Read 52: Red

When I did my update post last week, I forgot to mention Red.

I think I won this one. Although it might have been sent for review. In which case woohoo, I’m reviewing it! (And if not, and I did win it, bonus for the publisher 😉 ) (turns out it was a fellow book blogger who sent it! Thanks Amber )

So, the book. It’s a moderately interesting idea, a sanctuary for redheads. (I think a similar idea was run on a comedy show once. But not quite so fleshed out.) In this book our heroine has a fairly obvious secret – she’s not a redhead.

It’s kind of a book about identity. Belonging, discrimination, friendship. All that kind of stuff. But with the redhead things wrapped around it, it doesn’t work quite as well as it could. There are plot twists that just didn’t hang together for me. Don’t get me wrong – I liked Felicity, and I enjoyed the book, it romps along pretty well, even if it’s fairly obvious where it’s going. Except it doesn’t really go quite where you think it might – the message isn’t the red and blonde (sorry!) one it could be.

Can you tell I’m a bit ambivalent?

I liked it at the time. Looking back, not so much. So if I were to break the habit of a reviewing lifetime, and give it a score, I’d be going for 6 out of 10. Interesting idea, not as tightly executed as it could have been, some good characters, but some who didn’t quite seem to have read their own script. Worth keeping an eye on this author if you enjoy slightly skewed YA. Oh, and it’s very American, which probably adversely influenced my opinions. I read a lot of American fiction growing up – it filled the YA shelves in our library, SVH, romances, the occasional science fiction book. It often feels a little bland, but then the really good stuff was never to be found there. Except the occasional Cynthia Voigt. Who I think is fabulous.

So there you go. Red. Not my kind of YA.

Disclosure – links in post are affiliate links, and as you can see below, there’s a rather nice discount code on offer at the moment. Happy shopping. (Note, other bookshops are available. You can even find links to them in other posts.) But before you pop off to shop, if you’ve any bookish posts, do feel free to link them up. There’s a badge on the challenge page if you want it.