Hello, everyone! Today is my stop on the blog tour for Red: The Untold Story by Angela M. Hudson hosted by YA Bound Book Tours! I'm really excited about this book tour and so happy I got the chance to review it for you all! It sounded so interesting to me, even with the whole werewolf/wolf type element which I'm personally not actually a fan of but this one was an exception. Not only is this book gorgeous, but it definitely had surprises waiting for me.
Before I get further into the details about what I thought about this book, be sure to check down below to follow the rest of the blog tour as well as details on where you can purchase the book and enter the GIVEAWAY! Whoot whoot! I hope you guys enjoy!
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Red: The Untold Story by Angela M. Hudson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy
Score: ❤❤❤❤
Page Count: 394
Stand Alone
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: July 25th, 2016
A powerful new YA novel by award-winning dark romance author AM Hudson.
Do not go gentle into the wolf's asylum...
Once every twenty years, pack alpha Luther takes a new wife. On the day of Selection, Red is chosen. Just as her family always planned. Just as she always planned. Until she met Alex Plain.
Alex took Red to worlds she never imagined, where the ordinary is seen as magical, and the upright is abstract. With the help of this new friendship, Red begins to see a future for herself outside of the pack. But, unfortunately, Alex Plain came along too late.
Red is obligated to marry Luther now, and taken to live in the mysterious Ravenswood Mansion, where truth lies and the walls have eyes. What Red learns there about her alpha will ignite some burning questions—ones that, when answered, could undo the entire order of the pack:
What happened to all the children born there? Why hasn’t this mansion left the seventeenth century? And where are all his previous wives?
Do not go gentle into the wolf's asylum...
Once every twenty years, pack alpha Luther takes a new wife. On the day of Selection, Red is chosen. Just as her family always planned. Just as she always planned. Until she met Alex Plain.
Alex took Red to worlds she never imagined, where the ordinary is seen as magical, and the upright is abstract. With the help of this new friendship, Red begins to see a future for herself outside of the pack. But, unfortunately, Alex Plain came along too late.
Red is obligated to marry Luther now, and taken to live in the mysterious Ravenswood Mansion, where truth lies and the walls have eyes. What Red learns there about her alpha will ignite some burning questions—ones that, when answered, could undo the entire order of the pack:
What happened to all the children born there? Why hasn’t this mansion left the seventeenth century? And where are all his previous wives?
Review:
PROS:
1. Right off the bat, I was interested in reading this one not only because it seemed like a retelling of little red riding hood but also because I felt like stepping out of my comfort zone. If you know me, you know I don't read books with vampires, werewolves, or any other creature of the night. They're just not my thing. However, this one sounded rather intriguing so I thought I'd give it a chance. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised by this book for many reasons. Let's start with my favorite reason first, shall we? 2. Going into this book, I was expecting a less modern setting than the one I got. I was surprised to see that this book is set in modern times, which I found refreshing since it actually was a realistic type setting other than the overdramatic and darker modern day settings most urban fantasy books that I've read have been set in. It was a lighter atmosphere without starting off heavy somehow. I really loved the fact that the characters also didn't have the most depressing background stories ever other than two, whose background stories were both sad but realistic as well.
4. The storytelling and pace this book takes was both intriguing and relaxed, fantastical and realistic at the same time and I fell in love with the book as it progressed. I loved how real the setting was for the book, but also how it had an old time feel with Red being trapped in a mansion that seemed to have been left in the 1800's, following her story as she digs deeper into who this mysterious Luther is that she's to marry and what exactly is going on behind closed doors, discovering secrets and lies that can get her harmed or even killed. The book kept me interested in the story because of the unique turns in the story, the unique setting, the realistic views on life and grief, and also took me on an adventure while also teaching some very valuable lessons on life.
5. I could go on and on about this book from the beautiful cover to the great ending but I'll end with saying that my favorite part about this whole book was that it really focused on the importance of friendships and families, no matter how strange or weird they may seem. I loved that Red never lost sight of what really mattered to her and was quick to set aside her own problems when it came to helping out her friends who were in need, even if she had enough to worry about already. I loved the themes of family and friendship littered throughout the book and I especially loved that the romance element was only a hidden theme, only really taking life towards the last few chapters of the story with hints thrown in here and there.
6. This book deals with grief, facing your mistakes, accepting that life isn't all sunshine and rainbows but also learning to accept that there's still a little bit of magic left even when it seems your own little world is shrouded in pain or hurt. Overall, this book was fun to read, something fresh, realistic in its characters and storytelling, and most importantly added something new and touching to the story of little red riding hood that I fully enjoyed.
The reason I didn't give this book a five-star rating was because I'm just personally not a huge fan of werewolf stories so it was a bit out of my comfort zone at some points when the story delves into the history of Red's family and where her pack comes from as well as the traditions of old. Other than that, I really recommend this one!
You Can Purchase The Book Here:
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About The Author
From the town that brought you Sam Worthington, the city that brought you Heath Ledger, and the country that gave you Chris Hemsworth, comes the AusRom TODAY Author of the Year 2015 and Best Established Author nominee AM Hudson.
This internationally successful author has captivated fans all over the world since her Dark Secrets series was released in 2011. Known for her character-driven novels and twisted plots, her epic stories will confuse you, draw you in, make you feel something, including a strong desire to slap the protagonist. When she's not making people fall in love with her works, she spends time sorting a mountain of laundry for her four sons and drags shoelaces around the house for her Ragdoll cat Pudding to chase.
Mrs. Hudson loves a good chat about all things bookish, so come find her on Facebook at 'AM Hudson', and she absolutely loves readers that leave reviews.
Author Links:
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