Review of Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Series: Sisters Red (#1)
Pages: 324
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published: June 7th, 2010
IBSN:  9780316068680

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

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Sisters Red is a modern retelling of Little Red Hiding Hood, in which there isn't a well-timed visit from a woodsman to save Grandma and Little Red from the wolf. Grandma dies, and Little Red and her sister dedicate their lives to hunting the werewolves - or Fenris, as they like to call them - that tore their family apart.


The characters are all well fleshed out. Scarlett and Rosie's personalities are distinct, and at odds with each other. Scarlett is the determined, ruthless hunter, and Rosie hunts alongside her because Scarlett saved her life  and she feels obligated to do so. Rosie is innocent and sweet, and her sister is hard-hearted and brutal, yet they love each other immensely, and go so far as to say they share the same heart. Their dynamic is an interesting one to read.

Both of the March sisters' voices shined through in their alternating narration, though Scarlett was, at times, hard to connect with because of her obsession with hunting. On hunting, the action scenes in Sisters red were well-written and descriptive, whilst not overbearing or gory.

The romance between Silas and Rosie was sweet and developed slowly and realistically. They had a lot of chemistry, and were childhood friends. I love when main character's fall for old friends rather than the dark, mysterious stranger.

The plot was engaging. Even though it wasn't exactly fast-paced, it never got boring. The main plot complication at first seemed trivial to me - I mean, they wanted to find what the wolves were looking for to use as bait to hunt them, when they could have just hunted them like usual. But the twist comes later, and it begins to make more sense.

I give Sisters Red a 4 out of 5.