Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
During the thirteenth century, in northwest England, in one of the coldest winters in living memory, a formidable middle-aged Irishwoman and her little troupe are trying to drive their three wagons across the Pennines before the heavy snows set in. Molly, her powerful and enigmatic lover Jack, her fey granddaughter Nemain, and the young apprentice Hob soon find that something terrible prowls the woods through which they must make their way. As they travel from refuge to refuge, it becomes apparent that the evil must be faced, and it is then that Hob learns how much more there is to his adopted family than he had ever imagined. Something Red has an elegant prose style, shapeshifters, Irish battle queens, young love, middle-aged love, Norman knights, wild cattle, sorcery both good and evil, a cameo appearance by the Templars, pilgrims, Saracens, a chess tournament, bandits, harpers, snowy mountain passes and forest twilight, a party of wandering Lithuanians, a sweet-tempered ox, warrior monks, strong—even dangerous—women, ten murderous mastiffs, a central mystery, and a snowstorm that an early reader described as “one of the coldest scenes since Snow Falling on Cedars.”
Is Something red appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Parents should know this atmospheric historical fantasy contains violent confrontations with dangerous supernatural creatures, including deaths and fighting. The medieval setting includes period-appropriate dangers and threats, though the focus is on the mystery and the found family dynamic.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include gore, murder, death, and animal death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be drawn to the apprentice Hob's journey as he discovers his found family has powerful secrets and must face dark supernatural evil together.