Red by Alyxandra Harvey Review

"Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair.
It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…"

NetGalley (Maybe I should had been capitalizing the "G" for the last few reviews. Whoops). Thanks for the copy!

So Red fits perfectly in the Supernatural category. Or genre. YA Paranormal, specifically. I'm especially thankful that there aren't any vampires in here, but I do have to ask a lot of questions. Like a lot of questions. Because most of my questions remained unanswered. Red is pretty much a roller coaster from beginning to end, and you won't get the more important answers. Seriously. A lot of them, you have to interpret and even then, you won't exactly get your answer other than a bland stereotype. 

And it seems that there is a lot of stereotype mentions in the book. Gothic lady-stereotype mention. Check! Swooning girl-stereotype almost mention. Check! Curious... I must say. Could think a bit more on that, but I'm on the brink of falling into a deep sleep. Wake me up in another hundred years, ladies and gents. 

(Yes. Mention of Sleeping Beauty). 

Let's talk about Kia. Kia has a special power for setting fires. She has a lot of anger (and angst) pin up in her. There isn't much I can think about her, but I know that she is fighter from beginning to end. I just feel like there is something off about her... Characteristically. Character-wise. She is like Rose Hathaway with sass and punches, but she is unusually violent. Seriously. Unusually. (I wonder if anyone taught her meditation. Oh, wait. Dr. Yang). 

Hmm. Must be my nerves. Or my sleep-deprived brain. 

Ethan is the love interest (and only, thank goodness). He has two personas, and he is pretty much a girl's wet dream. Sorry. There is no better way of putting it. (I know, I know, but I had to put it in a forward way). He seems to be that brooding and Mr. Darcy kind of guy. It turns out that he is a tortured character with a crazy father (and possibly serial killer) and an even more insane job. But the thing is I don't like him. At all. Sure, he got that sass and that Patch's way with words, but I feel like I know next to nothing about him. Even though I see him from his POV, there isn't enough characteristics from him. I know who he was. But when Kia came into the picture, I don't know who he is (when he is without her). Other than an angry teenager who really hates his dad. This kid has a fire in his own heart. 

Overall, I don't really like Red. Yes, it is a really entertaining read, but I find some parts really unnecessary, and serious parts are written off as lighter parts. There should be more emotional impact in certain scenes, yet there isn't. 

So...

Rating: Two out of Five