"What is a soul if not an extension of the heart?"

I wanted to read fantasy because it had been ages since I picked one. So what's better than a book that is based on a strong, young woman and a guy who sounds like a mixture of dementor and Loki? I am so ecstatic to have picked this up because it turned out to simply heart-touching and BE-AU-TI-FU-LLY written!

I will be using the official description:
Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.
Maekallus’s help isn’t free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna’s kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It’s temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.
Enna shares Maekallus’s suffering, but her small sacrifice won’t last long. If she and Maekallus can’t break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna’s soul with him.

One word: WOW!
Now, who gave Charlie the right to wrench my soul and caress it at the same time? The story is rightly paced, bewitching, tear-jerking and is the kind that will just take time to sink in before you can properly put out your thoughts in words or verbally explain why you loved this book! I just wanted to grab Charlie by the collar and ask her to have mercy on me and the characters! Her writing is almost lyrical and magical just like the story she has woven with them! The main characters are portrayed so exquisitely and even though there is so much more I would love to know about this world, there is a sense of satisfaction with the aptly provided information because mostly, the focus is on Enna and Maekallus. It's not easy for one to pull a feat like this with the ease and perfection Charlie has managed to pull this off with.

And the ending, one word, again: WHY?
Why did she have to make me sob like a baby with joy almost filling the huge void in my chest, that all my senses can feel? It's such a soul-wrenching (no pun intended!) and a charming love story that anyone would love to read in the cosiest corner of the bed, with a nice cuppa in the autumn, after an exhausting day with all the kleenex one can hold on to! It's also a quick read so you don't have to stay awake all night and have yet another exhausting day the next day, but then, IT IS COMPLETELY WORTH IT!

I will be checking out more works by Charlie and pick up her previous ones!

Recommended: Anyone with a sweet tooth for romantic fantasy or just purely romance because of that ending, will enjoy this heart touching read!

Thank you NetGalley and 47North for this e-arc.

Another wonderful, captivating story from Ms. Holmberg! The Will and the Wilds lives up to Ms Holmberg’s previous novels including The Paper Magician and The Fifth Doll.

The story follows young Enna, a quiet and hard working woman, who lives in isolation with her father who has suffered brain trauma from war. Her world is haunted by demons or mystings from another realm. When two show up to steal something from Enna, she hires a stronger mysting to protect her family. Unfortunately, Maekallus, a soul stealing demon becomes trapped in the mortal realm. His exposure to the world causes him to decay and he enlists Enna’s help in breaking the bond.

Romance is the focal point of this story and Holmberg spends time developing the two characters before letting them fall in love. The threat of death adds an urgency to the plot. Overall this book was well thought out and I never felt that the story was rushed. That being said, I would have loved more details about the Deep. Perhaps in another book we can learn all about the other realm? And why Scroud wanted to invade at all if the mystings can survive on the mortal plane.

Highly recommend this book for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and Keturah and Lord Death.

Title: The Will and the Wilds
Author: Charlie N. Holmberg
Publisher: 47North
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy | YA
Rating: 4.5 Stars

The book was a little hard to comprehend at first, but I grew to love it. Once the Enna starts to explore her power and what she can do, the summoning of Maekallus, bring about just the amount of tension and drama I like, Maekallus gives me some major Cardan (Folk of the Air series) vibes. He is sarcastic, funny, and at times caring, Enna is sweet, caring and at times selfish. The tension they bring to the story leaves you wanting more between them but the loss Enna is suffering and her realization that they are not alike leaves you questioning your morals.
Definitely worth the read.

I received a free ARC through Charlie N Holmberg, 47North and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While certainly not my favorite Holmberg book (*cough*FOLLOWED BY FROST*cough*), overall the story was imaginative and enjoyable.
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I really enjoyed Enna's notebook and all the love and research that was passed down from her Grandmother.

It was fun to see the notebook updates as we learned various information about Mystings and their World.

The beast x human love story isn't "my cup of tea," but it made for an interesting read.

I found myself disinterested by the end and struggling to pick back up to finish.

Overall an enjoyable story, but one I probably won't read again. But we'll see.

In The Will and the Wilds, Enna is attacked by a misting, creatures that come from The Deep, and finds herself making a bargain with Maekallus, a misting himself. As a Narval, Maekallus is a soulless being that will do whatever it takes in exchange for a kiss - a kiss that will feed him with a human soul. Bound together, something goes terribly wrong and Enna and Maekallus must work together to save her soul and his life. Entwined together, their adventure begins - a dangerous adventure to save themselves that might end up breaking their hearts.

The Will and the Wilds is an enchanting and marvellous story, which reminded me of a dark and whimsical fairy tale. As a matter of fact, it did remind me of my favourite fairy tale, the Beauty and the Beast - a human and a monster falling in love, the strange girl who loves stories and lives with her father as an outcast. I quite liked that Enna did research on the mistings in hopes of having her investigation being published in an academia ruled by men.

"What is a soul if not an extension of the heart?"

Summary:
Enna lives life on the outside. Of Town and of society. Due to her Mothers gruesome death at the hand of a group of monsters called Mistings, she and her father live alone and on the edge of the forest. When circumstances lead to a life-or-death decision, to enlist the aid of one type of Misting to defeat another, Enna is forced to gamble her most precious gift- her soul. Now Enna is forced to work with Maekallus, a Narval misting, and work together to break the ties that anchor them together before time runs out.

Review:
This book is, in my humble opinion, a fairytale. It's a beautifully simple, romantic fairytale about kindness, survival, and falling in love. When I say fairytale, I mean along the lines of Hans Christian Andersen, not the childproofed Disney renditions. There is a little darkness in this story that I really liked. There isn't a lot of world-building or supporting characters, but I think the way it was handled made this a sweet, charming story.

What I liked:
I LOVE this cover, and it is a perfect depiction of the story and tone.

The eerie setting was done really well. I could almost picture creeping through the forest along with Enna with a layer of fog beneath our feet, watching out for anything to jump out at us.

I liked the studious Enna. Her character was kind and while simple, her interest in Mistings and resourcefulness made her likable and interesting.

Maekallus was wonderful. His appearance was interesting and unique. I like that his character brought up themes about morality and kindness.

All the different mistings were great! I could have spent more time learning about them! Holmberg's imagination and descriptions of these creatures were terrific.

What I didn't like:
Maekallus's backstory seemed a little anti-climactic to me. As he remembered more and more of it, I expected him to have revelations about himself and deep conversations about it with Enna. Maybe that was never the purpose, but I didn't feel like it made that big of an impact on the overall plot. I feel like it could have been a little more nuanced to give him some layers and is a little bit of a missed opportunity for me.

While I really like the fairytale tone the story is going for, sometimes it felt like writing didn't have the lyrical flow needed to properly execute this. It brought me out of the story a couple of times. I don't know how to explain it other than the story didn't flow very smoothly.

Charming and whimsical. Read like a fairytale, short and sweet and deliciously atmospheric.

Enna, a reclusive girl living in the wild woods with her ailing father strikes a bargain with a mystical creature, a brooding devilish prankster named Maekallus, to keep her safe from monsters lurking near their home. The deal goes awry, and their fates are connected, with Maekallus stuck in the mortal plane and forced to keep both of them alive by stealing bits of Enna's soul through kisses (yes, kisses, some girls get all the fun I guess) Unknowingly, with each passing day and kiss exchanged, they end up becoming more and more like the other. Enna starts to become more aloof, cold-hearted, distant from friends and family. Maekallus becomes introspective, dealing with remorse and guilt for his past while trying to understand newfound feelings of love. They must find a way to deliver Maekallus back to the monster realm before they lose themselves entirely.

It's a quick read with an interesting premise that kept me entertained in the one sitting I read it in. The scenery and the auxiliary characters were pretty one-dimensional, and the pacing was quick towards the end. But all in all, still a very satisfying read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

How much do I love Charlie N Holmberg’s writing? I would say until about two years ago I hadn’t really read any YA except the biggies (Harry Potter / Hunger Games). And then on a whim while on vacation, I downloaded the Paper Magician on Kindle Unlimited. I absolutely adored the magical world and the characters and the ease with which the story flowed. I was so hooked and that’s where my series binging life began! I also really enjoyed her story The Fifth Doll. So when I had a chance to grab an ARC of The Will and the Wilds on Netgalley, I jumped on it!

This story has the same epic world building and relatable characters of her previous novels. I liked the Beauty and the Beast influences on the story but felt it was so unique that it could totally stand on it's own without that bone in the skeleton. Enna was so engaging and her curiosity about the magical world and impetuousness were well balanced with the fear and stability that humans experience. Maekallus was a great villain who had such depth and complexity. This was a really fun read and one I would recommend to anyone who likes YA fantasy.

I wanted to read this after my friend Nenia read it and mentioned the movie Labyrinth in one of her updates. Naturally, I had to request it from NetGalley, because any comparison to Labyrinth, however minuscule, must not be taken lightly.

I ended up really enjoying it! It was a rather slow-paced novel, and as a result, I took a while to read it. Not for lack of interest, but because the book seemed to demand it.

For such a short book, the characterization and world-building were great. Without saying too much, I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Enna and Maekellus. It was flawless. I'm not exactly thrilled with the way the author chose to end things, but I'm not complaining either.

In general, I'm not a big fan of fantasy, but this is exactly the type of fantasy I enjoy. It was quiet, the scale wasn't too large, and it concentrated on just a few characters rather than several. I'm glad I requested it, even though I had so many other books ahead of it in my never-ending TBR.

I would like to thank NetGalley and 47North for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I have never been one to be into Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but if all books in this genre are like Charlie Holmberg's, I should probably give it a chance. I've read The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician, and enjoyed the style of writing. I was pleased that my expectation of enjoying this book did not fall short!

He considers this, "I find you odd, Enna"
"Most do". I pat the grass.

This truly reminded me of a fairytale romance. I read it as if Beauty & The Beast (especially with the "odd" reference) took place in the world where The Legend of Zelda takes place. There were mythical creatures with different powers and a lot of action. I loved the concept of the telling stone. It was such a small, but mighty, detail in the story that really stuck out.

Overall, I felt that there was something happening on every page. At parts, I did get a bit confused about where they were in the story (what world). For that I say 4 stars. However, there was so much action going on, it was a great read that did not stop giving until the very last page.

After Enna’s mother was killed by a mysting near the wildwoods of their home, Enna has understood to fear them. Their presence in the wildwood increases. When one attacks Enna in the home she shares with her father, she knows only one way to stop them and that is to turn them on themselves.

Enna summons Maekallus from the Deep and bargains with him to kill the mysting coming after her. His price: a kiss. Because Maekallus is a narval, a mysting whose kiss will steal the soul from a mortal. After Maekallus seemingly completes the task for Enna, the two find themselves bound together with Maekallus unable to leave the mortal realm—which will invariably lead to his death. With the binding their futures are linked unless Enna can find a way to free them before it’s too late, or before she loses her soul completely.

The Will and the Wilds has all these really interesting pieces. The monster mythology—all the varying types of mystings—which Charlie N. Holmberg handles brilliantly. The presumptions that Enna has always lived by in regards to the mystings and then when confronted with Maekallus beginning to rethink her stance somewhat. And Maekallus himself being so influenced by Enna’s soul taking him on a transformation.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like it was executed in the best way. There’s supposed to be an undeniable connection between Maekallus and Enna both figuratively and literally that is only enhanced as her soul gains influence over him. I just didn’t feel the punch of that connection or influence like I believe we’re supposed to.

Also, the pacing started out at a good clip as everything is set up and there were certainly development pops that piqued my interest, but for the most part there was a lot of meandering through the wildwood. The story is told from both Enna and Maekallus’s points of view, which is typically something that I like, but here it just seems to subvert any more of those intriguing moments from taking root because there’s too much that happens that readers know about and we’re left waiting for one or the other narrators to catch up. In that regard it could feel a bit too redundant. It was enough that when I put down the book, I wasn’t too eager to pick it up again.

All of this is unfortunate because I’ve enjoyed Charlie N. Holmberg’s previous books. But it’s a reminder that not all books work for all readers all of the time. For me, I’m always quick to recommend Holmberg’s Paper Magician series and its spinoff The Plastic Magician. And regardless, I’ll still always look for what comes next.

I will read anything that Charlie N. Holmberg writes! Her worlds are so creative and weird with so much wonderful darkness.

Enna is a good character for this story. Though perhaps a couple of years older than I would have imagined her, she is appropriately daring and a brilliant combination of mature and naive given her circumstances. Her family's backstory is just enough to give some footing while still leaving substantial room for mystery and maybe a little reader confusion.

The dual POV approach is interesting at first, but works very well as the story unfolds. The majority of the tale is told from Enna's first person point of view, showing the reader her limitations while a smaller piece of the narrative is a third person view of Maekallus, the mysting to whom Enna has bound herself unwittingly. This second perspective gives just enough information to create increased tension in the narrative and makes the story just that much more interesting.

I loved this story very much, though I will admit that I would have loved for Enna's grandmother to have still been alive. I wanted more of her knowledge of the mystings as I found these pieces of the world incredibly fascinating. Holmberg's writing is just my style and I have yet to find a book of hers that I haven't loved. This was another weird and wonderful read.

I have a hard time deciding whether or not I liked this book. The premise is promising, I'll never tire of magic and monster. But throughout the story, most of the time, I felt distant with the characters. I didn't care about them, I just want to what will happen in the end.

Told from the first POV of the main character, Enna, it has a good start. But after a while, it just goes round and round. I wished things would go a little faster but I was stuck with Enna contemplating her love life. I think those pages would be better used to exploring The Deep or other important things. Because the story has a nice background but it was all for nothing. I was disappointed when the climax turned out to be the biggest turn off of this book.

So why I gave it 3 stars?

Near the end, I was fascinated with Maekallus. As a mysting, he ought to be cold and calculating. But after everything he's been true, he has the most satisfying development. I didn't really care about the romance, but when he said to Enna “He is not me” I BREAK INTO THOUSAND PIECES.

Not everything about this book is a letdown. I liked how the magic work and the mystings. There's a little knowledge about them at the front of every chapter. I found it really helpful to get insight into the world and very interesting. If only those things were getting more exposure, I believe I'd love this book.

Overall, The Will and The Wilds is a fun read. Easy to get into with various magical monsters called mystings and a star-crossed romance, this is perfect for you who enjoys YA fantasy and is looking for a good new release.

I absolutely love when a cover perfectly represents what is inside. This one is so pretty too- I love the colors.

Enna is an endearing character. Her soul is a main source of focus in this story and for good reason. It really does burn brightly and purely. As Enna shares her soul with Maekallus, he begins to feel and realize things long forgotten. I loved the contrast between dark and light in relation to Enna's soul. The relationship develops slowly between Enna and Maekallus as they work through a common problem that binds them.

The story also progressed slowly but picked up a bit about half way though. I just finished reading a fast paced, high intensity book so maybe the contrast between that book and this one made it feel extra slow to me. This book definitely wasn't intense and didn't involve my emotions much. It was however, sweet and gentle with a unique plot and likable heroine. This author does a good job of weaving in the magical to spark imagination. While this wasn't my favorite book by this author, I did enjoy it and would easily recommend it to teenage (and older) fantasy lovers. The ending really was magical. 💜

Content: kissing, mild peril, mild violence

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve been so excited for this book and I wasn’t disappointed at all! As always, Charlie N Holmberg tells an amazing story. I loved this book as much as I love the rest of her work. Great characters, unique world, and amazing love story.

Enna lives with her father in a small village in the woods, where she doesn’t quite fit in. She has a stone her father gave her, that warns her when mystings (a type of monster that come from another realm called the Deep) are near. But the mystings are also interested in the stone and everything changes for Enna when she meets Maekallus, a type of mysting known as a narvad....

The story reminded me a bit of “Keturah and Lord Death” and a bit of a very dark version of Beauty and the Beast. The ending is bittersweet. In general, I like Holmberg’s writing and the very diverse types of stories she is capable of telling. This felt different from previous stories of hers I’d read, and I had mixed feelings about the characters. Still, a fast read. 3 stars.

I’ve never read any other books from this author before, but have heard that the Paper Magicians series is really good. After reading this book, I may have to check those one out.
Enna lives on the outskirts of town with her father, who has a strong case of dementia. His dementia, caused from spending too much time in the Mysting realm, which I associate with being a second universe/world to our mortal realm. The Mysting realm will start to eat away at a human’s soul and body if stayed in too long. The same goes for mystings in the human realm as well. Which is really the bases to our whole story.
I thought the way Holmberg built the world within the novel to be really interesting. I would have liked a little more information around the way magic works in this world though. We learn a lot about mystings but at the same time we don’t fully understand how magic works. We also never directly learn how Enna’s father managed to steal of the protection stone she has.
I know that this is a stand alone and while the story itself wraps up nicely, I could have used a bit more about ‘how’s’. Past that I loved the amount of monster folklore and the reading ease of this book. It’s for fans of YA Fantasy books, and of course forbidden romance fans.
A solid ★★★★☆ rating.

I’m going to say straight out that I enjoyed reading The Will and the Wilds. It was a comfortable, easy read for me, and it came at the perfect time. It is very much a Beauty and the Beast type of story, and plays on similar riffs and tropes. And I adore them. It causes Enna to question the nature of humanity and the soul, but she doesn’t dwell too much on the philosophical, because there are demons coming for her, man.

The Will and the Wilds revolves around two main characters – Enna, a human, and Maekallus, a mysting (basically a demon.) That was both a pro and a con for me, because while the Beauty and the Beast thing essentially only involves two people, which I am okay with, there were bigger stakes, and I didn’t really feel the urgency because we were so focused on Enna and Maekallus.

The writing was super easy to read. Most chapters were from Enna’s point of view, and we really get to know her and the kind of person she is. Curious, smart, practical, and considered a bit of an outsider. She loves learning, has a near obsession with mustangs, and wants to go to university, but can’t because she’s female. Sadly, this angle wasn’t explored in the book and was more of a footnote. Enna goes on learning on her own, so I suppose it doesn’t matter? Every so often we got a chapter in third person limited from Maekallus’ perspective, which I enjoyed.

The magic and the worldbuilding were pretty solid, and there were some interesting points, but it wasn’t the focus of the novel, so I still have a lot of questions.

The one thing that really bothered me was the way Enna gaslighted her father all the time. I won’t go into a lot of detail here, but basically her father has symptoms of dementia, and Enna uses his memory loss in order to lie to him. It just didn’t sit right with me.

For me, The Will and the Wilds was a good read, and one I would recommend. It wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but I enjoyed reading it. If you like Beauty and the Beast, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia, or the K-Drama ‘A Korean Odyssey,’ you may enjoy The Will and the Wilds.

The Will and the Wilds was a unique retelling with quite the twist. This epic fairytale romance will make that Romeo and Juliet romance come alive. That people from two different sides of the realm can be together happily.

“The strong prey on the weak, it has always been so. The setting is just happenstance.”

A species called mystings have been wandering the human realm and the wildwood near Enna’s village for years. They lurk through the darkness of the trees, killing and consuming those left unprotected or caught unawares. But Enna has always been kept safe by a charm on her wrist that warns of a mystings proximity-a charm her father stole from the monster realm. So when her home is suddenly attacked by not one, but two goblers, Enna is forced into the wildwood to summon a mysting in the hopes of striking a deal. She has heard that some mystings may be persuaded into work by mortals, and Enna hopes that a mysting will kill the creatures that seem to be hunting her. But the deal Enna makes will cost her more than she planned on bargaining with, and her soul might not be the only thing up for shattering.

“Mystings should never be trusted. Ever.”

The Will and The Wilds is set in a much earlier period where horses are the primary use of transportation, food is traded in a market of a small village and talk of witchcraft is either whispered about or scoffed at. Enna and her father are practically shunned by their fellow villagers due to Enna’s fascination with the mystings that plague their world, and because her father experiences frequent lapses in his memories. Though there have been reports and sightings of mystings in the wildwood near their village, many villagers assume that they do not exist or think they have left. But Enna knows full well they are still very close and prowling the woods.

The day that Enna was born, some seventeen years ago, her father and mother were attacked by a species of mysting that delights in consuming humans. With Enna still in the womb, and her mother being horribly eaten alive (ugh, I know), Enna’s father is forced to cut her out of his wife and flee. Her father then finds a way into the monster realm (where the mystings originate from) and steals a charm from a powerful creature, which he brings back to Enna and gifts to her for protection. The charm that has hung on her wrist ever since warns of a nearby mysting. With this charm, several herbs and rituals to keep mystings at bay, and a journal that has been passed down in her family which holds vital information about the monster realm and its creatures, Enna is able to keep herself and her father safe. Until, of course, their home is attacked. From her journal, Enna learns that sometimes mystings will make a bargain with humans if a summoning circle is cast. So naturally, the poor dear casts the circle.

“Some of the intelligent species of mysting are tricksters-these are creatures more interested in toying with mortals than feasting upon them. However, do not let that fact convince you they are docile, for often a trickster will claim something far more valuable than flesh.”

Enter: Maekallus.

Devilish mysting creature with a razor-sharp tail, a horn sword and the kiss that will do more than just take a girls breath away…

…it’ll take her soul too. ❤

Maekallus is a type of mysting called a Narval, who consume human souls with a kiss. After a deal between Enna and Maekallus turns south, and Maekallus is bound to the mortal realm with his body slowly decaying into a bubbly black tar, Enna makes the decision to willingly kiss him in order to save him. But what would normally leave a human completely soulless, somehow, only a piece of Enna’s soul is given to Maekallus.

“The mortal realm will devour a mysting’s body. The monster realm will destroy a human’s mind.”

This story is such a fantastical and beautiful tale. It blends two of my favorite genres (Fantasy and Historical Fiction) into an old-timey tale where portals to realms are opened, and a human becomes bound to a monster. It has a slight Beauty and the Beast romance mixed with a Grimm fairy tale darkness. Instead of angels and demons, it’s demons and humans, and it is totally swoon-worthy! The romance doesn’t overpower this wonderful plot by making it an eye-roll fest full of forced physical contact or stomach roiling one-liners. It feels natural and purposeful, and fully adds to the story that the author tells.

“It’s nothing like Tennith’s kiss. There’s desperation in the movement of his lips. They’re rough, but in a different way. Tennith was much warmer.

Maekallus is like kissing the twilight.”

There is a slight love triangle that happens, but trust me, it is so inconsequential to the big picture and it actually adds an amusing scene to the story that I was LOVING. I found Enna to be a very proper, strong, loyal and good-hearted character who is incredibly selfless. On more than one occasion she is willing to sacrifice herself for someone else, and she exudes a determination and strength that is to be envied. Maekallus is…mysterious. As a mysting he doesn’t have a soul, so he does not understand human emotions like fear, sadness, happiness, love or regret. He finds amusement in toying with humans and delights in consuming a soul to feel the short-lived traces of their emotions.

Though I fully enjoyed this story and read it in a day, I did find that there was a lot of moments that were either left unexplained or just weren’t tied up properly. The world-building wasn’t really there, the explanation of how a portal from the monster realm opened into the human world was vague, and scenes that didn’t center on Maekallus and Enna were left off to the side without a second glance. There was a lot of exciting moments that kept me hooked throughout the read, but I do wish there was more emphasis put on descriptions and extra history/research on the mystings in proximity to humans. But with that said, I also don’t think it takes away from the story at all. The writing is beautiful and eloquent, the dialogue is a fantastic representation of the times and the story as a whole is truly beyond creative. It was a perfect blend of fantasy, romance, sweetness and darkness.