Review: Red by Kait Nolan

Elodie Rose has a secret. Any day, she’ll become a wolf and succumb to the violence that’s cursed her family for centuries. For seventeen years she’s hidden who and what she is. But now someone knows the truth and is determined to exterminate her family line. Living on borrowed time in the midst of this dangerous game of hide and seek, the last thing Elodie needs to do is fall in love. But Sawyer is determined to protect her, and the brooding, angry boy is more than what he seems. Can they outsmart a madman? And if they survive, will they find a way to beat the curse for good?

I have never been a big fan of the whole paranormal YA genre (especially after reading Twilight), however, after reading and loving Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (my review) I figured perhaps the genre was worth a second look.  That’s how I came to read Red by Kait Nolan and I’m glad I did.

The story is told from two points of view – Elodie (a teenage girl trying to avoid the curse that has been handed down by her mother) and Sawyer (a teenage werewolf) – however, it is clearly Elodie’s story.  The plot is a strange mix of paranormal romance and paranormal thriller yet I found it worked and I wanted to keep reading.  I needed to know who would win out which kept me turning the pages.

My favourite aspect was definitely the emotion and motivation woven through each scene.  The reader is pulled into the characters lives and more than once I found myself flooded with the strong desires which plagued Elodie and Sawyer.

Engaging, with strong characters, my only criticism is that although we are shown Sawyer’s point of view, the majority of it is written in Elodie’s voice.  I found that this disrupted my reading of it a little as it was far too lopsided.  However, I believe the author was right to include Sawyer’s view – I just wish there was more of it.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick escape from the real world.  And if, like me, you haven’t read much of the paranormal genre, I think this is a good place to start.  I know I certainly will be looking into more books by Kait Nolan.

Read the first chapter on Kait's website.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook in return for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are entirely my own.]