Évike is the only woman, residing in her small Pagan village, lacking any magical powers. It first ensured she was outcast and then that she was sacrificed to the king. A Woodsman was tasked with bringing her to court but when a monster attacked them and their soldier guards slaughtered, these two enemies had to find a way to work together in order to survive. Évike discovered a lot about herself during this time, and just as much as the individual, travelling under the disguise of a Woodsman, who ventured with her.

Whilst still a book I would recommend, and also one I can fully understand the hype for, this was not entirely the story for me. The initial whimsy and atmosphere of the first few chapters had me very excited, but these became extinguished as the story continued. Romantic elements were introduced and I cared very little for them. My interest remained on the magical elements and I still enjoyed seeing them progress but did not care for the surrounding focus on interpersonal relationships that was dually explored.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is an incredibly unique, engaging, almost adult-dark-fairy-tale like novel inspired by Jewish and Hungarian mythology. Whilst there is a lot of world building, gore, horror and a generally bleak, dystopian feel to it, the romance element runs through it perfectly. Evike is the perfect heroine for the story line and I loved her journey and development throughout the book and Gaspar is her ideal "prince".
Listening to the audio version really took me along with the characters and the narrator (Saskia Maarleveld) was a brilliant fit for the role. Her voice and accent make the audio narration.

A tale of love and self discovery, a truly magical tale. Set in wonderful world beautifully built.
I felt the narrator was a bit harsh sounding and it put me off listening. But overall the book was lovely.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Wolf and the Woodsman’ by Ava Reid. It was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld with a running time of 13 hours, 9 minutes at 1x speed.

The protagonist and narrator of this historical fantasy is Évike. She is the only woman in her pagan village without magical power. When the soldiers of the Holy Order of Woodsmen arrive to claim a pagan Wolf girl for the king's regular blood sacrifice, the villagers disguise Évike as the village’s seer and she is send away with them.

However, the group is attacked on route by monsters that wipe out everyone apart from Évike and Gáspár Bárány, the one-eyed Captain of the Woodsmen. As a result they have no choice but to rely on each other.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about the plot though Gáspár and Évike being forced to work together is a familiar trope as they discover that they have more in common than expected. Despite their treatment of her, Évike is determined to save her village from the King’s wrath and there is much more to Gáspár than first appears. I felt that the romantic elements of the story developed organically.

Ava Reid has drawn on Hungarian and Jewish mythology and folklore to create the world of ‘The Wolf and the Woodsman’. I especially loved the sentient trees of the forest that surround the pagan village that on occasion get frisky and have to be held in place.

However, even with frisky trees and the occasional lighter moment, this is a very dark fantasy with mature themes throughout. There is plenty of death (including animals), gore, and mutilation. Reid also incorporates ethnic cleansing, anti-semitism, and racism in the narrative; issues that have not been consigned to history but are still present in the world today.

Ava Reid has a degree in political science with a focus on religion and ethnonationalism. She writes with confidence and sensitivity on these important social issues framed in an engaging grim dark historical fantasy.

With respect to the audiobook, Saskia Maarleveld is an award-winning voice actor with hundreds of audiobooks to her credit. Over the years I have enjoyed her reading of many books. Her voice is clear and very easy to listen to. She has a range that allows her to bring the novel’s characters, setting, and story vividly to life.

On a side note, I loved the cover design with its stylised verdant Wolf cloak against a stark forest backdrop.

Definitely recommended.

I absolutely loved this story. The depiction of the different cultures with their different but similar magic and religions was handled so cleverly, I really believed in the created world of the story. It was a dark, grim fairy tale (this is adult fantasy, with frequent and harrowing depictions of gore - so not for the squeamish.) that really captured my imagination, both in terms of the quest and the growing relationship between the central characters.

Some audiobooks don't capture my attention but I really enjoyed the narration of this one - I liked the tone of her voice and the way she read the story often made it seem quite poetic. I'm sad to have finished it!

I'll definitely be buying a copy of this book to keep on my shelf alongside my other favourite novels.

This book is absolutely stunning.

It is dark and enchanting all at once. The world is so delicately crafted and all of the cultures and histories are so intricate.

The characters are fascinating and the main character, Évike, is absolutely ruthless. You will be rooting for her whilst being slightly terrified by her determination.

This story took so many twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and I was shocked to find that it contained a romance that I become hooked on!

I will most definitely be recommending this book, packed full of grim fairytale and gripping adventure.

The world is fully realised and there are so many important messages to take away from the plot; for example ones that focus on how a nation is built and ethnic cleansing.

This book is so deliciously enthralling and will have you hooked from start to finish.

It is important to note that this is adult fantasy, not young adult. These are the trigger warnings listed by the author and they are important to consider before reading:

-Gore, including graphic descriptions of dismemberment, amputation, mutilation and immolation
-Torture, including whipping
-Self-harm, including self-amputation
-Animal death (graphic; the animals are not pets)
-Antisemitism
-Cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing
-Physical abuse by parents and parental figures
-Graphic descriptions of vomiting

This book was one of my most anticipated releases for 2021 and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. The story and characters were so much more than what I expected to find. I am so thankful to Netgalley and Penguin for allowing me to receive an arc of this stunning book in exchange for an honest review.

The Wolf and The Woodsman is a character-driven debut fantasy standalone that combines popular fantasy tropes with Jewish folklore and Hungarian history.
The writing style draws you in, and it feels like you’re reading a folktale. The descriptions are whimsical and real, everything is so descriptive. This is a story where the characters take centre stage – there is a heavy focus on Évike, we see the world through her eyes. All of her fears, longing and anguish are laced within every sentence. She is an unlikely heroine, but one that you love nonetheless.

Évike is from a pagan village on the edge of a supernatural forest. While Évike is mistreated for her lack of magic, she shares a common enemy with the women – the woodsmen. They arrive one day and demand a wolf girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is led to her demise.

The Wolf and The Woodsman is such an apt title for this book. This is the tale Gáspár and Évike, of their journey to the capital. Using the enemies to lovers trope, the book delves into their opposing religions and beliefs, their disdain towards each other, and their longing. They are sworn enemies, and Ava Reid captures their frustration with one another very well.

I love action and drama, and Reid delivered. The grim gore and the bloody battles against monsters and witches and powerfully people brought the plot back to life whenever the pace began to slow. One threat was banished, and another appeared. The politics within this world were complex, focusing characters to consider situations from every angle, even the ones they wished they didn’t have to consider.

Overall, The Wolf and The Woodsman is a solid adult fantasy debut. Ava Reid weaves sworn enemies together in a bloody and dangerous tale, filled with court politics, intrigue and betrayal. I recommend it to those interested in character-driven enemies to lovers fantasy, and those who enjoy books influenced by folklore and history.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

TW's - (as provided by the author)
[- Gore, including graphic descriptions of dismemberment, amputation, mutilation, and immolation
- Torture, including whipping
- Self-harm, including self-amputation
- Animal death (graphic; the animals are not pets)
- Antisemitism
- Cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing
- Physical abuse by parents and parental figures
- Graphic descriptions of vomiting

SLOW-BURN ENEMIES TO LOVERS, INTRICATE WORLDBUILDING, INTERESTING AND NUANCED POLITICS!!! This book is everything I have ever wanted and more.

When the Woodsman comes for the sacrifice, Evike, a magicless pagan girl is chosen. On their way to the King, their group is attacked leaving only Évike and Gáspár alone to look out for each other and fend for themselves...

This book was absolutely INCREDIBLE. Based on Jewish folklore and Hungarian history, Reid does a fantastic job bringing real-world politics into a fantasy world, whilst also showing the brutalities of colonisation and ethnic cleansing.

This was just so well done, Reid has clearly put so much of their heart and soul into this book.
Reid has such a way with words, and this debut is so beautiful from start to finish, and I hope we get more from them in the future. Absolutely a 5 Star read.

EDIT - Apparently they've another book coming out called A Study in Drowning!

Rated 4.5/5 stars!

This is the kind of story that seeps into your very bones.

It's both haunting and beautiful, brutal and magical. It's so many contradictions in one, and yet it all just works. The mythology is so prominent within the story, and you can really feel the atmosphere seeping into your skin as you're pulled in.

This isn't a story for the faint hearted - while seemingly whimsical with its magic and romance, everything comes with a sharp edge. There are some gory scenes peppered throughout, the cause of each scene being so inherently interwoven into the story that it's not something to skip over. And you wouldn't want to - it's all part of the story.

But amongst that, you have a main character you can't help but love. Not in an endearing-automatic-adoration way. But in the way where you see the faults, the quiet fierceness, the determination, and can't help but admire her as she makes her way through the world and everything it throws at her. I adored reading about Evike, and she's not a character that will be easily forgotten.

Will also note that the audiobook for this book is wonderful, the tone of the narrators voice seeming to match Evike's perspective so well. The direct way of speaking, while also acknowledging such magic and emotion through the story...they really brought the story to life audibly. Also a massive help for anyone wanting to work on pronunciations (note - there's a guide in the back too).

I actually already want to reread this one, convinced there is so much more to find within that just went over my head. In fact, I know there is, based on other reviews and from what the author has said themselves. But I can tell this is one to marvel at, while being entertaining all in one. I really loved it, and can't wait to see what else Ava Reid has to write in the future!

What a wonderful book, read by a fabulous narrator.

Evike is an anomaly in her forest. She is the only one with no power or gift in the forest and is soon betrayed and surrendered to the Holy Order of the Woodsmen, who work for the king. However, a monster comes and in order to survive, Evike must rely on one specific woodsman and together they form a very unlikely alliance that turns into friendship.

A beautiful story with a beautiful setting steeped in folklore. I cannot wait to own a physical copy.

Please note, the only reason I clicked that I wouldn’t recommend for my students is because they are too young for this book. However, I would heartily recommend for anyone who is interested in stories based on myth and folklore or readers of The Bear and the Nightingale.

With Thanks to Ava Reid and Penguin Random House for an advance audio copy of this book.

Warnings: Gore, Torture, self-harm, animal death, antisemitism, ethnic cleansing, parental abuse.

2 1/2 stars?

I don't think I get this book.

The writing is so hard to get on board with, I saw comparisons to Novak and got really excited but this is nothing like that. Its overly descriptive in everyway to the point where is pulls the reader out of the story as they try and work out what metaphor is being made.

I barely made it to the end, and only did because it's a bookbox book so thought i must be missing something. Not for me, and skipped the book box.

After reading the rave reviews of this book from some of my favourite fantasy authors I had high hopes for this book that sadly weren't meet. I just couldn't jive with the writing style and I found the excessive use of bodily descriptions for emotions distracting. It took me out of the story every time because I kept noticing how often it was used, for instance, the mc's stomach was apparently only filled with all her different emotions and quite frankly I don't want that such information about someone's stomach. If you can get on with the writing style then you will enjoy this more but unfortunately this book wasn't for me.

I read this book in one sitting. It felt both WAY too short and like I'd been reading it for years (in the best way). This story was so impeccably paced, with characters surprising me at every turn, their intentions slowly falling apart and muddling along with their staunch beliefs. Every component in the book was crafted perfectly, especially the clear inspiration drawn from Hungarian and Jewish Mythology. I loved seeing the characters and their motivations collide with the solid, immovable nucleus of lore that Reid created.
My favourite part of this book is (and always is, say it with me, folks) the main character. From the first page, I was smitten with Évike's cockiness, her grit and her integrity. She enhanced every scene with her commentary and insanely relatable decisions and motives. Évike is an example of when the commonly used 'orphan-outcast-with-no-friends' character profile is executed perfectly, creating a whole living, breathing entity that readers can identify with.
The descriptions of the scenery were sublime (never gratuitous) and the dialogue was gritty and real. Not only did the plot/characters suprise and shock me but so did the writing! I was not expecting the (very tasteful) amount of gore/body horror or the (filthy) steamy scenes and I was absolutely giddy with it all.
I became addicted to the way this book made me feel; it had the perfect balance of literal, before-your-eyes magic and more metaphorical is-it-just-in-her-head magic, taking me back to my favourite middle grade stories that were all thick with allegories. The tone of this story was steadily dark, but had glimpses of innocence and of pure, blinding hope that felt extremely comforting and nostalgic to me.
I would recommend this book for adults who loved Ella Enchanted growing up and want a saucy, gory and insanely well-researched upgrade.
As a quick sidenote, the audio narration by Saskia Maarleveld was absolutely magical. They brought The Wolf and the Woodsman to life so expertly and made this dark, twisty tale completely unforgettable.

Thank you to PRH, Del Rey and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook, I'm eternally grateful.

The Wolf and the Woodsman – Ava Reid

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.
But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.
As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.

This is my first audio arc! I received a copy of the audio book from Netgalley and while I really liked the app and the player, I think I would have rather read this physically. I think the narrator’s American accent was just a bit distracting considering this is set in Hungary. That aside though, this was a fascinating adventure!

Jewish mythology is my favourite kind of mythology and I loved hearing about the Hungarian culture and folklore. You might be wondering why this is being featured in a post about horror and body horror, well… that’s because it is full of gore and body horror. It really doesn’t hold back when talking about sacrifice, mutilation and racism. This was great fun and I’m interested in reading more from Ava Reid, just make sure to check out her content warnings over on goodreads before diving in, there are a lot of them!

Audio books are not something I usually use to read books and I don't know why because I always find them enjoyable. The narrator is usually well picked and creates atmosphere with their narration. The one picked for this audio book was chosen appropriately, she was able to capture the various tones for voices and the scratchy sounds for specific characters, I enjoyed listening to her.
The book on the other hand was possibly not my cup of tea, it was quite gory and descriptive about this. The way that the author uses Hungarian and Jewish influences is interesting as I haven't read many books with such themes included and the plot seemed like it was thought out but I just couldn't get engaged with it as I wish I could have.

Full review live on my blog from 7th June.

Thanks to Del Rey for the ARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.

Content Warnings: graphic gore, torture, self-harm (including self-amputation), graphic animal death (not pets), antisemitism, genocide and ethnic cleansing, physical abuse by parental figures, vomiting.

I actually was able to listen to an advanced audiobook edition of this book, and I thoroughly recommend it if you like audiobooks. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, does an excellent job with all the characters and is very easy to listen to. The Wolf and the Woodsman started a little slow, to be perfectly honest. I was a little confused in the early chapters, and found myself slowing the audiobook down so that I could keep track of what was happening. Despite that confusion I was still very firmly enjoying it. The slow start gave the romance a real chance to develop naturally and shine. And when this book picked up? It picked up.

One of the most gorgeous things in this book is the way the folklore elements were threaded throughout. Combined with Ava Reid’s beautiful writing style, it made for a lyrical and potent read that felt steeped in magic. Even the graphic gore felt somehow poetic and I know I’ll be reading anything else that Ava Reid comes out with – her writing is just so wonderfully readable and they created characters that felt real. I loved the slow burn relationship between Évike and Gáspár. The isolation that their journey presses upon them makes them rely on each other despite their ingrained animosity, and I loved watching the complex way they have to learn to live with each other. There’s a scene in particular that actually HAUNTS me in its intense beauty, and despite being aro (and kind of ace), it was so hot that I literally had to sit down for a minute. That is rare for me, as I don't usually get much interested in m/f romance.

I couldn’t review this book without mentioning the way that it approaches the complexity of nation building and cultural identity, with Évike struggling to balance the facets of her heritage that she’s never known with the facets she does. Ava Reid covers the violence and intricacies of ethnic cleansing and persecution in a fantasy world, specifically focusing on the history of Jewish persecution. It was raw and painful to read at points, and all the more powerful for it.

The perfect blend of dark and sinister fairy tale and forbidden love.
Loved it - end of.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced audiobook (the narration of which was just perfect) in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc

A MA ZING!!

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

I would have enjoyed this story if it had been half the length.
I am a huge fan of the old fashioned fairy and folk tales but I believe that the story would benefit from serious editing and that it was far too long. I listened to 50%, and on seeing there were still more than 5 hours to go, knew that it had beaten me.

The premise was good and I was interested in the characters and their developing relationship but there seemed constant overthinking and descriptions of stomach churning, flushing or blushing, and wondering without saying anything aloud.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was utterly enthralled by this book.
The writing was lyrical and descriptive, the magic was unique and yet completely understandable, and the characters were all well rounded and complex while also all growing within the story.
The reader was perfect and told the story beautifully.
One of my favourite books of the year!