Review: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
(Sisters Red #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Hodder Children's Books

When I read in other people's reviews that this book is loosely based on the Red Riding Hood fairytale, this story was not what I was expecting at all.

In Sisters Red the story follows Scarlett and Rosie that have made it their personal mission to rid the world of the Fenris. After a brutal attack of a werewolf at their home Scarlett is scarred all over her body and she only has one eye left. With the help of long-time family friend Silas, they hunt on the Fenris. But how can three teens go up against the hundreds of Fenris?

It seems like there is a new trend developing in young-adult fiction. After a whole wave of angsty teenage girls that needed a supernatural boyfriend to save them (following the Twilight trend) I'm reading book after book of kick-ass heroines that know how to wield guns, bows or in this case even axes and throwing daggers. I love seeing more girls that know how to fight back in books. Being the damsel in distress doesn't cut it any more.

What surprised me most in this book was the great emphasis on the sister-relationship. Yes, I should have seen that one coming. It was interesting to see how these two sisters feel so alike, yet are both so completely different. For me it was hard to sympathise with such a close bond between two siblings. Their connection goes a lot further than the ordinary sister-love.

The story is basically about two things. One, finding your own identity and how to deal with changing relationships. Two, go out hunting and killing some monsters to save the innocent. Sometimes I had the feeling this was about everything this book has to it, with some filling between the two.

(Trying not to spoil anything.) I think the biggest problem was that I figured out the massive exciting oh-my-god plot twist after about fifty pages. While reading through the story I kept going "No...It can't be that easy, right?". Turns out, it was. Maybe I've read so many books that I just assume that the unassumable must be the solution. I was disappointed that I was right. It doesn't really make me feel clever or a good mystery-solver. I like to be surprised with something I didn't see coming at all. (End of possible spoiling area.)

Sisters Red is a very decent read. I think a lot of young-adults can identify themselves with Rosie, who wants to be someone else than her environment wants her to be. There is quite some gore, so maybe this isn't for the easily scared, but overall this is a well-written book. I would recommend this to all those very close sisters out there. I think those will thoroughly enjoy this story.

Blurb

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?