Well done Beth O'Brien, the handling of a sight compared character was impeccable . The tale itself just draws you in and holds you till the end. The real question in this story is, who are the real monsters ? Read it to find out.

I really enjoyed this beautiful gothic retelling of red riding hood. I don't want to say too much, I would highly recommend Wolf Siren. Well done on your debut novel :)

Oh, how I loved Wolf Siren - a dark and gritty fairytale retelling in which Little Red is a visually impaired girl traversing a divided landscape: a forest sheltering wolves, her village sheltering worse. Chauvenism is rife, and there are dark intentions around every corner. There are wolves in the woods, but are they the real monsters?

WOLF SIREN is an #ownvoices story, and the protagonist is powerfully depicted. While listed as children’s fiction, I think that older readers (including adults) will find their own power within these pages.

An ethereal but powerful reworking of Red Riding Hood, reframed from a feminist, eco-friendly perspective.. Beautifully written with a real fairytale feel, and with an authentic own voices representation which adds a fascinating extra layer to the story.

This is one of those books that just feels so deep and meaningful. It has a story to tell and a lesson we need to learn.
Beautifully written version of the tale of Little Red Riding hood, but with a lot of differences. I especially loved that Red was visually impaired (as the author says at the end, perhaps this explains why she didn't recognise that there was a wolf in her grandmothers clothing). She finds her way around despite her vision being low, she had friends that help her when they can, and of course the odd bully who can't help but mock her.
But soon Red discovers there is more to her family and village than just a fear of the woods and wolves, something much deeper and darker is going on.
I adored this book. I found it so moving, especially towards the end.
I loved so many aspects of the story, but I don't want to say too much, as it gives away some of the best parts of the story!
Just give it a read, I don't think you'll regret it.

Wow! This was so much better than I thought it might be. It was deliciously dark, dangerous and a refreshing new perspective on the familiar children's story. Lots of fantastic vocabulary choices and clever character traits which ensured I was hooked from beginning to end.
Highly recommended.

This story is not so much a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood, but is inspired by the original. Protagonist Red is a teenage girl who feels called to the woods. In a patriarchal society where the forest poses a danger to the menfolk of her village, voicing such a desire is the ultimate taboo. But when the stability of village life is threatened, Red feels she must answer that call.

I’d usually start with what I liked about a book, but I’m going to do the opposite this time, as there wasn’t really much that I didn’t enjoy. If I had to be picky, I would have preferred a pacier start to the story and a more satisfying resolution regarding the Mayor and Nova. But that’s about it.

Now on to what I loved. The story was very evocative of old fairytales, both in the descriptions of the settings and the language. The character names were great, and I really enjoyed the nod to the language patterning in the original fairytale. Unsurprisingly for a fairytale, there is magic. Some is very subtle and the characters barely register it, rather accepting it’s something that just is. Other examples of magic are rather more dramatic.

Significantly for me as a sight-impaired person, Red’s own sight impairment was handled brilliantly by the author and clearly came from a place of experience. In too many stories, a character’s disability IS the story. In others, the disability is brushed under the carpet like it doesn’t matter, which is clearly not the case when you’re living with a disability. Red is limited in some ways because of her sight impairment. But the author does not make this a way to pity Red (there are certainly other ways you feel sorry for her). Instead, Red gets by in her own way, sometimes with a little help, as is often the way in real life. Plus she has many other qualities that are just as, if not more, important a part of who she is. Crucially for me, though, without giving too much away, there is a part in the story where some magic happens and it would have been very easy for the author to ‘fix’ Red’s sight impairment. She does not. And I was really pleased about this because it sends the message that Red’s disability is who she is, not what the story is about. In actual fact, there’s a lovely irony that, out of all the villagers, Red is the only one able to clearly ‘see’ what is happening and what needs to be done.

This is a really lovely, yet emotional read with depictions of grief and menstruation. Suitable for mature upper key stage 2 readers and above.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. There is a girl in a red coat, a grandmother, a woodcutter and wolves in a wood, but there the similarities end, this is a very different story.
Red lives in a village ruled by a mayor who favours those who please him. Having lost lots of men to the wolves in the woods only women (who seem to be safe) are allowed to enter the woods, but this is seen as a punishment. Red often sneaks into the woods feeling at home and at peace among the trees who watch over her. It is there she meets her missing grandmother and starts to find out bits about her heritage.
It is quite a dark book- life in the village is oppressive and the woods are dangerous..Despite this, Red still manages to find joy in the world around her. She is partially sighted and her descriptions of how she perceives the world are at times almost poetical.
Ultimately this a story about fighting for what is right and about protecting the fragile ecology around us. I would have liked to have had a bit more about consequences for the mayor, who is built up as the big bad at the start, but I did like that the ending didn’t play out quite as I expected. A good debut novel.

Wolf Siren is a captivatingly dark reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. The narrative skillfully keeps you guessing: the story explores the complex relationship between villagers and wolves, highlighting how fear and manipulation can divide a community. Red's journey of self-discovery, despite her visual impairment, her determination to uncover the truth driving the narrative and challenging societal norms, give food for thought to anyone reading (particularly in current times).

O'Brien subverts traditional tropes, empowering the female characters and exploring themes of resilience. The writing is evocative and haunting, full of twists and turns, and the interconnectedness of Red, the wolves, and the woods is portrayed beautifully.

While aimed at younger readers, Wolf Siren will appeal to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted fairy tale with a dark, feminist twist. It's a thought-provoking exploration of power, prejudice, and challenging norms.

If you think that reimagined tales of Little Red Riding Hood have been done to death, this one will change your mind. It reflects a lot of contemporary values such as feminism, environmental protection and inclusivity. It is a thought-provoking take on the original story that renders the original tale more relevant to our current context.

Red is in some minor ways the chaperone rouge you know, and in most other ways, entirely reinvented, has agency, and more appeal.
The story world and the wolves do too.
I had not expected this to be so competent for both adult and young (MG) readers.
Cannot wait to share it with my child and gift it to friends’ children in a couple of years.
A cool take on The Little Red Riding Hood.
The prose is suitable for a children’s book.
The storyworld and the plot are much more immersive.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

"It's hard to live between two worlds that do not trust each other"

This book is an alternative take on Little Red Riding Hood, with a dark m9dern twist, I loved how the reader is shown how Red, the wolves and the woods all interconnect. I feel this book gave empowerment to woman within the story and the determination of a child. I will definitely be recommending this book to students and will recommenda copy for our school library.

Thank you Net galley for the ARC copy. The blur on this book got me straight away...one of my favourites a story based in a fairytale.....what can I say...this book was amazing. Definitely a book that I couldn't put down. A twist on the Little Red Riding Hood tale the story explores Red life and what's been going on In her village....men are not allowed into the woods due to wolf attacks but there's more to it then you know. It's hard to write a review without giving too much away but if you like a book with girl power, an awaking and the truth will come out then this is your book. I hope this book gets nominated for Book Of rhe Year as it truely is a magical book that deserved all the praise and recommendations it can get.

" It's hard to live between two worlds that do not trust one another"

" The wolves had to fight to survive, Red, like women. And yes, some people would call that dangerous"

Wolf Siren is a wonderfully gothic fairy tale. Beth O'Brien has taken the traditional tale of Red Riding Hood and created a beautifully dark modern fable.

Red lives in a village where most residents are forbidden to enter the nearby woodland as dark secrets lie and wolves can kill. Red's grandmother disappeared some years before but all is not what it seems. When a woodcutter goes missing, locals turn their suspicion and anger towards the wolves- led by a Mayor who seems to hold a power over the people. The only people who may enter the woodland safely to fetch firewood are the women of the village- but why ?

However Red won't be deterred from entering the woods with a desire to find out what is happening within and soon discovers she has a hidden secret - one that will transform her life, impact on her sister and mother and create wide divisions among the people.

To say any more would reveal too much but Beth O'Brien's story is an empowering tale of a young girl who is visually impaired but also has a strength of determination that will transform a community and finally reveal some dark truths. This is a story of female solidarity overcoming the manipulation of the men in a remote community.


Full of tension, gripping, haunting and totally original, this is a great read for the 10-14 year age range ( or adults who like a new twist on a traditional tale). It will be great to see what Beth O"Brian writes next .

Highly recommended for Year 6-9

I loved this new story of Red Riding Hood! It was magical, mysterious, tragic, empowering and had me unable to put it down the whole time. Such a different take on the Red Riding Hood story. I especially loved how it displayed the empowerment of young girls and women being the protectors of the village. But also how they were the only ones who could bring both humans and wolves together. One of my newest favorites and definitely will be recommending that my students read this book!

Modern retellings of traditional fairy tales are nothing new. Over the past few years, I’ve read several novels and short stories based on old ones, enjoying many of them enormously, and amongst them the story of Little Red Riding Hood is possibly the one that has cropped up most often. I think most, if not all, adults would be able to tell you the story from memory – even down to the line What big eyes you’ve got, Grandma – such is the way that it has almost become a part of us, as it’s been shared over and over again.

Here, that story has been reinterpreted in a stunning debut from author Beth O’Brien that takes many of the features with which we are all so familiar to weave a thoroughly modern read, with a strong feminist theme, that I really enjoyed. No more is the protagonist a drippy little girl on a mission to take goodies through the woods to her ailing grandmother but instead a strong young woman – one who most definitely doesn’t require saving by a woodcutter but who instead is determined to live her life on her own terms and in whom today’s readers will discover a bold heroine that they will adore.

Red has always loved going into the woods, but now that she is growing into a young woman her mother firmly tells her that her trips need to stop, as even though the wolves there only attack the men of their village, she must follow its rules like all the other women. Three years after her grandmother disappeared within its trees, Red chooses to disobey her mother’s instruction and sets out early to walk there in the hopes of the older woman reappearing. Guided by the trees along its paths, Red instead comes across Caragh, the village’s woodcutter, who takes the time to speak to her about the importance of maintaining the equilibrium of the woods in addition to supplying the village with the wood it needs before Red realises that she needs to return home before her mother gets up.

Reaching the village, Red sets about carrying out her job as a courier while life goes on around her but later that night the villagers are roused from their slumbers by the sound of the wolf siren – the signal that they are likely to come under attack from the wolves who live within the woods – and as everyone assembles, it quickly becomes clear that in addition to the wolves being spotted, the woodcutter is missing.

As the village’s mayor seizes the opportunity to stir up feelings against Caragh, those who live within the village must decide where their loyalties lie – a situation not helped when Red decides upon a plan of her own. Trying to persuade those around her that their enemies are not the wolves but those who live closer to home, Red must do everything within her power to protect her precious woods, but doing so threatens to reveal her deepest secret – one that, if it is discovered – will change her family’s lives forever more…

Red is an individual who has a deep affinity for nature in all its forms and who feels not just totally at home in the woods but an irresistible draw from them. Knowing that her grandmother vanished within their depths does not frighten her at all but leads her rather to be curious about the old woman’s fate and to look for her, secure in the feeling she has that no harm will come to her – a feeling not shared by her mother, who has suffered as a result of the wolves’ actions and who is acutely aware that, like the other women of the village, her freedom is limited and she is expected to follow the harsh rules laid down by the mayor.

From very early on in the story, we learn that Red is partially sighted – a disability that impacts on her life in some ways but that does not limit her ability to act independently of her family, as she demonstrates through her visits to the woods. Written from the author’s personal experience of being visually impaired, the story shows young readers very clearly that sight is not an all or nothing sense – something that I suspect will come as a surprise to many – and through the descriptions of what Red does see within the book, we are able to understand her experience of the world around her that much better.

With chapter heading illustrations from Ayesha L. Rubio to add to the reader’s pleasure, this is a great story for confident readers in Year 4 upwards. My thanks go to publisher HarperCollins and to NetGalley for my advance, virtual read. Wolf Siren hits the shelves on March 27th.