It’s not often that I find a book I am willing to recommend to others as a must read. But for those moments when I do, I really want to go out of my way to recommend them to fellow bookworms who may be in need of something new to read. My choices always come those books that receive four or five stars from the month prior. For the past few weeks, you guys have been voting for which book should be featured. There were a lot of fantastic books up for this feature and there were so many of you who clearly loved several of them. I’m pleased to share that this month’s featured book is Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff.

I think the majority of adults can recall those childhood moments in which they read or watched their favorite fairy tales unfold. Regardless if it’s the Disney version or the Grimm version, there are always some facts that remain the same from story to story. I’ll admit, I was never much of a fan of Little Red Riding Hood. Not that I had an issue with it. It was a decent enough story, but I suppose with the bombardment of Disney princesses in my youth left me more in awe of the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Belle and even Pocahontas. However, in recent years, I’ve become quite fond of fairy tale retellings. So when I saw this particular one, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. After all, Red Riding Hood isn’t usually the first choice for these types of tales.

The author does a fantastic job of creating a newish fairy tale world, that still manages to maintain the more mystical and magical elements of it. Sometimes the use of multiple fairy tales can cause the story to feel too heavy or even muddled. But in this case it works and I think that can be attributed to the author’s smart decision to have the characters named after the original fairy tale characters, but not actually be those characters. This opens so many interesting and different scenarios, which can be explored during Red’s adventure to find a way to cure her grandmother.

To read more on my thoughts of Red, you can view my review:

It’s funny, how as adults we are still attracted to things that remind us of our childhoods. Truth be told, I’ve read more fairy tales and fairy tale retellings as an adult than I ever did as a child. So when I saw this cover on Netgalley, I couldn’t resist requesting it. The cover alone is eye-catching and the fact Red is scowling instead of just skipping along is an interesting way to depict it.

Fairy tale retellings can go really wrong, but let me tell you, this is one of the best I’ve read in a while. Taking place within The Woods, the entire world Red lives in is filled of mystical creatures. As a young witch, she struggles with the confidence to perform her magic, especially after one attempt injures her beloved grandmother, Rose.... Read More

Trust me when I say, if you are looking for something to spice up your reading list, this is the book for you and even your children. It’s a wonderful twist on the world of Red Riding Hood and I look forward to getting the opportunity to read the other books from this author.

Please feel free to let me know what you think about this book!