Just like Hodge's other book, CRUEL BEAUTY, CRIMSON BOUND tells a fantastic story, both figuratively and literally. As you might know by now, fantasy is my favorite genre, and after being disappointed by my latest fantasy reads, this book reminded me just how awesome the genre can be. 
 CRIMSON BOUND transports you to a world rich in lore and history, building an absolutely fantastic fictional reality without it feeling overwhelming (and without the dreaded info-dumps). I would have to say this aspect, next to the characters themselves, is probably the strongest element of the book, in my opinion. This world and the concept are awesome. 
 On the opposite side of the coin I do have to say that this could also be a negative. There is just so much to explore I almost would have liked a series out of this. A lot seemed stuffed in, even with the 400 page count. Maybe Hodge will revisit the world (fingers crossed!) but I did feel satisfied with the overall conclusion and there is no obvious need for another book. If that made any sense at all. 
 I could go on about the characters in this book forever, they are fantastic. Each and every one has depth and is well explored. Some have hidden motives, some have dangerous secrets, and the liars are usually the ones being honest. Rachelle is definitely going to be added to my list of favorite heroines. She is far from perfect, but that is exactly why she's so great. All the characters are just asdfghjkl! 
 This novel was inspired by the classic Little Red Riding Hood but other than a few similar quotes I would not have guessed it, there is definitely some disconnect from the original story, although that is not necessarily a bad thing. It was not like CRUEL BEAUTY where the retelling aspect was fairly obvious. Both books are still uniquely original in their own ways. 
 Speaking of CRUEL BEAUTY, this one did not have any quotes that immediately stood out to me like my favorite from the former: 
 "Where you go, I shall go; where you die, I shall die, and there will I be buried." 
 Chills, dudes. Chills. 
 But the writing was still great and incredibly vivid and descriptive-I could imagine the Great Forest perfectly. 
 Now that I have throughly confused you with this review I will just end with: it's great, you need to read it.