Red and the Wolf by E. A. Walker

A Fairy Tale Adaption Short Story published by Two Moons Books (04/06/15)

Summary:

“…an adult needs to be able to hear the truth, even when it has an unpleasant sound.” (Kindle Location 281).

Vöröža wanted Juri from almost the moment she set eyes on him, but her Babushka had other plans. Snežana claims that Vöröža is of noble birth and shouldn’t consort with the lowly villagers, especially the woodcutter, but Vöröža doesn’t listen. In secret, at least she thinks so, she meets with Juri and they make plans together. All in the town are wary of the two women in the forest, but Juri, until one event that will have them sympathizing with the young Vöröža. Can she truly leave her noble birth behind?

Keywords:

 Romance, fantasy, werewolf, legends, fairy tale, little red riding hood, woodcutter, clueless, short story, old-world feel, isolated, forest

My Review:

This short story is based on Little Red Riding Hood, but it is very much its own tale and very different from the simple animated versions that abound in film. This story, though new, is told as if it is a tale retold, a legend of a small town near a wide and foreboding forest. E.A. Walker does an amazing job at carefully crafting her descriptions and keeping her consistent old world feel of the story. From the beginning Walker provides enough physical descriptions to set the scene and plunge the reader into Vöröža’s world.

The characters are whole and alive in the imagination. It was very helpful to have the pronunciation chart at the start of the story and helped as I read for visualizing. As the story went on, I thought there were a few too many characters and it got a bit confusing.

After reading the story a second time, I really was able to appreciate the bit of foreshadowing that was cleverly disguised.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by Two Moons Books on April 6th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

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