Review of Sisters Red

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Pages: 336

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: June 7, 2010

ARC Received through SLJ's Webinar

My Rating:

Goodreads says, "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 fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for."

Scarlett and Rosie March appear to live an average life in a cottage in the woods....... except that they hunt and kill werewolves or Fenris.  You might ask why they dedicate their lives to this?  Well, their grandmother was savagely killed by a Fenris when they were children and Scarlett lost an eye protecting her younger sister, Rosie, from the evil creature.  Both sisters  dedicate their very lives trying to take down these monsters so no girls will suffer from the Fenris' brutality again.  However, deep down, Rosie wants more for her life than just hunting and killing, but she feels obligated to help her sister, Scarlett, with this monumental task.  Not many others know about the Fenris and the sisters feel it's their duty to protect people.  Rosie has many other interests, but Scarlett, on the other hand, only ever has one thing in mind, and that's killing all the Fenris.  Jackson Pearce's novel, Sisters Red, is a fun re-telling of a fairy tale, but towards the middle, it fell flat.

Pearce develops the characters really well; I especially like Rosie.  I understand her need and desire to be more than just a hunter; however, I can empathize with her situation.  She feels guilty about wanting more and doesn't want to let her sister down....after all, Scarlett did risk her life for Rosie and lost an eye in the process.  Scarlett, alternatively, I really couldn't relate to.  She is obsessed with hunting and can't think of anything else.  I'm not kidding.  It got to the point where I was saying to myself, "Yes, we get it, Scarlett. You want to go hunting."  Really these frustrated moments didn't start for me until the middle of the novel. Also, I felt like a lot of the fight scenes/hunting scenes were kind of repetitive. So, in other words, the character of Scarlett really frustrated me.  I admire her sense of duty, but she was a bit too OCD concerning hunting for my taste.  On the other hand, I really applaud Pearce for creating characters that are independent and don't need to be constantly "rescued" by men.  If you have read my reviews before, you know I can't stand that--a.k.a.  Bella Swan! 

One character that I thoroughly enjoyed was Silas, the best friend/family friend of Scarlett and Rosie. He's also a woodman/hunter and his character was a delight.  Rosie starts to develop feelings for Silas and their relationship was very innocent.  In fact, it was very PG and I could easily recommend this book to my younger students without hesitating.  There's nothing scandalous here.  When it came to Silas, I could easily predict parts of the novel and the main conflict; however, it didn't bother me too much.  

You know that book that everyone loves, but you just don't feel passionately about it? Unfortunately, that's how I feel about this book.  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I disliked it, I felt "so-so" for a lack of a better word.  (By the way, I think this same situation happened to me when I reviewed Beautiful Creatures.)  I must admit, I was going to give this book 2.5 stars out of 4 until I read the ending. I enjoyed the ending; it was thoughtful and it took me by surprise. 

Fans of Sister Red will be happy to know that there is a companion book coming out in 2011 called Sweetly, which is based on Hansel and Gretel.  Lets just say, I dig the idea of a house made out of candy and cake (although my thighs do not), but the idea of a child-devouring witch freaks me out.  Is the witch in it?  The third companion book entitled Fathomless is already in the works.  It's a modernization of The Little Mermaid.  Now that one does intrigue me. Either way, I am sure there will be many fans of this novel, but I am going to keep it real with my readers..... I'm just not sure if I will be picking up the companion books.    (Booing and hissing may now commence.) 

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*Check out Jackson Pearce's blog!