Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Source: Given
SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.
Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.
Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.
Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.
Gretchen seemed like a quiet girl at the beginning, but as the book went on, she took more risk and became very kick ass. Samuel was part of the reason and I liked the romance that he brought to the story. I also liked that there was a lot more to him, then you first think of him. Ansel was a very strong and sweet character and I liked the relationship that he had with his sister. Sophie was a great character. She seemed like a positive and enthusiastic character, but was actually haunted by her past and future at the same time. I liked that the Fenris weren't obvious from the beginning and that they gradually came into the story. They were just as evil as they were in Sisters Red and brought foreshadowing for the next book. The mystery of the book left me wanting more. There were a lot of clue along the way, if you read Sister Red, it will be even easier to see the clues. The pacing for the first two hundred pages was a bit slow and I wish that it went quicker then it did. Since the rest of the book is rather quick. This is a very original retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Pearce's writing is as amazing to the first book. She created complex characters, a pretty epic plot, and originality to a story that we all know. I recommend this book to fans of Sisters Red or for someone that wants an exciting and thrilling read.