For the Throne: Wilderwood #2 (by Hannah Whitten)

(Review may include spoilers)

After finishing the first book of this series, I was eager to read the second! For the Throne primarily centres Neverah’s perspective (remember that the duology is written about two sisters, Redarys “Red” and Neverah “Neve”). 

I have to say, when I finished For the Wolf, I really, REALLY, did not like Neverah. However, immediately upon reading the first few pages of this book (basically the Prologue), I was hooked and began to view Neverah from a completely different perspective. Whitten did an excellent job showing the reader what was going on in Neverah’s head and demonstrating her self-awareness of herself as a flawed human. This made her more relatable. And, as we continued along the journey through the Shadowlands with her, this helped to redeem Neverah in my eyes. I was able to come to understand how she reasoned through certain choices and came to empathize with her. 

Also, the opening scenes of the Prologue take place in a grand library—what’s not to like there?

I really enjoyed Whitten’s style of writing in book 2, even more than I did in book 1. I often found myself highlighting and bookmarking quotes I wanted to remember, and which I found were especially smart metaphors and allusions. I especially liked the way that the Seamstress defines monstrousness to Neverah.

The theme of mirroring is a big one in this text, as the two sisters are supposed to be mirrors of the other—one light, one dark—both connected by their unwavering love for the other. Their relationships with their love interests too were mirror images of each other. Where Eammon avoids asking Red for help at all costs, Solmir doesn’t shy away from asking for or demanding Neve’s assistance.

~~~
“The Tree waits for you, in the place it’s always been. But just reaching it is not enough—there must be a mirrored journey, a matched love. And a key, if you’re to return.”
~~~

Speaking of Solmir and Neve. I really enjoyed the chemistry between them, I found that Whitten wrote a lot of humour into their relationship (see excerpted quote below). This made them very likeable as a couple and I laughed out loud several times at their verbal sparring.

~~~
“It would be drinking and bedsport, but the Shadowlands are woefully empty of wine, and I’ll wait for you to ask me for the other.” An angry flush ran from her forehead to her chest. “I’d sooner ask you to throw me into the mouth of the next lesser beast we come across.” “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He stood, swept a hand toward the lolling door. “Now that we’re both well rested, are you ready to go destroy a god?”
~~~

Besides the theme of mirroring, other significant themes include the ‘quest’ (both spiritual and physical), fulfillment of prophecy (pre-destination or free will), and, as in book 1, the theme of redemption (flawed & complex characters abound).

All in all, this book was an excellent follow-up to book 1 and I look forward to reading more of Whitten’s future work!

I do suggest that the following CW/TW should be noted: self-harm, blood and murder, violence and gore, religious abuse and trauma, some sexual content.

I want to thank @Netgalley and @OrbitBooks for providing me with an ARC of this book. The above remarks constitute my honest review.

I admit, I went into For the Throne by Hannah Whitten with some degree of hesitancy. However, I’m glad I gave this series another chance because the sequel is vastly more compelling. In the first book, Red and Eammon felt flat and one-dimensional to me. They still are in the sequel, but this is somewhat remedied by having two more complex characters take the central focus: Solmir and Neve.

It was the wondrously strange Shadowlands along with its characters that really shined for me. Solmir and Neve have fantastic chemistry and tension, and their bickering dynamics remind me of Rovan and her ghost guardian from In the Ravenous Dark. On top of that, I also really adored the Seamstress—a spider woman who lives in a cottage with her three-eyed goat (which is honestly life goals).

Overall, For the Throne crafts a strong conclusion to the duology—weaving a spellbinding tale about love, destiny, and the duality of light and shadow.

I am in love with this book! For The Throne is the second book in the Wilderwood duology. This duology is at its core a retelling of Red Rose & Snow White. But, it is so much more! One sister is for the wolf and one is for the throne. This book picks up immediately following the events from the first novel and it was the perfect conclusion to this amazing story.

I honestly could see this ending up as one of my favourites of 2022. Hannah Whitten is officially an auto buy author for me. I cannot wait to see what stories she comes out with next.

Read an eARC courtesy of Netgalley, the publisher, Orbit Books, and the author, Hannah Whitten. Thank you for the opportunity.

Rating: 5 stars

I loved every evocative, spine-tingling, romantic word of this follow-up to For the Wolf. I wish I had re-read Wolf before picking this up, because there were a few times I needed to jog my memory of previous events, but overall the author expertly catches us up and takes us along on a magical, heart-breaking, hopeful journey. Neve and Solmir are enemies at the start, and truthfully most of the way through, though they find that not only do they need each other to survive, but they're more alike than Neve wishes was the case. And though they may claim to hate each other, they have fantastic banter. I absolutely loved the multi-person POV that takes us back to the Wilderwood so we have a full understanding of the magic at play. Because while Neve is the protagonist of the novel, it is still very much a story of the love of two sisters and what they must do for each other. I did spend the last 15% of this book sobbing, and I almost never cry while reading, but I promise I was good as gold by the end of the epilogue. Romance readers fear not.

Dragged into the Shadowlands in an attempt to free her sister, Queen Neve finds herself surrounded by unknown horrors and forced to work with the last man she would have ever chosen. With descriptive horror and dark twists, this installment introduces us to the dark prison of legend and takes us back to the Wilderwood for another glimpse at what two sisters would do for one another.

Whitten continues to do an amazing job bringing the characters to life and using horrifying detail to describe Neverah’s journey through the Shadowlands. The story-telling that she uses is like a dark lullaby that makes you want to keep one eye open for fear of what’s going to happen next.

Overall, I scored this a 4-star read with 1 spicy pepper. It was just a brilliant read and a great conclusion to the series although the epilogue could have been flushed out more. I wish I could say so much more about what happened in this story, parts that have continued to stick with me even after finishing the book and parts that I thought were meh, but no spoilers - you’ll have to go read it yourself when it comes out on June 7th!

Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. For the Wolf was one of my top favorite books last year, so I immediately requested this sequel when it came up on NetGalley. Yes, I absolutely screamed a little when I got the approval email.
This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. We follow the same characters from the first book and more. There wasn’t a strict pattern of POV changes that I noticed. Each character made an appearance as it made sense for the story. The story starts off shortly after the events in the final pages for For The Wolf. All of our characters end up going on a journey, which eventually all leads them together.
The sisters, Neve and Redarys. I love them even more after I finished this book. There was such beauty to their relationship but it was a monstrous sort of love at times. I only wish we’d gotten more time of them together.
Red and Eammon are now one of my all time favorite couples after this book. There were a few really excellent sex scenes for them and I just love their love.
Neve and Solmir going from enemies to lovers was excellent. I don’t usually like this trope. But I really loved seeing Neve start to feel bad for Solmir as she got to know him. We love monster men over here. Solmir was definitely not a super great guy, but I loved the way his story played out. Neve was a character I was rather excited to follow. Neve is at fault for basically everything that happened at the climax of the first book. So, I was very interested to see her deal with the emotions and consequences from that. I think Whitten did an excellent job making me love these people that have done some pretty horrible things. And oh man, I really love them all.
Overall, this series will hold a special place in my heart. I will reread these books again and again. I feel invested in these characters in a way that I found in a book in long time. I hope this review doesn’t sound like nonsense and if it does, just know that I loved this book and the first one. Please go read them both.

For the Throne follows Neve as she ventures for a way home from the Shadowlands with an unlikely ally: Solmir. Solmir knows how to get Neve home and he’s willing to bargain. He believes Neve is the key to bringing down the Kings at last: by destroying the Shadowlands.

For the Throne definitely struggles with second book syndrome. The author does next to no follow through on the last book so you really need to remember For the Wolf or read the back to back. I also found that the second book wasn’t set up fully by the events of the first book so while it wasn’t a bad read, the duology feels disjointed instead of flowing together as one. This book pulls away from the Beauty and the Beast/Little Red retelling and embarks on telling its own tale.

Where For the Wolf focuses heavily on Red, this sequel is balanced mix of primarily Red, Neve and Raffe. Individually, I enjoyed the characters perspectives on the events and their growth through the book. I wanted more of Neve overall, to really know her like you get to know Red in her book of the duology. And while the Shadowlands have this great gothic, horror feel to them, a wonderful offset to the lush of the new Wilderwood, I found the setting a little underdeveloped for me. I wanted more spooky and gothic and felt it underdelivered on it. Same with the magic system. It’s explored a little more, but brushed over at the end of the book where I wanted to see more.

Overall, this is a wonderfully gothic, slow paced fairytale and I would absolutely pick up another Hannah Whitten book in the future.

For the Throne is the sequel to For the Wolf and the final novel in the Wilderwood duology. As the story is continuous, it is highly recommended to read both to get a complete understanding of the story and characters. Neverah (Neve), the first daughter for the Throne, and Redarys (Red), the second daughter for the Wolf, are twins who each have their fate decided since birth. The first novel explored Red’s journey where she is sent to the Wilderwood as a sacrifice to the Wolf, a man named Eammon. The first novel focused mainly on Red’s perspective with some brief looks at the perspectives of Neve, Raffe, and Arick who each play a role in the story. This novel switches to Neve as the main while still including glimpses into the perspectives of the other three characters.

In this novel, Neve is in the Shadowlands. This new setting was well-described, and I loved how it contrasted with the Wilderwood while still containing a mysterious type of wonder. Here in the Shadowlands, the reader learns more about Solomir, the rogue king who wants to end the Shadowlands. He finds an unlikely ally in Neve and the two of them reluctantly work together. Since the reader is beginning this novel in a new world, the pacing of the story starts off slowly as there is set-up of the setting and situation. It does pick up as more of the plot is introduced along with the reader’s catch up with the Red and Eammon.

Since each novel shifts in focus to either Neve or Red, readers have options about which novel suites their needs more if they are the type to prefer one character over the other. For me, I was slightly more of a fan of Red than Neve, but I still loved reading about Neve. In terms of their love interests, I favored Solomir over Eammon, so it was interesting to go back and forth between the two couples and their journeys. Both Neve and Solomir are more morally grey compared to Red and Eammon, but they each are trying to do what they believe is best. All four characters were all likeable in their own ways and I enjoyed the development of each. As for Red and Neve, throughout the duology, it is very apparent how much the two sisters care about each other. They will do whatever it takes to ensure that the other is safe. The sisterly bond was definitely the standout of the entire duology.

Overall, this novel was an excellent conclusion for the duology. Throughout this story there are callbacks to the first novel which is a great reminder to those that need them but may be a bit much for others. For me, I appreciated the callbacks as there were some details that I forgot when I read the first novel previously. This novel itself was a great read and makes it difficult to choose between the two in the duology if I had to decide. I enjoyed learning that the author has a new novel/series coming out soon and I cannot wait to read it. This duology was well worth the read and would be one I would reread again in the future!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Orbit Books, for a review copy of this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of FOR THE THRONE by Hannah Whitten. I really enjoyed FOR THE WOLF, but I'll admit that I didn't love the chapters from Neve's POV, so having a whole book from her POV didn't quite excite me. I do think that, overall, I didn't like the sequel quite as much as I liked the first book. The romance between Red and Wolf in particular just sucked me in more in FTW, but I did enjoy Neve and Solmir and I still got some good Red and Wolf time in FTT. The Shadowlands were a bit hazy to me and hard to ground myself in, but that may have been the point. Overall, it was still an enjoyable story with lots of great vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading an ARC, which in no way biased me.

I fell in love with For the Wolf last year, so naturally I was not so patiently awaiting its sequel. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, but ended up with mixed feelings.

Things I liked:
-RedEammon: honestly this requires no explanation. I love them from Wolf and it’s no surprise they’re my favorite part of Throne.

-The Magic System: Honestly this magic system is so unique I loved it in Wolf, and the mirror of the Wilderwood Magic that is the Shadowland’s magic was very cool to see/learn about.

-The Shadowland Monsters: Very creepy, very gross, loved that shit.

-The Ending: the action packed ending almost made up for the slow beginning/middle.



Things that could have been better:
-NeveSolmir: Honestly this pairing made sense on paper, but the execution was just meh to me. Like I feel like they should have made me insane for some lines, but they just didn’t. It was obvious Solmir has had a thing for her since Wolf. Neve’s feelings for him felt like a switch turning on, kinda out of the blue for me.

-Solmir: Yes he’s very attractive, but I was expecting him to be more of a villain. He felt more neutral. Overall as a love interest he was good, but as a “villain” he was just underwhelming.

-Pacing: The beginning felt like a slow start, but as I got closer to the middle and even the 3rd quarter it felt like it was dragging on (and then I decided to drag my feet to finish it, which didn’t help). Then there was SO MUCH packed in the last 10%-25% it felt like a rush to conclude.

-Repetition: this might be a “it’s not the final version” but the first like half it felt like the same phrases were being repeated CONSTANTLY. Normally that’s not something I notice, but I noticed here, and it really messed the vibe up.

-Too much happening at once: too many plot lines going on, where there was an overarching plot to this book (with three main POVs) with a secondary romance (surprisingly the side character’s romance felt like it took precedent over the main character’s romance), and then you have the main character’s romance.

-Raffe: I was honestly surprised that out of all the characters from Wolf, he was the one who was chosen to have more of a development in Throne. My thing with Raffe is that he went from being in love with Neve for all of Wolf, and then realizing at the end of Wolf “he didn’t really know her” and that’s what was used to introduce his love interest.

-Kayu: I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really get the purpose of this character. Her arc/plot line had lots of potential, but overall was underwhelming and not really necessary. The things that were required of her “presence” in the book could have been figured out.

-Mirroring: I understand this is meant to be a mirror of Wolf, but I was expecting more differences. It times it felt as if I was almost reading For The Wolf all over again (and I don’t mean that in a positive way, per say) it felt like a recycling of Wolf stripped down at its core, which I know was the intent, but it did not deliver as Wolf did.

-POV: in wolf we get about 90% of the book for Red’s POV with a handful of Neve interludes. Going into this I was expecting the reverse. With the addition of the third main character POV, and the frequency of shifting POVs (which don’t get me wrong, post Throne, I’m definitely happy about it. I was waiting for Red’s POV chapters the whole book) it took my interest out of Neve’s journey.

Overall I had a good time, I just was expecting more.

Omg this book was so freaking good I absolutely loved it and will be buying it and buying for my friends

I was lucky enough to receive an complimentary review copy from the publisher via NetGalley and ask to provide an honest review.

For the Throne is Book #2 in the Wilderwood Series written by Hannah F. Whitten. When reading the description of the book, I knew I had to read it. As someone who hadn’t read Book #1, I was hesitant whether or not I should request until after reading Book #1 but I couldn’t wait. Although, I can’t said that having read the first book in the series would have made me have a better understanding and appreciation. I can say that with Whitten’s writing, you can’t help but be engrossed. If you enjoy a fairytale and romance mixed with a bit of horror, this is your book. I would recommend getting your hands on this book June 7th. I will now be purchasing Book #1.
Hannah Whitten officially has a new fan!

For the Throne is the sequel to For the Wolf and the conclusion of the Wilderwood duology. In the first book, we focus on Red, and in this one, the character at the forefront is her sister, Neve.
At the beginning of this book, Neve wakes up in the Shadowlands, which I always picture in my head as a creepy forest “upside down” a la Stranger Things. Whitten shines yet again with her use of atmosphere, to make you feel like you’re traipsing in this Gothic style upside down spooky forest right along with Neve and Solmir. This use of atmosphere and tone was something I absolutely adored in book one, and it didn’t lack at all in this book either.

Neve and Solmir form a shaky at best alliance to try to end the Kings influence and the Shadowlands themselves. I really enjoyed their banter too, but think I personally still prefer the banter between Red and Eammon.

We also do bounce around to multiple POV’s in this book, though much of the novel is told through Neve, we get glimpses of what is happening back in the Wilderwood, and the world beyond.
What I love the most about this story and series, is the sisterhood. Red and Neve are both going beyond the ends of the earth for each other, and it still hits me just as hard in this book as it did in the first one. My sister and I are polar opposites, so it was incredibly easy to relate to the structure of Neve and Red’s relationship.

However, I did find myself getting just a little tired of Neve’s POV. I would get excited when a chapter was from anyone else, and I do think that is just because the Shadowlands and the situation Neve is in can be very dark and gloomy. I know that it’s done on purpose, and it’s done well, but I found myself yearning for just a moment of reprieve from the atmosphere.
This made the other POV’s such a huge highlight, and I think that if the book had only shown Neve’s perspective, I would’ve enjoyed it much less.

As with the last book, the character and the atmosphere were what really did it for me. I LOVE both groups of characters, their interactions, their love, their banter, and everything that they get up to. Whitten explores some compelling themes and does it whilst creating such a lush atmosphere that you swear you can hear woods creaking behind you while you read.

Overall (TLDR)
If you read and enjoyed For the Wolf you will enjoy this book. Whitten builds off the foundation set up in FTW and simply makes it more well-rounded. We get more from our cast of characters, and they all grow in the best of ways throughout the book as well.
I’d give this a 4/5 stars!
I will absolutely be reading whatever Whitten publishes next, and am so excited for my preordered copy of For the Throne to arrive!

Thank you as always to Orbit for the review copy! I am always grateful to have the privilege of reading books early to give my opinions on them.

Highly enjoyable, and I read the whole novel in two days, and didn't want to put it down to sleep, just as with the first book in the series. This sequel assumed that I remembered all the secondary characters, which I did not. I could have used a quick refresher on them at the beginning. I also found the romance more interesting and sexy in the first book, "For the Wolf." The chemistry was not as compelling.

"For the Throne" is very modern and inclusive, which I appreciated. The monsters were terrifying and Whitten displayed a lot of creativity and imagination with both the magic and the monsters.

I found the Shadowlands side of the story absorbing overall, in which Neve has to complete quests as her twin sister Red tries to rescue her and bring her home. The twist at the ending was a very pleasant surprise although one character came out far better than I thought was deserved given the circumstances. I would totally read a third to make a trilogy but based on the author's website it looks as though there are two books only and the next will be a new story, "The Foxglove King." I'll read anything by this author even if the book has some flaws. Very nice fantasy/fairytale in two volumes.

First off, I love Hannah’s writing. I loved Neve as a character to the point where I would face palm for the actions taken (as if I knew the person). There is a lot of twists and turns that kept me going on through the journey. My only complaint is, the beginning took me some time to get into the story. Eventually I was hooked until the end. This is a fantasy masterpiece and I will pickup anything she writes in the future.

A great conclusion to The Wilderwood series! As magical and breathtaking as the first, For the Throne leaves me once more craving more of Hannah Whitten's writing! I'll admit, I did hesitate on Solmir in the beginning, but god if he didn't grow on me tenfold by the end.

5/5

WELL WELL WELL Hannah Whitten, I thought i liked the last one but this was AMAZING! Please this story was TOO GOOD! I already knew it was gonna be good from the snippits we got in For the Wolf but I was not prepared for how great this book was. From the relationship to the story to the dynamics in this book it was just *chefs kiss*

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow.

“A First and a Second Daughter who loved each other so fiercely that their souls could balance worlds.”

I’ve had the first book on my TBR forever so when this ARC came up, I immediately bought it and basically inhaled it. I was so so excited to see Red and Neve’s story come to a conclusion.

Following “For the Wolf”, this book opens up with Neverah trapped in the shadowlands and Redarys trying to figure out how to free her.
As they both attempt to make their way to the other it becomes apparent that eventually a choice will have to be made.

While the other characters and storylines grab your attention and make you root for them, the heart of this story is the love between two sisters desperately trying to save the other. A love matched.

Thank you NetGalley and Hannah for this incredible read! I’ll be buying my own physical copies to add to the collection!

I loved this book, perhaps even more than For the Wolf. Neve was such a prickly character and I loved seeing the way it both served and sabotaged her in achieving her goals. Though it started a bit slower than I would have liked, it really picked up speed as it went and I was sad when I reached the final few pages. Hannah's writing is so beautiful. The way that she writes the fierce bond between these two sisters is so relatable and powerful. I will read anything Hannah Whitten writes.

The premise of this book seemed very interesting. I found it very hard to keep my attention. I wished I had found the characters more interesting. This book has a lot of good fantasy elements but unfortunately wasn't for me.