RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2018
AUTHORS: Isla Jones
GENRE: New-Adult, Fantasy, Retellings.
SUMMARY:
FEARED FABLES * RED RUN
A dark re-telling of the old tale, where Red Riding Hood isn’t so little, and mightn’t be so good after all.
The villagers call her Red.
It’s the colour of her lips, her cloak, and the blood that stains her when she returns from the woods.
The villagers call her Red for many reasons, but most of all, they’re too afraid to call her what she really is.
Witch.
But when a wolf stalks the village, Red might be the only one who can save them from the beast…the beast who has his sights set on her already. Red races against the three days until the full moon to uncover the wolf’s identity, find out what he wants from her, and save herself. To hell with the village, Red just wants to save herself.
That’s what good witches do.
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author this has in no way influenced my review.*
Red Run is the first installment in a standalone series Feared Fables. When the author approached me for a review request, I couldn’t resist because I love dark fairy tale retellings. As soon as I got my hands on it, I jumped into it. It was a quick short novella and I finished it in one sitting. It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a Red Riding Hood retelling and I really had fun reading this book. It was a good retelling. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the plot. Red Run was the first book I’ve read by the author and I might check out her other works.
Nineteen year old Red is a hunter and also a village witch who makes magical healing potions with her herbs. She’s an orphan and comes from the family of witches. People in her village aren’t fond of her presence especially the village priest who pretends that she doesn’t exist and only the desperate seeks her help. She often visits her grandmother who lives in the woods. When a werewolf starts to wreck havoc on her village by killing people, everyone begins to panic and Red is their only hope of saving them from the monster. When Red’s grandma reveals the history between Werewolves and Witches, she plans to escape the village before the wolf finds her and realizes that she can’t escape from him and decides to uncover the werewolf’s real identity before the full moon approaches.
I really liked the character Red as a witch. She’s smart, strong, determined, and beautiful. She is a clever hunter but don’t expect her to be a kickass werewolf hunter. She’s pretty skilled in making potions, but she doesn’t have much knowledge in sword handling. Her character was very refreshing to read. We also have two handsome male characters in this book, A Broody Hunter named Coltan, and a sexy and charming aristocrat named Dante. Both of them were pretty interesting and I wish this book also has their perspectives. As expected, there is a very light romance in this book but it’s really not the central focus of the story.
The plot was engaging throughout. The story had me captivated from the very beginning. In folklore, Werewolves always have a strong connection to witches, and the author did a nice job in writing her own version of Red. The pacing was good and there’s never a boring moment. There are some plot twists in the book which really took me by surprise. Even though some parts became predictable at the end, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. I loved the writing style of the author. The whole book was told in Red’s POV. There’s not much world building in this book, but I really loved the whole setting of the snowy forest and the little village.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I wish it wasn’t a novella because things happened pretty fast at the end. The ending was bittersweet yet satisfying. It left me a little heartbroken because I really didn’t see that coming.
Recommend it?
If you’re looking for a short dark fairy tale retellings then definitely pick this up.
MY RATING:[4/5 Stars]
So, What do you think of this book? Have you read it yet? Do you Plan to read it?
Please feel free to comment below!
See You In The Next Post and Have a Great Day! 🙂
I can see how you would want a little more than a novella of this story! It does sound like a fantastic retelling. I may have to give this series a try. 🙂
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It was a fun novella and I quite enjoyed the whole setting. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.
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I don’t generally reach for novellas. This one does look interesting, though. I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
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It really was an interesting read! It is a perfect pick if you’re looking for something short and fun.
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“To hell with the village, Red just wants to save herself. That’s what good witches do.” why am I laughing so hard at this 😂😂😂 This book souds so great, I love retelling!!! And your review make me want to read it!!
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ahaha😁 Red was a pretty likeable character. I’m glad that she wasn’t a total perfection. I like flawed characters. I hope you enjoy the book if you decide to give it a shot. 😊
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Wonderful review, Raven! I don’t think I’ve read a Red Riding Hood retelling just yet, though some books like these are on my TBR 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! 😀
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Thank you, Marie!😊 I’m very picky when it comes to red Riding Hood retellings and I’m glad that this one didn’t disappoint me.
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Not bad at all for a short retelling!!!! The Red Riding Hood was THE tale I requested all the time to my mom as a kid 😉
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Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite too! I hope you enjoy this book if you decide to give it a shot. 😊
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I don’t read many novellas, but this seems too good to resist. Terrific review Raven!
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Thank you, Kim!❤️ It was a good read. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a shot! 😊
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I love retellings, especially when they have a dark twist! This seems like such a fun and captivating take on the original fairytale, and since it’s a novella there’s probably no time to get bored. I’ve yet to read a Little Red Riding Hood retelling so I’m glad I know a good one now! 😊
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Me too! I love dark fairy tale retellings. Yeah, this was a short fun read. It has an engaging plot. It took me less than one and half hour to finish it. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a shot.
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I love dark retellings! I need to delve into this series!
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Hope you enjoy it! 😊
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I usually don’t pick up novellas, unless they’re part of a series, but this one sounds like a lot of fun! i have KU, so I’ll keep this in mind when I’m wanting a quick read. 🙂
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This was really a fun book to read! I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a shot! 😊
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