Happy Friday, Bookworms!
What’s that? You want to hear me ramble about Little Red Riding Hood again? You’re in luck because more Project Fairy Tale is coming your way! Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguie is a young adult novel that takes Little Red Riding Hood and molds into something completely different… Not unlike the way I can model some sweet, sweet play-doh into tiny ropes of spaghetti. (Work with me here, it’s been a long week.)
The book starts out with a young Little Red Riding Hood and her brother racing through the woods, a wolf in hot pursuit. The wolf gnaws on Little Red’s legs (her name is Ruth in this novel) and then her brother rescues her by stabbing the wolf. Once Ruth gets home and all stitched up, her brother Stephen decides he needs to go fight the Crusades.
Yes, the Crusades! So. Ruth is left at home for the 9 year gap in the story during which she ages enough to become a viable love interest. She works in her father’s blacksmith shop- in pants (GASP!) Eventually, her cousin Peter returns from the Crusades with grim news about Stephen (he’s killed in battle) and a SERIOUS case of PTSD.
Ruth and Peter’s grandmother was run out of town on suspicion of witchcraft once upon a time, but Ruth always assumes she’s just an eccentric healer/early scientist type. Perhaps just a bit of a hippie who likes to experiment with the mushrooms she finds in the woods. Whatever. Peter is convinced that she really knows magic so he takes to spending inordinate amounts of time with her to “train.” Much to his dismay, he learns little more than herbal remedies.
In the meantime, Hottie McHotstuff nobleman shows up in front of Ruth’s blacksmith shop after his horse throws a shoe. I know what you’re thinking. The Crusades were FOREVER ago, and horseshoes seem a wee bit on the industrial side. DO THESE DATES COINCIDE APPROPRIATELY? Have no fear, my bookworms, you sticklers for accuracy. They DO in fact work out. I googled it, baby. I now feel a little bit ignorant on the history of farriers, but I’m working on that. Horseshoes are like super ancient, believe it or not. Anyhow…
Hottie McHotstuff’s name is William. He’s got it bad for our lady in pants. Who can resist chicks who wield molten weaponry? But William also has… Dun dun dun! A SECRET! This is a young adult novel. With a supernatural twist. And a wolf. I’ll give you three guesses where the author went with this… But you’ll only need one.
WEREWOLF! (This one wears a shirt. Most of the time. More’s the pity.)
William and Ruth are all attracted to eachother and stuff, but William can’t allow himself to marry Ruth without revealing his secret. Way back in the first Crusade (there were a bunch of them. Anybody else totally rolling their eyes at humanity’s incessant warring over religion?) William’s ancestor kills a farmer by accident and is cursed by the farmer’s witchy wife to become a werewolf. The curse becomes his legacy. Remember that wolf that tried to eat Ruth? IT WAS WILLIAM! (Seriously, I need a soap opera soundtrack in here. It would be so much more entertaining!)
So now we have Little Red Riding Hood meets Beauty and the Beast, with a dash of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video on the side. Can Ruth look past the fact that William might eat her by accident in a fit of passion? (Bella in Twilight seemed to have gotten over it effectively, but Ruth’s got more self respect. I mean, the girl rocks PANTS, y’all.)
I know I know. SPOILERS. This book was actually a really fast read. Despite being a little cheesy and predictable, it wasn’t awful. If you like paranormal YA romances, this is right up your alley. If you’re a snarky pain in the ass like myself, you might want to read it anyway. How often do you get to make play-doh spaghetti out of two fairy tales and a pop culture icon?! (I take metaphors way too far, and then I just keep on going…)
So Bookworms, I’ve got to know. Does anybody else out there fact check their historical fiction? I’m not so brilliant at history that I’ll hold authors to extreme specifics, but if something sounds wonky, I look it up. Is it just me?!
Mel
Nope, I’m a pain in the ass too. If the world didn’t have pain in the butts like us then there wouldn’t be accurate history books, it would all be ‘fiction’ books in schools. Although that would make history class much more entertaining.
‘Class, turn to page 12 of Hansel and Gretal so we can all learn the background of our Prime Minister.’
Words for Worms
The witch is the prime minister in this scenario, right? Because I really want someone in a position of power to live in a house made of gingerbread…
Ashley F
I totally fact check my historical fiction. Partly because I studied History in University. I also fact check my historically based films. I’m the one watching Gladiator and Troy in the Theatre shouting at the screen saying IT DIDN”T HAPPEN LIKE THAT!!!
My friends will no longer watch historical films with me. Because apparently I ruin it by deconstructing it. They’re like can’t you just enjoy it for entertainment? No. I can’t.
Words for Worms
I got so mad at The Tudors I couldn’t watch it. Who has the nerve to cast a non redhead as Henry VIII? Who?!
Christine
As long as the non-red-head is Jonathan Rhys Meyers, then I say hells to the yes to a lack of orthodoxy on this point.
Words for Worms
At least his English accent is real.
LisaG
If I don’t know better, and the author is convincing enough, I’m willing to believe them. I’m willing to believe that if it looks like a dog, and sounds like a dog, it probably *is* a dog. But if it looks screwy, or contradicts something I know (or THINK I know) I’m likely to double check it.
Words for Worms
I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one who does this!
Meg
I totally fact-check my historical fiction. That basically means that I shoot my dad (a History major in college and generally obsessed with anything that happened longer than 5 minutes ago) an e-mail and say, “Hey Dad, when did this happen?” He always knows!
Words for Worms
What an excellent resource! My dad doesn’t know history, but he comments on my blog, which is almost as good.
didibooksenglish
Sounds pretty funny! It wasn’t the horseshoes that bothered, but the girl in pants working in a blacksmith’s workshop. Yikes! I know what you’re going to say, “It’s fantasy get over it!” 😉
Words for Worms
Yeah, I know totally believable right? 😉
didibooksenglish
Ahh YA Gotta dream!
Lyssapants
I fact check stuff sometimes, but one time I found that Wikipedia sometimes gets influenced by said movie or book I am in fact, fact checking. Thwarted again, and the truth is out there.
Words for Worms
I end up on Wikipedia more than I care to admit, but, in this case, the horseshoe thing was well documented. There were BCE era horseshoes, so they’d have been there in the Crusades. Wikipedia! Blessing? Curse? I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWERS!
Lyssapants
*RUN SCREAMING*
Quirky Chrissy
Dude, the Fairy tale retelling that I’m reading right now. SO not historically correct. It’s annoying the shit out of me. 5 cents for a room, but a DOLLAR for a yard of THREAD? Seriously?
Words for Worms
Ridiculous! RESEARCH! Gah!
Ilene (BinkyBecky)
Research, Research, Research!!! One of the most tedious yet interesting parts of writing. And so necessary if the story is going to ring true. It’s a low brow example of poor research, but in 50 Shades of Gray the female protagonist is a young woman, in her last semester of college, in the first decade of the 21st century, but doesn’t have a email, or a computer at all? Geez, Oh my, and Holy Crap. Another great post!
Words for Worms
Good call on Ana being like Amish about the tech stuff. That was pretty weird.
Sarah Says Read
I… wouldn’t have even thought that horseshoes were too advanced for the Crusade age, lol. Not like I’m being stuck up, I just pay little attention to details like that. I bet historical fiction authors love me.
What an awkward conversation to have though:
William: “Baby, before we get married, I have to tell you… I tried to eat you once.”
Ruth: …..
Words for Worms
Yeah. He was all like “See my scar? Your brother stabbed me. It hurt.” And she was all like “You gnawed on my leg, but I forgive you, you wolfish nobleman!”
Quinn
I’ve never heard of this book, but seriously, I totally want to read it now! I am just loving Project Fairy Tale! I am finding do many other retellings to read, and I have already read tons.
I’m totally okay with predictability in books. Actually, sometimes I really like knowing where the story is going. Is that weird?
Words for Worms
I suppose I can see that… I tend to get really cranky when a story goes in a direction I completely don’t expect. Project Fairy Tale is seriously SO MUCH FUN!
It's A Dome Life
I love these comments over historical inaccuracies. You have really smart and funny readers!
I have enjoyed so many young adult fiction books lately. I will have to check this one out. Some of them are way better than the books written for adults.
Words for Worms
My readers are awesome, I feel super lucky!