Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent @RachelKVincent @HarperTeen

Posted October 20, 2021 by Melanie in Book Review / 21 Comments

Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent @RachelKVincent @HarperTeenRed Wolf by Rachel Vincent
Published by HarperTeen on July 27, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 367
Format: eBook
Source: Library
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One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

This high stakes, pacey reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Megan Spooner.

For as long as sixteen-year-old Adele can remember the village of Oakvale has been surrounding by the dark woods—a forest filled with terrible monsters that light cannot penetrate. Like every person who grows up in Oakvale she has been told to steer clear of the woods unless absolutely necessary.

But unlike her neighbors in Oakvale, Adele has a very good reason for going into the woods. Adele is one of a long line of guardians, women who are able to change into wolves and who are tasked with the job of protecting their village while never letting any of the villagers know of their existence.

But when following her calling means abandoning the person she loves, the future she imagined for herself, and her values she must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her neighbors safe.

Red Wolf is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by Rachel Vincent. I went into this book not realizing it was a YA story. I’ve read several of Rachel Vincent’s adult stories, but never a YA from her. I’m really picky about YA stories, but there’s been a few that I’ve loved over the years. I’m glad to say I can add this book to that list.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Adele. She’s really wanting to get married and live next door to her best friend who is newly engaged. Adele’s mother (her father died years before and his death is a big part of this story) has been avoiding answering the question about Adele marrying her long-time boyfriend. He is part of the town’s watch, which helps protect the village from “the dark wood” and the vicious shape-shifting wolves who live in it.

Adele is sent to the wood to make a delivery to her grandmother. And that is when Adele’s life is turned upside down. She learns she comes from a long line of guardians, people who can shift into red wolves to help protect people from the white wolves who attack without regard for anyone.

A lot of the story was fairly predictable (especially if I read the blurb, which I had not, so I wasn’t really aware of the werewolf aspect of this story going in). However, the story does take a turn when Adele finds a small child alone in the wood and brings him back to the town. This is when the story starts to pick up for me. I really loved how it ended. I love how Adele decides to do what she thinks is best and doesn’t believe something just because everyone else did. The very, very end does leave you with a few questions, but not a cliffhanger type question. More of a “you determine what happened” type of end. I’m probably not explaining it right, but I loved how it ended.

So, basically, I’m not a huge fan of YA stories, though I do read some paranormal ones from time to time. This is one that I’m really glad I picked up. I had a fun time with it. I do recommend not giving up on it and finishing the story. It isn’t a long story. I completed it in less than a day. I just feel that the very beginning, the building of the story, is a bit slower and star struck teenager, than I like, but it ended really well.

About Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent is the author of more than twenty books in several different series, for adults and for young adults. All of her books are currently available in the US, Canada, and the UK. Select books are also being published in Australia, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Finland, India, France, Hungary, and Italy, Brazil, Germany, Vietnam, Thailand, and Spain.

Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy–but social media is a close second. She loves books, TV, video games, movies, cats, and the serial comma. She is fairly fanatical about grammar and has been known to send critiques to CNN along with screenshots of poorly edited articles. (That’s not even a joke.)

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Dialogue
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Melanie
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Posted October 20, 2021 by Melanie in Book Review / 21 Comments


21 responses to “Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

  1. The last few YA books that I’ve read have been disappointing, so I’ve been steering clear of them. But this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood sounds like fun. And if you liked it…I might just give it a read. 🙂

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  2. Lovely review, Melanie. Yes… YA is one of those odd sub-genres that often doesn’t work for me either. But when it does – I generally love the stories. And I’m a sucker for fairytale retellings, particularly this year when I’ve needed a bit more predictability. I enjoy Rachel Vincent’s writing, though I’ve only read her adult books so far, which pack a punch. I may well be tracking this one down!