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saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, I gotta get this out of the way - this has one of the worst first sentences I've ever read:
I was terrified, right off the bat, that this fantabulous, kickass cover (yes, I require two - read 'em - TWO superlatives) had been wasted on yet another crappy paranormal title riding on the latent wave of Twighmania. And that's probably a little bit true. Pearce is a second-time author, barely out of undergrad, and yep, this is a pretty straightforward werewolves-in-our-midst tale. But it's not as bad as the first sentence.
The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Scarlett (Lett) and Rosie March, girls who supposedly live in our world, but reside in a cottage, know a family of woodsmen, wear cloaks out-and-about, and oh yeah, fight werewolves since they're a couple of the few people in the world who know they exist. The blending of modern and fairytale elements kinda drove me crazy. I had a hard time believing that these girls really lived in our world. But maybe that's intentional?
The "bad men" (aka pedophiles, rapists, gangs) metaphor is a bit sledgehammer-over-the-head, but in a way that made me want Pearce to push it further or pull back a bit. She spent enough time on the mythology of the potentials that it felt a little less accessible as a metaphor. So I wish she'd either lightened up on the metaphoric allusions or really gone with it.
The brutality of these werewolves and the way they transform is downright creepy. So this would definitely appeal to the trauma-readers or the paranormal readers. The dual perspectives were successful at helping you see both sides of the sisters' very different perspectives on events, while at the same time took me out of the story a bit, in a not-so-positive way.
It never got me to the point of looking forward to reading it, but I enjoyed it as another reasonably good example of paranormal horror/romance. Although I wish this cover had been used on a slightly more smashing read.
Strangers never walk down this road, the sisters thought in unison as the man trudged toward them.
I was terrified, right off the bat, that this fantabulous, kickass cover (yes, I require two - read 'em - TWO superlatives) had been wasted on yet another crappy paranormal title riding on the latent wave of Twighmania. And that's probably a little bit true. Pearce is a second-time author, barely out of undergrad, and yep, this is a pretty straightforward werewolves-in-our-midst tale. But it's not as bad as the first sentence.
The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Scarlett (Lett) and Rosie March, girls who supposedly live in our world, but reside in a cottage, know a family of woodsmen, wear cloaks out-and-about, and oh yeah, fight werewolves since they're a couple of the few people in the world who know they exist. The blending of modern and fairytale elements kinda drove me crazy. I had a hard time believing that these girls really lived in our world. But maybe that's intentional?
The "bad men" (aka pedophiles, rapists, gangs) metaphor is a bit sledgehammer-over-the-head, but in a way that made me want Pearce to push it further or pull back a bit. She spent enough time on the mythology of the potentials that it felt a little less accessible as a metaphor. So I wish she'd either lightened up on the metaphoric allusions or really gone with it.
The brutality of these werewolves and the way they transform is downright creepy. So this would definitely appeal to the trauma-readers or the paranormal readers. The dual perspectives were successful at helping you see both sides of the sisters' very different perspectives on events, while at the same time took me out of the story a bit, in a not-so-positive way.
It never got me to the point of looking forward to reading it, but I enjoyed it as another reasonably good example of paranormal horror/romance. Although I wish this cover had been used on a slightly more smashing read.
lalauren04's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars - Although I enjoyed Sisters Red to start with, I found overall that it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I found myself a little bored in places, and at times slightly confused by the dynamics of the story - there were some parts that I couldn't help but question, and bits that didn't fully make any sense to me. Still, the friend who recommended it to me absolutely adores it, so perhaps it's just me. It was by no means awful, just nothing special.
tigsy_20_08's review against another edition
4.0
Probably more of a 3.5 however had I read when I was a teenager it would be higher
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
2.0
Ungh. This book is making me very stormy on the inside. I liked the beginning and was pretty excited by the ending, but the damn middle was nauseating. Ugh. I hate this shit sandwich.
So I got this as a Christmas gift from my husband, and this has been on my wishlist for ever. A bloody retelling of Little Red Riding Hood where the girls are hunting the (were)wolves instead? Yes. Yes yes yes. The two hunter-sisters are Scarlett, the older girl who got gored by a wolf and lost an eye as a kid and who lives and breathes the hunt, and her little sister Rosie who, while she's a super skilled hunter, is looking for something more in life. And then there's their childhood friend Silas who came back after a long journey as a hot piece of meat in the eyes of Rosie. And then they go hunt wolves in Atlanta. Woo!
I've read some of the criticism of this book regarding the anti-feminist victim-blaming attitude towards pretty girls who get slaughtered by werewolves, i.e. thinly veiled analogy for rape (there were other buzzwords thrown in there, but I forget) ... And while I think it's legitimately awful to ever blame the victim, this book was not guilty of that. The offensive things are said by characters, who do end up evolving beyond the frustration of a protector of the weak and ignorant. This is not an anti-feminist book. Not saying the characters were right, but who wants to read about perfect people all the time? The point is to see them change, is it not. Reading this as a bad book for that reason is childish and short-sighted.
Still not saying this is a good book unfortunately. The writing was ok and I really liked the parts about Scarlett and her inner turmoil: her physical need to hunt, and her confusion as to why Rosie has her eyes on other activities when every wasted hour is another dead girl they could have saved. I loved the beginning, as I said, when we're introduced to their lifestyle and preparations for each hunt, and the end where it's super intense with action, but the middle... The twists and turns in their search for werewolf bait were painfully obvious and stupid, and and oh god the romance between Silas and Rosie was exhausting and terribly written. The usual YA romance trappings of muscled chests, big shining eyes and ridiculous way they touch each other. Blegh. I'm not against romance in books, but there was nothing evocative in this one. Didn't help that Silas was a very flat character. Disappoint. The time dedicated to this, the slow-paced and bad research scenes, and almost everything about Rosie was a big waste of time.
So... this is not one of those YA books that appealed to me as an adult(ish), but will probably thrill the appropriate audience. But I will not give up on YA! Especially since I'm taking a class on it starting next Monday. Maybe just taking a short break.
So I got this as a Christmas gift from my husband, and this has been on my wishlist for ever. A bloody retelling of Little Red Riding Hood where the girls are hunting the (were)wolves instead? Yes. Yes yes yes. The two hunter-sisters are Scarlett, the older girl who got gored by a wolf and lost an eye as a kid and who lives and breathes the hunt, and her little sister Rosie who, while she's a super skilled hunter, is looking for something more in life. And then there's their childhood friend Silas who came back after a long journey as a hot piece of meat in the eyes of Rosie. And then they go hunt wolves in Atlanta. Woo!
I've read some of the criticism of this book regarding the anti-feminist victim-blaming attitude towards pretty girls who get slaughtered by werewolves, i.e. thinly veiled analogy for rape (there were other buzzwords thrown in there, but I forget) ... And while I think it's legitimately awful to ever blame the victim, this book was not guilty of that. The offensive things are said by characters, who do end up evolving beyond the frustration of a protector of the weak and ignorant. This is not an anti-feminist book. Not saying the characters were right, but who wants to read about perfect people all the time? The point is to see them change, is it not. Reading this as a bad book for that reason is childish and short-sighted.
Still not saying this is a good book unfortunately. The writing was ok and I really liked the parts about Scarlett and her inner turmoil: her physical need to hunt, and her confusion as to why Rosie has her eyes on other activities when every wasted hour is another dead girl they could have saved. I loved the beginning, as I said, when we're introduced to their lifestyle and preparations for each hunt, and the end where it's super intense with action, but the middle... The twists and turns in their search for werewolf bait were painfully obvious and stupid, and and oh god the romance between Silas and Rosie was exhausting and terribly written. The usual YA romance trappings of muscled chests, big shining eyes and ridiculous way they touch each other. Blegh. I'm not against romance in books, but there was nothing evocative in this one. Didn't help that Silas was a very flat character. Disappoint. The time dedicated to this, the slow-paced and bad research scenes, and almost everything about Rosie was a big waste of time.
So... this is not one of those YA books that appealed to me as an adult(ish), but will probably thrill the appropriate audience. But I will not give up on YA! Especially since I'm taking a class on it starting next Monday. Maybe just taking a short break.
daniella84's review against another edition
2.0
*spoilers*
I like the direction this took as a Red Riding Hood retelling - it was more paranormal/gritty which I think is more appealing for YA. But apart from that this didn't really do it for me
The whole thing of "we gotta attract the wolves by looking hot and ignorant but also afraid" didn't sit right with me, especially when Scarlett and Rosie would like compare themselves to other girls at the club and think they're superior cause they're only being seductive to draw the wolves in rather than being like that normally. One line in particular ("Do you really think they'd dress and act like that if they knew it was drawing wolves toward them?" p. 110) really wasn't the vibe and erred into victim blaming territory - I think overall a book which could have commented a lot on men being creeps and girls looking after girls failed to do this in a useful way, and instead fell into the "I'm not like other girls" kind of trope. I get that Scarlett is kind of jealous of these girls for their beauty, and Rosie is jealous of them for having normal lives, but idk it didn't vibe. I also think Scarlett's struggle with her appearance could have been pretty meaningful but it didn't quite get there (I think Crown of Coral and Pearl did this element better, especially in terms of comparison with a sister)
Silas and Rosie's relationship was not it either. Their awkward banter didn't work it was so cringe and I didn't really care about them at all. Also she's 16?? and he's?? 21??? "What does someone Silas' age want with a kid like me?" (p. 170) really says it all tbh. Also I HATED that he had a crush on Scarlett originally and then went for Rosie I feel that's so gross and unfair to Rosie cause she doesn't know about this, and then Silas kisses Scarlett after confessing this? Sis read the room. Tbh I wouldn't have been mad if he died rest in pieces trash bag
In terms of the story generally it was super predictable - the 7th son of a 7th son thing is such a big part of general magic lore, and they kept emphasising how big Silas' family is, that it wasn't a surprise when it turned out he was the Potential. Even without that it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen - I hoped maybe it wouldn't be the big twist but a more minor thing but no it was pretty much the big moment in the book. I also think the ending would have had a lot more power if he had turned, or if it was left ambiguous - because the way it did end felt like all the turmoil they went through didn't matter, because everything worked out absolutely fine and nothing changed. It just didn't have the emotional weight it was intended to. The same thing in the battles - Scarlett or whoever would get bit/clawed and its a problem for like one second and then never again - it never had any tension cause it felt like even if they got hurt it wouldn't matter.
Instead of this, I would recommend Hold Back the Tide!
I like the direction this took as a Red Riding Hood retelling - it was more paranormal/gritty which I think is more appealing for YA. But apart from that this didn't really do it for me
The whole thing of "we gotta attract the wolves by looking hot and ignorant but also afraid" didn't sit right with me, especially when Scarlett and Rosie would like compare themselves to other girls at the club and think they're superior cause they're only being seductive to draw the wolves in rather than being like that normally. One line in particular ("Do you really think they'd dress and act like that if they knew it was drawing wolves toward them?" p. 110) really wasn't the vibe and erred into victim blaming territory - I think overall a book which could have commented a lot on men being creeps and girls looking after girls failed to do this in a useful way, and instead fell into the "I'm not like other girls" kind of trope. I get that Scarlett is kind of jealous of these girls for their beauty, and Rosie is jealous of them for having normal lives, but idk it didn't vibe. I also think Scarlett's struggle with her appearance could have been pretty meaningful but it didn't quite get there (I think Crown of Coral and Pearl did this element better, especially in terms of comparison with a sister)
Silas and Rosie's relationship was not it either. Their awkward banter didn't work it was so cringe and I didn't really care about them at all. Also she's 16?? and he's?? 21??? "What does someone Silas' age want with a kid like me?" (p. 170) really says it all tbh. Also I HATED that he had a crush on Scarlett originally and then went for Rosie I feel that's so gross and unfair to Rosie cause she doesn't know about this, and then Silas kisses Scarlett after confessing this? Sis read the room. Tbh I wouldn't have been mad if he died rest in pieces trash bag
In terms of the story generally it was super predictable - the 7th son of a 7th son thing is such a big part of general magic lore, and they kept emphasising how big Silas' family is, that it wasn't a surprise when it turned out he was the Potential. Even without that it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen - I hoped maybe it wouldn't be the big twist but a more minor thing but no it was pretty much the big moment in the book. I also think the ending would have had a lot more power if he had turned, or if it was left ambiguous - because the way it did end felt like all the turmoil they went through didn't matter, because everything worked out absolutely fine and nothing changed. It just didn't have the emotional weight it was intended to. The same thing in the battles - Scarlett or whoever would get bit/clawed and its a problem for like one second and then never again - it never had any tension cause it felt like even if they got hurt it wouldn't matter.
Instead of this, I would recommend Hold Back the Tide!
fabsavila's review against another edition
3.0
Esta es una historia de hermanas por si su títul no lo deja ya claro. Los personajes de este libro dejan ver confusión entre el deber y el placer, como no se deben confundir pero a veces pueden estar mezclados. Buscan sin pensarlo establecer su propósito en la vida, que no solo está determinada por lo que deben hacer, si no por lo que desean.
Rosie, quien ama profundamente a su hermana por haberle salvado la vida, siente que su vida está determinada por la caza, dejandose llevar siempre por la gran admiración que tiene por su hermana ya que esta hace lo correcto y lo mejor para la humanidad, debe hacer lo mismo, porque no puede decepcionarla. Jamás pensaría hacerlo. Rosie busca desesperadamente un camino a su felicidad pero de igual manera un camino que no haga que su hermana se enfade. Scarlett lleva consigo un peso inmenso que se reduce a lo que experimentó de pequeña y a las vidas de las chicas en la ciudad que peligran y en quienes no puede evitar pensar. La caza es su pasión, va más allá del deber, de lo que es correcto, su hermana es lo que mas quiere en el mundo y desea para ella lo mejor como a la vez desea que compartan el mismo pensamiento por la caza. Silas es un pilar muy importante para estás hermanas, es un personaje simple que busca el bien para los tres, que busca que sean felices, es el mejor amigo de las hermanas desde pequeños y cuida de ellas como nadie más puede hacerlo. Los tres son una familia, y lo que me gusta de este libro es el vinculo tan fuerte que estos tienen. La trama de por si no es mi favorita, ni tampoco me enganchó como esperaría, sentí que fallaba en algo a pesar de que no puedo decir que fue, es un libro que si que me entretuvo y Rosie me gustó mucho como personaje pero de resto no puedo decir mucho de él.
Si quieres leer algo corto, con una trama simple, pocos pero buenos personajes con convicción y sueños, con romance y un vínculo de amistad fuerte. Te lo recomiendo pues tiene todo eso y más. Y quizás este libro te guste mucho más que a mí.
Rosie, quien ama profundamente a su hermana por haberle salvado la vida, siente que su vida está determinada por la caza, dejandose llevar siempre por la gran admiración que tiene por su hermana ya que esta hace lo correcto y lo mejor para la humanidad, debe hacer lo mismo, porque no puede decepcionarla. Jamás pensaría hacerlo. Rosie busca desesperadamente un camino a su felicidad pero de igual manera un camino que no haga que su hermana se enfade. Scarlett lleva consigo un peso inmenso que se reduce a lo que experimentó de pequeña y a las vidas de las chicas en la ciudad que peligran y en quienes no puede evitar pensar. La caza es su pasión, va más allá del deber, de lo que es correcto, su hermana es lo que mas quiere en el mundo y desea para ella lo mejor como a la vez desea que compartan el mismo pensamiento por la caza. Silas es un pilar muy importante para estás hermanas, es un personaje simple que busca el bien para los tres, que busca que sean felices, es el mejor amigo de las hermanas desde pequeños y cuida de ellas como nadie más puede hacerlo. Los tres son una familia, y lo que me gusta de este libro es el vinculo tan fuerte que estos tienen. La trama de por si no es mi favorita, ni tampoco me enganchó como esperaría, sentí que fallaba en algo a pesar de que no puedo decir que fue, es un libro que si que me entretuvo y Rosie me gustó mucho como personaje pero de resto no puedo decir mucho de él.
Si quieres leer algo corto, con una trama simple, pocos pero buenos personajes con convicción y sueños, con romance y un vínculo de amistad fuerte. Te lo recomiendo pues tiene todo eso y más. Y quizás este libro te guste mucho más que a mí.
deviki's review against another edition
4.0
Books I've read and provided detailed reviews over the years but all data is lost after accidental deletion and GD refuse to restore it back.
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
Adding books back to my library for my own reference and tracking purposes
lifeisbutadream's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
heather4994's review against another edition
5.0
I received this ARC as part of a traveling tour from We Love YA Tours. With a week turnaround time and NaNoWriMo I had to read in every snatch of time I got. The doctor's office-she asked "And now the most important question Is that book any good?" She thought it was by Gregory Maguire of Wicked fame. I live in Massachusetts. They live for Gregory Maguire. Wicked is a very big descriptive word up here. So I'll say this Sister Red was Wicked Good!
This is the tale basically of Little Red Riding Hood, in a different version, when she's all grown up and they are sisters. I'm going to try not to give anything away. The summary tells you that the wolf eats Oma March and the woodsman takes the two orphaned girls in until their mother comes home to care for them. She had run away to the circus, but is motherly enough to come back and stay with the girls for a little while. At least until she can't stand to see Scarlett's scars anymore and then it's off to the circus again. But the woodsman looks after the girls, he has many children of his own. And he and Oma March had been good friends.
Scarlett's scars are extensive and criss-cross her entire body. When the wolf killed Oma March, she broke a mirror and pushed her sister under the bed and she fought the wolf. He took her eye and left scars everywhere, except over her heart. This is significant because the girls, though two years apart in age, believe they share a heart. They believed when they were little that their heart broke in two because half of them wanted to be born first, Scarlett, and then Rosie braved the world later. As little girls they believed this but after the attack, the only time their hearts felt as one was when they were on the hunt for Fenris-the wolves that attacked and ate young girls.
This story is basically about the deep love between two sisters, the responsibility Scarlett feels to hunt the Fenris and Rosie's need for something more. There is a lot of guilt on Rosie's part because her sister bears the scars of protecting her and the hunt and Rosie doesn't feel she can separate from her sister. But Silas, Scarlett's hunting partner lures her away from a life of hunting and tries to show her a life beyond just hunting. For Scarlett, anything but hunting is an act of betrayal. For Silas, he can hunt and still have a life. For Rosie ....it's a choice between the two people she loves.
But another story going on is the hunt for the Potential, a human that has all the right things to be turned into a Fenris and the Fenris are on the prowl, first in the girls' small town and then when Scarlett, Rosie and Silas head to Atlanta where there are a lot of killings, they hear Fenris talking of the Potential. But they know so little of this Potential. What makes him what he is and their greatest resource, Silas' father, the woodsman, is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's.
There is a lot of action in this novel mixed with a little bit of budding romance and lots of fighting and gore. Not the kind that turns your stomach, just descriptive enough. I knew who the Potential was pretty early but you may not guess. Pearce just left the hint way too soon for it not to be the person I thought it was no matter how far off she tried to lead. This was fast paced and a great take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. Each character had something to add, but Silas wasn't a fully developed character. However, this was after all Sisters Red and the two sisters were given every other chapter to narrate and let us see into their minds.
I'd love to see Pearce do another fairy tale. I've just recently read Beastly, a take on Beauty and the Beast and the modern telling of the old versions make for really great reading. I love the grown up versions of Red Riding Hood. I definitely recommend this to anyone that loves fairy tales, suspense, mystery, YA, or just a good read. I'd say it's clean enough for any age to read. Just depends on the gore factor. And a big thanks to We Love YA Tours for letting me have a chance to read this one!!
This is the tale basically of Little Red Riding Hood, in a different version, when she's all grown up and they are sisters. I'm going to try not to give anything away. The summary tells you that the wolf eats Oma March and the woodsman takes the two orphaned girls in until their mother comes home to care for them. She had run away to the circus, but is motherly enough to come back and stay with the girls for a little while. At least until she can't stand to see Scarlett's scars anymore and then it's off to the circus again. But the woodsman looks after the girls, he has many children of his own. And he and Oma March had been good friends.
Scarlett's scars are extensive and criss-cross her entire body. When the wolf killed Oma March, she broke a mirror and pushed her sister under the bed and she fought the wolf. He took her eye and left scars everywhere, except over her heart. This is significant because the girls, though two years apart in age, believe they share a heart. They believed when they were little that their heart broke in two because half of them wanted to be born first, Scarlett, and then Rosie braved the world later. As little girls they believed this but after the attack, the only time their hearts felt as one was when they were on the hunt for Fenris-the wolves that attacked and ate young girls.
This story is basically about the deep love between two sisters, the responsibility Scarlett feels to hunt the Fenris and Rosie's need for something more. There is a lot of guilt on Rosie's part because her sister bears the scars of protecting her and the hunt and Rosie doesn't feel she can separate from her sister. But Silas, Scarlett's hunting partner lures her away from a life of hunting and tries to show her a life beyond just hunting. For Scarlett, anything but hunting is an act of betrayal. For Silas, he can hunt and still have a life. For Rosie ....it's a choice between the two people she loves.
But another story going on is the hunt for the Potential, a human that has all the right things to be turned into a Fenris and the Fenris are on the prowl, first in the girls' small town and then when Scarlett, Rosie and Silas head to Atlanta where there are a lot of killings, they hear Fenris talking of the Potential. But they know so little of this Potential. What makes him what he is and their greatest resource, Silas' father, the woodsman, is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's.
There is a lot of action in this novel mixed with a little bit of budding romance and lots of fighting and gore. Not the kind that turns your stomach, just descriptive enough. I knew who the Potential was pretty early but you may not guess. Pearce just left the hint way too soon for it not to be the person I thought it was no matter how far off she tried to lead. This was fast paced and a great take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. Each character had something to add, but Silas wasn't a fully developed character. However, this was after all Sisters Red and the two sisters were given every other chapter to narrate and let us see into their minds.
I'd love to see Pearce do another fairy tale. I've just recently read Beastly, a take on Beauty and the Beast and the modern telling of the old versions make for really great reading. I love the grown up versions of Red Riding Hood. I definitely recommend this to anyone that loves fairy tales, suspense, mystery, YA, or just a good read. I'd say it's clean enough for any age to read. Just depends on the gore factor. And a big thanks to We Love YA Tours for letting me have a chance to read this one!!