GIFTED | Little Red Riding Hood must be one of the most recognised fairy tales in folklore. There have been so many interpretations and adaptations of the story, it’s proved such a fertile source for writers and directors alike. So when I found out that one of my favourite authors, Christina Henry, was writing her version, I knew The Girl in Red was going straight to the top of my TBR pile.
The Girl in Red
It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She’s just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.
It’s not the wolves in the woods that Red’s afraid of: there are far worse threats than that. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.
Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods…
Bestselling author, Christina Henry, returns with another twisted take on a seminal classic, Little Red Riding Hood. This is a story about survival, family and the strength of humanity in the face of destruction. The Girl in Red blends pop culture references with the folklore of the original story into a compulsive read that will make you see the heroine in a whole new light.
The Girl in Red is available in paperback or Kindle from Amazon UK.
Christina Henry is the author of Alice and Red Queen, a dark and twisted duology on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as Lost Boy, an origin story from Peter Pan. She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and, watching movies with samurais, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son and tweets @C_Henry_Author.
First impressions
I’ve said this before but I am loving Titan Books’ book covers, the artwork is fabulous, don’t you think? And as a Shakespeare fan, I also appreciated all the chapter titles in The Girl in Red, as well the fact that Red’s real name is Cordelia.
Following the Crisis (aka apocalypse), the novel opens with Red on her own and struggling to reach her Grandmother’s house several hundred miles away. She’s smart, resourceful, and more than capable of looking after herself, despite owning a prosthetic leg. The narrative switches back and forth in time to allow us glimpses of her family, and the reasons why she’s on her own now.
Red’s a fan of horror and with a keen interest in science so she’s well aware of the need for caution, scavenging, and questioning everything. There’s a real feeling of tension throughout the novel. Descriptions of gangs, soldiers, closed doors, and pools of blood keep you turning the pages, sometimes almost in dread.
Other thoughts
The Girl in Red tackles a lot of themes: bisexuality, racism (Red is mixed race), family and friendship boundaries, the breakdown of law and order, and how far (or not) you should trust the State. What would you do if your survival was on the line? Would you kill or be killed? And what if you become responsible for others as well?
“Cowering isn’t my thing. I rarely submit to anyone’s authority.” As heroines go, Red is one of the best I’ve read in a while. She fears neither soldiers nor gangs and this isn’t blind bravado. It’s rational and well thought out, with full awareness of her strengths and weaknesses. She doesn’t follow the herd, she’s her own woman, and quite prepared to do whatever it takes to protect herself and her own. Even when what she’s facing is something akin to Alien.
The Girl in Red is just over 360 pages and, for me, the ending came rather abruptly. I kept thinking I’d missed something, but perhaps Christina Henry is leaving the way open for a sequel? Certainly I’d be very happy to see more of the sassy, spiky Red in the future 😉
Would I recommend it?
I had VERY high expectations for this novel as not only do I LOVE Christina Henry’s books (here’s my review of Lost Boy), I’ve always adored fairy tales too. To be honest, it’s not quite what I was expecting and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Post-apocalyptic fantasy isn’t my usual genre and I think I was expecting more of the fairy tale elements, in common with her previous novels. But if it is your thing then I think you’d love this YA fantasy/science fiction. And Red is definitely a true modern-day heroine, plus there’s a supremely inventive take on the traditional wolf too.
Thank you very much to Titan Books for my copy of The Girl in Red, it’s a tale that’s stayed with me. Have you read any of Christina Henry’s other books?
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* This book was sent in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own. Please do feel free to check out my other book reviews too.
I’m always intrigued by these dark adaptions of classic fairy tales and this one sounds very gripping and tense indeed! Red sounds pretty awesome, I love that she is so sassy and independent and doesn’t follow the herd. It’s great that this version tackles a range of current topics and gives it a modern twist too. I agree, it can be frustrating when books end too quickly, I’m not much of a fan of cliffhangers… but like you say, it could be a clever way to bring in a sequel. This does sound like a real page turner and one to look out for, thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lisa! Fab review! <3 xxx
I love a twisted fairy tale – although it’s worth remembering that fairy tales were intended as moral lessons, not the Disney-fied versions we tend to see them as nowadays. The originals were often much darker with no happy endings either. And yes, Red is one cool girl, even if the genre wasn’t quite me. I am intrigued by the ending though, surely there HAS to be a sequel, haha! xxx
Thank you for this review – I have admittedly not delved into any of her books yet, but each time I see them in the bookshop I am really tempted. I have enjoyed many re-tellings of some of the old fairy tales. What really draws me to them is knowing that they were originally written for adults, and were far more brutal than the versions we know today.
I will add this to my list to buy next month – I am looking forward to your next review!
Yes, exactly, that’s what fairy tales were originally designed for, to be a moral lesson, not a happy ever after ending! I do love all of Christina Henry’s books, Lost Boy in particular (the first one I read) was amazing, and her Alice duology is brilliant too. Thank you for your lovely comment, I’m glad you enjoyed the review!
I heard of that novel and was dying to get it! I love dystopian and post apocalyptic and i love that it is tackling so many issues!
Oh, this will be right up your street then, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
I LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS! I love re-tellings of old classics and all the ones I’ve read in the past I’ve been really impressed with. I love this cover. And the topics it covers. Definitely looking out for this! x
I love retellings too, especially when they take such a completely different angle and make you look at characters you thought you knew in a fresh light. I think you’d love this one! x
Oooh I love the sound of this one, I’m so intrigued to read it now after reading your review, I love it when they take a different approach to fairytales 🙂 It sounds like it covers so many good themes too!
Kate
It’s such a good retelling of an old fairy tale, and some really unexpected twists too. Dystopia isn’t my genre but twisted fairy tales certainly are 🙂 x
I LOVE checking out new interpretations of old fairy tales, and the way this one is spun sounds like it would be right up my alley! I’m going to have to make a point of checking it out. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy it if you do read it, it’s certainly a twisted tale 🙂
Awesome review! Sounds like a book that I would read! Will check this out 💜
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it if you do read it!
Hey Lisa, I feel like I have not read your blog in a while. In saying that I can’t remember when last I picked up a twisted fairytale. The front cover is very chilling but it immediately grabs your attention and reels you in. The main character Cordelia sounds like she has so much depth to her. Thanks for bringing the author to my attention, I must check her out. This is a thorough review!
Jenna|xo
Likewise, I will have to rectify this glaring omission! I’m glad you agree about the front cover, and yes, Cordelia (Red) has a lot going on, she’s a great character. I hope you enjoy the book if you read it too 🙂
I read Alice, and whilst I enjoyed it I was extremely uncomfortable with the levels of grotesque and pointedly sexual violence against women that was involved as threats in the narrative. I noticed that this wasn’t the case with The Mermaid, so I wonder if that’s still there in this book? I’d love to read more of her fairy tale books, but I’m very wary of finding myself facing more of the same from Alice!
I know what you mean about Alice but I think it was justified because of the context. But Red Queen, the sequel, doesn’t have this, nor does Lost Boy, The Mermaid, nor The Girl in Red. I do think Christina Henry has a knack with turning well-known tales on their heads and if you enjoyed The Mermaid, I’d really encourage you to try Lost Boy first, then The Girl in Red!
Haha we may have to agree to disagree on whether it was justified – surely cannibalism would have been horrific enough, without the rape at the same time? But I did enjoy the Mermaid a lot, and I’m pleased to hear Lost Boy and Girl In Red don’t have this tone either! Thank you for letting me know – I will feel much more comfortable reading them now! 🙂 I’m also relieved to hear Red Queen moves away from it too, so I will maybe try and finish the duology.
I think we might! But I do hope you enjoy her other books, I think my favourite is still Lost Boy, and I’ll be very interested to hear what you think in due course 😉
I love modern twists on classic fairytales so this book sounds ideal for me. Also I enjoy post-apocalyptic fantasy stories so it checks multiple boxes. I’m going to have to check this one out! Thanks for sharing Lisa.
Oh great, this one sounds like it’s been written for you then! Do let me know what you think if you read it, we can compare notes 🙂
This sounds very interesting. It’s definitely what I would usually read, it reminds me a bit of the show once upon a time and Grimm that kind of theme. You have written a great review. I haven’t heard of Christina Henry before, so I will have to look at other books she has written. Thank you for sharing Lisa xx
Oh thank you! And yes, I used to love Once Upon A Time, I’d forgotten about that. It sounds like Christina Henry is an author you’d enjoy then, do let me know if you read any! Xxx
The Red Riding Hood was one of my favorite fairy tale and this adaption sounds great and gripping. I have never read a post apocalypse based books but have started watching shows. It will be interesting to read how she takes care of herself and survives in this scary time. This sounds like I will love it. I love the cover to – looks scary. 🙂
Via | http://glossnglitters.com
This was my first dystopian novel too (unless you count The Hunger Games) and I wasn’t too sure about it. But I loved Red, she was amazing, and the twist on the well-known tale is fabulous! x
For the die-hard fans, retellings may be difficult to the palate. But retold as beautifully as you’ve done with this review, it’s worth picking up!
Aw, thank you so much, that’s so lovely to hear!
Sounds very different to my usual reading material too but I do love the idea of Red being this fierce, independent heroine, as well as the Red Riding Hood twist generally. Fab review! xx
Thank you! Yes, it’s a real twist on the usual fairy tale, not at all what you might expect 🙂 x