Red Riding Hood: Book and Movie

I really like when authors do re-telling of fairy tales. It creates a really cool modern twist on a classic. So, Red Riding Hood intrigued me.

On days where I find myself sobbing uncontrollably over things I can't change, my beau knows taking me to Barnes and Noble will lessen the emotional anxiety. Isn't he the greatest? ;) I found Red Riding Hood on one of these adventures. After reading the cover I realized it was based on the screenplay. So basically, the book was written for the movie. It made me sad, until I picked up the book and started reading it.  

Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, the author of the novel, uses fantastic description to take the reader on this journey. Valerie is a main character people can relate to because of her strong emotions throughout the story. She is in love with Peter, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, but is engaged to Henry, who has potential to be an exceptional match. She's tangled in this triangle, but throw in the aspect of this mysterious wolf, and you have yourself a crazy ride. The wolf is human and wants Valerie; it even speaks and tries to encourage her to come to the dark side with it. Yes, 'the dark side' was my added commentary. Cartwright sends the reader in all different directions, giving different clues, different suspicions, and different possibilities to who this wolf is. It brings in aspects of the original fairy tale that we all grew up with, but provides a fresh concept that is 'wicked awesome, for lack of a better phrase.

I read the book in a day because I was so engrossed with it. The writing was beautiful. As much as it irked me that it was a screenplay first, I have to say the author did a beautiful job of keeping me engaged. I loved the romance, craved the action, and was constantly curious about the end result, which you don't find out in the book.

After seeing the movie, I discovered there are things that are quite different about both. It does give you the ending the book didn't deliver, which was a relief. As much as the Twilight craze left my head spinning, the movie director did an awesome job. Heck, even my boyfriend liked the movie. So that counts for something. 

Overall, a great read and an awesome movie to follow. I would recommend both. And no, you don't have to read the book first to enjoy the movie.