Sisters Red (Fairy Tale Retelling) [Hardcover]

Jackson Pearce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2010 | Series: Fairy Tale Retelling

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 8 Up—For Scarlett and Rosie March, the world is not what it seems. Werewolves, called Fenris, live among them in the form of good-looking men who prey on pretty young girls. When a Fenris attacked the March girls, it killed their grandmother and left them emotionally and, for Scarlett, physically scarred. Since then, they have taken action and revenge. With the help of a friend, Silas, the girls are on a mission—to destroy as many Fenris as they can. This goal becomes more complicated when they try to unravel the mystery behind the pack and prevent the next "Potential" from transforming fully into a soulless, evil monster. Pearce is on the mark with this modern-day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Told by the sisters in alternating chapters, this well-written, high-action adventure grabs readers and never lets go. Rosie and Scarlett are true heroines; smart, tough, and determined, but their special bond is put to test when Rosie and Silas's relationship becomes more than just friendship. A satisfying read with a fantastic cover.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Pearce mixes werewolves and classic fairy tales to create a lushly romantic story of two sisters who hunt the Fenris, werewolves who roam in search of adolescent girls to eat. Along with her younger sister, Rosie, Scarlett March was orphaned and nearly killed at age 11 by a Fenris who destroyed her grandmother and left her missing an eye. Eight years later, the sisters have become fierce hunters, avenging their grandmother and protecting unknowing young women with the help of their neighbor, a young woodsman named Silas, who wields a mean axe. Silas loves Rosie, but hesitates to come between the sisters' strong bond. Scarlett and Rosie alternate narrating chapters, giving the reader a clear view of their inner conflicts. Despite plenty of gore and werewolf transformations, it's the compelling love stories that drive the tale—the sisters' affection for each other, the first breathless flush of infatuation between Rosie and Silas, and Scarlett's love of the hunt. Readers of Stephenie Meyer, Donna Jo Napoli, and Shannon Hale will enjoy the excitement, romance, supernatural elements, and fairy tale references. Grades 8-12. --Debbie Carton

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (June 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316068683
• ISBN-13: 978-0316068680
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jackson Pearce lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once, but didn't make it; other jobs she's had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist. In addition, Jackson coaches both colorguard and winterguard at a local high school.

Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn't tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since. Visit Jackson online at www.jacksonpearce.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars werewolves, sisters, and odd choices March 24, 2011

By Mara E.

Format:Paperback

The premise of Sisters Red is fabulous. This is Little Red Riding Hood modernized as two girls hunting down ravenous, girl-eating werewolves. What isn't to love about this? Besides the fact that I think it's incredibly ridiculous for people to wear cloaks in today's society (what is wrong with blood red hoodies? certainly those would have done the job and been less conspicuous?), I love modernized fairy tales and the first few chapters of the book don't disappoint. It's bloody and violent and the characters have some personality. Vim. Vigor. Whatever you want to call it.

Until they didn't.

Scarlett is the eighteen-year-old older sister, scarred from a werewolf attack that left her without an eye and a serious chip on her shoulder. Rosie is the sixteen-year-old sister, a hunter in training whom Scarlett loathes to let out of her sight, for good reason since Rosie seems to forget her weapons half the time or takes ill-timed walks in the woods. Silas, the 21-year-old love interest, has his moments, but really where this book starts to stumble all over itself is when Silas and Rosie start making eyes at each other while Scarlett is over there sharpening her weapons whilst looking down her nose at the girls (glittery "dragonflies," as she calls them) she's putting her life on hold in order to save.

I get Scarlett's anger, and her unrestrained jealousy toward girls who have the gumption to act however they want. Although, there are some scenes that do, in fact, read like she'd rather just slice a few girls up to teach them a lesson about where they can and can't go, or do, or be and this left such a sour taste in my mouth that I felt nothing for her. The scene in which she's "too late" to save a girl is particularly damning. Silas's eventual victim blaming takes the attitude the three have for those they're trying to save to a new level (those girls wouldn't dress the way they do if they knew werewolves were out to eat their hearts...surely! just why is it that people keep manufacturing short skirts, anyway? or make-up. or low cut blouses. or high heels. or perfume. or clothes.) It left me wondering...why the hell do they even care? Why are they so desperately putting their lives on hold to help people they seem to have such a low disregard of? Half the time, Silas and Rosie would rather be taking dance classes and Scarlett seems to literally hate everyone around her. What is the point? Why don't they just get jobs and hunt for sport?

Which brings me to the plot. Rosie and Scarlett drop out of school and are unemployed because hunting werewolves is apparently a full-time enterprise. I fail to see how this even works. Moreover, their quest to find the werewolf "potential" is convoluted, at best, and the whole concept of the potential doesn't seem to work. If the wolves can smell, or otherwise somehow figure out where the potential is, and he's basically one bowling alley down from them, shouldn't the wolves, who are specifically out looking for him have managed to kind of figure out he's eight feet from them? This little plot point is also tritely dealt with, and made me roll my eyes. How...convenient. That is exactly what I thought upon the end.

And the love story. Sixteen-year-old girl, with no resources to speak of other than a supposedly handy knife throwing technique, and a 21-year-old man. Very little time is spent on the age difference here, which disappointed me. Rosie could, at times, be a surprising character in that she manages to save herself instead of crumpling into a ball and waiting for the cavalry to save her, but otherwise her character seemed wasted on the love story. Scarlett, just in general, I disliked.

That all said, I thought the writing was far superior to many other recent young adult books I've come across recently. The bond between the sisters, while melodramatic, was touching. It should have been the component that helped ease the path of the love story, but ultimately Scarlett's demands were too much (seriously, who forces your sister into a lifetime debt because you saved her life when you were eight?) and Rosie's rebellion was a little too hilarious to take seriously (community dance lessons! OMG you can't learn how to tango, we need to hunt werewolves!).

And don't worry. In the end, kids, you'll learn that you actually can't have it both ways. It's either tango or kill monsters. Take your pick.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A whole new take on Red Riding Hood January 30, 2011

By Laura R.

Format:Hardcover

Scarlett and Rosie March are hunters. They eat, sleep, and breath hunting. We're not talking about rabbits & ducks; these girls hunt Fenris, wolves. These monsters take on men's forms to lure in young girls who they devour. After a horrific Fenris attack that left Scarlett horribly scarred with an eye patch & their grandmother dead, the girls began training with the Pa Reynolds, their neighborhood woodsmen. Growing up with Pa Reynolds's son Silas, the girls do their duty to protect their homeland.

When another wolf ambles by looking for the Potential, all three teen's senses are on alert. They decide to move to the city in search of better luck tracking the Potential & taking down the wolf population in the process. But Rosie isn't really in to it all. Silas, who has just returned from a year long hiatus in San Francisco, can see it in her eyes and encourages her to explore other activities. Rosie discovers that not only does she enjoy these other activities, but she actually has an aptitude for something besides throwing daggers. Scarlett is determined to put a stop to the turning of the Potential. Silas is torn between his heart's desire & his duty.

One thing is for sure, none of these three will ever be the same & the Fenris don't stand a chance against them united.

This was an interesting twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. This time though, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't necessarily need the woodsman to save her. These girls are tough and determined. They are presented as two parts of the same heart which is very understandable given their traumatic experience as children. Put together they really would make a dynamic person, but as two individuals they can't possibly remain together forever. Silas really is just there to throw hormones into the mix. I feel like he didn't really add much to the story other than being a catalyst for Rosie & acting as eye candy.

The Fenris were an interesting group. They really were wolf-possessed men with no souls instead of a traditional werewolf. That was an unexpected element as it made the Little Red Riding Hood background make more sense. I really liked the mythology behind the Potential and how the wolves sought him & found it quite enchanting.

Jackson Pearce is really onto something with this kind of storyline and I look forward to her future works as they seem to be heading down the fables & fairy tales path.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars. SO, SO good! Jackson, your awesome! November 7, 2010

By V @ The Readers Heartstring

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't know why I kept holding off on buying this book, I guess it was because I bought and read AS You Wish, also by Jackson and didn't really care for it. But this book is great. No, seriously, really, really great! Rosie and Scarlett are fully fleshed and realized characters with real emotions and minds. Their realtionship is beautiful and well written and all of their actions are spot on. This book reminded me of Buffy, especially with the 'Potentials', though instead of kicking vamp ass, they destroy werewolves or I should say, Fenris. Though at times (1 or 3) its predictable, I was never disappointed. Jeez, I really like this book and can not wait for the sequels SWEETLY, FATHOMLESS and whatever comes next!!! Also, the Romance was near perfection.
~-RH