Crimson Bound

This book had an enthralling first sentence: “In all your life, your only choice… is the path of needles or the path of pins.” It drew me in right away. I think it's a Rosamund-Hodge-thing; even with Cruel Beauty, my attention was captured with the first sentence.

The author’s writing style (descriptive writing and dialogue) is something to be admired. In some places, it is almost poetic, filled with metaphors and details. The following piece from the book is so cool:

“That is why I want you to come with me so you can be reconciled with God and find peace.”
“I’d rather confess to the devil,” said Rachelle.

I can see that fierce and feisty girl being rebellious and not caring about stating her honest and profane show more opinion, even if it gives others a rather disagreeable impression of her. I commend Rachelle’s strong, feministic and determined personality.

I enjoyed reading about the myths from the past that helped make the current story sense. The world building in the past and the present were perfectly interconnected.

However, at the start of the book I thought the story was more slow-paced, which I wasn’t a fan of, especially because I like fast-paced books. I enjoyed the second half of the book more, because it was filled with activity and liveliness.

Also, I grabbed this book because I highly enjoyed Cruel Beauty by the same author. I was looking for dark romance, which sadly wasn’t abundant in this book.

Anyway, I would recommend this book to readers who like to see a strong female protagonist with assertion and vigour in her soul. And of course… to anyone who likes magic. show less

Yes, I read this all at once, with very few stops, and no, I'm not ashamed.

Feed the Forest inside you with blood, and it would feed you in return.

I loved EVERYTHING about this book. Literally everything. The love interests, the conflicts, the main character, the character arcs, the setting, the writing, the pacing, the world, the magic—

E V E R Y T H I N G

My favorite character was Rachelle herself, Erec being a close second. They felt so real and intense and everything about them was so well done. I didn't love Armand as much as I was definitely supposed to, but I still really liked him as a character and really appreciated his role in the plot. I hadn't expected Amélie to be as important as she was, as best friend characters usually show more don't have very big roles, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was a real person, not just a pretty painting for Rachelle to compare herself to. It was all very well done.

Rosamund Hodge has an interesting and awesome way of writing her retellings. She isn't satisfied with just one story to retell. No, she has to add as many as possible, and it's like solving a puzzle to find all the little ones. It makes you feel like you know something more, that you've glimpsed into the world a little deeper than everyone else, when you notice them. It's such an amazing experience. I want to write like that.

"The same wolfish greed beats in your heart: to have what you will, and kill for it."

I didn't think I would love this more than Cruel Beauty, but oh well here we are today, with this book shining down straight from heaven to bless my wicked, undeserving heart. show less

This was fine -- what really sticks with me is the imagery of the forest and feral magic. A dark little red riding hood with a powerful female protagonist was a nice twist on a faerie tale retelling. I also really like books that have characters that are morally ambiguous and grow and work through that. But despite that, the characterization is a little shallow and inconsistent. Also, love triangles are Not My Thing.

"There are never any choices in the forest."

This one was so good and so fun. Full of lore, close to Fae and close to demons but - to me - it had a twist all it's own. and even though some of the plot points were easy to see early on, a few still caught me by surprise.
the adventure of the tale and the characters were really wonderfully done. I loved it.

Crimson Bound was a pleasant surprise for me. I expected to enjoy it, but I didn't expect to love the world, its intricacies and the characters.
Rachelle, the main character, is a flawed and fully realized character. She is jaded by her actions and resigned to what she believes to be her fate of damnation. Yet, she is so hopeful and determined to save the world and atone for all the she's done and been unable to do.
Each relationship we see, be it platonic or romantic, is unique to the relationship. They don't feel like carbon copies of each other. Each relationship reflects the individuals that compose it and make you feel for each of them. The characters are all well-defined, with personal motivations and point of views, as well.
I also show more really enjoyed the mythology interludes in the story. We see how the story of Tyre and Zisa binding the Devourer comes full-circle with Armand and Rachelle in the present day.
I would recommend Crimson Bound to lovers of fantasy and fairy tale who want a high stakes and surprising plot with dynamic characters and relationships. show less

I haven't read CRUEL BEAUTY yet, but I did a little research after I received this book, and it didn't seem like I needed to have read CRUEL BEAUTY in order to understand CRIMSON BOUND, so I went ahead and dove in. I had high hopes going into this book: I love Little Red Riding Hood retellings, I love creepy woods and monsters, and that cover is a killer, just gorgeous.

CRIMSON BOUND was a wonderful introduction to Hodge's writing. I loved a lot about this book, but my favorite things are Rachelle's characterization and the descriptions of the woods. Rachelle is angry and strong, violent, and fighting an inner darkness that she believes will destroy her and anyone she cares about someday. There's evil in her world, and it is coming for show more them, and even though those around her mock, she believes, and that belief is strong enough I believe too. In short, she's amazing, and I love her.

Hodge has an interesting writing style here. There's a lot of fairytale feel to it, which makes sense, but I had a hard time connecting with the world. I loved the world building, the lurking woods and the monsters within, what Rachelle was to be and what instead she became, but there's a dreamy quality to the tone that made me feel at a distance to the writing quite often. I struggled a little getting into the story, and any time I put the book down, I struggled a little when I picked it up again. However, the descriptions of the woods and of Rachelle's fighting were solid, and wonderful.

I wish there were more female characters being awesome, and more of a specific female friendship in particular. I wish it was bloodier, darker; I love horror, though, and have a high tolerance for this type of violence non-sexual violence), and pretty much always want bloodier, darker, scarier. There were times the story felt stretched out, slowed down, in ways that didn't always work for me, generally when the romance plots took the lead. I wanted so much more from the shadow forest and its citizens, the creepiness as it lurked just out of sight, and the horrors that could unfold.

Overall, though, I enjoyed CRIMSON BOUND. Rachelle is a joy, fierce and dangerous and driven, and her world complicated, political, entertaining. I highly recommend CRIMSON BOUND, and can't wait to go back and read CRUEL BEAUTY. I look forward to more work from Hodge, because this was an excellent read. show less

Unexpected and twisty, unique. Can you be forgiven for what you've done? Rachelle doesn't seem to think so, but she will spend the rest of her life trying to keep the evils from the myths from returning. Who can be trusted in a world where it seems everyone lies? The motives behind motives are amazingly well planned and really enjoyable (and sometimes leave one's head spinning a little). Nicely done! Now I want to read Cruel Beauty.