Ava Reid's debut is a fascinating epic told through the lens of Hungarian and Jewish mythology and folklore. Évike, a pagan wolf-girl blighted by her father's Yehuli blood, is the only girl without magic in her village. When the Patrician woodsmen come to collect the village's seer for the king, Évike is swapped out. After gruesome tragedy strikes on the trail, Évike discovers her woodsman captor, Gáspár, is in fact the nation's half-blooded prince and together the two strike an uneasy alliance and set off on a quest to kill the turul--a bird that will give whoever consumes it the power of sight, thereby saving Évike and strengthening Gáspár's claim to the throne.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course. The first half of the book is mostly two people falling in love while arguing around their deeply held beliefs and status in society. Gáspár is an unwanted prince trying to prevent his usurper brother's rise to power, and Évike is a loathed, magicless wolf-girl trying to find her place in the world. The two don't get along, but the quest forces them to work together through a chapter-by-chapter crisis until they find themselves in the middle of court without the turul and plenty of knives at their throats.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is a bit chaotic, but deeply immersive. The magic woven through religion was well done, as was the critique of religious nationalism. I only wish it had either been shorter or expanded into a duology to allow time to really settle into the world.

THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is an enemies-to-lovers tale filled with bickering and tender moments of wound-care. It luxuriates in tense conversation, short back-and-forth dialogues punctuated by stony silence and snow. The MC’s narrative ruminations on her traveling companion deftly show what she thinks of him while leaving room for something more in his body language that an interested reader might puzzle out. They fill the silence in a way that ensures the reader is never left alone, even while the MC is trapped in her head, relentlessly pondering the meaning of every word, silence, and gesture from the Woodsman. They are drawn together by a strangely aligned goals that have, at minimum, a destination in common for both of them. Once at this destination, the narrative opens somewhat while still keeping focus on the weight of words and the way they can twist in an instant from toying to cruel, from mild interest to genuine warmth. Its slowly widening scope introduces the political tightrope the MC must traverse. Here it becomes apparent that amid all that travel, banter, and attempts to not fall in love was a lot of very important information about the power structure and current state of the kingdom and its leader. I really like political structures in fantasy, and therefore was very interested in this one, but it isn’t a politically dense book. It conveyed really well essential social information in a seemingly inconsequential manner before the MC arrived in locations where she needed to use that knowledge, and I appreciate how well it was worked in.

One of the strengths of this as an enemies-to-lovers story was that the MC and the eventual love interest had pretty good reasons to dislike each other as kinds of people, but not to already hate each other specifically, which made the transformation from ire to romance feel believable but not rushed. A lot of really excellent emotional groundwork and world-building was laid in the first half of the book, which meant that the second half could carefully subvert some (but not all) of those expectations and play with their implications in some really great ways. I feel a little as though that’s just how good books work, but the first and second half feel so distinct to me. Each had their own unique flavor which made the whole book sing. The world building is really good. I like the way that there were canonically several paths to magic, all of which are different in their particulars but involve some combination of access, mastery, and sacrifice. The MC begins the book thinking that she is unable to use the path that everyone has been expecting her to have. she finds her way into the path that’s good for her; not wholly new ground, something recognizable to those around her even if her specific blend is a bit strange.

CW for ableism (minor), bullying, kidnapping, homophobia (minor), racism, antisemitism, religious bigotry, blood, gore, vomit, sexual content, physical abuse, domestic abuse (backstory), emotional abuse, self harm, murder, torture, cannibalism (not depicted), animal death, parental death, child death, death (graphic).

The Wolf and the Woodsman is a dark YA fantasy adventure that explores cultural and religious differences in made-up countries reflective of the real world, as noted in the synopsis that it's inspired by Hungarian and Jewish myths.

At times the monsters felt like loose ends never tied up, but the setting and cultures are vibrant. The author did a particularly great job writing the main characters' journey; she described the changing lands and distance well enough that I noticed and didn't wish for a map like I frequently do in other fantasies.

This is a great example of a successful enemies-to-lovers romance. The characters must fight through deeply rooted prejudices and fears in order to embrace the mutual attraction, as well as wade through political and magical drama.

The book includes a pronunciation guide which was helpful, especially at first. I also appreciated the author's note. It was cool to learn that the author has studied world religions! It's neat that she translated that into a fun YA novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I read the first 50 pages and decided that this book is not for me. It is very, very similar to Novik’s Uprooted. I wasn’t interested in any of the themes and tropes, the characters seemed quite flat to me, the dialogue was very cliched, and the plot, which seemed to be developing quickly with some good action early on, nevertheless completely failed to grasp my interest. I also found the idea of the MC’s lack of inherited or bloodright powers resulting in her being referred to as “barren” EXTREMELY problematic. It’s going to be a DNF for me.

I wanted to love this book but ended up only liking it. Reid's writing is beautiful and I loved the world she created. However I was left feeling wanting on the plot. The first half of the book or so our two main characters are searching for a magical bird only to reach their destination and abruptly give up the search and turn right back around to head back to the city. While the bird plot does come back into play later, at the beginning it felt anti-climatical and like the story could have been worked around that better. I was also interested in our two main characters and their relationship in the beginning (I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers!) as the story went on I became increasingly annoyed with the main girl as she continually lashes out and it felt that for most of the book there wasn't much growth or change from that behavior and it did get old. I also wish we could have had duel perspective and have seen some of the book from the main guys POV. Generally it felt like the book might have worked better if it had either been edited down some, or split into two books so the author could really delve into the characters more.
Overall, I liked it but it wasn't really for me, but I feel like there are people who would love this book!

The Wolf and the Woodsman does feel very similar to Naomi Novik's Uprooted, which is a blessing and a curse. Reid definitely has her own style, but it was hard to shake this book from other similar stories. I loved the world-building here, though! I could easily read a series that takes place in this world, because a lot seems to happen in a short amount of time. Still, I understand how this would be a great recommendation for Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden fans.

The Wolf and the Woodsman follows Évike, a pagan girl with magic, who is chosen to be sacrificed to save her village. Only Évike doesn’t actually have any magical powers. As Évike and the Woodsman journey through a dangerous forest, an unlikely alliance is struck. It soon becomes clear they have a mutual enemy. Évike and Gáspár, secretly the disgraced prince, must fight to stop Gáspár’s brother from violently seizing the throne. As Évike searches for her estranged father and magic that she can wield, both Évike and Gáspár must make difficult choices about what to do with their power.

The Wolf and the Woodsman was a lyrical and dark journey. Ava Reid creates a gripping story filled with lush details. Inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, the careful details and references woven into the larger tale shine. The magic system is complex and magic always demands a price. Évike is such a strong and fierce character who relentlessly fights for her goals. The writing is rich and descriptive, absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy reading about twisted politics, dark magic, and captivating romance then you need to read The Wolf and the Woodsman! The Wolf and the Woodsman releases June 8, 2021. Thank you so much to Ava Reid, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one. It had all the right ingredients to make me want to immerse myself in this world and left me wanting more, which is always a win in my book. Reid captures a dark atmosphere, but many of the struggles have echoes in reality that gave it real grit. The characters were flawed, but I still had no trouble rooting for them the entire way through. I love me an outcast, whatever that says about me. It is pretty brutal at times, but they live in a rough and pitiless world so it works perfectly in the story. It is a longer book, but it didn’t feel long whatsoever to me as I sat completely absorbed, wrapped up in every word. It will capture your attention, surprise you, and make you wish for more at the end.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is the adult fantasy that I have been waiting for. The author weaves together a story filled with dark magic, a journey fraught with tension and underlying prejudice, and one young woman's conflicted yearning for belonging and community.
Évike is the only woman in her pagan village without magic, she is also half Yehuli (Jewish). The other women in her village treat her as an outcast and believe that the gods rejected her for wielding magic due to her parentage. After monsters attack her village in the woods, Èvike is taken captive by the Woodsman, a holy order in service to their king. Their captain, Gáspár is their disgraced prince and is tasked with returning to his father with Évike in tow.
This book explores themes of religious and cultural tension, identity, and how far one is willing to help those that abuse them. Èvike has been the constant victim of antisemitism and abuse, which rightfully leaves her angry at the world. She is also incredibly empathetic and brave.
The part of this book that truly captured me was Évike's and Gáspár's relationship. The tension is truly glorious and made even more scorching by their conflicting faith's and views on religion. Their's is a slow burn, but the most glorious kind.
The setting is atmospheric and richly written. From dark and bitterly cold forests to the busy and harsh Capitol, you truly feel like you're there.
The Wolf and the Woodsman is a dark and rich adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and Uprooted.

This was actually my last read of 2020. I finished it on New Year's Eve and it left me with an over feeling of hope for 2021. I have been sitting on this review, not only so that it would come out a little closer to the release date, but also because I need the final cover for my blog post. However, I got tired of waiting for the cover, so I'll do my Goodreads review before the full review on my blog.

This book immediately swept me up into it's world of magic and politics. It's dark and complicated, but the building of a real nation is also like that. Some of the magic works off of body horror, which lends itself to mutilation, gore, and some torture. Watching the clash of the somewhat different magic systems was interesting, but left me with questions about how it worked. Were the different abilities unique to the faith and the gods? This seems to be the most likely answer. The Patrifaith responds to body mutilation, as does the god of the dead for the pagans, for its magic. The Yehuli use writing for magic to shape and create things. However, the pagans magic is not as clear. Perhaps, it is to represent how diverse pagan beliefs can be even within one country. Watching different characters wield these different sorts of magic gave each of them their own unique flair.

I have one main problem with the plot that kept this from being a five star book. I'm going to try not to reveal too much, but if you are worried just skip to the next paragraph. Early in the book both Gáspár and Évike decide that they need to go hunting for something specific, but then they ultimately give up and have to go back to the capital, only to go after it again later. I feel like the author wrote herself into a corner and created a side loop to fix it. There were other ways she could have built the relationship between the two of them without making the plot have this loop in it. It just annoyed me when they abandoned it in the first place and then annoyed me even more when they went back for it towards the end of the book.

Also, something that should be noted about this book is that it is not a Y.A. novel, the author has even stated it. There is a magic system based on body horror so there is a certain level of gore and body mutilation in here. However, I wouldn't say that it goes full on grimdark for those who may be interested in that.

Overall, I would recommend it for fans of winter reads with morally grey characters, a dash of violence, and fantasy elements. Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC of this book, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I started reading this book without any background info, and I panicked when I noticed that there was a race, the Yehuli, coded as Jewish. Because the fantasy genre has a terrible history of anti-semitic characterizations, I thought OH NO not another one! But then I found out the author was basing this book in Jewish folklore and specifically addressing nation-building. What a concept! I feel like Ava Reid told this story well.

The first half of the novel, we meet Évike who is a member of a pagan tribe in the woods, and Gáspár, a woodsman. Actually, I don't want to recount the plot too much because it is detailed and I don't want to give it away. The first half of the novel is a quest with mostly just the two main characters, and the second half is set in a city and is focused on political machinations. Some themes here are belonging, justice, and sacrifice. There is magic, revenge, love, and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed the first half, the quest. I love a quest! I did enjoy the second half because of where it goes with the Yehuli people, but the political machinations were in slow motion in a way that felt very prolonged (which, after the events of the last few months in America, is maybe just right for how it feels to have your country be in suspense). And we are only in Évike's head, though we see glimpses of Gáspár, we don't see things through his point of view and we kind of lose sight of him during the second half. The book is also very serious, there are not many moments of levity (there are a few, but not many) to make up for the gore.

I really loved Évike, who is half Yehuli and half pagan, raised in a matriarchal tribe of wolf-girls. She is imperfect, unsure of herself, and definitely not an all-powerful savior of the kingdom, at least not in the way that we are seeing in a lot of SFF right now. Her character arc is well-done, the most touching part being her feeling of belonging with her Yehuli father and people. Jewish folklore recounted here includes the golum of Prague, Esther, and there is a Purim celebration. The affection for the Yehuli people in the book is tangible. I can definitely see some parallels in the story with Esther. The comparisons to Spinning Silver and The Winternight Trilogy are apt, not because of the retelling aspect (those are fairy tale retellings), but because the female MCs in those stories do not compromise their integrity. Though they find love and belonging, they are smart, imperfect, and determined heroines who have earned every ounce of respect given to them.

The book is written in first person present tense.
CWs for body horror, self-harm, torture, animal death, and general gore. Lotta gore.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC free of charge. My opinions are my own.

With The Bear and the Nightingale being one of my favorite books, how could I not request this?!
This dark and sometimes gory title delivers a lush fairy tale setting. It draws the reader in with evocative and lyrical writing, the descriptions are so well written, you can almost hear the footsteps in the snow. I love the tug and pull of the two main characters, both so damaged and scarred. Definitely purchasing for our collection.

A great debut novel! Full of insightful comments on the modern world. The protagonist isn't nearly perfect but is likeable for all her flaws.

There aren't words for how much I loved The Wolf and the Woodsman. With hints of another book I loved, Spinning Silver, I hated for it to end. This is a long book, but I could hardly put it down. We get to know the wolf-girl, Evike, and the Woodsman, Gaspar after the Woodsman take Evike hoping to offer a magical pagan to the King. But Evike is the only girl in her village who has no magical power. She is betrayed by the other villagers. The writing is stunning and breathtaking and heart wrenching, as we get to know Evike. She feels abandoned and unloved and unworthy. She has built up a prickly protective layer after years of being tormented by the wolf-girls who have magic and after years of being alone after her mother was taken by Woodsman years earlier. Reid doesn't rush as we get to know both Evike and Gaspar and all the hurt they've been hiding for years. This isn't a quick - to - fall in love relationship. Evike's village has hated and feared the Woodsman for years, and Evike is not quick to forget that. It's lovely to watch their relationship evolve as they slowly open up to each other and begin to trust each other.

There's lots of trauma and pain and abuse and hatred in this book, but there's also love and acceptance and hope and redemption. So good.

When this book was marketed for fans of Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale (two of my favorite books), I was sold. The Wolf and the Woodsman did not disappoint.

Évike is an outcast in her pagan village -- she's an orphaned, magic-less girl surrounded by women who have been blessed by the gods with power. So when a group of Woodsmen -- the king's zealous soldiers -- come to claim a girl from her village as a sacrifice, Évike is turned over. As she begins the long and treacherous journey to the capital, she learns that the mysterious captain of the Woodsmen, Gáspár, is no ordinary Woodsman.

This was a beautifully written story with vivid imagery -- it transported me deep into snow-covered forests where ancient myths are still very much alive. The first two-thirds of the book had me hooked. Gáspár and Évike were raised to hate everything about each other. But on their journey to find the mystical turul, they realize that even though they grew up world's apart, they understand each other in profound ways because of the losses and hardships they've grown up with. I loved seeing their relationship develop despite their resistance to it.

The last third of the book lost me. So much time was spent on their journey to find the turul -- so when they finally reached their destination only to abruptly turn back to the capital, it felt very anticlimactic. This event that we've been building up to doesn't come to fruition and it's unclear what the new goal is. When Évike and Gáspár finally reached the capital, the story further deteriorated for me. Everything moves too fast -- it didn't leave enough time or space for plot or character development. Nandor, Gáspár's plotting stepbrother, started out as one of the most intriguing characters, but he ultimately disappoints. We're led to believe he's super powerful and cunning -- his powers literally prevent him from dying and the people believe he's divine. And yet, when we finally meet Nandor his actions just seem sloppy and he's not very charming.

Then things start moving really fast. Évike and Gáspár are suddenly back on their quest for the turul -- Évike loses her newfound powers when she kills it -- the king goes mad after he dines on it's eyes -- Nandor kills him -- the pagans show up for battle -- Évike kills Nandor so Gáspár can become king. All of that happens in less than 100 pages and it's too rushed. While I love a good standalone novel, I do think this may have benefited from being spread out over at least 2 books so we could've gotten richer characters and plot lines in the second part of the story. 

Overall, The Wolf and the Woodsman was a beautifully written story and great for fans of fairytale retellings!

One of the previous reviews said that you have to sip and not gulp this book, and I could not agree more. I kept wanting to go back to the world of the story but I took my time and dipped in and out over a few days. It is a beautiful, multi-layered story with very human characters. The descriptions are beautiful, and while it does sometimes become gory, I stayed engaged the whole time. I especially appreciated that it features Hungarian folklore, which I'm not familiar with- it was so refreshing to read new elements of fantasy, instead of the ones that seem to be used again and again. I loved the explorations of Yehuli/Jewish identity and the way they influenced Evike's choices and the plot. Highly recommend for fans of female protagonist fantasy novels with creative worldbuilding.

First, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, let's be honest, I wasn't NOT going to pick this up as soon as you say it's similar to Bear & the Nightingale and Spinning Silver. But also, don't get my expectations THAT high because the Winternight Trilogy is one of my all-time favs and will probably never be topped.

That being said, I really enjoyed this story. I definitely see the similarities in those 2 stories, but it was also a fresh tale for me with elements that I was not previously familiar with once you layered in the Hungarian folklore. There is definitely a father Konstantin figure, a Miryem figure, magic, monsters (both human and not), a journey (or several), a quest, a battle, self-discovery, enemies-to-lovers, familial love, and more. The magical system could definitely make people uncomfortable as there are elements of self-harm/mutilation involved. There are other content warnings people should heed as well for anti-Semitism, genocide, abuse, and gore to name some.

The story was well done, the characters' journeys were believable, and the world-building was strong (I personally love when the myths and cultural stories are layered into the larger story).

4.5 stars and would recommend

I'm unsure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I was completely smitten by the first half of the novel. I couldn't help it—I'm a complete suckered for enemies in close proximity, when feelings of hate slowly begin turning into something *more*. But when the second half hit, I found I wasn't as invested as I used to be. Granted, it did take a different turn—slightly more political, world-wise, and further developed the main characger's, Évike, uh, character. But at that point it just made me realize how much of a child she tended to be, just lashing out with harsh words. It was difficult for me to be able to tell whether she should do that. But all I came up with was that it didn't make me like her that much.
I think that may have the point—and I admired that! Évike was definitely a refreshing character in that sense, so despite me being iffy about her, I did admire her somewhat.
I was also enamored with the world. It feels as if Reid went above and beyond making this world as intricate as possible. Countless stories, countless truths, countless nuances that made it come to life. I loved that the most of this book!
Overall, I think I'm giving this 3 stars. It wasn't for *me* but I can see others enjoying this!

The Wolf and the Woodsman is a masterfully crafted novel filled with raw touching moments and the harsh reality of religious persecution and ethnic cleansing for the sake of nation expansion. Reid captivates her readers with her fierce main character Evike and the lone, disgraced Prince Gaspar. Their slow burn of enemies to lovers is one steeped in reclaiming identity and reckoning with the doctrines you have been taught all your life.

Reid's beautiful writing leaves you breathless, hurt, but still hopeful. I enjoyed this book so much. I saw myself in it and others. The faces of those forgotten in history's oppressive tellings.

A book that will be sure to leave imprints on many, many hearts. I can't wait to see this novel reach critical acclaim. This book deserves it, Reid deserves it.

Wow. Just wow. Ava Reid has written an absolutely incredible fantasy story, one that everyone should read. Her characters are diverse and interesting, and I was so invested in not only their survival, but also their happiness. The enemies to lovers romance was incredibly well done, with a amazing chemistry between the two leads. The plot itself is what I would consider a standard fantasy plot, but the world building and characters really make it stand out. The world that Reid is incredibly rich and diverse, and the way she incorporated Jewish stories was amazing, and really cool to see.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is an incredible fantasy book, one I wish I could read for the first time over and over again.