When I saw the trailer for Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood I was instantly entranced.. in fact, it's one of those trailers I like so much I go to Youtube to just to watch it again and again. I love fantasy, I love far off places (real or imaginary) and I love when fairytales take a darker turn. So, when I heard that the movie was based on a book, I had to read the book first. BUT I was wrong.. The book is based on the movie, different I know. Catherine Hardwicke felt there was more of the story to be told then you see in the movie, so she had her friends write the book.
For those who don't know Red Riding Hood is a more mature and darker twist on Little Red Riding Hood. I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I started out reading the book and liking it, but in the last 30 pages the book turned into one of my favorites. The main character is Valerie and her town has been plagued by The Wolf for years, to keep the wolf happy the villagers woulds sacrifice their livestock... this changes when the wolf kills a villager and they soon realize The Wolf is one of them.
Pretty much from the beginning you will be guessing who The Wolf is and you will think you know who it is and then it will change and then you will change your mind again and again, going back and forth. The ending of the book comes together quickly and will leave you with a nice twist. The true ending to the book though is perfect. It pays perfect homage to the original tale. The book plays out pretty much like a movie, but is overall a nice read. If you like dark twisted fairytales then Red Riding Hood is a perfect addition to your collection.
