Red Hood's Revenge (Princess, #3) in Into the Forest

Aug 02, 2010 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: grimm, cinderella, snow-white, red-riding-hood, fantasy-myth-and-fairy, rapunzel

You have many Princesses in literature and movies. There's Princess Leia who got to shot people; there's Belle who got a library; there's Princess Moonbeam, who got to (okay, I can't remember what Moonbeam got, but she got something). There's Eowyn who got Faramir, but more importantly got RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING!

Who wouldn't want to be a princess?

After all,princess get clothes that look heavy, they get to wear shoes that look painful, they get talking animals (so how they eat meat, I don't un You have many Princesses in literature and movies. There's Princess Leia who got to shot people; there's Belle who got a library; there's Princess Moonbeam, who got to (okay, I can't remember what Moonbeam got, but she got something). There's Eowyn who got Faramir, but more importantly got RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING!

Who wouldn't want to be a princess?

After all,princess get clothes that look heavy, they get to wear shoes that look painful, they get talking animals (so how they eat meat, I don't understand), they get to watch their biological father blow up thier home and record collection, they get cursed, they get husbands who are charming but not sincere, they are looked at as a food source, dragons want to roast them, man save them and except sex, even if the princess is in love with someone else (even if the knight is supposedly in love with some one. Her beauty made me do it is a very old excuse after all).

I only want to be a princess, if it is in the tradition of Jim C. Hines.

This installment is good and gives the reader a good dose of Talia, who perhaps is most mysterious of the the three princesses. Her character gets more development, and we find more of her back story. This isn't to say that there aren't developments for Danielle and Snow, but Talia is center stage.

The action starts with what looks to be an attempt on the life of Danielle and quickly progesses to trip to Talia's home. Hines should get a huge amount of respect for his handling of rape (Talia is from Talia, the Sun and the Moon) and for truly thinking about the effect of fairy curses. Too often fairy curses and gifts are seen as blessings in disguise or just blessings, Hines takes a more realstic approach.

Hines' treatment of Red Riding Hood is well done and different from his treatment in Red's Tale / Lobo's Tale.

What I really like is how each of three (four if you count Hood) women is strong in a totally different way. Danielle who is the princess close to a Disney princess is wonderful because her philosphey is shown simply as different than Talia's. I loved, really loved, the way Danielle defeated the Wild Hunt. Snow is somewhat like a Jedi struggling with the dark side, but without the lightsaber and written millons of times better than anything Lucas turned out; Talia is more than just a ninja, Xena knock off; having many complex levels. I also really like that the amount of friendship that Hines shows in these books. Too often women are seen either just talking about men or backstabbing each other (women writers are just as bad as men writers in this regard), none of that here. True, Danielle mentions her husband and child, but it is not the center of conversation, more a facet of her character.

Hines also touches, briefly, but it is there on the current issues and concerns of the West with Shia (Shi'a, Shira) law. He changes it, of course, into fairy and human law. It should be noted, however, that Talia's culture is drawn from Muslim culture and the culture is treated with respect by Hines. While there is conflict over religion, Hines also illustrates more acceptance for behavior than in other cultures, like Snow's. ...more

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