A couple of years ago I read and absolutely adored (adored!) Rosamund Hodge's debut, Cruel Beauty. When I heard she was writing another fairy tale retelling, I was immediately intrigued. I pre-ordered the book, but it took me a while to get around to reading it. 
 I didn't feel that this book was as strong as Cruel Beauty. I'm not sure what it was, as both have a fairly similar vibe, but I really struggled to get myself motivated when it came to Crimson Bound. Both books have unlikeable protagonists, but in Crimson Bound Rachelle has no hope for herself of her future, and I think that that probably dragged me down too. 
 There are also some weird choices in the novel. Like at one point Rachelle chooses to sleep with someone she lusts after, but doesn't really like at all. I have no problem with that - it's a positive message to send to girls that it's okay to experiment with sex with people you lust after before you find that someone you want to spend your life with. However, the fact that Rachelle did this during a particularly strong moment of self-hatred detracted from the message. 
 So I couldn't connect with Rachelle (or any of the other characters), and that will have had a detrimental effect on my enjoyment of the story. 
 However, it does have to be said that Hodge is very good at building a setting and at crafting a tale. I think the setting was supposed to be based on historical French society; if I disconnected it from actual history then I enjoyed it and appreciated it, but I have to say that the setting was fairly generalised. Suffice to say, I wasn't envisioning the Sun King, Marie Antionette or the lavish halls at Versailles while reading this. 
 The plot is well-crafted. When you get to the end of the novel and certain plot points become clear, you realise just how well-crafted it really is. I liked the juxtaposition of night and day and the struggle between the two. 
 All in all, it's a good book, but due to the characters it turned out that it's not the book for me.