Folktale deliciousness I’m a huge fan of folktales and I love innovative retellings. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with ‘Red as Blood’. It’s not only well-written, and highly-dramatically and sexually charged, but has the natural, flowing lyricism we expect from folktales. Its compelling, dark undercurrents drew me in and kept me reading. I can’t wait to read the other stories in Simone Leigh’s series. ‘Then with a backward glance at me, my Grandmother leaps through the window and I follow, rejoicing in my new life. And we run into the dark and silken night.’