This was good! Gothic and brooding for sure. The slow burn romance was exquisite. Red was extremely well written. My only complaint was that it felt a bit repetitive at times.

A dark and magical wood, a red cape, a sacrifice, a Wolf in a castle: let Hannah Whitten weave a fairytale that is more sinister than you expect. Recommended for fans of Melissa Albert's "The Hazel Wood."

“She was going to the Wilderwood to save everyone she loved from herself.” High-fantasy is not something I read often and this was a refreshing reminder of how much I love it! The world-building is brilliant, giving you enough to know the basic lore and traditions, without overbearing you on every minor detail. At its core, this dark fantasy is a love story. A love story between sisters, first and foremost.

An angsty, dark fairytale-inspired fantasy with epic romance with a brilliant ensemble of characters. You instantly root for all the characters in this book, the mysterious Wolf, and the determined Red whose fate is tried to old superstitions. Myth and legend become woven into the story twisting over time until the truth is hidden. It was a refreshing but familiar read with unexpected twists that made it impossible to put down.

“If she became something horrific and beautiful, could she take it back?” Every chapter is thrilling and an unraveling of choice and determination, women saving themselves. A beautiful, atmospheric dark fantasy with subtle retellings, full of magic and monsters and unexpected love. If this is not an anticipated 2021 read for you, it should be.

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

This was an enjoyable read and will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik. The writing felt a little bit on the basic side, but as a debut novel holds up. The plot and world building were interesting but don’t bring a lot of newness to the Fantasy genre.

Though this personally wasn't my cup of tea, I can see how this Red Riding Hood retelling can appeal to our YA readers. One can see the efforts of the author at the world building, but I found most of writing repetitive and in need of editing. There's clearly a lot going on in the story, and some parts almost feel like a slog to get through. However, the relationship between Red and the Wolf is interesting enough and readers will want to know what's in store for them in the sequel.

This was so good! I loved the way this book used both Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood to make this super eerie, magical fantasy!

I loved the characters, especially Red and Eammon. Red was such a great character, and I found myself highlighting a lot of sections where she surprised me. I thought for sure she would be angry about her situation and would lash out and try to escape, but time and time again she showed great understanding and compassion. Even though she’s a little scared of her new life, she takes everything in stride and adapts. She had come to terms with how her life would play out, and wasn’t trying to fight it but rather carve out a new space for herself.

“Well, damn the myths. She was just as much a part of those stories as he was, and if her destruction was imminent, she’d rather be the architect than a bystander.”

Eammon was so mysterious at first, but as we learned more about him I ended up really liking him! He was so selfless, to the point where he would not accept help from anyone. I enjoyed how his character developed. I also liked the relationship that Red and Eammon had, although at times it did feel a little lackluster. That being said, there is a huge emphasis on consent in this book, not just between Red and Eammon. I also need more of the whole monster boyfriend trope thing, because this was fantastic. The romance was really slow burn, and it also included the “there’s only one bed” trope which I always enjoy.

The writing was beautiful, and I think I’ve made more highlights in my ARC than I’ve made in the last few books I’ve read combined! It was beautiful without being overly flowery, and was able to really bring out the atmosphere and emotions. What makes this even more impressive to me is that this is a debut. If this is what Hannah Whitten writes for her first book, I can’t WAIT to see what she does next!

“He surged over her, a tide that swept them both away. The roots of the Wilderwood pulsed, growing deeper, twining together like the Wolves on the floor.”

Speaking of atmosphere, it was so good! I loved the eerie forest and the way that it was a sentient being. There is a ton of what I would consider body horror in this. Lots of plants doing violent things, or growing within someone. That isn’t something that will be for everyone, but I enjoyed it! At times the body horror element reminded me of Wilder Girls, if only because of the nature aspect of the body horror.

I also loved how there were so many myths and legends woven into the story, and how those myths and legends can get twisted over time until the truth is hidden. It will be interesting seeing where these aspects go in the second book, which I am very much looking forward to!

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and will be getting a physical copy so that I can reread this! I’m really looking forward to the second book in the series, and I’ll be reading anything else that this author writes!

Review will go live on my blog on April 7th.

I loved this! I was drawn to it because I love everything by Naomi Novak and also Katherine Arden. This did not disappoint in terms of recommendations. I loved the way the author crafted the atmosphere, the history and the myths of this new realm. I do really wish there had been a map and glossary though! Overall, I would recommend this book to patrons I knew who loved richly done fantasy, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

I loved For the Wolf, it had all my favorite tropes, the one bed trope & a marriage of convenience one. I was really excited to find that though it was a retelling of Red Ridding Hood it still was a unique story with many turns. The magic system in this book is super interesting and it will have you wondering about how exactly the Wilderwood works. There's so many strong relationships in this book - sisters who'd do anything for each other, friends who won't let them give everything, and loves that will share power. I can't wait for this to come out so I can have a physical copy and I'm even more excited for the next book!

I loved the magic and romance throughout this book! It reminded me vaguely of Beauty and the Beast... But did such a great job avoiding tropes and overused plotlines. I'm already thinking about the sequel! Not sure how I'm going to handle the wait.

This was such a fun read; although the premise sounds similar to Uprooted, I enjoyed For The Wolf much more (for one thing, it didn’t have the toxic romance I felt Uprooted had). I also liked the importance placed on non-romantic relationships, and the nods to several fairy tales.

*Spoiler free*

It's a forest and wolf book. About the first daughter being for the throne, and the second daughter being for the Wolf. But the Wolf is not the monster that the legends have made him out to be. I mean, that sounds right up my alley and I was desperate to to read this. It was a forest and a wolf book. It has magic. Yes, I wanted to read this very badly. Trigger warnings

This book was interesting.

It was not what I expected in a lot of ways, but I can say that did end up loving it a whole lot.

First off, it is beautifully, achingly, written. I am in awe of Whitten's talent, because the way she weaves words together is just sublime. It was like she was made in the forest and sprouted up to tell a story set in the trees around her. The writing of this book gave it an incredible feel, tainted a bit dangerous, with scenery that took my breath away and magic that was wind swept, and haunted eyes in tortured souls. This was one of my favorite things about this book, this feeling that it had about it, that made it so amazing.

The story was one of the things that surprised me. I thought it was going to focus fully on Red, and her journey in the Wilderwood, but there are, what felt big to me, chunks of Neve back at the castle. These interludes were not bad, at all! I really enjoyed them, and I think they made the story all the stronger, but I felt like they overshadowed Red's story. Her chapters felt fast and like not much happened in them compared to the interludes. Though, I can say that both facets of the story had their very own, very distinct feel to them. One is very political and maneuvering, while the other is magic and running from danger. I just wish I had connected with Red's part of the story a bit more.

Speaking of Red, I really hate saying this, I found her character to be a bit bland. I know, I know! I guess I just wanted a bit more from her and her story. I think it's just that I didn't fully connect with her and her story, but that doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate it! I loved watching her go through the Wilderwood and everything that she finds there. I guess the slow burn of her character didn't quite work for me. Though, I did think it was wonderful how she managed to go through two cloaks and a jacket. She keeps ruining clothes that keep her warm. It's hilarious haha.

Though, for all the other characters, I loved them a whole heck of a lot. Eammon, oh the tortured soul he is. He has shaggy hair and a library and is dead set on being a marytr. So yes, I completely fell in love with him. Fife and Lyra were wonderful. They are in a relationship and Lyra is aromantic and I just thought it was so great and I love them both a whole lot. Raffe and Neve, wow. I love Neve. She is desperate to bring her sister back. Her journey is painful, and the angst was wonderful. And Raffe, how noble, how sweet, how amazing a character.

Also, the romantic longing in this book is just top notch. Between both of the romantic relationships, I wanted to sequel whenever they came on the page. Just, so much longing.

The magic in this book was also top notch. It's, something hard to describe without giving too much away. It does what it needs to do. It just is, and that, for me, is what made it so amazing. Because it contrasts with the consequences others have to face, and the choices they have to make. But in the end, it just is.

Overall, I think I was expecting to fall head over heels for this book, and I didn't. But, I did fall in love with it! It's incredibly written, and there is so much forest and so much wolf. There's longing and magic and gorgeous cloaks and so much more. It truly is a very good book.