Book Review: Sisters Red

The premise of the story centers around two young sisters who are irrevocably bound by one fateful day when the werewolves left their place in storybooks, legends and imaginations and came for them and they lost their grandmother to the beasts.  As a young child, Scarlet Marsh saved her younger sister Rosie from the werewolves that threatened their lives. In the process she ended up with scars that spills across almost every inch of her body. Everyday, when she'd look in the mirror she would see traces of her past, where evil had once laid it's muddy paws.

Now, Scarlet Marsh is hell bent on making sure no girl has to suffer at the werewolves' teeth again. Her life has become an endless and gruesome hunt to massacre the werewolves that mingle with the unsuspecting civilians.  Rosie feels she has an obligation to stand by her sister and hunt, even at the expense of her own happiness.

I was enthralled by the strong heroine Pearce crafted. I think Scarlet is a valuable female character in the literature world, who deserves to be dusted off and put on display in young adult fiction. We need more admirable characters who are resourceful, self-reliant, strong, who have an edge, while still being heart warming. It was a breath of fresh air to have a character who was not subordinate to a male character and who played the role of protector.  Despite her strength though, she allows the scars to chew her up and open many insecurities resulting in her coming to believe that she isn't as beautiful as her sister.

I think that her scars could have been portrayed as marks that did not allow her to coil up in a shell and forget what she saw and experienced, but made her deal with the past. They could have been a source of strength, not weakness, or insecurity because they were proof that evil did not win, that she still has the breath in her to make the change she wants in the world. They are a mark of her courage, resilience and her ability to survive.

Yet the issue of the scars becomes redundant and obsessive. She feels separated from mainstream society, a virtual outcast due to the scars. Unfortunately, this is probably realistic due to our image-based society that makes young girls feel they are worthless if they do not fit a particular image of beauty - even if they can slay werewolves and save the world.

The books starts off with great potential. The prologue is amazingly compelling, with an eerie undertone that compliments the fast-paced story. However, as the story progresses I found the characters' problems were overworked to the point where they seemed very self-involved.