Crimson Bound Paperback – September 20, 2016

Earlier this year I read Cruel Beauty, Rosamund Hodge's first novel, and absolutely loved it! When I saw that she was writing a new book, I decided I'd probably have to buy it, even though I'm not a huge fan of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. Hodge has such a unique style of storytelling that's always dark but somehow hopeful and it's amazing! That carries over into Crimson Bound, which is not just based on the fairytale of Red Riding Hood, but also on the story of The Girl Without Hands, which I'd never heard of. What she weaved together from those two tales was something truly unique.---Characters---Rachelle is the main character in Crimson Bound. At age 15 she was marked by one of the creatures of the Great Forest - the forestborn. When a person is marked they have to kill someone within three days or die. Since Rachelle is 18 in this story, it's safe to say she chose the first option. Now, though, she is a bloodbound and it's only a matter of time before she joins the evil in the Great Forest. Through some kind of loophole, she works for the king, which buys her time before she loses her heart and goes into the Forest.Because she's... well, a murderer, Rachelle may not immediately be the most likable character. But I found myself sympathizing with her from the very beginning of the book and really enjoyed her as a character. She has super awesome powers because she's not entirely human anymore and is kind of a badass. It seems like a lot of people hated Rachelle for a certain physical decision she made with a certain man, but honestly? It didn't seem that shocking and it really wasn't that unbelievable. That's not to say it was morally okay, but she's part evil-forest-being so I'm not sure it's fair to hold her to human moral standards. Given the situation she was in and her background, I'm willing to forgive her one mistake.Another one of the king's bloodbound is Eric - and he's the one in charge. Rachelle has been fighting alongside him for three years and they have a kind of attraction that she's never fully given into. But Eric is persistent throughout the book and he has a mean sarcasm streak. I actually kind of liked him for most of the book... until he turned into one of the most repulsive characters I've ever encountered. Even then though, I found myself sympathizing with him and could never fully hate him.Of course, this wouldn't be a YA novel without a love triangle and the other love interest is Armand, a man who parades himself around the kingdom as a saint who has met the forestborn and lived. At first he comes off as kind of an arrogant jerk, but as the book goes on and more is revealed about his past, I found myself liking him more and more. This is a book where I actually felt the love triangle worked and I enjoyed it.I could go on and on about all of the secondary characters who took this story to the next level, but we might be here all day, so I'll just move on.---Setting---Sometimes certain authors are able to write about their world in a way that makes me feel like I'm watching on a TV screen and can see every single thing as it's being described. That is how Rosamund Hodge writes. I loved every time she moved to a new location because every single one was described in such detail that I almost felt like I was there.My favorite location was definitely the Great Forest. Despite the fact that it's supposed to be super scary I felt like it was just beautifully detailed and I almost kind of wished I could have tagged along with Rachelle just to see it in person! I also really enjoyed reading about all of the different places in the chateau. Reading about how the Forest manifested itself at different places inside made me feel like I was in Jumanji!I do wish there was a little more explained about the relation of the Great Forest to the rest of the world - maybe a map? I felt a little disoriented when they went from one place to another and struggled to understand where exactly they were geographically. But I feel like that's a pretty minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.---Plot---Like I've already said, Rosamund Hodge has presented another brilliant story in Crimson Bound. Despite its being based on two fairytales it's completely original. Honestly, I haven't read The Girl Without Hands, so I can't make any fair comparisons there. There's certainly someone without hands in the book! I did make a few connections between Crimson Bound and Little Red Riding Hood, but I don't feel that it was really a main focus. I actually liked that though!I loved all of the unique backstory and magical lore presented in Crimson Bound! That was one of the things I really enjoyed about Cruel Beauty too - having to really think about everything I was being told and putting all the pieces together. I really felt Rachelle's race to beat the Devourer and really think the whole story was just really well done.There was also a plot twist. Like, a HUGE plot twist! I didn't see it coming at all and when it actually happened I turned back and reread it probably three times to make sure I read it right. I just kind of sat there with my mouth hanging open for a few minutes, said "No way," and then finally moved on. Basically, it was brilliant.---In Closing---Rosamund Hodge is amazing. That's all. She's a brilliant writer with some incredible ideas that make me stare at the closed book and wonder where in the world she comes up with these stories. But I'm so glad she's done it again! I'm a little disappointed that there don't seem to be anymore fairytale retellings on the docket. However, she is releasing a Romeo and Juliet retelling next year and that's high on my TBR list!

I love re-tellings if they are done well. This particular one was done very well. It is the most interesting take on Little Red Riding Hood I have read in a long time.This is my first novel by Hodge. I have wanted to read Cruel Beauty, but have yet to pick it up. When this one came out and I read all the wonderful reviews I knew I had to get my hands on it. I am so glad I did. Now, I am even more excited to read Cruel Beauty. Hodge's writing is beautiful.Rachelle is forced to make a choice between living and dying. When deciding to live she had to commit a horrible act that has bound her to dark magic for life. She is forced to guard the kings son Armand, who claims to be a saint. While doing so she finds out more about herself and Armand, and realizes she does not want to be bound to dark magic for ever. She and Armand search for a way to free her from the curse and while doing so find something more in each other.There are so many great characters in this book. Not only the MC, but all the surrounding characters play such a vital part in this book. I love it when an author does that. There are always more characters in a book, but when an author finds a way to make each one seem important it just makes the book so much better for me. It makes it come more to life for me as well.I was captivated from the moment I started the book. I love how Hodge put me right in the book with her beautiful writing. I couldn't help feel like I was sitting in the forest while reading. Although my forest might not have been as dark as this one was ;).There are some wonderful villains in this book as well. They were awesome characters, and I loved to hate them. hehe. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. There is always that one character in a book or a movie that I cannot seem to stand, yet cannot get enough of them. Erec was just that character. Wonderfully, and deliciously mean and deceitful.I am glad I picked this book up. I loved Hodge's writing and the way she transformed this book to life for me. If you like re-tellings you should pick this one up! It's so great.

Crimson Bound was a retelling of the Little Red Hiding Hood fairy tale with some unique and dark twists. Rachelle began as a woodwife protecting the village against the darkness of the forest, but she trusted the wrong instinct and became cursed as a result. She lived her life as one of the King’s bloodbound, cursed, but attempting to atone for her sins by defeating the woodland creatures.The story itself sounds amazing. There was darkness, the threat of the wood creeping in, and a dark entity that could devour the sun and all of the light. There was even romance and friendship and Rachelle had to make difficult choices. It was full of various fantasy aspects, riddles to uncover, and magic.However, something was missing. I found myself pulled out of the story often, finding it hard to stay focused on the events. It was missing some vital element for me and wasn’t as captivating as I felt it should be. Cruel Beauty did something similar for me, so it’s possible that there’s something about the author’s writing style that just doesn’t suck me into the story. I’m not really sure.If you enjoyed the author’s previous books, then Crimson Bound is something I recommend, but if you’ve never read her books, I’m not sure that I’d recommend it because I don’t know why I don’t completely enjoy her novels. Instead, I would probably recommend Uprooted by Naomi Novik if you like the idea of a dark wood threatening to destroy everything. It was one of my favorite reads of 2015 and it executed the idea much better in my opinion, as it sucked me in from the very first page. This will likely be my last shot at any Rosamond Hodge novels unless I get some amazing feedback about another one of her books.