the story.
(Originally posted on my blog: http://pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com/)
This story begins with endless night and infinite forest; with two orphaned children, and two swords made of broken bone.
It has not yet ended.
This book was interesting, fun, frustrating and confusing at times. Rachelle has it in her head that she's going to save the world. It's kind of nice, actually, to come across a girl that would literally give up everything to save the world. I don't often come across those type of heroines in YA books. But Rachelle has a problem, she's got a martyr complex. She has to save the world.
Honestly, most of the problems I had with this book are Rachelle's fault. I felt like I never really got to know her because she was always putting on a front. Even by herself, it was as though she kept trying to be this tough girl - and it never really worked for me. While her character started off well enough (and it was even a mistake she made that kicked off the plot) eventually she turned into 'the only one that can save us'. *sigh* There was also the problem that with so many decisions she made, I not only disagreed with them, I couldn't even understand why she made them.
I liked several of the other characters. Armand is a very interesting guy but, while I do like him and find him entertaining, I wanted more information on him. It was almost as though he suddenly sprung into being six months ago because it seems like he's only got one trait from before then.
Amelie is…well, I'm not sure how to describe her. I love that girl and think her and Rachelle's friendship should have been the relationship focus of the book instead of the romance. Because these two girls are beautiful together. They're so different and complement each other perfectly.
But this is completely Rachelle's story. While it's told in the third person, except for the occasional piece of legend interspersed between the chapters, everything is narrated by Rachelle. While I'm usually a fan of third person, I think this book would have been served at least as well in first. (Because I would have given almost anything to get a few chapters from Armand and/or Amelie.)
The world is fascinating. It's very French but the mythology (what with the whole 'devourer of the sun and moon' bit) sounds Egyptian to me. I don't mind. (Seriously, I'd love Rosamund Hodge to get write a fairytale retelling with straight-up Egyptian mythology.) I wish we'd spent a little less time in the court and château and with people that were colorless. (Literally, just one spot of color with their flawlessly pale skin. *shrugs* What can I say? It's French.) But the setting itself is actually kind of cool what with the legend of the Devourer and the historical aspect and the forest.
One thing that I did love was the history/legend. Though this is where the confusing part comes in because, while I understood a good portion of it, some of it still left me scratching my head.
All in all, I did like the book and it would have gotten a slightly higher rating if not for my distance from Rachelle.
I would also like to mention the retelling aspect of this book. While it is marketed as a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, there is very little aspect to that in the book. (Most of it is in the prologue.) There is also a smidgen of The Girl Without Hands and Hansel and Gretel blended into the story.
(Originally posted on my blog: http://pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com/)
2.5~3 stars.
This book was a little too weird for my taste. From the Christian-esque-but-not-really religion to the mythology surrounding the Devourer to the vague, dream-like scenes in which one moves from location to location with no real explanation of what is happening, it was just... weird. And this has to be the least close retelling of Little Red Riding Hood I've ever read. The first chapter basically uses the fairy tale as a jumping-off point, and the similarities pretty much end there. (Granted, it says at the end of the book that it's supposed to be a mash-up of Little Red Riding Hood and The Girl With No Hands; I don't really know the latter fairy tale, although, there is a character with no hands that plays a prominent role in this story, so.)
I thought the characters of Rachelle, Erec, and Armand were well-sketched. Erec's relationship with Rachelle was intriguing and complicated, and I wish we'd gotten a little more time to understand the development of their "friendship." I felt kind of mixed about Rachelle; I liked the fact that she was tough as nails, terribly determined, and fierce. That said, I got kinda sick of being in Rachelle's head, because her thoughts are pretty repetitive. It was either "I must find the Joyeuse" or "The Devourer will soon be here" pretty much 24/7. The girl had a mission, and we were reminded of it constantly. She also made a couple of stunningly poor decisions.
There were some clever plot points – one twist in particular snuck up on me () – but I felt like a lot of the story dragged. I think it could have been much condensed and could have used another round of edits.
Another aspect that bugged me, and this comes down to personal preference, was the vagueness surrounding the mythology and magic of this world. The Devourer, a central figure (if one can call it that?) in the mythology, is never really explained. What is the Devourer's mission? What is its origin story? The powers of the forestborn seemed myriad, able to work whatever magic needed to be worked in that moment. I like the magic worlds in my fantasy novels to have limitations and bounds, and the magic to have a clear mode of operation. This had none of that, unfortunately. Now, readers who don't need their magic "explained" and can just follow the author's lead without asking too many questions may well have no problem with this at all, but I don't like to be really confused about what's going on when I'm reading. (This is a big part of why magical realism books often don't work for me!)
In the end, I was disappointed with this one, as I really enjoyed Cruel Beauty and was hoping for the same here. I do enjoy Rosamund Hodge's writing (when it isn't edging too far into the murky, fuzzy, dream-like side of things), though, and I will keep my eyes peeled for future books from her.
This book was a little too weird for my taste. From the Christian-esque-but-not-really religion to the mythology surrounding the Devourer to the vague, dream-like scenes in which one moves from location to location with no real explanation of what is happening, it was just... weird. And this has to be the least close retelling of Little Red Riding Hood I've ever read. The first chapter basically uses the fairy tale as a jumping-off point, and the similarities pretty much end there. (Granted, it says at the end of the book that it's supposed to be a mash-up of Little Red Riding Hood and The Girl With No Hands; I don't really know the latter fairy tale, although, there is a character with no hands that plays a prominent role in this story, so.)
I thought the characters of Rachelle, Erec, and Armand were well-sketched. Erec's relationship with Rachelle was intriguing and complicated, and I wish we'd gotten a little more time to understand the development of their "friendship." I felt kind of mixed about Rachelle; I liked the fact that she was tough as nails, terribly determined, and fierce. That said, I got kinda sick of being in Rachelle's head, because her thoughts are pretty repetitive. It was either "I must find the Joyeuse" or "The Devourer will soon be here" pretty much 24/7. The girl had a mission, and we were reminded of it constantly. She also made a couple of stunningly poor decisions.
Spoiler
Like the one where she took off her aunt's protections, allowing a forestborn to mark her. Or the one where she slept with Erec.There were some clever plot points – one twist in particular snuck up on me (
Spoiler
I didn't see it coming that Erec would turn out to be the forestborn that marked Rachelle andchopped off Armand's handsAnother aspect that bugged me, and this comes down to personal preference, was the vagueness surrounding the mythology and magic of this world. The Devourer, a central figure (if one can call it that?) in the mythology, is never really explained. What is the Devourer's mission? What is its origin story? The powers of the forestborn seemed myriad, able to work whatever magic needed to be worked in that moment. I like the magic worlds in my fantasy novels to have limitations and bounds, and the magic to have a clear mode of operation. This had none of that, unfortunately. Now, readers who don't need their magic "explained" and can just follow the author's lead without asking too many questions may well have no problem with this at all, but I don't like to be really confused about what's going on when I'm reading. (This is a big part of why magical realism books often don't work for me!)
In the end, I was disappointed with this one, as I really enjoyed Cruel Beauty and was hoping for the same here. I do enjoy Rosamund Hodge's writing (when it isn't edging too far into the murky, fuzzy, dream-like side of things), though, and I will keep my eyes peeled for future books from her.
I cannot understand why everyone else isn’t as enthralled with Rosamund Hodge as I am. This was another fascinating fantasy world with a really interesting story. The characters weren’t at all straightforward and the lore was super cool. Another great book!
Overall impression:
Crimson Bound is a dark, captivating story with a compelling heroine and a richly-imagined fantasy world.
Read the full review on YABooksCentral.com.
Crimson Bound is a dark, captivating story with a compelling heroine and a richly-imagined fantasy world.
Read the full review on YABooksCentral.com.