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Great premise - unsatisfactory execution.

The whole time the book was like:


And my reaction every single time was like:


My biggest problem with this book was that it tried to be something extra-ordinary and unique and great, but both the plot-line and the characters felt like rip-offs from Cruel Beauty.
As somebody who is fond of the original Red Riding Hood tale and had if not very high, but expectations nonetheless, I must say that I was extremely disappointed.
First, there was the lack of a real plot, and instead Rachelle's whining and describing and thinking and most definitely too much of it all. Take that out and the book would have ended up being some ~70 pages long. Things should have happened. And even when nothing happens I have the opinion that something has to be explored, like the Forest in this case. The bloodbounds and the firstborns and God knows what and who else. Did that happen? No.
Their origin, their behavior, skills, there was more than enough material to take it a step further but instead Hodge kept standing in one place.

Second, the characters. Rachelle was like Nyx but less self-aware and more self-pitying. She was beyond annoying and to avoid spoilers I will not elaborate on what exactly she did and simply say that she chewed on one and same issue over and over and over again. Not only was she unlikable, but she was downright awful because she refused to accept herself.
Erec and Armand were like Ignifex and Shade. EXACTLY like them. Meaning that once again there was the love triangle that was not a love triangle because it was so obvious. And maybe, if I hadn't read Hodge's other book before, I would have ended up liking the characters. But I read it and so this one ended up being a disappointment for me. Both the primary and secondary characters were repetative and shallow and so very one-dimensional that I could not help but roll my eyes too often for my own liking.

I could go on like this, complaining about dozens of details, forever but I won't because even writing the review all I feel is boredom.
Dragging plot with very little progression, no character development, a gloomy atmosphere that annoyed me after a while that's what I got in this book. But worst of all - it was just a copy of Cruel Beauty, same motives, same characters, same plot, same everything and that is something I do not forgive as a reader. Yes, I know authors tend to repeat certain themes or types of characters in their books, that is normal, every author has something like a "trademark", but this felt like the author simply changed the names and the setting, there was nothing new. First time you tell a hilarious joke everyone will laugh, but already the second time if you do it right after the first, some people will not find it amusing anymore, but strange. I am one of those who will not listen to the same joke being told over and over again.

Feel free to disagree with me or hate me now but I do not recommend this one because I think that it is simply not worth the time.