Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent

Abstract

Reviewed by: Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent Fiona Hartley-Kroeger Vincent, Rachel Red Wolf. HarperTeen, 2021 [368 p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062411624 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062411648 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-10 Sixteen-year-old Adele's plans to marry her sweetheart and build a life in her village are upended by an unexpected revelation: she belongs to a family of matrilineal guardian werewolves who protect humans and keep other monsters in the dark woods at bay. That's not so bad—indeed, Adele savors her growing "redwulf" strength and power—except it means she's been betrothed since childhood to a boy she's never met, his arrival to court her makes things with her sweetheart awkward, and she struggles to hide her true nature from superstitious villagers. Her rescue of a young boy from the forest coincides with a series of disturbing incidents, and Adele must figure out whom she can protect, and how. Small details of homey village life ground the supernatural mythos (there's a lot of stew being cooked), and human-eating wolves and Adele's trips to visit her forest-dwelling gran mark the tale as a re-envisioned Little Red Riding Hood. Unfortunately, the plot tends to spin out the same problem for too long, and the romantic tension is pretty tepid. The abrupt conclusion lives somewhere between an open ending and a cliffhanger without either satisfactory resolution or urgent future direction. Nevertheless, some readers may be drawn to the inverted fairy tale and shape-shifting lupine protagonist. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois