After defending her sister Rosie from a werewolf attack—and losing her grandmother and her eye in the process—Scarlett March resolves to hunt and kill the “Fenris” until every single wolf is dead. To do so, she poses as a confused and scared teenage girl, the favorite prey of the wolves, and then she goes in for the kill. Her desire to slay the werewolves is every bit as brutal as the wolves’ desire to attack. Rosie knows that she owes Scarlett her life, and her devotion to her sister is palpable. However, Rosie finds herself falling for Silas Reynolds, a woodsman also bent on killing the Fenris, and she begins to imagine a life focused on more than just hunting and slaying werewolves.
Jackson Pearce’s Sisters Red draws on themes from “Little Red Riding Hood,” but as in the best re-imaginings of classic stories, the book quickly evolves into a unique story, rather than just another slightly twisted fairytale. It is about sibling rivalry, sibling love, romance, revenge, growing up and so much more—and it is a provocative, page-turning thriller.
Chapters alternate between Rosie’s and Scarlett’s perspectives, and the reader is drawn to both characters. They want different things, but they are both strong and likeable heroines. Their conflict becomes the reader’s conflict, as it is difficult to determine which girl is in the right. Scarlett is singularly focused and wants Rosie and Silas to live to kill—and only to kill—while Rosie and Silas find themselves moving toward different goals and deciding to fulfill different desires.
While the fight scenes are brutal at times, the romance is realistic and exciting. The publisher’s age recommendation of 15 and up is right on the mark for this sophomore novel from Pearce.
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