Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Crimson Bound 
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Classification: Young Adult, Retellings, Fantasy, Magic
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Source: e-galley via Edelweiss (Thank you, HarperTeen!)
Read: April 2015

When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search 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 an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?
Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review***

I read Cruel Beauty a few months ago and I really enjoy Rosamund Hodge's writing. So I was really excited when I found out about her new book Crimson Bound!

I think that she has done a wonderful job creating another retelling that has made me love the characters and the unique world. 

Crimson Bound is a very interesting retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. 
I really like the similarities to Little Red Riding Hood, but I really love how the story is twisted into something different, magical, captivating and dark. Another thing that I REALLY LOVED about Crimson Bound were all the plot twists! There were several I didn't see coming and some of them were so surprising. 

I was instantly pulled into this story and the world that the characters live in. I couldn't resist devouring the pages and finding out what was going to happen. And any time I did put the book done, I couldn't stop thinking about the story and wanting to continue reading it. 

Rachelle has grown up being trained to protect her village from the dark magic that surrounds them. Her trainer and aunt has warned her about the dangers that are in the forest. But Rachelle makes a mistake and is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever. Now Rachelle fights the evil creatures, trying to make up for the terrible choice she made. She is working for the king and is still trying to protect those around her. Rachelle gets assigned to watch and protect the king's son, Armand. With the his help, she searches for a magical sword that will save the world from the dark magic that consume it. 

I really enjoyed the magical parts of the story. I thought the story and mystery behind the Devourer, Tyr, and Zisa was pretty fascinating. I enjoyed reading what had happened and I was definitely interested in finding out what would happen now that the Devourer was coming back again. The magical charms and the woodwife protectors were also interesting. 

I also really enjoyed the characters. Rachelle is a pretty awesome character. I really  like how determined and strong she is. And even though she made a mistake, she is still trying to do the right thing. I also like that she has feelings about the things that she has done and we see that as readers. She struggles and still fights for what she wants. I like Armand's character as well. He has really been through so much. I really found his story to be fascinating and heartbreaking. For the most part, I really liked the interactions between Rachelle and Armand. 

I just had a bit of a hard time falling in love with the romance in Crimson Bound. For the most part, I felt a bit distanced from it. I didn't mind the romance and some of it I enjoyed. But at the same time, I didn't swoon over the developing love. It isn't a huge part of the story, so it didn't stop me from really enjoying what I read. But it did seem to happen and move quickly. Also, there definitely is a love triangle in this one.

My Recommendation:

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Crimson Bound. I found it to be an unique retelling full of surprises. It was an entertaining story for me and I am really glad I had the chance to read it. I liked the characters and the romance was okay, but a little frustrating at times. But I do recommend giving this a read!

My Rating: