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A review by sasha_in_a_box
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
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.