Crimson Bound
An exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption inspired by the classic fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” from the author of Cruel Beauty.
When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village. But she was also reckless—straying from the forest path in pursuit of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.
Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in a vain effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her hunt for the legendary sword that might save their world. Together, they navigate the opulent world of the courtly elite, where beauty and power reign and no one can be trusted. And as they become unexpected allies, they discover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. Within a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?
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Community Reviews
Overall, I like the concept very much. It suits my taste pretty well, a mixture of my favourite genres (fantasy and romance) with one of my favourites in life: the forest. It got even more interesting when the forest is the bad guy. Hodge has also created a creative relationship between the Great Forest and the humans claimed by it - or rather, the Devourer. Every fantasy element brings a wonderful surprise - from swords made of bones that have the ability to change shape, to the inescapable curse once a human is marked (no more vampires there), and to Woodwife charms. Of course, there are the usual cliches - the romance (a love triangle, no less), a headstrong girl... but I've got to say, those two elements in a book, I do not mind. Romance is one of my favourite genres, and I'd rather a book with a strong female lead than one who is immature and stupid. Plus, Hodge was able to make up for these two cliches by creating an interesting main male character, one with no hands.
What I didn't like is Hodge's over-usage of italics. When I read those italic words in my head, an emphasis happens naturally, and having it done repeatedly, and so oftenly too, makes it really irritating to read. Sometimes, I get confused by the chain of events as well, especially when conversations are involved. I had to read several times to try and understand them. Sometimes, I do give up, but other times, thankfully, Hodge creates another sentence that basically sums up what the person saying something meant. Or maybe I still need to know the type of sentence structures and words they used in the past.
Then again, I've got to add, she has used many beautiful sentences and phrases, and they help to make this book even more likable.
I loved Hodge's debut, Cruel Beauty and I was beyond excited to see what she would bring us next. However, Crimson Bound is probably one of my biggest disappointments this year.
My main reason for DNF was plainly - I was bored. The beginning was very interesting and enthralling, but it just became a snooze fest about the first 20% or so. I wasn't interested in the characters and I didn't care for the building romance - which I heard develops into a triangle almost right after where I quit reading. The world building was info-dumpy and this is probably just me, confusing as hell.
I seem to be in the minority with this one - so give it a go and see what you think. I might pick it up on a later date but for now, nope.
*I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
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