#7 Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Is you knew that monsters existed, would you close your eyes or fight back? Sisters Scarlett and Rosie March have chosen to fight. When
the two girls were children, a fenris (a creature with the ability to turn into a bloodthirsty wolf), attacked their family home, resulting in the loss of Scarlett's eye and the death of their grandmother. Since then, they have trained themselves for revenge, turning the hunters into the hunted. Only as Rosie grows older, she finds herself yearning for a life that goes beyond the hunt. Will Scarlett be able to understand her sister's needs?
Sisters Red is a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and a good selection for readers into young adult paranormal fiction. There's a lot that Pearce does very well in this novel, but I think it's two greatest strengths can be found in it's intense action sequences, and the appealing central relationship in the novel, the sister-bond between Scarlett and Rosie. Many young adult paranormal books focus on a romantic couple (or trio, as they typically involve love triangles). This is not the case here. Nothing against romance-focused paranormal (it can be quite fun), but it was nice to see a book break the trend. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the strength of it's central characters. Sisters Red is told in alternating chapters, which switch back and forth between the two heroines. I thought that this was a great choice, as it really lets the reader get inside each character's heads. Pearce has crafted strong and distinct voices for each character, and given them both important emotional journeys to complete along with the central plot. There is also a satisfying romantic side plot, between Rosie and Silas, which is more sweet that spicy. Jackson carefully sidesteps many (but not all) of the common pitfalls that other paranormal authors do with romance, which I appreciated.
Admittedly, Sisters Red has it's faults. There were a couple instances where I felt skepticism over the believability of real-life elements. The novel also suffers from being rather predictable at times. I saw the big “twist” at the end coming from miles away. I found myself frustrated that our typically intelligent main cast never thought about the possibility of it happening. There are also moments of the novel that I found disturbing. Similar to the original fairy tale, the fenris are a metaphor for sexual predators, something that Pearce really emphasizes from the beginning fight scene, which has strong sexual undertones. Where this becomes problematic is with the “dragonflies,” or beautiful girls who unknowingly attract the fenris with their sexual confidence. There is a scene in the book where two characters come very close to saying that these girls are basically egging the werewolves on. Now if you view the werewolves as metaphors for sexual predators, this means the novel comes very close to implying some disturbing things about rape victims, at least that I picked up on. Of course, I don't believe that Pearce intended to say these things, but it doesn't change the fact that it is a little disturbing.
Sisters Red is a paranormal novel that does a lot right. It filled with engaging characters, gripping actions sequences, and it manages to sidestep many of the faults of the genre. It's also a flawed book that can be seen as suggesting disturbing things. Still, I feel as if the benefits of Sisters Red far outweigh the faults, and I am happy that I picked it up. I will be reading more novels by Pearce.
Rating: four stars
Length: I listened to the audiobook, but the print version is 336 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: Other paranormal books for teens such as The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, and the Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. The “hunting” scenes also reminded me a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Other books I've read by this author: this is my first
Up next, I will be reviewing The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
the two girls were children, a fenris (a creature with the ability to turn into a bloodthirsty wolf), attacked their family home, resulting in the loss of Scarlett's eye and the death of their grandmother. Since then, they have trained themselves for revenge, turning the hunters into the hunted. Only as Rosie grows older, she finds herself yearning for a life that goes beyond the hunt. Will Scarlett be able to understand her sister's needs?
Sisters Red is a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and a good selection for readers into young adult paranormal fiction. There's a lot that Pearce does very well in this novel, but I think it's two greatest strengths can be found in it's intense action sequences, and the appealing central relationship in the novel, the sister-bond between Scarlett and Rosie. Many young adult paranormal books focus on a romantic couple (or trio, as they typically involve love triangles). This is not the case here. Nothing against romance-focused paranormal (it can be quite fun), but it was nice to see a book break the trend. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the strength of it's central characters. Sisters Red is told in alternating chapters, which switch back and forth between the two heroines. I thought that this was a great choice, as it really lets the reader get inside each character's heads. Pearce has crafted strong and distinct voices for each character, and given them both important emotional journeys to complete along with the central plot. There is also a satisfying romantic side plot, between Rosie and Silas, which is more sweet that spicy. Jackson carefully sidesteps many (but not all) of the common pitfalls that other paranormal authors do with romance, which I appreciated.
Admittedly, Sisters Red has it's faults. There were a couple instances where I felt skepticism over the believability of real-life elements. The novel also suffers from being rather predictable at times. I saw the big “twist” at the end coming from miles away. I found myself frustrated that our typically intelligent main cast never thought about the possibility of it happening. There are also moments of the novel that I found disturbing. Similar to the original fairy tale, the fenris are a metaphor for sexual predators, something that Pearce really emphasizes from the beginning fight scene, which has strong sexual undertones. Where this becomes problematic is with the “dragonflies,” or beautiful girls who unknowingly attract the fenris with their sexual confidence. There is a scene in the book where two characters come very close to saying that these girls are basically egging the werewolves on. Now if you view the werewolves as metaphors for sexual predators, this means the novel comes very close to implying some disturbing things about rape victims, at least that I picked up on. Of course, I don't believe that Pearce intended to say these things, but it doesn't change the fact that it is a little disturbing.
Sisters Red is a paranormal novel that does a lot right. It filled with engaging characters, gripping actions sequences, and it manages to sidestep many of the faults of the genre. It's also a flawed book that can be seen as suggesting disturbing things. Still, I feel as if the benefits of Sisters Red far outweigh the faults, and I am happy that I picked it up. I will be reading more novels by Pearce.
Rating: four stars
Length: I listened to the audiobook, but the print version is 336 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: Other paranormal books for teens such as The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, and the Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. The “hunting” scenes also reminded me a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Other books I've read by this author: this is my first
Up next, I will be reviewing The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads