Blood Red

Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey, 312 pages

This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood, retold as an Elemental Magic novel. These books are part of a series but don’t need to be read in any particular order. The beginning of this book tells the basic original story, but in this case the wolf is actually a werewolf and meets the little girl first as a man in the woods and then attacks her in her grandmother’s cottage as a wolf. Rosa, the girl, is rescued by a Hunt Master, who takes her in to complete her magical training. She is an Earth Magician and while many of her kind specialize in healing, she specializes in cleansing and becomes the first female Hunt Master, helping to rid the land of evil, such as shapeshifters and vampires. Rosa is good at what she does but is dismayed when she meets a hereditary shapeshifter that is apparently different from other types who use spells or have been bitten. Marcus seems to be a good man and needs her help but can she really trust him with her life? This was a good addition to the series. Fantasy fans should like this series and this book.