Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents--and the fact that she can't remember what happened to them even though she was there.
She's struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn't like any guy she's ever met before.
It turns out there's a reason why, and Ben's secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents...
But what if that secret changes everything she knows about--and feels for--Ben?
*Received from the wonderful publisher. This was the first ARC that I ever received!*
My Thoughts: I really liked this book! I heard many people talking about it so I thought I would give it a try. So basically there is this girl who loses everything then there is this guy that picks up all of the pieces of her heart and starts to put it back together again. End of story. Right? Nope not even close.
This story reminded me a lot of Little Red Riding Hood except where the wolves were good and the lumberjacks were bad. Avery suffers from the lost of her parents. She gets stares from everyone at school as if she was the criminal. The only thing is she can’t remember. maybe if only she was to go back to where the accident happened. It all sounds like a great plan until she meets Ben and the beauty behind him. She has never felt this way about a guy before, but Ben is not like most guys. There is something in him that is old and ancient. Something that Avery can feel, yet she doesn’t understand it. Could he have something to do with her parent’s murder?
Cover: I absolutely LOVE the cover. Red is my favorite color and I love the way the forest is captivated in a blood red. Its a great metaphor for what happens in this story.
Characters: I will only mention 4 major characters. Avery, Ben, Louis, and Avery’s grandmother [Renee? I think]. Avery is the one who lost her family. I really liked her as a main character and I really connected with her. i could almost taste the despair and the confusion that she went through. Not knowing what had happened or worse who had done it? The lover of her life, a close friend, or someone wanting to change the town into something more than a forest? All these questions she had and the way she dealt with them makes her a true fictional hero in my book of true fictional heroes :D Ben is the new guy at school. He comes to live with his uncle. Ben is extremely beautiful both inside and out. He wears moccasins, and something behind him seems ancient or as in a different world. Something separates him from all the other fishies in the forest. He falls for Avery and she falls for him. Yet they try not to be together. Why is that? Os it because he has a secret to hide? One that could change both of their lives if it was ever to be discovered? The way Ben tries to protect Avery while professing his love for her makes him extremely irresistible to me :D Louis is Ben’s uncle. He is extremely sparse throughout the story, but whenever he does show up he seems to leave Avery with more questions and less answers. The role that he portrays in this story is caretaker of Ben and an old lover he lost a long time ago. The way that Louis takes care of Ben and is genuinely friendly to everyone, makes me think of my grandfather and how he always has that happy appearance. Avery’s grandmother is extremely unlikable at first but as the story progresses and Avery learns a lot more about her and the things she has went through in her life she is suddenly capable of understanding that her grandmother does care after all. After her grandmother loses a son and Avery a father. Nothing will hold her back from protecting Avery and from keeping Avery away from the woods. Avery’s grandmother ends up being such a viable role in this story and in Avery’s life.
All in all this was one of the best books that I have read this year. Even though it may be a small book with only 256 pages it packs a HUGE story behind it. This book will leave readers wanting more and desperately waiting to see if there will be another in a series. This book is truly one of a kind and I suggest that everyone read it if they love wolf stories and young love with mystery. Want answers to the questions asked above then read the book :D
My Rating:
Has any of you read this book? If so I would love to see what you thought of it.
Peace, Love, & Wolf Paws,
Fabulous review, Ashley! You are RIGHT, the cover design is beautiful! I enjoyed this story too, and I glad you did! Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteAnd I see you're reading SHIVER, which is fairly similar to this book (but I'm thinking you'll like SHIVER better :P)
The no navigation looks good. THanks for letting me know in the comments.
ReplyDeleteI read this book. My copy was also an ARC and while I enjoy the story, in general I just wanted more of everything. More time to get to know Avery Hood (that was such a cute way to put little red riding hood in there!), more time with Ben, more time for them to fall in love, more of everything. I felt that it was too short for them to just have a connection. I really did like it. I just needed more to like!
ReplyDeleteI read it and enjoyed it, but at some point I want to read finished copy because I saw they added a lot of pages and I want to see if the sense of lacking was filled in.
ReplyDeleteBrandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog