Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

The story follows 2 sisters (Neve and Red) in a world where the Second Daughter of the ruling family (Red) has one purpose - to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods.

The story is told from Red's perspective mostly, with short and few chapters from Neve's perspective. The 2 sisters are very well presented. Their relationship is very interesting and the love they have for each other is very nicely presented. Nothing felt over the top for these 2 girls and I love them. I cannot say I have a favourite, I appreciate the difference between them and I find the balance perfect. The other characters are also very interesting. I surprisingly cared for everyone, from the main characters to the side ones. I really wanted to find out more about Neve's love interest, but I have the feeling the next volume will have more about him.

The whole idea of the Wolf and the Wilderwood are just great! I love the magic aspects, the legends, the religion. I don't want to say more, but this was my favourite aspect. I am so curious for the second volume and I cannot wait to see what will happen next in terms of magic.

The book reminded me of a lot of my all time favourite stories: Beauty and the Beast; Princess Mononoke. I totally recommend it and I will definitely look for the 2nd volume! Beautiful!

I made it 50% and had to DNF, I'm really sorry! It's such a shame as I really wanted to enjoy this but I just couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing was super slow.

This is a debut fantasy retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood and I greatly enjoyed it. I found the suspense plot intriguing, the world building was interesting and new-to-me (I haven't read anything like it before though I am sure it's not an entirely new concept, I just haven't read much SFF yet), the romance was understated but also worked great for me and found it fitting to the characters.

The story started a bit slowly for me but but the pace quickly picked up and I was eager to keep on reading. I liked the magic system, it was detailed and interesting, though quite bloody, mind you.

I loved how the story explored the power and abuse of religion and religious cult. The issues of free will and choice and loyalty were central in this story and I loved the author's takes on the,

Love is also an important element in this story - love between sisters, between a mother and her children, romantic love. We see how it can literally save you but also how it can destroy you.

I loved how the relationship between Red and the Wolf progressed, they were perfect for each other but they had to overcome so many difficulties before they got together.

Overall, this is an intriguing fantasy with romantic element, it's engaging, creepy but ultimately hopeful. The writing was brilliant and I am already excited for the next in the series which should come out next summer.

CW: sacrifice, self harm (cutting for magic purposes), violence, alcohol abuse, parental neglect, gore

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-ARC for review. Because of that, I wanted to push through and finish this book but I really don’t want to force myself to read something I don’t enjoy, so I gave up at 30%.

While this is competently written and the author makes a commendable attempt at crafting a unique story in a vibrant, spooky forest setting, it just didn’t work for me. I’ve read 30% of this book but haven’t retained much information. I just can’t get invested in the story, its lackluster characters nor what I presume is their slow burn romance. I was initially intrigued by the first chapter but then the pace slowed down in favour of very drawn out worldbuilding and exposition dumps that felt very heavy handed. This book is simply unable to hold my attention and I don’t care to find out what happens next.

The beautiful cover and the title imply this is a Red Riding Hood retelling (or at least inspired by) but the plot is actually more similar to Beauty and the Beast and frankly, I’m tired of that formula. In my opinion, very few books actually do it well and do something original with that premise, but I think fans of the trope may enjoy this book.

I don’t rate books I dnf but as I’m unable to leave an unrated review here, I’ll rate this 2 stars based on my enjoyment of the part I’ve read.

I was really looking forward to reading this, however I feel it read more like a Beauty and the Best retelling than it did Little Red Riding Hood, It had its similarities to Little Red Riding Hood but the whole “being sent away to live with a beast who doesn’t like people but ends up falling for you” thing is pretty much this entire book. I liked the book in the first few pages but once she went to go live with the wolf I found myself feeling bored and not as excited to keep reading as I usually am when a book has me gripped. I also found their relationship a bit boring as well. I really wished I liked it more but despite that I feel invested enough that I will be reading the sequel.

Loved this book so much that I immediately bought myself a physical copy. If you like retellings, give this one a go

Not for me, I'm afraid. I loved the idea of FOR THE WOLF, especially the Red Rding Hood/ Beauty and the Beast aspects, but the writing felt confused to me and I struggled to connect with Red or care about the plot.

For the Wolf is an amalgation of fairytales, creating a wonderful new one.

In For the Wolf, we meet Red, a Second Daughter and soon-to-be sacrifice to the Wilderwood. But when Red enters the Wilderwood on her 20th birthday, she soon realizes the Wilderwood and it’s warden, the Wolf, are very different from the stories she’s been told growing up. In the meantime, Neve, a First Daughter and soon-to-be queen, is willing to do everything it takes to have her sister, Red, returned to her from the Wilderwood.

For the Wolf is a wonderful mix of different fairytales and combines them in such a way that a unique story is created. There are hints of Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and even some Snow White in there, but the story itself is whimsical and wonderful enough to not make it just another retelling.

I loved all the characters, the good ones, the evil ones, and all the ones in between. Some of the storybuilding felt a bit rushed, but it didn’t bother me much - there was enough action and enough downtime to not get bored.

The story ended on a sort-of-cliffhanger - the one I like best, where there’s móstly a happy ending but there are still enough unsolved things to write a second book. I’m excited to return to the Wilderwood soon.

One thing I will have to warn about is that For the Wolf is marketed as Adult fantasy, but it is véry much YA. If you expect Adult, you might be very disappointed.

That being said, I think For the Wolf is a very solid YA fantasy novel and I’m excited go read the second book once it releases.

FOR THE WOLF is a mash-up of a <em>Little Red Riding Hood</em> retelling (as the cover and title heavily implies) and a<em> Beauty and the Beast</em> retelling. Despite the cover and title, I'd actually say it's got more <em>Beauty and the Beast</em> in it than <em>Little Red Riding Hood</em>. It does lean into that fairy-tale vibe with the lovely writing and eerie, snow-bound forest setting.

The book mostly follows Red (Redarys, but basically everyone calls her Red) as she enters the Wilderwood and discovers its secrets, and the real history and nature of the bargain. Plus she meets the surly Wolf and falls in love, but he's a self sacrificing matryr, determined to protect everyone no matter the personal cost.

Sprinkled in among her chapters are interludes from her sister Neve's perspective. I really liked these (and would have loved more), as they showed what was happening outside the Wilderwood, containing all the politics and backstabbing and intrigue of the court. Plus the second type of magic was present here, though it was never really delved into.

However, it is very much a retelling. From <em>Beauty and the Beast</em>, there is the magic mirror, the derelict castle, the romance after initial fear and antagonism, the return home and it all going wrong, and much more. And, partly for that reason and partly because it does play into (rather than on) a lot of genre tropes (like the past/truth of the mythology around the Wolf is not what everyone's been told), it was a pretty predictable read.

Some people might enjoy that, but I'd rather read a book where I can't predict the entire romance arc (and most of the big romantic moments/tropes used), who the villains are and what they want, and how the ending goes. I want some element of a book to completely surprise me - to feel utterly rooted in the world and setting so that it doesn't feel randomly chucked in, but to change my perspective on what's happened before.

So yes, it's an enjoyable enough read, and I really liked the setting, but it just felt like it was rehashing the same material that's been done endlessly without adding anything new.

"For the Wolf" had an interesting premise, but the story remained rather flat and predictable.

The romance aspect of the novel didn't really work for me and the lack of character development resulted in me remaining rather unattached to anyone.

For the Wolf was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I am happy to say that over all this book did not disappoint.

Hannah Whitten’s debut follows Red, the second daughter of a small country bordering up to the Wilderwood, a country small in all ways except for its religious power - and that power is cemented by Red’s upcoming sacrifice to the Wolf. A mystical being whom inhabits the woods, and keeps the demons inside of it.

I am not sure what I expected of this book, but I definitely did expect falling in love with the Wood more then the characters, and though both Red and Eammon are strong contenders for my affection I was mainly drawn in by the deeply unsettling and yet magical atmosphere of the Wilderwood.

I loved the writing of this book, and though parts of the pacing could have done with being sped up, and in other places slowed down, I mainly enjoyed this book for its beautiful writing and deeply atmospheric settings.
The feelings that were dredged up by each character practically leaped off the page, and the ending twist (thouhg a little predicatable) made me incredibly excited to see what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Whitten has created a dark retelling of two classic fairy tales, Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. I though the relationship between Red and Eammon was done realistically and tastefully, and that involving Neve in an important part of the plot was a good way of adding a new element to the old tales. The character of the Wilderwood was also very interesting. The plot was good and had enough new elements to still be gripping, despite the familiar notes. I'll definitely read the next book.

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an EARC of this book.

I'm afraid to say this book just wasn't for me. I've spent three weeks trying to read this and every time I'd push through a few pages and lose interest. So, I'm DNFing it at about 30% in.

I kept waiting for something to pick up and it just didn't catch in the way I hoped it would. I found Red's characterization lacking and though I had high hopes, as I've had friends read this and adore it, the atmospheric writing I was hoping for wasn't there. The established relationships in the first few chapters seemed unimportant in the greater scheme of things, described very factually but not always shown on the page. The only one I found convincing was the relationship between Red and her sister.

I suspect that this will work far better for a younger reader, as an introduction to the YA genre rather than a reader who's seen a lot of re-tellings through the years.

In my opinion, the writing in this book is fantastic. It's descriptive and very beautiful. I found it easy to imagine and place myself in the world. I was gripped by the characters and found the development fantastic.

"because monsters are real," she said. 'and even the wolf needs help sometimes."

4 stars.
As from the synopsis, we gather that there are 2 royal daughters, the first for the throne and the other for the wolf, but we don't know which is "good" and which is "bad".
It's a well written new fairytale about good overthrowing evil, what you presume from the cover is a red riding hood retelling, it is not. It's a bit like beauty and the beast, but also not. Kind of an edgy mixture of the two!
There's a lot of blood letting in this book and I'm not sure how all that rubbing in the dirt hasn't caused any infections, maybe it's clean dirt in the wilderwood?
Hannah Whittens writing is amazing, wonderful characters brought to life on the page with priestesses and princes who you want to hate and sidekicks you cheer on along the way. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the second book FOR THE THRONE.

‘The first daughter is for the throne. The second daughter is for the wolf.’ These two sentences reeled me in straight away. Completely intrigued I couldn’t help but read on. This dark fantasy is inspired by Red Riding Hood and we see little glimpses of Beauty and the Beast in there too. The writing is gorgeous, it’s rich and descriptive with lovely detailed imagery. The atmosphere created by author is fabulous and really sets the tone for the novel. The forest scenes are unearthly and eerie and you can sense how wild and powerful this entity is. The world building and magic system are amazing, if somewhat complicated, and I did get a tad confused and had to flick back in the story a few times to clarify a few pointers. However it’s really fascinating and I loved it’s dark gruesomeness.

The characters are brilliant and I really enjoyed them all, particularly our two main characters. Redarys has always known her purpose in life is to be sacrificed to the Wolf, the ‘monster’ living in Wilderwood. She’s pretty calm about this and takes everything in her stride entering the forest with dignity and a strong will to survive. She’s a fighter and her loyalty and bravery shone through. Eammon has some of my favourite lead male character traits, mysterious, dark and brooding, but kind and loyal too, and I enjoyed his character development throughout. The romance is a slow burn, it’s very wholesome and sweet and did not over-shadow the plot. I loved the connection Eammon and Red had with the Wilderwood, that it became part of them and fused and intensified their magic.

For the Wolf is an wonderful fantasy debut and although I’m looking forward to the sequel part of me wishes this had been a standalone. Whilst there is some closure here, a little bit of tweaking at the end was all that was needed to wrap it all up nicely into one book. However, that being said I will definitely be reaching for the next instalment and can confirm this is the perfect read for all dark fantasy lovers.

Thank you to the publisher to the eARC for review.

3.5 - 4 stars

Headlines:
Retelling hybrid
Oh for the love of great MCs
Confused world building

I've had to really think about my rating on For The Wolf because I've come out of it in a good place but the journey was sometimes confused by difficult world building layered in a way that wasn't intuitive. However, what this book brings in terms of characterisation is pretty great, with Eammon a large, gentle man battling to keep the wood in some kind of equilibrium and Redarys, an immediately likeable young woman who knew her own mind and her path.

This book felt like a fresh blend of traits from a number of well known fairytales in a hybrid that totally worked. It definitely felt like it's own story but I enjoyed the elements of familiarity when they popped up. The wood itself was a wild, powerful 'being' and there were moments of body horror (fleeting but present) but I felt all that really added to the wilderwood presence. The description opened up such imagery when reading that I had a really clear picture of how I felt this wild place looked.

There were important side characters, a few I liked and some I couldn't stand, nor was I meant to. I've come away from the story unsure how I feel about Neve but 100% invested in reading more in the next book.

I do just want to embelish a little on my world building problems and say that by the last quarter of the book, I was clear on what was what. I don't mind having to work for answers with a fantasy book but I did feel a lack of clarity at times that was irritating. This was a case of having to just go with the flow of side confusion to keep traction with the story until things were clearer and they did become clearer.

Overall, this is a good debut. If you start this book and feel some confusion, keep going, the story and the characters are worth it.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the early review copy.

The First Daughter is for the throne.
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.
And the Wolves are for the Wilderwood.

Red is the Second Daughter of the queen and being the second daughter means her fate has been sealed since the day she was born ... her destiny is to be sacrificed to the wolf in the Wilderwood. Red's kingdom hopes with this sacrifice the wolf will keep the safe from monsters and return the five kings, their Gods! Red doesn't fight it as she believes this is for the best anyway ... however she soon finds out that not all legends are true and the wolf isn't the danger she was led to believe.


I had such high hopes for this one going in and I am happy to say, it did not disappoint! For the wolf gave me all the little red riding hood mixed with beauty and the beast and a touch of snow white vibes and I was totally down for it!

This was such an atmospheric fairytale feel read .. Whitten's writing is stunning and vividly descriptive - the wilderwood felt like a character itself and the woodland setting so eerie and yet beautiful.

I loved the development of the slow burn relationship between Red and Eammon .. a lot .. more than I thought I would .. I enjoyed the sisterly bond between Red and her older sister Neve ... The plot and world building was spot on ... full of imagination, so compelling and gave me all the dark fairytale feels ... the magical system intriguing ... I loved the characters and I just adored the wilderwood!

Overall, For the wolf was a stunning and captivating debut novel full of eeriness, strong sisterly bonds, magical forests and an adorable romance ... highly recommend. I look forward to book 2.

Thank you Orbit Books and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There wasn’t a single redeeming quality for me when reading For The Wolf which is why I had to give it 1 star.

From the writing itself to the plot, I either found myself bored or confused. Queue flicking through the last 10% and every chapter with Neve.

The writing felt convoluted. As a reader I felt completely overwhelmed by the descriptions. I LOVE a descriptive book, but it felt like that’s all I was reading about. How moss snuck through the cracks and what the same white bark looked like on every tree.

The relationships I also didn’t care for. As always there is a romantic subplot but it didn’t feel genuine and like it was made to happen “just because” and I didn’t like any of the characters.

Really disappointed by this read and I wouldn’t recommend it but of course it will be someone else’s cup of tea.

A very promising debut from Whitten. I loved the concept as a twisted retelling of little read riding hood and beauty and the beast. Although will say the parallels were heavy handed at times. The setting of the Wilderwoods and the way it was described emphasize it as another character in the story, which is always an interesting feature. My main criticism is the pacing of the story was off, and didn’t allow much time for the reader to process the big reveals or speculate. I liked it enough and am curious enough to read the sequel, but it wouldn’t be on the top of my tbr list.