RED WOLF By Rachel Vincent

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent
Published by HarperTeen on 7/27/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Young Adult
Pages: 367
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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For as long as sixteen-year-old Adele can remember, the village of Oakvale has been surrounded by the dark wood—a forest filled with terrible monsters. A forest that light itself cannot penetrate.

Unlike her fellow villagers, Adele cannot avoid the dark wood.

Adele is one of a long line of guardians: women who secretly take on the form of a wolf, in order to protect their village.

But when accepting her fate means giving up the boy she loves, abandoning the future she imagined for herself, and breaking her own moral code, she must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her neighbors safe.

Short and Sweet Review

Adele lives in the village of Oakvale, Oakvale is surrounded by the dark wood which is filled with monsters. Unlike the other villagers Adele can’t avoid the dark wood, she’s a guardian, she can transform into a wolf to protect the village from the dark wood. When Adele learns everything that comes with being a guardian she isn’t sure this is the life she wants.

Adele just recently turned 16 and when she goes to visit her grandmother in the dark wood she learns that she’s able to transform into a redwulf. Adele passed her trial and now she’s going to learn how to be a guardian and protect her village from the dark wood like her mother and grandmother have done before her. Adele learns that there’s sacrifices she has to make like giving up Grainger a boy she likes because he wouldn’t understand the life she’s going to live, she also learns that she already has someone she’s supposed to marry named Maxime.

There’s a lot of focus on Adele becoming a redwulf, the love triangle, and what could be terrorizing the village. Adele was an okay character I didn’t connect with her or agree with the decisions she made. She often thought she was right and would ask for advice and do the exact opposite. The love triangle was obnoxious, Adele has known Grainger longer so she prefers him, she was so rude to Maxime it was just awful. I’m surprised anyone wanted to be with her.

I liked the retelling aspect it was different from the normal Red Riding Hood we know. The ending was strange, I feel like things could have been avoided if Adele would have just listened but she ended up making a mess out of everything. With the way things ended I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a stand alone or a series.