I LOVED For the Wolf, but I did not love Neve in FTW. So, it was very shocking to me that I actually loved Neve in this book. I mean, it was her book so it would have been dissatisfying if I didn't like her. We see almost a different side to Neve then the obsessed Queen who only cares about her sister. The reader discovers Neve's many layers and true personality. Red and Eammon's chapters disappointed me, especially Eammon. There was almost a disconnect from the characters they were built to be in FTW and the characters that they are depicted as in FTT. Inconsistent character building there. The romance. Oh the romance. This will sound critical, but this is how I feel. If there is going to be a romance subplot, there needs to be actual romance in the book - not banter, not flirting, not shy looks/blushing cheeks...ROMANCE ROMANCE. I don't mind fade to back scenes, and I get not everyone is touchy-feely. In novels though, it makes a difference because it is entertainment. Let's talk about the ending...the ending was not satisfying, ti was messy. The epilogue was though and that made up for it. Overall, this is a good, could be better (hence 4 stars compared to the 5) sequel and finale for the Wilderwood Trilogy. Also, it was very well written - props to you, Hannah!

I loved it. Red and Neve's story was created very beautifully and it's nice to have alternating pov. But now I'm crying because of what happened in the end what Red and Neve had to sacrifice! Also, their sisterly was beautiful, and the enemies to lovers romance was a nice touch

For the Throne is an amazing conclusion to the Wilderwood duology. I loved getting Neve's perspective in this book; I didn't enjoy her POV as much in For the Wolf, but I really liked the depiction of the Shadowlands and her enemies-to-lovers relationship with Solmir.
I did miss Red and Eammon in this book, but they still had plenty of chapters. A lot of the side characters, like Raffe, Lyra, and Fife, were a little more fleshed out and I ended up liking them a lot more than I did in the first book.
This series is absolutely amazing and I really hope the author considers writing more books set in this world at some point! 5/5 stars, definitely one of my favorites of the year!

📖 Q: if you had to get rid of one of these three FOREVER—historical romance, contemporary romance, or fantasy romance / fantasy with romantic elements—which would it be?

I was really excited to get my hands on Hannah Whitten’s For the Throne, a daring follow-up book to For the Wolf that focuses on Red’s sister, Neve.

Neve, a former queen & now kinda villain who took herself to the Shadowlands (ie The Bad Place) & now finds herself in the company of a once-king & god named Solmir who is even more villainous.

But don’t worry: Solmir has a plan to take out the group of evil kings also inhabiting the Shadowlands & he must have Neve for the plan to work. If she can trust him that is.

If this sounds appealing to you:

🖤 Complicated characters (these two leads have made some mistakes! but I love it)

🖤 Steam & a big sense of the forbidden

🖤 Fantastic chemistry—he basically snarls a romantic declaration & my heart went pitter patter

🖤 Books that say over & over again how important sisters are

🖤 Solid worldbuilding with high stakes

🖤 Chunky books

You might really like this duology! Each book focuses on a different sister though we see the same characters populating each one.

For the Throne is just as cinematic at book 1 but on the romance front I wanted more (mostly because book 1 set such a precedent).

But this is another great fantasy & you can count me as a fan of Hannah Whitten’s work.

4.5 ⭐️. Out 06/07.

(Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

This was overall a strong sequel, but not without its setbacks. Nevertheless, I felt engaged and immersed, and I cared deeply for our main protagonist Neve.

Since reading For the Wolf, I clamored for more Neve. She intrigued me with her layered complexity, the lengths she would go for her sister and the way lost herself in her choices. She is a dynamic character, and when she is on the page, the entire story shines.

But the story dulls when it turns away from Neve. Frankly, I was disappointed with Red and Eammon (he especially) as characters; they frustrated me quite a bit and perhaps I should have been more understanding, instead I just felt absolutely put off by them. The more Red POV chapters that came along, the colder I felt towards them. On the opposite end, I began the first few Raffe chapters bored, but the more Raffe there was, the more enthused I became. I really grew to love his character so very much! I would say he, Solmir, and, of course, Neve were my absolute favorite characters. The other cast just did not hit very much for me. One of the new characters felt more shoe-horned in as a love interest replacement than as a properly developed character.

Which brings me to the discussion of romance. I felt there wasn't enough actual romance/love story between Neve and Solmir. That said, I was absolutely convinced by their chemistry, they worked *so* well off of each other. I simply lamented not seeing more romance-romance on the page, but their chemistry is undeniable and enthralling.

The final setback for me, personally, was the climax. The narrative choices made at the end left me feeling a bit hollow, which is ironic, I know.

Nevertheless, with the dynamic character of Neve leading the way, armed with satisfying chemistry, held together by a very interesting plot (regardless of narrative choices at the end and my confusion at times with the magic), keeps this rating high.

The writing is very good. I highlighted so many lines and passages. Hannah Whitten knows how to write and how to invite her readers in. I will always reach for her books when I see them on the shelf. She is a fantastic author.

For the Throne was a mixed bag, but I walked away more satisfied with the positive than I lingered with the negative.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

(GoodReads review will be published two weeks prior to the book's release, per request of the publisher.)

For the Throne is a solid read, though I did not enjoy it as much as For the Wolf. The setting, as well as the relationship between Neve and Solmir, lacked the magic of Book 1. Still, I definitely enjoyed the book overall; it was a very satisfying end to the Wilderwood duology.

Welp, I requested this one after reading the first book in the series, For the Wolf. I liked but didn’t love book one but it ended on a cliffhanger that I wanted to see resolved. Book two focuses on a different character than the first book (although they are all here) and not one that is a favorite.

I really enjoyed “For the Wolf” and was looking forward to the sequel. Unfortunately, it’s centered on Neve and getting her back from the Shadowworld. I wasn’t a fan of Neve as a character and the story was extremely slow. We bounced a bit to Red and Raffe as well. Not my cup of tea, and I could just as easily have done without.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC.

My thoughts about FOR THE WOLF were a little mixed, which I thought was only due to the delayed and prolonged reading of the book itself, but in hindsight.. maybe was just genuine feelings. Because other than the overall vibes and some character interactions, I felt rather lost by the story.

Well the same is true for the sequel.

Even though I didn’t do myself a favour by making time to reread book one, I jumped right in and thought the first half was really good. It was slow reading but somehow also easy reading, even if I wasn’t engaged. However in hindsight, having finished the latter part, it was also the best half. Mainly because of Neve’s POV alongside her adventures with Solmir in the Shadowlands. As the story went on and we flipped to POVs for Red, and even Raffe, I was even more detached from things. I might not have been invested in the plot but, again, I was here for the vibes. I was here for the messy and evolving dynamic between Neve and Solmir.

But where things really went off the rails for me, beyond being checked out during certain chapters, was the climax. I’m just.. I have no words. I don’t understand and I don’t want to understand. It is what it is and I’m not a fan.

I would probably pick the author up again but I could just as easily not.

2.5 stars

A resoundingly satisfying story that follows Neve and her journey through the dangerous and alien Shadowlands as she attempts to claim the power of dark gods for herself, with the unwanted aid of the former dark king Solmir, who wishes to see his fellow kings removed from existence and is willing to do anything to accomplish his goal. Author Hannah Whitten has written a menacing fantasy story about power and revenge in For the Throne that kept me glued to the pages, at least whenever Neve and Solmir were the story's focus. We have several chapters that follow previous series entry hero Red and her gang of allies as they try to untangle the issue of getting Neve back to reality, and while it is nice to see what they are doing and how it does eventually pay off in the end, I did want the book to focus more on Neve's journey.

Fans of the previous book will be well served with this sequel.

I hated For The Wolf but it ended on a cliffhanger, so I needed to read the second. It was a bummer because I normally love YA fantasy/romance retellings. I love how this book starts off in Neve's POV. But then chapter 2 we have Red's POV again and I was snoring. Luckily this is mostly Neve's POV, I just find her so much more interesting, especially her relationship with Solmir vs Red and the Wolf. They had much better chemistry and banter. Overall I liked this better than the first book, but it still felt a little slow/dragged out to me in some chapters. I also liked getting to see the Shadowlands and it felt like a satisfying end to the duopoly.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For the Throne by Hannah Whitten is the sequel to For the Wolf and a gripping fantasy adventure set in the woods. The story revolves around Neve, who is struggling to escape the Shadowlands, a mysterious realm. She teams up with Solmir, a King. Can the pair defeat the monsters lurking in the woods with their newfound powers?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from the Prologue:

"She couldn’t sleep.
That wasn’t so strange. Sleep had never come easily to Neve, not even in the cradle; apparently, it’d taken an elaborate bedtime ritual of stories and songs to get her infant self to slumber, the nursemaids taking turns in an endless cycle of walking and bouncing the tiny First Daughter before she was finally soothed to rest.
Not much had changed, really. Neve still had to wear her mind thin before it would accept respite, had to tie it up in knots until the threads wore out. It’d never really bothered her, as sleeping often seemed like a waste of time, hours that could be better spent working.
Like now."

Overall, For the Throne is a wonderful tale of two sisters. It will appeal to fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses or The Wolf and the Woodsman. One highlight of this book is how it alternates chapters between different characters, including the two sisters. I liked that we got to see different perspectives of the magical realm that the author created. I took off 1 star, because I didn't connect with any of the characters. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!