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Today Only!
Only on Amazon!
(Calibre does let you convert to nook, however!)
The new edition of SCARLETTE also comes with a short story entitled The Third Shadow and an Author's Note on the making of SCARLETTE.
The new edition of SCARLETTE also comes with a short story entitled The Third Shadow and an Author's Note on the making of SCARLETTE.
O P E N I N G H O O K:
Mother was like a bloodhound.
Smelling the air, she could sense my feelings, and any whiff of unease set her at my throat.
If I didn't stop having these painful emotions around her, I would surely lose my freedom.
We were like the moon and the sun, she and I. We could never be close, but I had no idea our lives were about to eclipse.
(Page 12, US e-book edition)
Check out an interview with author Davonna Juroe from this year's A Week of Little Red!
There's a bit of history lurking behind the scenes in SCARLETTE. There was a creature known as the Beast of Gévaudan in 1767 that terrorized the Gévaudan province of France for three years. Davonna Juroe mixed this research in with the lore of Little Red Riding Hood to create SCARLETTE, a terrifying version of the tale you haven't read before. It's a mix of the well-known Grimm version with a touch of the lesser known, but darker, more morbid rendering from Charles Perrault.
Mystery, intrigue, and horror combine into a new tale for readers. The novel centers around an eighteen-year-old girl named Scarlette, who lives in hard times. There is a beast running around killing people, and after her grandmother is attacked, her life changes drastically. Scarlette's mother was always a little unhinged and unpredictable, but now she's spouting outright madness after the attack. She attempts to force Scarlette into a forced marriage with her employer, an overweight, lecherous tailor. Scarlette, however, finds herself under the protection of a baron who wants to keep her safe and will go to any means to prevent the Gévaudan beast from attacking anyone else. Scarlette also finds herself entangled with a group of woodcutters who know more than they say and, for some reason, will stop at nothing to make sure Scarlette is killed.
SCARLETTE starts off slowly, but picks up as the mystery evolves and Scarlette finds herself entrenched in the horrors surrounding her. She's very naive, but she was in the tales as well, and this is done on purpose. She's not as gung-ho and go-get-'em as some of the other Little Reds we've seen in recent YA novels. Rather, she's a terrified girl who wants to protect her loved ones and make it through life intact. To me, there was some predictability in terms of the way certain elements would align by the end, but for most readers, they'll reach surprise after surprise as all is unveiled by the novel's hurtling climax. The lore that went into the story that unfurls in unique and SCARLETTE stands as being wholly original, while still inspired by a beloved fairy tale, only much, much darker than the tame, sanitized version we know today.
There's a bit of history lurking behind the scenes in SCARLETTE. There was a creature known as the Beast of Gévaudan in 1767 that terrorized the Gévaudan province of France for three years. Davonna Juroe mixed this research in with the lore of Little Red Riding Hood to create SCARLETTE, a terrifying version of the tale you haven't read before. It's a mix of the well-known Grimm version with a touch of the lesser known, but darker, more morbid rendering from Charles Perrault.
Mystery, intrigue, and horror combine into a new tale for readers. The novel centers around an eighteen-year-old girl named Scarlette, who lives in hard times. There is a beast running around killing people, and after her grandmother is attacked, her life changes drastically. Scarlette's mother was always a little unhinged and unpredictable, but now she's spouting outright madness after the attack. She attempts to force Scarlette into a forced marriage with her employer, an overweight, lecherous tailor. Scarlette, however, finds herself under the protection of a baron who wants to keep her safe and will go to any means to prevent the Gévaudan beast from attacking anyone else. Scarlette also finds herself entangled with a group of woodcutters who know more than they say and, for some reason, will stop at nothing to make sure Scarlette is killed.
SCARLETTE starts off slowly, but picks up as the mystery evolves and Scarlette finds herself entrenched in the horrors surrounding her. She's very naive, but she was in the tales as well, and this is done on purpose. She's not as gung-ho and go-get-'em as some of the other Little Reds we've seen in recent YA novels. Rather, she's a terrified girl who wants to protect her loved ones and make it through life intact. To me, there was some predictability in terms of the way certain elements would align by the end, but for most readers, they'll reach surprise after surprise as all is unveiled by the novel's hurtling climax. The lore that went into the story that unfurls in unique and SCARLETTE stands as being wholly original, while still inspired by a beloved fairy tale, only much, much darker than the tame, sanitized version we know today.
~*~
C O V E R D E S I G N:
You can tell right off the bat that this is a Little Red Riding Hood Story. I love the way the wolf's eyes are red. Can you say CREEPY?
I also love the font used for both the title and author. The sweeping cursive of SCARLETTE is lovely. I admit it: I have a weakness for pretty cursive. And I ADORE the way the V in Davonna is curling out, sliding through the N, and embracing the A. It's so interesting and fun. Simply beautiful!
I think this cover looks intriguing and interesting, while still telling a lot about the story lying within.
I also love the font used for both the title and author. The sweeping cursive of SCARLETTE is lovely. I admit it: I have a weakness for pretty cursive. And I ADORE the way the V in Davonna is curling out, sliding through the N, and embracing the A. It's so interesting and fun. Simply beautiful!
I think this cover looks intriguing and interesting, while still telling a lot about the story lying within.
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: SCARLETTE
Author: Davonna Juroe
Release Date: Oct. 12, 2012
Publisher: BumbleB Media, Inc.
Received: For Review
Publisher: BumbleB Media, Inc.
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
Ninety years before the Brothers Grimm penned their version of Little Red Riding Hood, a historic, gruesome series of events shocked all of Europe. In 1765, an unidentified wolf-like animal ferociously mauled dozens of peasants in the Gévaudan region of France.
Whispered rumors of unnatural creatures blended with age-old superstition, causing mass hysteria, and a werewolf was blamed for the carnage. Alarmed, King Louis XV sent his best huntsmen to rid the province of the beastly scourge, but this legendary massacre had only just begun.
Scarlette, an 18-year-old peasant, lives under this dark threat, knowing the nightmarish monster lurks in the surrounding forest. A poor seamstress, she labors to make ends meet and is skeptical of supernatural gossip.
Until her grandmother survives an attack.
Scarlette learns her grandmother is infected by the bite of the animal. Desperate to save her, Scarlette begins to uncover the dark secrets of her village and finds there are those who wish to keep their pasts hidden. As time grows short, Scarlette is befriended by a local nobleman and a woodcutter who share an eerie history with the wolf.
To save her grandmother, Scarlette must unravel the mens' connection and solve a long-forgotten crime. But as she pieces together the clues, Scarlette finds herself torn between the two men, both of whom desire more than friendship and together hold the key to the cure.
Based on both the traditional Grimm and Charles Perrault versions of Little Red Riding Hood, this dark YA is set against the Beast of Gévaudan attacks, blending history with fairy tale and gothic romance. Unique to the genre, the novel revives the French fable of the girl-in-the-red-cloak with a new, shockingly real existence that blurs the line between folklore and reality.
Thanks for taking the time to read, review, and spread the word about, SCARLETTE, Bonnie! I super appreciate your time! Very thoughtful review!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, Scarlette sounds amazing! It just became my first kindle book.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a good thing when you can say that your "first" was a fairy tale! ^.~
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