Red Kingdom: A Dark Little Red Riding Hood Retelling
Fairy Tale Retellings Book 2
ASIN: B0CTK1TB8N
Publisher: 1st edition
Publication date: April 10, 2024
Print length: 439 pages
About the Book:
Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.
Princess Blanchette’s world shatters when the Black Wolf tears apart her castle and everything she holds dear. All she clings to is the vow she made to her grandmother on her deathbed.
Hailed as the people’s champion, Sir Rowan Dietrich liberates the capital in a quest for vengeance. He takes Winslowe Castle with an army at his back and his wolf, Smoke, at his side.
United by a shared cause and powerful attraction, Rowan and Blanchette embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption—a path filled with loss, transformation, and ultimately, the healing power of love.
Can Norland’s resplendent princess, with her captivating beauty and spirit, tame the fabled Black Wolf?
Inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Red Kingdom is a passionate, slow-burn historical romance about the enduring quest for love and the longing for a world at harmony.
*Red Kingdom is a standalone installment in a series of reimagined fairy tales.
Disclaimer: This is not your grandmother's Little Red Riding Hood. Red Kingdom is a dark historical romance set in a war-torn kingdom. As such, it contains graphic content and mature themes, including grief, strong violence, offscreen rape and suicide, and animal/human death. Reader discretion is advised.
My Review:
Red Kingdom is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling and I'm here to tell you it is not the children's fairytale you were told as a child. Red Kingdom is an epic romance in a dark, medieval setting. There is death, lots of death. There is violence and content unsuitable for youngsters. The story is intense, suspenseful, and at times, scary. I was captivated by the story, characters, and setting.
Blanchette and Rowan are on opposite sides of the war that has been brought to her castle's front gate. Now that her family has been torn apart, her home under siege, and friends have become foes, Blanchette flees through the castle's underground and secret passages. She escapes but found again by Sir Rowan Dietrich, aka the Black Wolf.
Rowan liberates the land of Norland from a tyrannical King; one who had the best of everything while his constituents were starving and dying. A King who committed horrific acts against those most loyal to him. A King who didn't consider anyone but himself. Hellbent on revenge, Rowan lays claim to his vengeance and takes control of Winslowe Castle, and with it the Raven princess.
The enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance was not without peril. They both have scars, old and new. There is the issue of trust. How can Blanchette trust the man who destroyed her entire life? How can Rowan trust the woman whose father committed such atrocities? As the story unfolds, both characters peel away layers from themselves and each other. What is left leaves them bare, conflicted, and emotionally raw. I loved watching them pick up the pieces and flourish together.
Red Kingdom is a beautifully written tale of hardship and love. Living in medieval times was no joke and the author reiterates that in this action-packed and romantic retelling. The characters have depth, layers, and emotions. The story is complex with treachery and betrayal, but also attraction and eventually, love.
I was provided a copy of this book.
My Rating:
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