★★★★☆
Release Date: October 12, 2012
Age: Mature YA
Genre: Horror, Werewolves, Action, Drama, Suspense, Witches, Paranormal Romance
Format: ebook
Source: Author for review
Buy it: Amazon
Find the Beast ~ Find the CureScarlette is a haunting and captivating retelling of Little Red Riding Hood that takes place in France in the mid 1700s. This book not only features a suspenseful murder mystery but a plot that fans this way and that; with a great leading character and a building romance it is definitely a well rounded read. I also found Scarlette to be a sinister read; Davonna Juroe uses the horrors in history to spin Little Red's tale into something nightmarish. This book stems from the stories and legends we've all been told and the author creates a new heroine out of an ordinary character. A character with some charm and a large heart. She has her wits and smarts and while she may be too trusting, everyone needs a fault, she becomes this warrior and transforms her life into anything but plain.
Scarlette, an 18-year-old peasant, lives under a dark threat. A nightmarish creature lurks in the surrounding forest, killing the villagers one by one. When Scarlette's grandmother survives an attack, Scarlette learns that her grandmother hasn't suffered the bite of just any normal animal.
Now desperate, Scarlette searches throughout her province to find a cure. But there are those who want to keep their pasts hidden. As she begins to uncover the dark secrets of her village, Scarlette is befriended by a local nobleman and a woodcutter who share a gruesome history with the beast. To save her grandmother, Scarlette must unravel their mystery and solve an age-old crime. But as she pieces together the clues, Scarlette finds herself torn between the two men, both of whom want to be more than friends and hold the key to the cure.
What if Little Red Riding Hood was Real?
Based on both the Grimm and Perrault versions of Little Red Riding Hood and set against the terrifying, historic Beast of Gévaudan attacks, this YA retelling blends two epic legends, giving the fabled girl-in-the-red-cloak a new, shockingly real existence.
Scarlette's life is stark but things are changing; beginning with a question her employer wants to ask her, one her verbally abusive mother wishes to decide for her. But, as the danger that lurks around her town comes close to home she learns the truth about those around her. Strong willed and determined, she refuses to give into the wants of others and chooses her own path. While her conscience sometimes catches up to her, and the prospects offered to her are hard to put down, Scarlette manages to strive in the darkness her life becomes.
Beasts live in the woods and while Scarlette knows not to venture into them, she does and it just may cost her grandmother her life, and that is just the beginning. As strange things continue to occur she is rescued by an unlikely ally, Francois, befriends a Baron, Louis, with promises to change her life, and loses her normalcy. The plot trudges on and grows into an unmanageable forest of pure darkness and evil. The lives of these characters will never be the same, if they survive.
My favorite character was Francois, even from the beginning I knew I was going to like him. His loyalty was unyielding and his character, while secretive, was comforting. The relationship between Francois and Scarlette is composed just right.
Davonna Juroe recreates the werewolf story while telling Scarlette's story of bravery and determination. As the secrets unfolded I was amazed by this talented author and completely trapped in the book. Scarlette is a bone chilling story about the horrors of man and the beasts that lurk in the night. I loved this book for Davonna's sheer ability to shock me and take me down one path only to throw me onto another. Everyone in this book is a suspect, even those we love, and nothing is as it seems. Thank you very much to the wonderful author for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Davonna Juroe
