The writing and story didn't blow me away, which I think is more an issue of my expectations being too high due to the other early reviews than the book itself, but it was still a fun read and I would recommend to fans of dark fairy tale retellings!

I. Will recommend this to fans of Uprooted and The Hazel Wood. I found it a bit too slow and repetitive. DNF at 25 % , as I struggled to connect with the story

I am obsessed with this retelling! I cannot begin to express how unique this novel was and I love Red to bits. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy I cannot wait to share my love of this novel with everybody. Be sure to check out my Instagram and Goodreads for a full review :-)

So much fun. I really loved the atmosphere Hannah Whitten created, and how Red and the Wolf's relationship developed. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Not gonna lie when I got to the end and it was like stay tuned for a sneak peak at book 2, but then I turned the page and it just said 'insert excerpt,' I was crushed. Like damn did you have to do that to me? Did that bring you joy?

Full review to follow.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's kind of-- sort of-- a retelling of Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast put together with a similar framework as other romantic fantasies (often attributed to YA but not necessarily so).

The beginning was interesting. We are given a kingdom that's been cursed since their legendary kings were taken by this magical wood known as the Wilderwood, and in the Wilderwood, the Wolf is keeper and warden, holding off fairy tale monsters. But the Wolf needs a sacrifice of Second Daughters. Which leads to our MC Red who's about to get sacrificed to the woods.

Anyways, Red starts off as this strong-willed and straight-forward young lady. She's not afraid to get around and to keep to her decisions. But her character breaks down once she gets into the Wilderwood and the Wolf's castle. And in place of Red, all the tropes of the genre take over. The conversations have been said and built before. The conflicts are melodramatic because they're over emphasized. And there's a lot of mulling around just to get to the main point. Of course, not everyone will have an aversion to this. So if you like books that lean heavy on tropes, by all means go for it!

I'm a person that likes pretty, well-written sentences and sure, there's a lot of those in this book. But maybe there's too much. Frilly language can only get you so far. Not everything must be emphasized-- it breaks down a lot of the juicier details we want to savor.

That's not to say there weren't sections I got a kick out of. In fact, there were some pretty awesome lines. It's just that it seemed out of place after all the dramatic emphasis...Who knows, there might be potential for improvement as the author writes more (that's why I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 2).

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for this arc. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I needed this one after Katee Robert raved about it and it did not disappoint.

CW: parental neglect, grief, death of parents, cutting (not self-harm), violence, lots of blood (in case you are squeamish)

I would recommend this one if you are looking for (SPOILERS)

-a mix between Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast
-a legend requiring the sacrifice of the second daughter to the woods and the wolf
-a not fully human LI
-a strong sister relationship
-a curse
-marriage of convenience
-only one bed

This book was so beautiful and so well written. The world-building was effortless. You are immediately thrown in and transported to this atmospheric world where the first daughter is set to become queen, the second daughter is sacrificed to save everyone, and they are twins. The tension is there, you feel for them both. I adored Red. How she was unwilling to be a sacrifice, everything was her choice, her decision. There was such a level of independence, consent, authority. She was never a damsel, never someone in need of rescuing she did the rescuing.

And gruff wolf, doing his best to be a martyr and save the world. This one is lighter on the romance, but it's a steady thread tying the story. I adored him and the entire group he had assembled in the woods. All of the secondary characters were so well-rounded. This was a great mix of a fairytale, adventure, and just a dash of romance. While at times it was predictable it was more of me yelling how can you not see this to these characters pushing ahead, desperate to achieve their goals.

I am desperate to read the next book, please know this ends in a bit of a cliffhanger that will have you ready for more.

Rating: 4.5
Steam: 1

I was really disappointed by this one. Had high hopes from the cover and the description; it was compared to
the "Bear and the Nightingale" is a must-not-miss trilogy if you haven't read it. But--ugh. Sadly, this book is not that. I found the world-building to be difficult to follow; a lot of blood was spilled for reasons I could not fathom. Being a twin myself, I was eager to find parallels between Red and her sister she left behind when she entered the Wilderwood, but alas; that relationship fell flat to me. The Wolf (spoiler alert) is actually not much of a wolf at all, and the magic from the wood was difficult for me to understand. They want blood? Why? Mostly, the world-building and information dumps on every other page made this story hard to get into for me. Maybe it'll be someone else's cup of tea.

"The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf."

For the Wolf tells the story of Red who is the second born daughter to the current queen. Raised at a distance, Red has always known that she is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood. Without a sacrifice, monsters could be unleashed on her kingdom. She goes willingly, not only in the name of duty, but for fear of a hidden power within her. Her arrival within the forest quickly reveals that the stories she was raised on were not entirely true. The Wolf is not a monster and her sacrifice does nothing to keep the monsters contained.

The story alternates POV between Red, in the forest, and Neve (her twin sister), outside of the forest. At first, this made the story drag for me. I was far more interested in Red and the dealings of the forest. However, it didn't take long for both stories to hold the same pacing and intrigue. I loved the relationship between Red and Neve. There is such a strong sense of love and devotion that amplified the tone of the story. The added political and religious subplot aids in growing the world further for a sequel. I have a feeling this is going to be a duology, but you won't see me complaining if it transforms into a trilogy.

The romance between Red and Eammon was a little less than satisfying. I love the marriage of convenience trope, but even more, I love enemies to lovers. This book has both, however, it wasn't as intense as I would have preferred.. Eammon was determined to protect Red at all costs. Red was determined to help Eammon at all costs. It all felt a little too repetitive. Or maybe I read too much smut and have a hard time with slow burn romance? Either way, it didn't detract from the story for me.

Whitten's writing style is lyrical and beyond descriptive. It's crazy to think that this is a debut novel. Clearly, she was born with fairytale in her blood. The forest, a main character in it's own right, was truly a dark and unique atmosphere. Even though For the Wolf is a re-telling, there are just enough original elements to set this story apart from Rid Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. I don't usually include content warnings in my reviews, but I do feel it's worth mentioning that this story deals with a lot of self inflicted harm. Cutting for the sole purpose of extracting blood is used heavily throughout the story. Keep that in mind when picking up this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in immediately. I never wanted to put it down. I adored Eammon and Red. It was a darker story than I was anticipating, but it made it all the better. I definitely plan on getting myself a copy.

full review to come: this was absolutely wonderful and i feel like it definitely lived up to the hype. the pacing was good and it was nice to see the stakes in the plot rise slowly while also learning about red and eammons backstory. the atmosphere was also written very well i loved the legends and the myths that build the world and the truth that lies beneath them. the writing and prose was very poetic i highlighted a large portion of the book. be aware of the tw’s because there is a lot of blood being described

*Thank you to Orbit, Hannah Whitten, and Netgalley for a E-ARC of "For The Wolf" in exchange for an honest review.*

This was one of my most-anticipated books of 2021. I started following Hannah on Twitter, where she was posting one sentence snippets of For The Wolf and I fell in love. This is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but more then that as well. I loved Red and Eammon, along with Fife and Lyra. Poor Alrick. I can't wait for everyone to read this.

Going into For the Wolf I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I love dark fantasy and fairytales, but I didn't love Uprooted. I am thrilled to say that this was absolutely a ME book! While I do think it is a dark fantasy in the same way that Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale are, I wouldn't really compare them. To me, this is closer to Joanna Ruth Meyer's Echo North or Rosamund Hodge's Cruel Beauty, and those happen to be some of my all-time favorites.

For the Wolf is told in alternating POVs. The first is Red, the second daughter who has terrifying magic and is meant to be a sacrifice for the Wolf who keeps the monsters of the Wilderwood at bay. The second is her sister, Neve, who is trying to save Red from her fate. At first the split POV slowed the book down for me, but by the end I was totally on board with both sisters' stories.

This book grabbed me within the first couple chapters once Red entered the Wilderwood. I absolutely adore all of the lore present within this story. The town Red and her sister are from is full of sinister religion and superstition that Red comes to realize is far from the truth. The Wolf is actually a man named Eammon and is nothing like what she has been taught. The relationship between Red and Eammon was EVERYTHING. If enemies to lovers is your trope, you are going to love this.

As I already mentioned, the lore of For the Wolf is incredible and so is the rest of the world building. While I can't wait to see a map of this world, I felt like I could easily envision the Wilderwood and the lands it surrounds and separates. The magic system is unique and well explained with small reveals throughout the book to keep you guessing. The cult-like religion that rules this world, along with its villain, is multifaceted and believable and I cannot wait to see where this goes in book two.

One thing that I did notice is that this story seems to be closer to Beauty and the Beast than Little Red Riding Hood. I don't know if there's a deeper original tale that I'm unfamiliar with but, other than Red's and the Wolf's names, I didn't see the similarities to Red Riding Hood. Luckily, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. That being said, For the Wolf may have touches of these tales, but it's utterly unique and doesn't rely too heavily on any of them.

For the Wolf is an absolutely incredible dark fairy tale that had me immediately in a slump after it ended because honestly nothing can compare. I was hyping this book to my friends before it ended and I plan to shout from the rooftops for the foreseeable future. The wait for For the Throne is going to be long and I'll certainly be re-reading this in the meantime.

A great book that I wished was long the characters and the romance was my favorite aspects of the book but the plot wasn't as interesting nevertheless a great book.

“The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.” As the Second Daughter, Red’s purpose is to be sacrificed to the Wolf for the sake of her kingdom. She doesn’t want to leave her twin sister Neve but she can’t keep her dangerous powers hidden any longer, so she willingly enters the menacing Wilderwood never to return—or so she thinks. But she soon learns the stories she’s been raised on aren’t entirely true, and that there’s more to the Wolf—and to her own magic—than she was ever told. Furthermore, her role in her kingdom’s struggle is more complex—and more exciting—than she ever dreamed. This loose (and decidedly dark) retelling of Little Red Riding Hood isn’t what I typically pick up, but the pages practically turned themselves. Heads up for triggers surrounding blood magic—as a sensitive reader, I skimmed through A LOT of scenes involving blood.

This adult fantasy was literally everything I could ever want in a book and here are the reasons why it is so good.
Okay but like seriously the first thing that sold me was the basic summary which was "a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom" like first off this is super intriguing and I just could not wait for it and then little old me just pressed request and got approved I think this is the biggest life accomplishment ever. This book balances characters and plot so well it was like I was never missing out on something. Their were secrets everywhere and it just kept you wanting to read more and more. If you know anything about me its that I love a great atmosphere and this book gave me that and the writing was just so good and flowed with the story so well. The character work was absolutely phenomenal; Red is just so brave but also sometimes gives you those WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT moment. This story kept me hooked till the very end and I just could not get enough of it. The pacing was also done very well for this story but that is just my opinion. Their was also some romance and I just could not get enough of it. It was blended with the legends and lore so well I was just like let me immediately get to the second book now because that cliffhanger at the end omg this book isnt even out yet and I am so excited for it. In conclusion this book has everything from amazing romance to mythology to an amazing atmosphere and I highly recommend it .
This book comes out June 1st and thank you so much to Orbit Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review because this book was so amazing and I think I might have found one of my favorite books of all time so thank you Hannah for writing such an amazing book and I literally cannot wait for release day so I can annotate every single page!

I really enjoyed this one! I liked how it was a bit of Red Riding Hood/ Beauty & the Beast reimagined. I really liked Red and Neve and their relationship and I liked how we got to see both of their sides of the story. I found this to be really intriguing how there is plant magic mixed in. The imagery is intense but amazing. It's hard to put into words how it made me feel. Visually it might be too much for some people, because the plants embody the humans in a way, but I thought it was twisty and different and added another element to the story. I liked how Red and Eammon's relationship developed too. I was hooked from the very beginning of this one! I think it is so different from other retellings that many will really like it.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was so looking forward to Hannah Whitten's debut--the aesthetics alone sold me--so I might have gone into For the Wolf with high expectations.

Red is a Second Daughter, and therefore has been marked for the wolf--a sacrifice sent to a magical Wilderwood intending to bring back five kings who legend says are trapped inside, held hostage by the forest's wolf, who is actually a hot dude--centuries-old Eammon. Red is eager to go, wanting to hide herself and her unusual power in a place where she can no longer hurt anyone (the old my-unusual-power-hurts-people-and-I-must-master/destroy-it trope). Once she's in the woods she finds that all the legends are wrong, and the only way to save herself might be accepting the magic in her. Meanwhile, her sister, Neve, will stop at nothing to get Red back, even if that means destroying the Wilderwood and opening the gates to the dangerous Shadowlands so the kings can finally walk free.

A lot is going on in this book. Red and Eammon do a slow-burn dance around each other and how best to protect the Wilderwood, while Red learns what happened to the previous Second Daughters and how she can avoid their fate. Meanwhile, Neve is drowning in political intrigue in interlude chapters that shove the plot past Red's muddled magic. The end result is a bit lurching until the two plotlines finally meet. I felt like Red was a rather typical MC given her motivations--self-sacrificing, stubborn, the whole bit. Her story in the Wilderwood felt a bit slow as she pushed Eammon to give her the truth. Neve's story, alternatively, moves and shakes the book far more, but is given less screen time, which is why it felt hard to settle in. Ultimately, the story is more invested in being a slow-burn romantic fantasy than it is a political intrigue, so fair enough.

Speaking of slow-burn romantic fantasy, yes, Eammon is a wonderful romantic lead. Top-notch. 10/10 would recommend.

In the end, For the Wolf didn't quite live up to the hype I'd built around it, but it's an inventive take on the Red Riding Hood fairytale, and I'll pick up For the Throne.

For the Wolf was a very aesthetic story. The descriptions and world-building were unique and beautiful. I could really picture the horrors and magic that were described by Whitten.

The writing style did not hold your hand, and felt that I was learning the magic system with the main character. However, I did find times that the magic system felt vague or just too out of my grasp. As I continued reading the world and system started to make more sense.

This book puts a twist on some beloved fairytales. The main character, Red, is strong and curious. I really enjoyed her character and her growth throughout the book and the romance was perfect. I really look forward to the next book to see where this story goes.

A more detailed review will be posted closer to the publication date on Goodreads and other book retail websites. I will update the review here.

2021 must be my year because woodsy, fantasy, wolfy books are coming at me left and right. I loved For the Wolf! Hannah Whitten filled all the weird, monster boyfriend shaped holes in my heart and I can't wait to see what else she has in store (hopefully more monster boyfriends). Captivating, haunting, bloody, and oh so lovely, this one is going on my favorites shelf.

As the second daughter of the royal family, Red has always known that she is destined to be sacrificed to the Wilderwood and the Wolf who lives within - and her own dark secret leads her to go willingly. But what she finds in the Wilderwood is nothing like what she was raised to expect.

This story is not so much a Red Riding Hood retelling as a dark fantasy inspired by that fairy tale and others (most notably Beauty and the Beast). And as you might expect from a hybrid Red Riding Hood/Beauty and the Beast tale, there is a romance between Red and the Wolf at the core of the story. The characters are compelling, and both the plot and the relationships between characters work to keep the reader invested in finding out what happens next. I also found the dual narratives (between Red and her sister Neve, back in their home kingdom) interesting.

There’s something about the magic system that I can’t quite wrap my brain around, and to be honest I’m not sure if that’s the book’s fault or mine. I mostly felt like I got it by the end, but something about it just doesn’t totally click together for me, and I feel like if it had been a little more cohesive, I would have found the book and the worldbuilding a lot more immersive.

If you’re into the dark fairy tale subgenre at all, definitely give this one a read.