Seeing Red: A Fairy Tale Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood

by Rachanee Lumayno

In the forest, there’s a fine line between hunter and hunted.

Claret Pangati is content with her quiet life in the village of Woodside—baking bread, visiting her grandmother beyond the forest, and avoiding anything resembling danger. But when a series of brutal attacks shatter the calm, a stranger arrives with secrets of his own.

Sheriff Hunter Tavish is handsome, mysterious, and far too interested in the dark history that runs through the woods—and through Claret’s bloodline. As the forest’s secrets unravel, Claret finds herself at the heart of a story older than she ever imagined. One with a red cloak, a hungry predator, and a girl who may not be as innocent as the tale suggests.

A dark and atmospheric retelling of Little Red Riding Hood—where the line between hunter and hunted blurs with every heartbeat.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2026

About the author

Rachanee Lumayno is an actress, voiceover artist, screenwriter, avid gamer and amateur dodgeball player. She grew up in Michigan, where she spent way too much of her free time reading fantasy novels. So when she decided to try her hand at writing a book, it made sense that it would be in her favorite genre.

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Reviews

[Brett Wilkes]

I picked up the special edition hardcover of Seeing Red at a book signing event and Rachanee graciously signed and personalized the title page for me. We had a fun conversation while the event's crowd was elsewhere.

The Seeing Red Special Edition hardcover is a beautiful book. The dust jacket graphics are nice, but the actual hardcover with Red Riding Hood in her cloak from behind is really eye-catching. The fore-edges of the book are also very cool (I like how so many books have been doing this recently). And the illustrations inside the front and back cover of Claret (Red Riding Hood) and Hunter (the new town sheriff) are fun.

I knew, from talking to Rachanee about her book, that Seeing Red was a re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood - a story everyone is familiar with, but one that's not heavy on the background of any of the characters. I wondered how much the story would diverge from the original fairy tale and how the characters would be fleshed out to living, breathing people.

Does Seeing Red stick closely to the original story? Absolutely not. But that was in no way a detriment to my enjoyment of Seeing Red. It's clearly a fantasy story (elves, magic) that gave me big Dirty Lying Faeries vibes early on, but certainly wasn't taking anything from that novel and wasn't really anything like that story. It was just the "fae" references that made the connection in my mind.

The time setting feels like it's probably sometime around the 1700s. The most advanced technology I can recall from the story was manually-lit gas lamps in the village our protagonist lives in.

The red riding hood of Seeing Red is a young woman in her late teens/twenties (not a child) named Claret. As the story begins, there seems to be nothing especially remarkable about her, though from the male attention she receives, it's pretty obvious that she's attractive.

There certainly are similarities to the original Little Red Riding Hood - there's the read hooded cloak, the youngish girl traveling through the woods to take treats to grandma, and the grandma living alone in a location that takes a journey through a seemingly dangerous forest to reach. The rest is all cleverly crafted story-telling that really tells you who Claret is, who grandma is, who the people in their lives are, and why claret wears a red riding hood. The anthropomorphic big bad wolf isn't present in this story, but there is a similar character.

Another difference you may notice is that the characters in this story are Filipino (as is the Author, Rachanee). This doesn't really change anything significant about the story, but was interesting.

Also, as seems to be the case with most books by female authors I've read, a romantic subplot flows heavily through the story. While not my favorite aspect, it wasn't so heavy that it discouraged me from enjoying the story.

It's hard to say much more about Seeing Red without sharing spoilers, but here's what I can say: Seeing Red is a well-written book with a carefully constructed plot full of fully-fleshed out characters who feel much more real than the flimsy constructs in the original Little Red Riding Hood children's story.

[Rose Patterson]

I really wanted to love Seeing Red. The premise, a darker, atmospheric retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, sounded right up my alley. The idea of blurred lines between hunter and hunted, family secrets, and a mysterious sheriff in a quiet village had so much potential.

I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator, Rachanee Lumayno, did a good job. Her performance was solid, and she handled the tone and pacing well. The production quality wasn’t the issue at all.

For me, the challenge was connecting with the characters. I just couldn’t fully get invested in Claret or Hunter. On paper, their dynamic is intriguing, secrets, tension, hidden history, but emotionally, it didn’t quite resonate with me. I found myself listening without feeling deeply pulled into their journey.

The atmosphere is definitely there. The forest setting feels moody and mysterious, and the story has that slow-burn, fairy-tale darkness woven throughout. I can see how readers who love brooding retellings and subtle suspense might really enjoy it.

Overall, I’d give it three stars. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, it just didn’t click with me personally. If you enjoy dark fairy tale retellings and don’t mind a slower, more atmospheric pace, this one might be a better fit for you.

[Andrea]

Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother are at the base of this story and both of the women are powerful leaders of the fae. The Big Bad is actually Hudson Tavish, a lycan, an actual criminal lycan. His family are royalty but he's selfish and has spent most of the family's money, so he's banished to the human world. His brother, Hunter, is the sheriff of Woodside and Claret, as their leader, watches over all of the magical creatures to keep them safe. When there are gruesome killings in the forest, Sheriff Tavish is on the job. When Claret goes off to visit her grandma, Lola Cerise, he's there, too. This story is witty, cute, tense and oh, so satisfying.
The narration is done by the author, Rachanee Lumayno, and her voice artistry is delightful!

[Vickie]

This was a good crossover from a fairytale to a romantsy story. Claret lives on the outskirts of the Littlewood Forest. Her grandma lives on the other side of the forest in a neighboring town. Claret visits her grandma every Sunday. When she was little she believed she saw Elves at her grandmother's, her mother denied it and forbid her from talking about it. A new sheriff comes to town to solve the issue of all the animals being killed. Is this sheriff more then what he seems? Can Claret come to terms with what she is?

[Janet Smith McHardy]

This is a brilliant reworking of the Little Red Riding Hood story. Claret Pangati life changes when her grandmother tells her about her family history and the future she needs to embrace. But there is danger on the horizon. Claret need to work out who she can trust. Is the handsome new Sheriff a friend or not. This is a great listen. I look forward to more books in this series. The narration is excellent.

[Rija]

​I couldn't put this down and finished it in just a couple of sittings!

Seeing Red is a fantastic fantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The author has done an incredible job with the world-building, the setting is set so well and perfectly establishes the moody, immersive atmosphere of the book.

I also loved the unique twist on the cape; it brought something totally fresh to a classic story. Highly recommend if you love engaging fairy tale retellings!

[Lisa Maher]

This was an interesting story. I like the story of Little Red Riding hood, so this had my attention from the get go. It was a new to me author, but I really enjoyed the character and world building and look forward to more at some point.

[Summer Stanley]

A good retelling of Red Riding Hood. It brings in the Fae world and does have good world building to it. It does a good job in building scenes and having depth to it. So if you're looking for a well rounded story you'll enjoy this.

[The Book Ssirren]

I love a good twist on an old Fairytale. And this did an excellent job putting a new spin on Little Red Riding Hood. I loved that grandma had tons she needed to tell. And there was no harm in that handsome sheriff. Great twists and turns in this. Some steam. I really liked reading this one.

[Elyse]

3.5

This was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this take on Little Red Riding Hood. I do think it go a little long, and the romance wasn't my exact cup of tea. But this was definitely a fun read! I can't wait to read more.

[Laura Ruetz]

I love fairy tales when they get redone, to see a different take on an old tale. I really enjoyed this take on little red riding hood.