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A review by nevclue
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

3.0

A dark, violent fantasy. Nominally a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but in a far larger, more imaginative world.

In many ways, this was really well-written. I loved the complexity of the characters. Rachelle is both consumed by guilt for what she's done, but also constantly striving for more. She's willing to die, but furiously and defiantly alive.

What I didn't like and the reason this is 3 stars for me (and this is a personal quirk, not an actual problem) was the level of religion. This felt deeply catholic with continuous current of guilt and shame and confession. This ties in perfectly with red riding hood because of course female curiosity and adventure is to be punished, but it was not what I expected. On the plus side,
Spoilerkudos to Hodge for having Rachelle sleep with Erec both in anger at and rejection of Armand and in genuine desire. So rarely are heroines allowed to have sex with the "wrong" man (at least in the middle/end of a story, past "sins" are more common) and not be punished by the main love interest.