Spirit of the wood - Kristen Britain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ wonderful epic fantasy.
Release date November 7, 2023.
Kristen Britain is one of the authors I read before we had Kindles and Nooks. Back when you learned about books from librarians, fantasy magazines and book stores. Back then I bought every DAW book regardless of the author and only because I almost always loved any book they published. I still have the first addition of Kristen Britain's book Green Rider.
There are a lot of good writers in the world and then there are writers that surpass that by a mile, Kristen Britain is one of the latter.
This was a great book. Epic, beautiful and heart breaking.
This is the story of Laren Mapstone’s past and a young green rider named Tavin, who's growing into his incredible powers. Trapped together, injured and only the wards around the waystation , a Forester and one other special person to protect them from the angry mob hunting them.
This is a story of growth, understanding another's anguish and finding the power to overcome fear. Such a beautiful, powerful story.

If you love epic fantasy, powerful world building and characters you will remember for years, you should read this amazing author and this brilliant series 'Green rider'. This is the type of powerful writing that addicted generations of readers to epic fantasy. It's full of great hand sketches, also.

I received this ARC from DAW and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #kristen_Britain #Greenrider #epicfantacy #spiritofthewood #DAW

I loved this story. The world building was developed enough a new to the series reader could easily know what was happening, but for seasoned Greenies it touched on several familiar places and people. I really appreciated our MC and narrator Tavin, his ability and his growth as an individual. There was enough action happening to keep us on our toes, but also time for character growth that can often be missing from novellas. While some may be disappointed that we don't get Mapstone's narration like in the full novels, instead we get an unfiltered, emotional snapshot of her past. I would be remise if I didn't mention that one of the topics explored in the book could be triggering, however, I do feel they were handled well. I will also issue a tissue warning. Finally, there was a few Easter eggs, if you could call them that, in the book that I look forward to seeing how they grow. Overall, a very enjoyable novella. * I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

4.5/5 Stars

Characters: 4.5
Plot: 4.5
Readability: 5
World Building: 5

Fiiiiine, I'll finish the Green Rider series.

In all seriousness, I loved this story, and I'm so grateful to NetGalley.com for giving me an ARC copy of it. And a special thanks to Kristen Britain as well. I've been a big fan for a while. I haven't finished all of the Green Rider books because I had some...disagreements with one of the books. I won't go into that here because this is about THIS book.

I had expected that this story would be more in Laren's POV. She's been my favorite in the series since I picked up the first Green Rider book in a secondhand bookshop when I was still a teenager. However, I wholly enjoyed getting to know Tavin and getting to see some other call backs to the first green rider book I was particularly excited to see the outpost where Karigan met Abram and read about the events of this book in the rider's log

Having read the books, I wasn't surprised by the ending, but I still had my fair share of feelings. Anyway, if you're new to the Green Rider books or been along for the ride for a while like I have I still wholly recommend it. I finished it in less than a day so it's a nice quick read and it's motivated me to get back into the series.

P.S. I would die for Winterberry.

This is a prequel to the green rider series. The book takes place during Laren Mapstone’s early career. It gives many Easter eggs for readers of the green rider series. The story is engaging and feels comforting like visiting an old friend since you know the world and something about the characters. There are also some illustrations of the characters which is a nice touch in the book. As a stand alone it might work as an introduction to the series to give new readers an introduction to the key players and the world. It certainly doesn’t hook as well as the first book but is a good length.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with this review copy!

Is there anything better than catching up with old friends and learning more about the experiences that shaped them? Spirit of the Wood offers a cozy return to the magical world of the Green Rider series, which is honestly probably one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. This novella takes place before the events of the first book in the series, and takes readers along for the ride of the early years of Colonel Laren Mapstone’s Green Rider career.

Spirit of the Wood showcases Kristen Britain’s unfailing ability to make charmingly eccentric characters and chilling villains. The eponymous wood in question is the returning Green Cloak forest, which has mysterious powers and has played a role in many of the events of the other novels in the series. I feel like the series has really only scratched the surface of the mysteries of the magic in the world and it was thrilling to get another glimpse of one of those enigmas.

“‘Laren Mapstone has some fight left in her,’ Abram said quietly. ‘But it is not endless, which is why you must go to the hermit first thing in the morning.’”

I was most excited about reading about Laren Mapstone before she became the leader of the Green Riders and close advisor to King Zachary. I was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t more of the focus of the novella. While she is a main character, the narrator of the novella is Tavin, a newbie Green Rider who is on his first mission with Laren when she is attacked and gravely wounded. As a result of this injury, Laren spends the majority of The Spirit of the Wood out of commission—unconscious or delirious with fever or just unable to function much.

Admittedly, I did end up liking Tavin a lot and found his personal and Rider abilities interesting. I was also obviously a fan of his loyal and spirited Rider horse, Goose. There are also appearances from other characters known to fans of the series, like the Forester, and Mapstone’s horse, Bluebird, and references to future events and appearances that will whet the appetite of previous and new readers alike. I also really enjoyed seeing the illustrations of the characters and events in Spirit of the Wood, which will be familiar to readers of The Dream Gatherer.

The only thing I did not truly care for in Spirit of the Wood was that future events of the series were somewhat retconned to be affected by the events of the novel. These were not huge changes, but I felt like it affected my view of how the events played out in retrospect. For instance, Laren Mapstone is given hints of Karigan’s arrival and importance « Hide Spoiler and now I have to think that her choices during those events were influenced by the warnings she was given and not just by her own personal choices and agency. I wasn’t the biggest fan of that narrative decision, as I feel like it cheapened a lot of Laren’s personal qualities, and at the same time, her journey in this book to become the leader she is meant to be. How is it indicative of her personal character struggle to overcome if she needs someone to share his glimpse into the future to influence her decisions?

I really don’t even think this character would have shared those insights in the first place, as he fully believed in Laren’s abilities and character. But on the flip side, this development and its impact on future events is, at least for now, easily ignored by readers who, like myself, didn’t really care for its implications. Even if I wasn’t quite taken with these minute details of the ending, the conclusion itself actually made me feel emotional and I found myself choking up upon reading it.

“Sometimes, as gentle and kind as we try to be, even as we celebrate the spirit of the wood and the life within, there is a time that one must go to battle for a greater good.”

I truly love all of the characters and the world of the Green Rider series. Though I am really anxious to return to the present events of the series once more, Spirit of the Wood was a truly satisfying and endearing return to the series, effortlessly displaying author Britain’s one-of-a-kind charm, wit, as well as the hallmarks of the series—intelligent and fiercely loyal horses, forests with plenty of secrets, strong heroines, the power of friendship, and sometimes peculiar magics. I will continue to scoop up any future entries of the series as soon as humanly possible and will be picking up a physical copy of this novella to go with the rest of my Green Rider series.

Recommended book which is well-written and will be enoyable fans of the author. Enoyable book and will look forward to more.

DAW thank you so much for the ARC via NetGalley!

😭

This is an amazing look into Mapstone's past, considering where we left her at the end of the last full length novel. What's really amazing is how the author left herself so many potential jumping off points throughout the series, and she seemed to know the perfect one to take this time.

T. Bankside became so much more than just a name in a dusty logbook and Britain got to once again explore her love for the forest.

The glimpses of alternate futures are 😳 Sometimes I wonder if Kristen Britain should have just gone for full-out Grimdark. She enjoys hard outcomes and making characters suffer.

And, F'ryan Coblebay riding away at the end! The novella takes us right up to the start of everything 💔💔

I don't want to share too many details but the novella really packs a punch for existing fans!

(I'll have to come back and update my links once I learn when you want them posted)