Red Riding Hood (original 2011; edition 2011)

Did quite make 3-1/2 to get rounded up but pretty close. ( )

I'm not sure what to say, other than that I didn't care about the book, the characters in the books, or what happened. I hadn't seen the movie before I read the book and after reading the author's intro I was interested to see how much detail the book went into. (I plan to compare it with the movie.) I guess I expected more knowing the director's thoughts on the book.

It was a fast read, I didn't realized how many pages had passed as I read. I finished it, though I was a bit annoyed I had to go online to get the last chapter. I guess I cared enough to go find the last chapter. Maybe it was just that I was unsatisfied with 'end' of the book. ( )

Excelente nueva adaptación del clásico cuento de caperucita roja. Una historia mucho mas misteriosa, apasionada y emocionante. ( )

Under the light of a rare blood moon, Valerie finds herself torn between two men: the handsome, gentleman suitor who she’s been betrothed to, and the dark, mysterious childhood friend who wants to run away with her. However, when all of a sudden the werewolf that has stalked her village for generations kills Valerie’s sister, her life unravels. Panic and paranoia rises among the villagers as they realize the Wolf could be anyone -- even one of their own. No one is safe, Valerie least of all…

Based on the 2011 feature film, this retelling of the classic fairy tale blends a mix of gothic horror and paranormal fantasy with young, wistful teen romance. It’s a story that questions the way society treats those who are different, and shows that courage sometimes means going up against what you used to know, no matter the consequences. This would be entertaining read for high school readers. ( )

When I picked this up, I was doing so under the impression that the movie starring Amanda Seyfried was based on Blakey-Cartwright's book. Not so. Apparently director Catherine Hardwick came up with the idea of turning it into a book during production. Prior to knowing this, I actually enjoyed the book and what I had assumed was an alternative ending. Now that I know this I feel very let down.

The characters were interesting, and it was nice to get inside Valerie's head a bit more. I enjoyed the movie, and thought it was fairly well done. A bit Twilighty, but decent. Valerie's character in the book comes across a bit more selfish and wishy-washy as far as her affections went. Henry was also a bit more developed than he was in the movie and I actually could see why Valerie might have wavered, especially considering how in the book Peter has been absent for years, only showing up right before the wolf attacks the first night.

The slight differences in the beginning of the book were nice, making it at least feel like I was getting something new out of it. The minor differences between the movie and book pop up often enough that it kept me read, if only to find out what else would be changed. Which leads me to the ending. Or what I thought was the ending. Apparently, the library book I borrowed was one of those printed before the movie released, and was published with the ending missing. On purpose. Yeah. So while I thought the author had deliberately left things hanging with a mystery or at least a suspicion that Peter was the wolf, what really happened was the publisher decided to work with the movie production company and not release the last chapter(s) until the movie came out. It totally ruined the book for me. I mean what a way to give in to the movie industry and sacrifice your story for a few extra movie tickets.

If you've seen the movie, then skip this one. At least that way you'll get the actual ending. ( )