Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Completion Date: April 3, 2011
Reason for Reading: Fun!

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?

For the Once Upon a Time challenge, I am reviewing Sisters Red with Chris from Chrisbookarama. This book has been getting a bit of attention lately. This is the second part of our discussion. In order to understand what is going on, you will have to read her blog to see the first part.

Kelly: Yes, they were said to lose their souls when they are changed, so it does seem a bit more of a pack of monsters than anything else. I was under the impression there were a lot of them, too. She didn’t make it very clear. The only thing I can think is that either my initial impression was wrong or that they were not all at the final fight. There was only one alpha mentioned, for example, and there were supposedly lots of packs.

There were redeeming qualities in the story overall. I also liked that she had the girls save Silas. That whole part of the book was a bit page-turning because you wanted to know how it was all going to play out. But, yes, in her attempt to work in some of the elements of the original story, it did make things a little strange. I think she could have deviated from the real story a bit more and still been believable.

Chris: What did you think of the relationship between Rosie and Silas?

Kelly: Oh, boy, here is my ‘blunt’ answer: What the hell? What is with teen novels and having the main female character being either obsessed with a certain guy or, in this case, falling for a guy that is an adult while you are still legally a minor. I don’t understand why Rosie couldn’t have been at least 18 if they were going to play out the romance angle of the story. I think she could have been basically the same person, just two years older and the story would have still worked. And, it would set a bit better example for teens. People complain that movies and video games are bad influences, but books are getting really bad lately, too. They are pushing the limits a lot more than they used to and it doesn’t always set a good example. It’s something that really bothers me about teen novels.

Chris: I don’t read a lot of young adult novels so I’m not sure if the older guy, younger girl is the norm. It did bother me at first but they seemed to keep things PG at least. Putting the age difference aside, I did think they made a nice balance with their ordinariness to the craziness that was going on around them. Thank goodness there wasn’t a love triangle. That seems to be the rage these days.

Kelly: Yeah, other than the fact I am getting a bit tired of underage dating in books, this one was handled rather well. I think I am just getting tired of the same ole, same in books lately. A love triangle probably would have been the last straw.

Just a hypothetical question here. What do you think it would have been like if Silas and Scarlett had been the romantic interests instead of Silas and Rosie? Do you think the book would have worked for you?

Chris: Hmm, I’m not sure. Silas is so ordinary and Scarlett so not. It seems to me like Scarlett would need someone just as passionate about hunting as she is. I don’t know if Silas would have been enough for her. It might have been a struggle for me to see that as believable.

It’s funny how the age thing never really came up as part of the story. Maybe it’s because Rosie wasn’t in school. A “we should run this by your sister because she’s your guardian” might have been more appropriate than a “we need to hide it because she expects us to hunt.”

Kelly: Yeah, that was a little weird. The book wasn’t perfect, that’s for sure, but it had potential. Will you be reading on in the trilogy when the next book is released?

Chris: Here’s how out of the loop I am: I had no idea it was a trilogy. That doesn’t really surprise me though. I probably will but I won’t be waiting in line for it.

Kelly: I was pretty sure it was a trilogy, but maybe I am wrong. Mostly everything is nowadays, though. I think the second book might actually have more potential than the first, so I might have to check it out. If it follows the same characters, they will be a bit older. Have to see, I suppose. Sometimes second books in trilogies are really bad, so if you didn’t love the first book, you might have a really bad relationship with the second.

Chris: I might give it a try but not right away. I’ve been thinking about that Bitch Media list. I don’t know if they should have added Sisters Red or not but if they had read it and had this conversation, I think they could have saved themselves a lot of headaches.