Sisters Red

by Jackson Pearce

[Leah]

All Scarlett and Rosie March know is hunting Fenris (werewolves). Ever since the sister's were attacked and their grandmother killed, Scarlett and Rosie have strived to keep their town safe from werewolves. Scarlett from desire to avenge the loss of not only her grandmother but also her eye, and Rosie because she thinks she owes it to Scarlett after Scarlett protected her on that fateful day. However the wolves are getting stronger and stronger and in a bid to ward them off, the sister's move to the big city along with Silas, a childhood friend, to try and stop as many wolves as possible. It appears that the wolves are hunting a Potential, someone who they can turn into a wolf, and it's up to Scarlett, Rosie and Silas to figure out who that Potential is, but as the two sister's interests to hunting differ, can they also save their relationship?

I have to admit I've seen Sisters Red on Amazon a few times but I wasn't totally sure if I would enjoy it or not and I wasn't planning on buying it at all. After reading it, I know realise that is a huge mistake and had the publisher not offered it to me to review, this fantastic book would have totally passed me by. Thankfully I was offered it to review because after re-reading the synopsis I decided it was worth the plunge so when it arrived a week or so ago I gave the prologue a quick read. It intrigued me so as soon as I got the chance to sit down with it properly I decided to go for it and read it.

When I was offered it to review I was told that Sisters Red, whilst being about werewolves and sisters who hunt wolves, is also a modern spin on two classic fairytales: Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. I struggled a bit with wondering where Snow White comes into play but the aspects from Little Red Riding Hood are apparant right from the off; the red cloaks used by Scarlett and Rosie as well as the fact that in the Prologue Rosie says the man at their gate has "weird eyes" and he replies "All the better to see you with, my dears", in homage of course to the big bad wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. I used to - and still have - a huge book of fairytales and most kids know the basics of all of the fairytales and I have to admit I do enjoy when a book uses aspects from fairytales, particularly if it's done well. With Sister's Red, I think Jackson has done a fantastic job at using aspects of Little Red Riding Hood without overdoing it and I loved all of the nods to what is probably the most popular fairytale around.

At the moment any sort of mythical creatures appear to be in vogue; vampires, werewolves, angels, et al, I'm fairly sure it'll be dinosaurs or something next. Although I must admit, I myself haven't read many werewolf tales and Sister's Red is probably one of my first. The first chapter of the book (after the Prologue) sees Scarlett killing a wolf and I have to admit it wasn't what I was expecting, because it was rather... let's just say the killing of a wolf doesn't make for nice reading! However it's easy to see why Scarlett does what she does especially after she lost her eye in a horrible Fenris attack. I thought that was how the book was going to progress with Scarlett and Rosie hunting out Fenris in their small town along with childhood friend Silas. However it soon becomes apparant that there's a reason for the Fenris to be hanging around, they're scenting out a Potential (someone with the mark of the Fenris but who has yet to transform) and so the three decide the best way to carry on hunting the Fenris and to find the Potential is to head to Atlanta and start hunting there. One thing I wasn't expecting from the plot was a romantic storyline but we do get one, and I admit that after a while I saw it coming and waited in expectation for it to unfold between Rosie and Silas.

Surprisingly I found myself really loving both Scarlett and Rosie. What they do isn't pleasant, but it's necessary to stop the Fenris from killing innocent people. I could see also just how close Scarlett and Rosie became after the original wolf attack that killed their grandmother. They only had each other and when they describe each other as each having half of a whole heart, it's an apt description and their love for each other shines off the pages. I could feel Scarlett's desire to avenge her grandmother's death as well as the injuries she suffered and I could also see why Rosie felt that because Scarlett saved her life she felt she had to carry on hunting. It's clear that both sisters have totally differing views on hunting out the Fenris and I could see both of their points. Silas, a childhood friend of the pair, acts as kind of the middle man. He's Scarlett's hunting partner but he and Rosie seem to have a connection. I loved Silas, he seemed to balance the two sisters out well and the growing interest between himself and Rosie made for fantastic reading.

The book is written from both Scarlett and Rosie's points of view, swapping chapters between the two. It was easy to differentiate between the two, and I enjoyed seeing their lives from both of their perspectives. Sister's Red is really well written, it was such an easy read and I flew through the pages. There are a few twists and turns as the book heads towards the end although I must admit I did figure out who was the Potential, which was mildly unfortunate. I thought I'd been thrown off the scent but it turns out I was indeed right. It did however make the book unputdownable and I managed to read the entire book in three sittings (only stopping to walk the dogs)! I really really enjoyed Sister's Red and it's definitely one of my favourite reads of 2010 and is a really great take on Little Red Riding Hood. If you liked that fairytale, you will love this as well as all of the nods towards the great fairytale. Pick it up, you might be surprised!