Review posted on Dark Faerie Tales.Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce is her second novel, and I was naturally drawn to the cover. The sisters and wolf were strategically placed, giving a whimsical feel to the story already. Like many of you, I am always drawn to fairytale retellings. Who isn’t? It’s our childhood, reincarnated, and hopefully into something more. Pearce is famous for her intelligent retellings, balancing the sweet and innocents to the modern take with fun and humor. If you’re a fan of retellings, then Sisters Red is for you.Set in modern Atlanta, Sisters Red borders on the lines of reality and fantasy, introducing us to the March sisters. Fenrirs, or werewolves, have been menacing the local villages, and no one is safe. One tragic evening has brought death and despair to the March sisters, leaving Rosie and Scarlet without their Grandmother, and more scars than anyone would want. Scarlet has grown up seeking revenge, hunting fenrirs left and right, vowing to never let her tragedy happen to anyone else. Rosie has accepted the life of her sister, and follows along, knowing that she owes her life to Scarlet. An alarming number of fenrirs are roaming around town, and they decide to travel to the city to find out what’s going on. Dangers lurk in the corner, and it isn’t all sugar, spice, and definitely not anything nice.Scarlett is a strong character. Possibly one of the strongest that I’ve read about in a long time. Not only does she live with emotional scars of her past, she is also reminded by her physical ones. Scarlet’s life is driven by those emotions and those scars, and it’s obvious she’s going in a down wind spiral. She has flaws, but with the best intentions. Scarlet is very complex and was enjoyable getting to know.Rosie is the opposite of Scarlett. While Scarlett is calculated and goes to the extremes, Rosie is a little more subdued and calculating. A romantic dreamer, I quickly felt and understood that Rosie wanted life outside of hunting and revenge. She was young when the fenrirs attacked, so I’m sure that Rosie always wanted a normal life. I don’t think she has the emotional baggage that Scarlett has. I didn’t connect to Rosie as well as I did with Scarlett, but that could just be because I’m a sucker for tortured souls.While there is a love story, and some wonderful supporting characters, the spotlight belongs to Scarlett and March. After all, they are the Sisters Red. The love story is there, and it will surprise you (or it will not), but it was cleverly weaved in amidst the dangers of fenrirs. The bread and butter is really the hunting and action-packed scenes. I enjoyed the wild chases to bring down, and kill as many fenrirs as they can. Hey, it’s a fairytale for older ages, I can enjoy that, can’t I?While loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood, the reader has to think about the Hans Christian Andersen version, and not the Mother Goose version. Sisters Red is dark and violent, showcasing the ugly of the “big, bad wolf.” The culture in which Pearce has created for the story is wonderful, finely creating this imaginative backdrop to a great story. Pearce’s confidence shows through the pages, in the words, and within the characters.Sisters Red is a great adventure bringing on the characteristics of strength and loyalty, but also talking about morals of revenge. It was great, and I cannot wait until Pearce’s next story. I urge you to pick up and read it.
