Synopsis:
Bad girls burn hot…
Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair. It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble. And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.
When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.
Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.
But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…
My review:
Red is the first novel
I’ve read by Alyxandra Harvey and it didn’t disappoint. Red had all the
workings of a delicious YA novel: suspense, paranormal, a strong heroine and
romance amidst a wonderful Goth setting! The cover didn’t lie.
Ms. Harvey jumps right
into the heart of the story in the opening pages. We are introduced to Kia
Alcott and we get acquainted with her ability to set things on fire…literally.
The struggle lies within Kia’s temper which if it flares too hot, things start
to burn.
Kia is more or less
carted off from her home and father to live with her Grandmother who resides in
an uber creepy mansion that contains many secrets. Kia isn’t there long before
the creep factor catches her attention.
She’s introduced to
Ethan Blackwood, the son of Mr. Blackwood and owner of the household her
grandmother runs. Ethan is hot and cold. It was a struggle to like him, or tolerate, is more like it, until, of
course as a good author would do, the layers are peeled back from him. It’s
once the inner demons and struggles are exposed, that the reader empathizes
with him, cheers for him, and holds out hope that there is some kind of
happiness that can be obtained for him.
For Ethan, life has been
planned out from infancy. His parents were initiated into a cult, for lack of a
better word, that once you’re in, you cannot get out of. Ethan is charged with
protecting the outside world from contact with these magical creatures that are
hunted. Some, it would seem, are harmless while others proved to be quite
deadly. I loved the story line with the Wendigo. The magical creatures that are
harmless is what brings the humanitarian side out in Ethan, and it’s here that
he shines the brightest.
Once Kia is let in on
what’s going on within the mansion and within the forest, her fire becomes a
valuable tool. But Kia means something different to Mr. Blackwood than what she
means to Ethan. Can you see where things get juicy here? Choosing between
what’s right and wrong, your heart, your family?
The secondary characters
were equally as shining as Kia and Ethan. They all had depth and their own
personalities.
Entangled Teen never
disappoints. The talent pool is deep and as a reader, I love to swim around
in their words, their stories, and Red was another knock-out that kept me up well
past my bedtime. As I’ve said before in previous reviews, if a book is good
enough for me to sacrifice my sleep, than it’s a 5/5 to me!
I would highly recommend
Red to lovers of YA with a generous helping of romance, suspense, Goth and
magical creatures that are sure to satisfy your craving for things that go bump
in the night.
About the author:
Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream.
Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with three dogs and her husband. She likes chai lattes, tattoos, and books.
Buy RED here: Amazon
Add to Goodreads: Goodreads
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