Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Title: Red Riding Hood
Author: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Poppy; Mti edition (March 16, 2011)

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henri, 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 werewolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But 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 creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the Blood Moon wanes . . . or everyone she loves will die.


If anyone knows my weakness, it is fairy tales, and fairy tale retellings. The first books I ever started reading as a child were fairy tales. Then, when I was about 8 or 9, my dad got me Francesa Lia Block's The Rose And The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold. 
I did see this movie, Red Riding Hood, before reading the book, so I knew what it was about and what was going to happen. And luckily, the book added a bit more scenes that the movie didn't.

Valerie is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in a quiet village called Daggorhorn. But something happens once a month in Daggorhorn. The villagers give a monthly sacrifice to a terrible werewolf who lives among them.
A lot of things happen in Valerie's life. Valerie is in love with her childhood friend, Peter, who is an outcast. And then Henry, who every girl in the village wants, is in love with Valerie. Valerie is ready to runaway with Peter, to escape her life and go see what is beyond her small world. That is until four bells ring. Three bells means that someone has died. Four bells means there was a wolf attack. Valerie hurries home to see who has been attacked, and soon sees that it was her own sister, Lucie.

I loved the designs in the book and just wanted to show them. I feel like they really made the book stand out. Here are a few of them:

 

I really liked Valerie's character. Her bravery and her personality really stood out to me. I liked that she was very different from all the other girls in the village. The girls in the village really got on my nerves. I mean really, really, got on my nerves. 

 
Peter. There's always something about a beautiful boy who wears black that makes me swoon. I love how smart Peter is. This boy's mind is just brilliant. I didn't like when he was with Rose though. I feel like no one else deserves Peter but Valerie. They just suit each other so well. Now, I saw that a lot of people complained about Peter and Valerie's relationship because “There wasn't enough romance”. 
I thought this story was about the wolf? But maybe it's just me who felt that way. There are about two “steamy” scenes with Peter and Valerie in the movie, so if you want the romance, it's in the movie. The book has it too, but it's not as descriptive about it.

Henry's character was very sweet. Sometimes. Henry is very competitive with Peter. Probably because he secretly watched Peter and Valerie making out. So from then on, Henry has a rivalry with Peter. I started liking Henry more towards the end when he stood up for Valerie.

By the end of the book, you are left with no ending. The book, however, gives you a site to go on that lets you read the bonus chapter. The bonus chapter is the ending. We find out who the wolf is, and what happens to Valerie in the end. I liked the ending, well not really, but it ended in a hopeful way. The movie's alternate ending was so good. Even better than the original ending, and the book ending. So, if you watch it, or read the book, watch the movie's alternate ending. I was very happy with it.

        

I gave Red Riding Hood a 4 out of 5 stars!