Christina Henry: The Girl in Red

In a retelling of the classic Red Riding Hood Story, Christina Henry shows what Red is really like in a world going to hell:

The woods were never safe, but with the end of civilization they are even more dangerous than before; A stranger has a high possibility to kill you intentionally or not. Red is on her way to her grandma's house, a 500 mile journey that she started with her family, but now she is alone. She has lost everyone along the way. Red knows if she can just make it to her grandma's house she will be safe, but there are many wolves standing in her way to get there.

First off, I adore this cover. It was the cover that drew me to this book as I have not read a book by Henry before. You knew that this was going to have a connection to Little Red Riding Hood but this was not your traditional retelling or even modernizing of it. It used some of the aspects within the story, like the main character being called Red and the people trying to prevent her from continuing on in journey as coyotes or wolves but Henry makes the story her own throughout.

When we first meet Red she was on her own and she is constantly telling herself not to think about Adam and this piques your interest as a reader, who is this Adam and what happened to him and further why is Red traveling alone. This was a great way to tell this story as you have the times getting closer and closer to when we first meet Red as well as her surviving on her own. This made Red a more defined character and you can see how she has adapted along the way even though she was fairly well prepared in the beginning.

Alright lets just get it out there, Red only has one Leg. There said it, now we can move on to more important things. Red does not use her Leg to define her so as a reader I didn’t want to as well, two legs or one she is an amazing character. Her survival instinct is one point, she has the ability to adapt, take care of herself, but is caring when she sees children suffering. And she takes no BS not from anyone in the story, Red is strong even when she feels weak.

I Feel like there are still some unanswered questions by the end. Maybe another book featuring the Ltd? Maybe something more with Red, I don't know. The story just felt unfinished in a way. This is not to say I did not enjoy this book, maybe I just want more Red.

Enjoy!!!

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