Review: Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, Catherine Hardwicke

Description

The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.
Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.
After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.
It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.
Based on a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson.
(Goodreads)

 

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• Publisher: Poppy Books (January 31, 2011)
• ASIN: B004NHCUFY
• Reading Level: Young Adult

Author website: http://sarahblakleycartwright.blogspot.com/ 
Trailer of Red Riding Hood movie from YouTube

Review

Great expectations, little return. Blakley-Cartwright tried too hard and fell a little short. I was super excited to read a different take on the Red Riding Hood story, having read other fairytale updates. However, I was greatly disappointed with Blakley-Cartwright’s take.
 
There are silly, love-struck teenage girls, their hunky love interests, the aloof parents, crazy Grandmother, and many other caricatures. There were so many characters and so many points-of-view, that I could not invest in any one person. I wanted to laugh with them, mourn with them, rejoice with them, but they were so paper thin that I didn’t know them enough to invest emotionally in the story. The love story quickly becomes cheesier than the Edward-Bella-Jacob triangle in Twilight.
 
Blakley-Cartwright (or maybe David Leslie Johnson) must have watched M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village shortly before writing, there are so many similarities between the two: ancient walled-village, wolves, mentally challenged Claude.
 
There are props given to the original story, but they are done in such a way that they are forced and lame.

Redeeming this book is the bonus chapter found on http://www.redridinghoodbook.com/.

My advise, skip the book and hope the movie version is better.

Reviewed by Richie

2 moons: It was ok.