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davelsh's review
2.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book. The premise is exciting. A strong independent young woman, with a motorcycle, who just happens to be a werewolf? I was sold. However, everything else about this book falls flat on its face. The dialogue is very poor, almost none of the characters have depth, and the way the story opens right into the action, while it might work in a graphic novel, doesn't translate well in strictly the written word, as the reader has no grasp of who Red is, or why we should be interested in her story. This book also relies heavily on very many tropes, and introduces information that will be a plot twist in the near future so hamfistedly that the twist is spoiled before it's even been reached. The only character I found myself remotely interested in is Red's grandmother.
That being said, I think the series has potential, and would like to see it improve. I have yet to read the sequel, but if the character interactions are more dynamic and have greater depth, and avoid feeling straight out of a TeenNick television series, I think future installments can be enjoyable.
That being said, I think the series has potential, and would like to see it improve. I have yet to read the sequel, but if the character interactions are more dynamic and have greater depth, and avoid feeling straight out of a TeenNick television series, I think future installments can be enjoyable.
myntop's review
2.0
This is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The premise of the story is a good one, and I wanted to like it so much! I just really struggled to get through. The story felt disconnected and not very cohesive. I was trying to follow but it seemed to jump from place to place without very much segue and I found myself scrambling to catch up.
I do like the idea of the story, Red being chosen to save everyone is just such a fun idea, I think the story has such promise and just wasn't executed the best of it's potential. I hope the author revisits the story (as the idea of a series implies) and makes it a little easier to follow, answers some of the questions that are simply not explained in the first book, and takes it to a whole new level.
I do like the idea of the story, Red being chosen to save everyone is just such a fun idea, I think the story has such promise and just wasn't executed the best of it's potential. I hope the author revisits the story (as the idea of a series implies) and makes it a little easier to follow, answers some of the questions that are simply not explained in the first book, and takes it to a whole new level.
ineffablebob's review
3.0
Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a super-powered werewolf in a Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale world. Sound cheesy? It is. But it's fun, in a guilty-pleasure kind of way.
The story begins with just Red, coming back from her orphan existence in the mundane world to a land of magic and fairy tales. But it isn't long before we've met nearly a carbon copy of the Buffy TV gang: super-powered teen girl with a destiny, nerdy female witch friend, no-powers male friend, hot-but-dangerous mysterious boy, elder full of magical knowledge. Red uses claws and a sword instead of a wooden stake, and there are mostly werewolves rather than vampires, but it's still a close parallel.
The plot-line is generic, heavy on Red's destiny and people trying to steal it. The characters are thin, mostly one-dimensional. The action is comic-book cheesy. The romance, if you can call it that, is mainly Red and dangerous-boy lusting after one another. And yet, despite all these flaws, I finished it. Scratches the same itch as kids cartoons or superhero comics.
I do not recommend Rise of the Alpha Huntress as great literature, or for original ideas, or to provoke deep thoughts. But for kids, or if you want something largely mindless for simple fun in a magic land, you could do worse.
The story begins with just Red, coming back from her orphan existence in the mundane world to a land of magic and fairy tales. But it isn't long before we've met nearly a carbon copy of the Buffy TV gang: super-powered teen girl with a destiny, nerdy female witch friend, no-powers male friend, hot-but-dangerous mysterious boy, elder full of magical knowledge. Red uses claws and a sword instead of a wooden stake, and there are mostly werewolves rather than vampires, but it's still a close parallel.
The plot-line is generic, heavy on Red's destiny and people trying to steal it. The characters are thin, mostly one-dimensional. The action is comic-book cheesy. The romance, if you can call it that, is mainly Red and dangerous-boy lusting after one another. And yet, despite all these flaws, I finished it. Scratches the same itch as kids cartoons or superhero comics.
I do not recommend Rise of the Alpha Huntress as great literature, or for original ideas, or to provoke deep thoughts. But for kids, or if you want something largely mindless for simple fun in a magic land, you could do worse.
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