Book Review: Sisters Red

Title: Sisters Red

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Little, Brown And Company

Genre: Paranormal

Page Count: 324

Rating: 3.7 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4 out of 5. I like it, especially the way the red girl's hair/hat sweeps down over her eye. It fits Scarlett well, and the flipped imaged of Rosie against the wolf works all right, although it could, (possibly, but somewhat unlikely) act as a spoiler.

Inside flap:

The wolf opened its long jaws, rows of teeth stretching for her. A thought locked itself in Scarlett's mind: I am the one left to fight, so now I must kill you.

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 a 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 that her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rose 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 Scarlett's only friend, Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax. But does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

My expectations: Low. I read it because I wanted to see if Pearce followed the usual stereotypical werewolf concept, or made something a tad more original out of it. Also, I liked the idea of Scarlett's personality.


It was better than I expected. A lot better, actually.

About the book: First off, the romance in the book isn't as prominent, nor as stereotypical, as the book presents it to be. I was relieved when I found that out. The action is good, and the overall writing isn't bad at all. I enjoyed much of this book, although werewolves are a bit overused and the violence/gore sometimes outweighed the writing.

• Plot:

A little predictable, but generally it was fine. The beginning was a tad slow, but it picked up. There weren't any gaping holes, and the end, instead of being some open-ended cliff-hanger ending, tied up what had happened before. I was glad that the author hadn't made it into another one of the ubiquitous romance series that seem to go on forever.

• Characters:

I felt that Rosie and Scarlett March were believable characters. I loved Scarlett's ferocity, her need to hunt the Fenris. Rosie wasn't my favorite character, but she was a good foil for her sister with her quieter ways and gentler disposition.


Silas was all right. Not my favorite love interest, but he was rather good as male YA characters go.

• Setting/Elements:

Werewolves are very common in YA literature these days. Nevertheless, in this book, they're downright evil, and ruled by their desires instead of being the controllable, good-hearted creatures you see in some books. It was an interesting change.

Other: Violence when they're hunting/killing the Fenris wolves, language that is sort of sudden (and that occasionally felt unnecessary--I hate it when they do this), some making out.

Do I recommend this book? Not particularly, but it isn't bad. I say, if you see it in the library, take it out. It won't be spectacular, but Sisters Red might be a good read when you're bored.

-----The Golden Eagle