Red [Kindle Edition]

Kait Nolan, who has given us fantastic adult urban fantasy novellas from her Mirus world -- Forsaken By Shadow (Mirus), Devil's Eye (Mirus), and Blindsight: A Mirus Short Story -- now enters the world of young adult literature with her first novel, RED.

Generations ago, a woman fell in love with a wolf. Since then, her family line has produced only females, all of whom have been burdened with a terrible curse. 17-year-old Elodie Rose has been hiding what she is her whole life, awaiting the moment when she will at last turn from girl to beast. She shies away from making friends for fear of drawing attention to herself and triggering the transformation.

But then Sawyer, the angry, brooding, new boy in town catches Elodie's eye. He has a secret of his own, and they start to fall inexorably in love, which Elodie has never allowed herself to do.

When a madman from a line of hunters starts pursing Elodie, she must come to terms with what she is and learn how to control it before the hunter puts her down. Elodie and Sawyer realize that they will do anything to protect and fight for the other -- but will love be enough? And will they finally be able to beat the curse that has haunted Elodie's family for centuries?

RED is a fun, fast-paced, sexy entry to the YA paranormal romance canon. Elodie is a smart, snarky, self-sufficient, strong-willed heroine, and I'm a sucker for those. While the romance between her and Sawyer is sweet, smoldering, and utterly compelling, possibly even more compelling is Elodie's struggle to come to terms with herself and who she is meant to be. RED is packed full of action, humor, and Nolan's trademark sharp, "unputdownable" prose. Fans of YA paranormal romance and fans of Nolan's adult work will find much to love here!

Finally, Kait Nolan, author of the Mirus series: Forsaken By Shadow (Mirus) Devil's Eye (Mirus), brings her exciting blend of action and romance to the YA audience. This novel, not connected to the paranormal world of the Mirus, is the story of Elodie, the descendent of the young woman who inspired the Red Riding Hood legend. Elodie's family journal documents a tale of madness and death, passed down through the female line, a curse that has been hanging over Elodie's head. And just as she thinks the curse might pass her by, she starts to experience symptoms of the change, of the transformation to a werewolf.

Just when everything seems to be falling apart for Elodie, enter Sawyer, a brooding, angry young man with his own problems. Together they form a friendship that soothes them both, and then the friendship begins to feel like more.

And just when it seems like there might be some hope for Elodie's life after all, enter a madman, a hunter whose family has stalked Elodie's through the generations.

The story sends Elodie, with Sawyer beside her, on a mission to hunt the hunter. But also to find herself, her inner strength, and to embrace the wolf to save herself, Sawyer, and their future. Full of action, laced with teen angst, and graced with a sweetly seductive romance, this is a read that's sure to be a delight to fans of teen paranormal romance.

The more self-published ebooks I read (or attempt to read), the more I realize the majority of them are just plain awful. A lot of this has to do with a lack of quality editing...and the rest with freshman writing skills. And the high star ratings are rarely the best way to determine if a book is going to be well-written and enjoyable. So it was with some trepidation that I sampled this book...and then I quickly realized this was going to be one of the "good" ones.

While "Red" did have a few flaws....it was, for the most part, really well written and enjoyable. The story was fairly original, the lead characters likeable, and the detail and level of research that went into the writing impressive. I also enjoyed the fact that this story featured zero love triangles and appears to be (but likely isn't) a standalone novel with no hint of a sequel. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel but it's refreshing to find an author who is willing to buck the current trend to some degree...or at least appearing to do so. It's also refreshing to not have a huge cliffhanger at the end...yay! Oh and the editing, while still not perfect, was pretty darn good for an ebook. Nothing turns me off more than a book that has errors throughout...I simply can't read something that feels unfinished.

Elodie is a great heroine...nuanced, level-headed, and imperfect (which makes her all the more likeable). And it's wonderful to see her grow from a fairly insecure girl into a strong and intelligent young woman. Sawyer is wonderful as well....very easy to like with a touch of the bad boy about him (but it's mostly show). The chemistry is definitely there between the two and it keeps going strong even after the two admit their feelings and move into the relationship stage. The level of detail in the plot and setting is just fantastic....clearly the author is very familiar with the outdoors or did her homework really well. I love when a book isn't just character driven...but features a rich backdrop and story line that compliments the main characters and keeps the story from turning into a supernatural soap opera.

My issues with this story?

1) The ending wrapped up a bit too neatly and quickly. It felt rushed.
2) I was able to guess the "bad" guy early on in the book simply because there weren't a lot of other choices. It's typically someone the characters know unless it's a big, bad overarching secret society....which it isn't.
3) The featured "mean" girl in the book felt very two-dimensional and overly predictable...I like more nuanced antagonists because it makes the characters feel more real, less cardboard. It also presents the heroine with a more complex opportunity for growth rather than going into smackdown mode against a caricature bully.
4) I felt more could have been done with the Red Riding Hood theme. It kind of got tossed in there as an afterthought 1/3 of the way through the story and I didn't feel it was explored as much as I'd like, especially since it's a clear influence for the book title, etc. I also felt it was odd so many generations of women in Elodie's family were forced to suffer and die after the change occurred and none of them ever ran into another werewolf individual or pack and got the explanation they needed to survive. Again, it felt like the history and mythos of Elodie's world needed a more solid foundation.

Others might not like the use of swearing by the young adult characters. I could have cared less as I think this is pretty typical of how many teens talk amongst themselves.....I was definitely one of those kids and I'm hard to shock. : )

If you are looking for a fun and well-written read...give this one a try!