So far this is my favorite of V.M. Sawh's fairytale retellings. They are all so clever, well-written and almost impossible to put down. The Hunted Rose is a dark and brilliant revisiting of Little Red Riding Hood. While all the elements of the original story are there, they are twisted with new purpose in the French countryside during WWII. I thoroughly enjoyed every action packed minute of this story. ( )

What a fantastic read! The author has my unwavering respect for not only his skilled use of figurative language, which seamlessly maintained momentum in a changing landscape, but also accurately depicting the essence of complex human emotions.
I particularly enjoyed the ending, which did not succumb to a decline in energy nor lack in gothic fervour. A true work of art, this story ranks as a triumph within the category of re-telling and will transport the reader on a thorough and enjoyable historical fiction journey. Well written, Sir. ( )

I received this book as part of a LibraryThing giveaway, with the ask for an honest review.

Well, that's going to be easy. This was a great little read.

It's wonderful to discover an independently-published book that's well edited, and more importantly, well-written. This is that.

The three main characters, you know: the woman in the red hood, the huntsman, and the big bad wolf. Except, under Sawh's hands, you really don't. This is a far darker take on that old tale, and I really don't want to reveal anything, because the story should be experienced.

So, instead, I'll say, forget what you know, and just read this. With V.M. Sawh's assured narrative, you're in good hands.

Well worth the read. ( )

First of all, as always, thank you very much to the author V.M. Sawh and LibraryThing for the opportunity to read this short novel in exchange for a fair review.
The action is set in WWII, but everything from the original classic tale is there, and everything fits so nicely... The logger, the hunter, the wolf... but most of the time quite differently. If I missed something it was more of the grandmother/grandmaman, and background or Rose's mother.
It certainly delivers what it promises, bad dreams, and also good tales. For instance, and it's no spoiler seeing the cover, there's quite a lot of gore, and I think it's not a spoiler if I tell you that originally the cloak/hood is white... So it's easy to think why it's red later.
it's all condensed in less than 70 pages, it's dense, but never dull and it makes you want to read on.

Yes, it can also be described as gothic, and at the end one wakes up from the bad dream and finds relief... for the moment... or not.
This author has received prizes, and they should be well deserved (with Cinders, the first, book of the series, which I would very gladly read). ( )

I was given a free copy of "The Hunted Rose' from the author, V M Sawh. I don't want to give too much away with regards to the plot. This is a short story, and it was interesting, surprising, unusual, thought provoking, and wow! This book is worth reading and will make you think!! ( )