In a forest where most roads loop back to a giant oak, a boy who loves red T-shirts meets a wolf cursed to be a horrible warning…what can go wrong?

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. For failing to uphold her end of the bargain Grace now walks the world on four paws. Peter, her husband takes up the post of the village huntsman to save his wife from the villagers. And his son from his wife.

Will Ella’s evil stepmother Grace ever be human again? How exactly can you lift a curse and why, oh, why are three-headed dragons and rocking pig trios popping to life in the Magic Kingdom?

Read this new adult retelling of Red Riding Hood (also suitable for young adults) where – yup, Red is a boy – and find out. For those who wanted to know how Prince Charming’s parents got together, there is a nested story of Belle and Beast as well.

This is the second book in the Embers series, but it can be read as a stand-alone if desired. Although, once you get the taste of Sommers’s creativity, you’ll probably want to read them all. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

What I loved about this book

The dialog is quick and snappy. It moved me along in the story quickly and kept the characters real and engaging.

The way the characters in these stories are twisted is a really unique and fresh take on the classics. I adored that they are all together in one world and interacting.

There are some really cool Fairy Tale concepts (that reminded me of the TV show “Once Upon a Time”), but Sommers does more than building on the archetypes already baked into these characters. She gives them entirely new motivations, and it really pulled on the heartstrings. My favorite was Grace, who sacrificed so much for her son, Henry.

What I wanted a little more of…

I must admit, I’m an epic fantasy nut. If you’ve read my books, you’re going to realize that I enjoy things to be built up in a visual way until they explode. I want to go deeper into the world and feel like I’m living beside these characters. This is a quick read, and that’s great for many, many people. But…what I really relish in novels is enjoying the world and setting. I suppose I’ll have to read the others to get that taste.

Overall

I’d give this a 4.5 out of 5, but I’ll round up when I post this. These are super fun reads for those who like twisting the well-known tropes in Fairy Tales.