Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge ARC

Title: Crimson Bound
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Publish Date: May 5th 2015

Rachel is a Woodwife apprentice, responsible for creating charms to protect the people from the dangers of the forest. Not satisfied with just waiting around on the defense for the Devourer to wake up, swallow the sun and moon, and wreak havoc on the world, Rachel decides to fix the world herself. 
She confronts a Forestborn, sure she can out smart him and find out how to destroy the Devourer. But in this story it's not the Big Bad Wolf who kills. Rachel gets marked, and has three day to decide: kill someone and live forever as a Forestborn, or die. 
Three years later she serves the King while trying to accomplish what she originally set out to do 3 years ago. But the clock is ticking, and getting assigned to babysitting duty of the King's son isn't helping.



Wow, just wow. Let me start by saying that this was not what I was expecting. The promise of a Little Red Riding Hood retelling was what solidified my decision to read this book. But this is so much more than just a retelling. The prologue, the initial catalyst that began the story is a retelling, but everything else that happens before and after is astonishingly unique and intriguing.
A Devourer that swallows the sun and moon and brings the return of eternal night. Forestborn that lose their humanity, and hunt and terrorize humans. Ancient stories of a brother and sister who found a way to stop the Devourer the first time using swords made of bone. To say that this is just a retelling would be a disservice.

Cover: I love this cover. A castle spiral staircase overrun by forest, with a woman in a red hood running up. Its striking and beautiful and another gorgeous addition to any bookcase.

StoryLine: The world building here was incredible. The myths, legends, and lore that went into this story were so in depth and well thought out. I love reading new creative lore and Crimson Bound was chock full of it. The plot was very well paced and full of twists and turns. Far from predictable, almost every time I made an assumption or guess I was wrong. But every time there was a new twist it was so well woven I was never left thinking that it was unbelievable or too far fetch, they were always organically crafted.

Characters: The characters in Crimson Bound were so complex and real. Their were no fully good or fully evil characters. Rachel is a murder and is still a heroine and a powerful women that the audience will root for. The bad guys aren't really the bad guys, the good guys aren't really the good guys, but you can't help feeling sympathy for them all.

Parting Thoughts:This was a surprising, beautifully crafted novel that will stay on your mind long after you read the last page. Rosamund Hodge has amazing talent, and now I know that I need to get my hands on her other books.

5/5 Stars

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