Review: Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings, #1)

Author: Jackson Pearce
Series: Fairytale Retellings, #1
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release: June 7th 2010
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 324 (hardcover)
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Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Fairy tale retellings are without any doubt my number one soft spot when it comes to reading. Regardless of how well I know about the original fairy tale, I'm always easily entranced by the creativity and imagination that shined through each and every one of the newly-reinvented/reimagined stories. Except, perhaps, when such things do not exist at all in a book. I really wish I can leave some better parting words to SISTERS RED, but in the end, this is a fairy tale retelling that lacks everything.

Scarlett (do you ever wonder what other names a Red Riding Hood retelling character can possibly have?) and Rosie are two sisters who had a deadly encounter with a Fenris (similar to werewolves but with some quirks) in their past. An encounter that not only left them orphaned, but also changed their life trajectories entirely. Instead of growing up like regular teenage girls, Scarlett and Rosie grew up as hunters. Scarlett more so than Rosie. Because unlike Rosie, who still longs for having an ordinary life but is too guilty to pursue it, Scarlett treats hunting down Fenris as her sole responsibility and ultimate goal. When they are suddenly thrust into a race against time and Fenris, Scarlett and Rosie struggle with their different ideals of life. But no matter what, they are sisters, they will win the battle as one.

It actually sounds pretty good, isn't it? That's what I thought before I started as well - kick-ass heroines, sister dynamics, action-packed plotlines, etc. It indeed sounded like something I would love to bits. But do not be fooled, because this book delivered absolutely none of the things I have just mentioned, not even a glimpse.

Both Scarlett and Rosie (and also Silas, the love interest) have unbearably flat and static personalities. In fact, you can figure out exactly what those personalities are right off the bat and they remain the same throughout. There is no change and no development. Among the alternating POV chapters, it basically goes like this - 

First, we have Scarlett venting about not killing enough Fenris and therefore not making a big impact to the world. Then, Rosie comes along and gushes over Silas because he looked at her for too long or some other cliched tropes. She then feels guilty that she is not as dedicated to the cause as her sister wants her to be and mopes about it for awhile. Eventually, she will go "oh gosh Silas" all over again. (Note that this sequence of events reiterates about 20 times throughout the book......)

This is incredibly frustrating and borderline infuriating to read. Every time Rosie has her little "oh Silas" episode, I cringe. And every time Scarlett has her "I have to save the world" speech, I yawn a bit more. There is nothing worse than having two main characters so two-dimensioned that you can anticipate their every move with such a high certainty. Because what else can be new, Scarlett is obviously complaining again.

The plot is of no help either. Similar to how the characters lack depth, the storyline suffers from the absence of complexity as well. I have not seen twists that can be as easily spotted as the ones in SISTERS RED. Even so, I was still hopeful in the earlier sections of the book, thinking that Pearce might still pull out something unique alongside that glaring "twist". But no, it had to progress in the dullest and the most boring way possible. 

If you enjoy details in your books, you will notice that SISTERS RED is a book that is extremely easy to pick apart. Even something as fundamental to it as a Fenris' origin leads to so many plot holes and unrealities that I cannot even begin to describe.

This has been quite a disappointing experience for me and I don't think I will continue on to read Pearce's other books under the FAIRYTALE RETELLINGS universe. If you are still indecisive about picking this one up or not, I would say skip it!

My Rating: ★☆ (1 and 1/2 stars)