Once Upon A Time Red's Untold Tale by Wendy Toliver (Young Adult, 8/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

Love Ruby's cloak!!

July 2016, Titan Books, 304 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from Titan Books

It’s Wolfstime, the foreboding period around each full moon when villagers must protect their homes and families against the giant, ferocious wolves that roam the forest. On the day Red turned thirteen, Granny gave her a special red cloak upon which a spell had been cast to protect Red from wolves.

Red is now sixteen and is desperately trying to fit in among her peers, save Granny’s failing bakery business, and, of course, protect herself from wolves. Her crush on Peter and her determination not to let the mean girls sabotage her blossoming romance cause Red to make some questionable choices.

Will these choices let the wolves in? Will Red pick the right battle? Will her skills be strong enough to keep her alive?

Nayu's thoughts   

I was super excited about reading this, since Ruby is one of many favourite characters on the TV series Once Upon A Time. It talks of life before the curse, when Ruby had no idea of who she was. The depiction of Granny is spot on with the tv show, and Ruby is as daring as ever. It was wonderful to experience the tiny details like the meanies at school, the financial issues Red faced and the trouble with how the community viewed Ruby amd her grandmother. 

Here the character Ruby's actress, Meghan Ory, is reading Red's Untold Tale on set

There is a big 'however' in this revoew. I was disappointed by how the story panned out. There was quite a build up which I expected led to Ruby finding the other side of her nature, but it didn't happen. I was confused about the point of her dreams and flashbacks because she had no clue she was a wolf. At all. I assumed it would happen at some point, and it didn't. 

Because I enjoyed most of the novel the grade is higher than I'd normally give a disappointjng read because I love Ruby and Granny ever so much. The dynamic between them is as complex on the show - I love when Granny apologises to Ruby (somehow I prefer Ruby to the name Red), and how disastrous Ruby is in the baking department. I hope one day her wolf side gets written about in more detail. This is a great read if you aren't expecting that to be a big feature. Even if you haven't watched any of the TV series give this a go! 

Find out more on Wendy's website.