Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Red Riding Hood:
The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

I originally began this book back in February of this year, and initially wrote it off as a DNF (Did Not Finish) post here, but I think I'm glad that I picked it up again and finally finished it. I think what truly bothered me most before was the marketing scheme they came up with to entice people to see the movie; by not revealing the identity of the wolf in the book. I still stand by my original thoughts of the characters as being dry and one-dimensional, but after having seen (and loved) the movie, I found it easier to visualize the story. Sarah Blakley-Cartwright was unfortunately lacking in the strength of "show don't tell." The strongest voice in the book was not that of the characters or their emotions; but instead was that of the narrator. I enjoyed the little bits of information that weren't in the movie. And though I knew the book didn't have an "ending," if it weren't for the blurb at the end of the book telling you to go to this website, I might have been satisfied.