Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
Fantasy/Dark Fairy Tale
Summary: When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.
Pages: 448
My Rating: B+
This is a very dark retelling of Red Riding Hood, with some other fairy tale elements in it, including a bit of Hansel and Gretel. I should warn that Goodreads lists this as a sequel to Cruel Beauty, but the two have nothing to do with each other, aside from both being dark fairy tale retellings. This world is set in a sort of Frankish court in the late middle ages, but it's also uniquely its own. The main character, Rachelle, is very sad and angry for what she's done, but she's made sure to save as many people as possible.
The characters in this are quite interesting, though they don't pull me in quit as much as Cruel Beauty. Never the less, it kept me reading the entire time. I wanted to know how she would fix everything, and what the ultimate outcome would be. The finale is truly satisfying, and while not everything is fixed, I think that made the story more satisfying, because it meant that the sacrifices that were made truly meant something.
Generally YA here, but high end. There is reference to sex, and heavy flirting, and also a very dark edge to it, so if darkness is a problem, this might not be the book for you. That said, I really do enjoy Hodge's take on fairy tales, and very much look forward to the third of her fairy tales, Gilded Ashes.
To see my rating system, go here.
