Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red is a retelling of the classic fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood.  The March sisters were attacked by a Fenris, or werewolf, as children.  They lost their grandmother in that attack and Scarlet has never been the same since.  Scarlett bears the brunt of the physical and emotional scarring from the attack so she is the one who insists on hunting the Fenris, luring them to a secluded patch of woods or and alley then turning on them and felling them with a knife or hatchet.  For years Scarlett's partner in hunting, Silas, has been there for her.  But what if he sees a future for himself that doesn't involve hunting?  Scarlett has always seen her sister, Rosie, as the other half of her self.  What if Rosie doesn't plan on hunting forever?  Can Scarlett live a life without hunting?  Will she lose her best friend and her sister? 

I really liked this book.  It was an interesting re-telling that wasn't straight fairytale.  You could see and feel the inspiration of the original tale but it didn't feel like you were reading Little Red Riding Hood AGAIN.  (And there was neither any huffing or puffing- just to clear that up.)  I liked the changing view points.  It would switch from Scarlett to Rosie and back again after every chapter or so, which was good because you got to see both sides of the story and you could really feel what each of them was feeling so neither girl seemed like the bad guy to the reader.  Silas was great too.  He was funny and interesting.  It was neat to see how he dealt with each of the sisters separately and together.  Silas loves them both but not in the same way.  It was a very complex book emotionally but not overly angsty.  It was also great that the story was written in such a way that it felt timeless.  It could have been in the sixties or yesterday.  I loved that feeling in this story because fairy tales should last for all time.  The werewolf mythology in this book was pretty unique as well.  Overall, this was a great read and for me, it read pretty quickly.  I read it in one day in between errands and while waiting at the mechanic.  I would say that this is a good book for teens and up.  I don't remember any occurrences of graphic sexuality and there are some cute passages of typical teen sexuality but it is all pretty clean.  The violence may be a bit much for some readers but it didn't bother me and I am a light weight when it comes to gore.  Anyone over 12 should be fine with this book.  I highly recommend you give it a try if you haven't already!!  And don't forget the wicked looking cover!! There will be a companion book out this year- a retelling of Hansel and Gretel- called Sweetly.  It comes out on August 23, 2011.  You can learn more about Jackson Pearce on her website and on Goodreads!

Sisters Red earns 4 Fairies for a great fairy retelling with a heartfelt sisterhood.