Once Upon a Time: Red's Untold Tale Hardcover – September 22, 2015

So far a good book. I wish they had made more for OUAT. I love the backstories. The cook is good quality and got here quick.

This book is bland.First, the good. It was written well. The author knows how to put words together to form a beautiful tapestry of story, but instead of creating an otherworldly picture with her skills, she's essentially just woven a bunch of boring squares. I don't know if she was commissioned to write this by ABC and they gave her the guidelines, or if she came up with this story on her own, but it was kind of like riding a roller coaster with little tiny climbs that would plateau and then slowly descend at a reasonable speed. It was like going skydiving from 6 feet off the ground. It was like going to hell only to find out that the Devil is actually kind of a nice guy and, yes, you would love to play chess with him next Saturday. It's like continuing to read similes in this paragraph and hoping there will be a point, BUT THERE NEVER IS.I will look into this author's other books, though. Like I said, she's a great writer, she just didn't have anything to work with.I found this book on a shelf in the grocery store. Rather than buy a paper copy, I just brought it up on Kindle and downloaded it right away. I thought it would be about Red's absence due to the actor leaving the show for a while--like, what happened while she was gone that led to her imprisonment as a witch's pet wolf? I think that would have been a pretty good story.Instead, it's a story from Red's childhood.Now, even after I learned that, I still gave it a chance, because Red is my favorite OUAT character. But even going into it, I knew--Red's entire character arc is centered around her not only being a werewolf, but her KNOWING about it. So, this book takes place before she knows any of that. It centers around the dangers of Wolfstime, which did bring a little excitement to the story, only for a pretty huge letdown at the end, but I'll get to that in a second.One thing this story suffers from is the "If only you'd explained" syndrome. The plot is advanced by Red neglecting to give a simple explanation that would have straightened everything out. The reason the author had to do this was because tension needed to be created in a story where almost nothing happened. Red liked Peter. There were bullies at school. The tax guy wanted Granny's house. There was no over-arcing plot or bad guy to defeat. There was 'Wolfstime,' but the wolf only ever killed one person and a bunch of livestock. It wasn't seen until the end, and I didn't feel any sort of dire desire to see it vanquished.Mostly, there was Violet (Red's bully) who was annoying and cliche.But let me get to the whole wolf thing.If you remember from the show, it turned out that the wolf killing the hunters was Red. That's a spoiler, but I'm sure you wouldn't be considering reading this book if you haven't at least seen the first season of OUAT. Anyway, that is Red's huge reveal. She's been killing and eating her own villagers during the full moon, because she can't control herself. She's a monster. As far as I remember, it's stated a few times in the episode that there is one wolf.So, this is a few years before the series, but there's buildup throughout the book that this wolf is attacking. First killing a cow, then Granny's chickens, then ultimately, a villager. Since the reader knows by this point that Red is a werewolf, the logical conclusion is that this is the beginning of Red's Wolfstime rampages. I hoped that the climax of the story would have something to do with Granny discovering that her granddaughter is inflicted with the curse, or that someone would figure out Red was the werewolf and keep it a secret (I was thinking Violet, since she was so VERY annoying and needed to do something to redeem herself) or something like that.Anyway, it turns out there's another werewolf and Red kills it. Only she doesn't kill it. It disappears and the story ends.So, yeah, that happened.There's also plotlines in the book that are never followed to conclusion. IDK if this book is supposed to get a sequel or what, but I'm not sure how many can be written, since the end of this book kind of tapers into the beginning of Red showing up in the series. I felt like the author was allotted a certain number of words, and when she got near the limit, she had to patch together an ending. There's two important plot points that just fall off a cliff into a void - one regarding Red's dreams, and the other regarding her quest to help heal her grandmother's pain. There's also a minor one involving the tax man and an enchanted necklace. Would have been nice to see something come of that.I mean, the idea behind a sequel is okay, but there's no indication that this is book one in a series. So I really feel as if these plot points were discarded right in the middle of telling them.I still don't hate this book. I didn't find myself rolling my eyes and wanting to put the book down because it was terrible. It was just ... boring. It's something you might read in a waiting room while waiting for a doctor, except when you put it down, you have no strong desire to see what happens. You wouldn't feel like you wasted your time, because you read good words, but it's almost as bland as listening to work-safe gossip.I don't know how else to describe it.

Red's story is as enchanting and beautiful as the book cover! I read it in two days, whenever I had time, between daily errands and chores...and could not wait to get back to the book. Ms Toliver's writing is very descriptive and at times really poetic, and pulls one right into the story. It felt as I was there, in Granny's little house, in the enchanted forest and in the town. The characters are very well developed and I felt that I knew them all by the end of the book. I loved Red, and Granny and especially the wizard! I could see the wizard in my mind's eye and could hear him talk. I smiled continuously during Red's encounter with the wizard. The story made me laugh and dab at a tear or two and I was scared for the townspeople during Wolfstime and also horrified at times. I've read books where flashbacks do not work... this book wasn't one of them. It worked perfectly. Red's Untold Tale is one of those books that made me read slower toward the end because I did not want it to end. I think this book is a fun read for all ages.

I love Once Upon a Time, so I was very excited to see a book about Red's story! The book was great! Wendy Toliver did a great job of telling us Red's story and left us hanging for a sequel??!! (Hope hope!) It's a book that anyone would enjoy- decriptive and creative, family friendly, an easy read for teen to adult. I would like to add that it is a beautiful book!!! Red and black etched- black edges, black scrolled chapter pages- it's probably the prettiest book I've ever purchased. Would make an awesome gift for anyone- any age. May buy a few for Christmas presents for the hard to buy for people on my list. At $14 range is a great deal. Loved it!

Found this book in a local Books A Million and made a mental note to find the book and buy it one day. When I finally did it was from Amazon so I was a little bit skeptical thinking that it would be a ripoff but it wasn’t. I love the smallness of the book and I still haven’t read all of it but the bits that I did read makes me want to continue (sadly I’ve got books lined up to be read so this one will have to wait) but I do recommend it for any and everyone!

I enjoyed the storyline and the cuteness of the smaller style book however my book arrived with the front cover ripped. The book is fine and perfectly readable however I prefer my books to be in pristine condition if possible and not to mention I did pay for the book to be brand new and typically that would mean not damaged. Plus this was to be a gift.

Excited to read little damage to pages but they are ok now. Can't even tell.

I have never watched the series, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this story. I found myself cheering for Red and her relationship with peter. It inspired me to start watching the series to get the full background. Happy reading.

as a huge red fan and once upon a time fan i totally enjoyed it. I would recomend it , it was nice to see more of reds background. Would recomend to anyone who like Once Upon a Time

Different angle on an old tale - fits in well with the TV series

Perfect item x

Its so amazing and ideal for creative minds. I would totally recommend it. Five starts :) Great for kids (and grown ups), with wide ranges if imagination

Bought as gift for my grandaghter. She loved it