3.5 🌟 This book is a sort of mix between Little Red Riding Hood and The Beauty and the Beast. Red has always been destined to be sacrificed to the wolf because she is a second daughter. No one really knows what happens when she enters the wood, she is scared but she feels she has a strong affinity with it and she is so brave that she doesn’t run away but embraces her destiny. Of course the wolf is not a terrible beast but a beautiful young man with a great burden: he is the only one that can keep the shadows lurking in the wood away. Red immediately feels a connection with him and it is basically Insta love. It is definitely not my favorite trope but I must admit they are quite cute and they recognize in the other a person that can understand and support. The thing that bothered me a little is that there’s no a true villain till the very end, they basically fight shadows for the greatest part of the book and some of the scenes seemed the same to me. Though I found Red’s sister so interesting, she is ready to do anything to save Red and be with her again.. she was the morally Grey character this book needed! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

This is such a wondrous, compelling and endlessly exciting fantasy romance. It has so many incredible elements to it, a twist on Little Red Riding Hood and a little of Beauty and the Beast.

For The Wolf is an exhilarating, whirlwind adventure, with beautifully layered, intelligent and engaging characters. The world building, the legends and stories, the sacrifices, relationships and interactions all add an exceptionally intrinsic sense of magic to the book as a whole. It's fanciful, daring, slightly dark and wondrously enthralling.

It's one of those edgy, sensual and spectacular fantasy romance tales, that has you invested and engrossed from the opening sentence, right up until the very end. It's just so beautifully written, the varying, dominating personalities, the side players, the dramatic plot points and the darling thread of romance weaving throughout.

I absolutely loved this! One of my favourite parts was definitely the magic system, which was based on nature. The woodland setting was atmospheric and unsettling, and I really liked that the author tackled darker topics and themes, allowing her characters to be flawed and make questionable decisions. The slow-burn romance was perfect, the writing was good, and overall, I had a great time reading this.

My only main criticism is that the pacing felt a little off in parts. The story is told in two settings, and sometimes the events were going very quickly in one place and relatively slowly in the other, which meant that the two storylines didn’t always match up. Some of the plot points also felt illogical, and there were some passages I had to re-read to truly understand what was happening (although this may have more to do with my exam revision-addled brain than the book!). As a whole though, this was a fantastic read and I will definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out!

Content Warnings: blood and gore, self-harm (cutting skin for magical purposes), dead bodies, murder, death of a loved one

Red, a Second Daughter was going to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood, to keep the monsters at bay. The hope was that the Kings (their gods) would be returned to them. Red agreed to go for she was afraid of her power hurting someone. It turns out the Wolf is actually a man, the Kings are not what they think, and her power could be the blessing that saves them all.

Taking your attention hostage from the very beginning, the fairy tale feeling envelops you, but there is an unexpected absurdity to the situation that you will really like.

Gorgeous lyrical writing in a gothic-drenched narrative, with one of the most dangerous and scary forests you've ever read. Graciously tinged by a sweet melancholy and a little bit of the protagonist's warranted cynicism. The way Red's power is presented creates wonderful pictures in your mind, as does the figurative speech in general. The wordplay is so creative.

There are also delightful traits to the story and unanticipated superb characters. The clash of the protagonists' wills is something to behold, the makings of an unprecedented team. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, with intrigue tidbits keeping you engaged, almost like a mystery to solve. It breathes of quiet intensity. But when the excitement takes hold, boy is it fierce!

The story is well-rounded due to another POV with the Valleydan Interludes, so we can see what is happening back at Red's home. And Valleydan plays a more important role than you think.

This story is about finding and utilizing your inner power, overcoming your fears, and how forceful love can be in any form.

Birthed by a Red Riding Hood inspiration, this is story is a world of its own, with subtle nods to other tales. A breath-stealing beginning to a series promising to be exceptional. I have to say I adored this book.

Unfortunately, this isn't my cup of tea, even though I am a HUGE fan of fairy tales, fairy tale retellings, fantasy in general... But this felt like a very typical story, with our very typical characters, and I just couldn't take yet another same-old story that reminds me of other same-old stories.

20% in and I already don't like RED. She is already annoying, stubborn, the typical YA character for me. SPOILER ALERT: So, you know this is all practically a hoax and yet you want to remain in the forest? Yeah, right! Fuck my family, I'm going to stay with the Wolf who likes chilling in the library.

I do understand that someone may like this, and may think this is a fun, excellent, deliciously dark fairy tale retelling, but I do not feel that way at all. I felt the atmosphere was great in the beginning, but the descriptions started to get repetitive, and I got sick and tired of the moss, the trees, the branches, the blood...

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a chance to try this out.

It's been a while since I dropped everything to read a book that just arrived in the post that same day. But there is a lot to be said when that book has a dark, magical woods that is corrupted, is a mix of fairy tales that haven't been retold like this before and there's a potential monster boyfriend situation. I'm in.

I fell for this book in seconds of opening the book. I have mentioned in passing that I love a great opening line in a novel and it really has the potential to hook you from there. The first line of the book, set the mood of the entire story but also just spoke to my very soul; 'Two nights before she was sent to the Wolf, Red wore a dress the colour of blood.'

This is a fantastically written book and an even more powerful debut. It's clear where Hannah Whitten has taken her inspiration from and what elements she's using to craft this story but they fold together so well and the story drags you further and further in like the Wilderwood.

The story begin with the Second Daughter herself. Red, short for Redarys, is preparing herself for her inevitable sacrifice to the Wilderwood on the edge of the Queendom of Valleyda. Red has been prepped for this her whole life, not gaining much of a life due to it. Her twin. Neve or Neverah being the First Daughter and destined for the Throne. Opposing sister dynamics are some of my favourite things to see in SFF so this was something I loved from the very beginning.

Hannah Whitten has crafted a fairly brutal world here and it's pretty much displayed to us from the very beginning. Many years prior, a couple names Gaya and Ciaran, made a bargain with the Wilderwood in order to keep the monsters from the world in the forest and to bring the Five Kings back to maintain peace. These two were the first Wolf and Second Daughter, the tradition carrying on from a story of Ciaran bringing Gaya's desecrated corpse to the edge of the forest telling the people to send the next Second Daughter. Something I really loved was how Valleyda use this tradition to wield power over neighbouring countries.

There is a religion that surrounds the tradition of sending the Second Daughter to the Wilderwood called The Order. It is matriarchal in it's structure and is powerful due to it's association with the Wood which Valleyda it is noted by the characters that while it is the only power they have it's also a handy weapon. The border to the Wilderwood lies there. If the other countries want to remain safe and free of monsters, they had best respect this religion. I was really impressed with the subtlety here in the writing. There is a temptation to make religion a main feature of a fantasy novel but the small, sly ways The Order weaves it's influences among different countries like vines of the wood itself is honestly excellent.

Another superb part of the book is of course the characters and in particular the development of their relationships. Again, I love sibling dynamics in books particularly between sisters so the attention to them over the secondary relationships was a big bonus. We are told that the sisters have made an attempt to destroy the traditions and the Wilderwood before and they have kept the idea of breaking the trend alive for many years. Neve herself trying to free Red by organising a means to runaway in the very first pages. When Red enters the wood, the only person she tells she loves is her sister and her main determination is to eventually get back to her. Neve in turn, looking to use her time in the Throne to get Red out. The strength of their relationship is something I think pinning the story on was a fantastic choice.

And the relationship between the Wolf and Second Daughter? Excellent. Absolutely brilliant. We learn that the Wolf is called Eamonn and lives out his days in a crumbling ruin in the middle of the Wilderwood with two others. He and the wood are one. I know we're all used to hearing that the bad guy 'isn't all bad' but Eamonn is clearly not the bad guy here. Wolf he may be but he is quickly established as a kind, tenacious man with a good heart and a determination borne from years of fighiting back against the breaches within the Wilderwood. He and Red are well matched in wit, and in their shared need to have someone to relate to. Red comes from a neglectful parentage while Eamonn was born from a pair of fairytale characters and his duties built into his actual body. Their relationship is built on healing and sharing and I really want to see more of it.

The magic system and the fairy tales this reuses really deserve their own mention. Red has her own untamed nature magic, a different situation for a Second Daughter. It's shown to be this wild, feral type of magic that encourages plants to go wild, overwhelms her with dirt coming out of her mouth and is clearly linked to the Wilderwood. This contrasts really interestingly with Eamonn and his abilities as the Wolf where bleeding and bloodletting are needed from him to maintain control of the wood. It's an interesting dichotomy and definitely a different one that stands out. The fairy tales, was a nice mashup. There are clear parallels of Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty across this book but I do like the elements of Snow White and Rose Red in there as well woven into it. Just wanted to mention it, for my Fables and Robin McKinley fans.

I want to thank Orbit for sending me a copy, both via a NetGalley and a finished copy, for review. For the Wolf is out on the 3rd of June and is a must read for fans of Uprooted, Pans Labyrinth and Fables. Thanks for checking in folks and happy reading!

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Hannah Whitton, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of For The Wolf in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
It was very hard not to be swept away by the lavish and eerie settings contained in this novel. Absolutely beautifully written.
The storyline was amazing and hard to put down.
Stunning.
Well worth a read.

I was a bit intimidated by the size of this book, but this book did an amazing job of proving you should not judge a book by its size. It was drenched it a beautiful yet eerie surrounding, and I found myself being transported into this world while reading. The story was very compelling, and made me want to keep reading. There were a couple of slower parts, though, but I found them fitting for the story.

Redarys is two days away from turning twenty and from being sent into the Wilderwood, as several Second Daughters have been before her.

Red's sister Neve tries to convince her to run away, but Red has her own reasons for wanting to go, keeping her sister safe being one of them.

And so she goes, into the woods, to meet the Wolf. But the man who greets her is anything but what the legends have made him out to be.

Can they save the forest and the world beyond together? Or will Red's reluctance to use the power she has doom them all?

I was in tears by the end of this beautiful book. It hooked me right from the beginning, like I knew it would (I have a good Spidey-Sense for these things).

Not only does For the Wolf have beautiful writing, an amazing spooky atmosphere and a fun storyline, but it starts...*drum roll* WITH A BALL SCENE!!!

I am an absolute sucker for ball scenes, I will devour every single one like crazy and this one didn't disappoint. It was Red's 'glamorous' send-off and the place I first started hating Arick. Ah, sweet memories. More on that jerk later, moving on.

The first part of the book was worth ten billion stars. I was so convinced during the first 35-ish % that this would be a five star read. And then somewhere in between 40% and 70% the pace slowed down, dramatically so.

I wasn't too bothered, the book was still fun to read during those parts, but it didn't match the energy from the beginning. The one good thing that came out of it is the romance. Not a lot of time passed, but it felt like it had so it was more believable. They're cute together.

The ending picked back up in the last 20% to make up for the slower middle part. And as I said before, it made me cry. It was also a nice set up for the next book.

Okay, NOW I can talk about Arick. He gets the first mention instead of Red because he annoyed me so much. Right from the beginning when he grabbed her and said what he said AGH. No matter what he did after, he will never get on my good side.

Red is a good main character. She did frustrate me when she deemed herself a danger to her sister though. I wanted her to both run away and to go the forest...I suppose she had to meet Eammon to help either way.

Neve reminded me of Vanilla from the Sugar Sugar Rune manga/anime and I will say no more, lest I spoil it for someone who knows what I'm talking about. She's sweet like Vanilla, let's leave it at that.

I liked that she had her own interludes. Unfortunately they were so few and it seemed like a lot of things happened back home while we were with Red. I'd like to see more Neve's interludes in the next book.

Eammon was not...who he was supposed to be. I was partially disappointed because I was preparing to meet the man, the myth, the legend and then...yeah. He's not cruel. This isn't bad, I was just expecting the same "Send the next!" vibes. He's too giving, poor boy.

I'd also like to point out Kiri. Similar to Arick but the opposite. Liked her from the beginning and nothing could ruin her for me.

The other characters (Fife, Lyra, Raffe) were cool too. Raffe especially.

Let's wrap this up.

As a retelling, I think it's one of the stronger ones, even though there's two fairy tales in the mix. Both Little Red Riding Hood and The Beauty and the Beast.

You wood (no more tree puns, I promise) be wise to read this book if you like any of the above mentioned things. I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the Arc of For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten

This book had me intrigued from the very beginning. With a concept like - a dark adult retelling of Red Riding Hood it left me wanting to read this book as soon as possible.

Overall, I felt the author did an amazing job of taking a children's fairy tale and spinning it in a fashion suitable for adults. Dealing with themes such as sacrifice and loyalty to family and nation.

The vivid descriptions of the looming woods and sentient forest created a wonderfully dark and mysterious atmosphere. The author did well to steep her story in the lore of the land, creating a religion (bordering on cult) centred around the all-consuming forest and court politics that broke the story into two halves each focusing on a single sister.

However, while the concept of the story was intriguing and the writing read beautifully - the story struggled with pacing and engagement. As a reader, I found it difficult to understand the intricacies of the forest and the different types of trees that would appear and disappear. While I enjoyed the main two characters, I was never truly invested in their relationship. While I enjoyed the twist at the end, I never truly understood how it came to be and why it was significant.

Despite all of this, I would recommend this book to a reader interested in a dark fairytale retelling as the issues I listed regarding engagement and confusion might solely be on me as the reader. I did feel that this book has lots of potential and I am curious as to how the story will continue in book 2.

I love darker fairy tale retellings and the pitch for this book seemed right up my alley. Myths, magic, sacrifices, and eerie sentient woods? Count me right in. So, believe me, I’m honestly disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one more.

The premise itself is intriguing. Neverah (“Neve”) and Redarys (“Red”) are twin daughters of the Queen of Valleyda. Their nation is a cold country that’s famed for their temples, the ominous Wilderwood at their northern borders, and a sacrifice they are expected to make to appease the Wolf that lives within.

The religious faithful are preparing to honor a longstanding bargain that any Second Daughter born to the current ruler of Valledya must always be given up to the Wolf. They hope this tribute will be enough to keep the monsters that lurk within the Wilderwood away at the very least, and at most might even be enough to convince the Wolf to release the revered Five Kings they believe he is holding captive.

Red, the younger of the twins, has known all her life what is expected of her as the Second Daughter. She is resigned to her fate despite all of her sister’s urging to flee, and the moment she enters the Wilderwood on her twentieth birthday she truly believes her life is forfeit. But instead, she discovers that the current Wolf, Eammon, and the very Wilderwood itself are not what she imagined.

The worldbuilding throughout the novel was interesting but on the lighter side. I enjoyed the haunting setting of the Wilderwood, as well as the hints of the politics within Valledya and nations abroad. There were times, however, where the prose could be very clinical when describing important scenes and the very atmosphere itself. I often felt more like I was having events listed out to me rather than being immersed in the story with the characters.

Red and Eammon were a little flat as characters to me as well. Neither ever quite came alive on the page with much nuance. If you asked me to describe them, I’d half-heartedly mention the former is determined and the latter is self-sacrificial. It was also a bit of a turn off that in the latter half of the book, events surrounding these characters could have sudden changes in the sense of urgency. An issue that could have catastrophic consequences for Red, Eammon and their mission at large would be identified, and it would regularly be repeated how important it was act to solve this major issue – then it would be put aside temporarily in favor of melodrama or interpersonal moments that honestly didn’t develop them or the supporting characters that much.

This might be more of an issue of the plot prioritizing the romance over story progression, which isn’t technically a bad thing since this is a fantasy romance after all. But because the characters weren’t really developed enough to connect with, the lack of my emotional investment really became apparent. It was difficult to appreciate those moments when it seemed like it was detracting from much more pressing issues the narrative makes it clear they have to face. I just kept wanting to get back to the central conflict.

Neve, who was the focus of the interlude chapters, was probably the most vivid and enjoyable character to be honest, but that may have been because I preferred the court intrigue of her storyline in general. She has a fascinating character arc the ends in a way that I know there are very special things in store for her in the series ahead.

In regards to the rest of the storyline, there were twists and developments at the very end that definitely piqued my interest and look to lead to some very exciting things in the next book. This makes me eager to see where the story will go next despite my mixed feelings on this first one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book intrigued me, sounding somewhat like a Red Riding Hood combined with Sleeping Beauty. I anticipated tangled woods that needed magic to wake them, a nuanced heroine and a 'wolf' that broke the mould of brooding bad boy hero.

There were glimpses of this between the pages of this book, but unfortunately these were overshadowed by a magical concept that was as tangled as the thickets in the Wilderwood. The descriptions of the woods were incredibly atmospheric. However, this became somewhat repetitive as every time anyone went out into the wood, a guardian tree would disappear and a dark and evil being would surface. To rid the woods of these creatures blood is required, but Red can't let her blood be spilled so she needs to stay away from the creeping tendrils and grasping thorns, except when she's imprisoned and needs to escape, then she can absorb the woods power. But this power can also be removed from her and sometimes other people can wield the power. I don't think I ever really got a grasp on it at all. So much of the book revolved around this that the character development suffered. This meant that I wasn't really invested in the 'twin-soul' idea of Red and Eammon and their unearthly connection. It seemed to come from no-where.

I would have liked to learn more about Neve. There were some interesting ideas about religion and corrupt power in the chapters she featured in which really intrigued me. Perhaps this will be developed in the next book.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you Little, Brown Book group UK and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

‘’If you didn’t have to be here,’’ Eammon began, barely above a whisper. ‘’If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?’’
‘’If I could do anything I wanted,’’ Red answered, ‘’I would let my sister know I’m save.’’
Eammon’s sigh was shaky. ‘’I’m sorry, Red.’’
‘’I’m sorry, too,’’ she breathed.

For the wolf is a retelling, because I love retellings this book made me curious how the writer would tell this story.
I love the different points of view by Red and her sister Neve, to see how Red tries to live with Eammon in the Wilderwood and how Neve tries to save her sister from the wolf.
Another thing I liked very much is Eammon and what he is struggling with; he is a character I started to like, maybe even more than both sisters.

The writing style was something that pulled me in and out of this story. There were moments when I couldn’t put this book away like when I read the text above in the quote, but there were also a lot of times when I had to force myself to keep on reading because I found the writing style chaotic and it pulled me out of this story.

I was thorn when I had to rate this book because, for the most part I was flipping back and forth between 3 en 4 stars. And I made up my mind through to the end to give it 3,5*, but the ending made me decide to give it 3 stars because I was hoping it would be a standalone and it will be a duology.

This book is tagged as being for fans of Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale series. If this byline is what has got you excited to read the book then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed.
My thoughts on For the Wolf are very contradictive. I actually enjoyed the book but there are so many elements that didn't work for me.
Red is the second daughter in a royal bloodline and because of this is sent into the Wilderwood on her 20th birthday as a sacrifice for the Wolf. Her twin sister Neve is left behind and vows to get Red back. The relationship between these sisters is strong but as the story progresses there is no further character development between them and there bond becomes a case of us being told they love each other rather than being shown. This happens a lot through the book with the different relationships.

The story of the Wolf is more of a Beauty and the Beast retelling rather than a Red Riding Hood one. Other than a red cape, a wolf and a forest the story of Red Riding hood is pretty much lost.

This book is slow, very slow. It reads more like a YA than an adult book but the writing is beautiful, that's one thing I can say about this book. Although it is slow, repetitive and lacks character development it is beautiful to read and the descriptions of the forest and buildings are very well done. The forest itself is supposed to evoke feelings of unease and is given a horror element. As someone who can't stomach horror and is a baby with the thrills, this did not frighten me in the slightest.

One last objection I have for the book is the use of drink in the character of Neve. She uses it to curb the pain of losing her sister. Although this is geared toward an adult audience it really is more YA and a lot of younger readers will pick it up. I'm sure there is a better way to dull the pain.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for sending me a review copy of this book. (less)

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅...🐺 For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten 🐺

*Publishing date: 22nd July 2021*

Another book kindly approved for me to read by @NetGalley which I'm so grateful for. One of my favourite types of books to read are 'Fairytale Retellings' with Christina Henry being one of my favourite authors who successfully writes these (in my opinion).

This is a clever retelling of the classic Grimm story of Red Riding Hood! In this verison Red is the Second Daughter and fated for the wolf. She is offered as a sacrifice and in return he will give them their Kings (Gods) back, as according to the stories, he trapped them into the Wilderwood. Meanwhile, her twin sister Neve is the First Daughter and has been brought up knowing that one day she will take over from their mother as Queen.

Neve and Red together try to change Red's fate when they were 16. However, this wood can't be destroyed, instead it retaliates against them and results in Red obtaining strange powers which nearly kills Neve.

Red has now come to accept her fate as the sacrifice to the Wolf. Neve vows to find a way to get her back. However, upon entering the wood and meeting the wolf for the first time. Red quickly realises that the stories she was taught when she was younger may not be as accurate as she was led to believe.

The Wilderwood is no longer safe for anyone, there's a chance that creatures captured in the Shadowlands could be set lose. With the Wilderwood hungry for blood and Red struggling to control her power. How long will she be able to survive?!

From the moment I started reading this I was totally, 100% gripped and couldn't put it down! The world building in this is so well done! The pace of this book is just right leaving the reader hanging on! I often caught myself saying "Just one more chapter!" Before finally giving in to some much needed sleep!

My heart truly went out to the sisters who only have each other in this cruel world ❤ Red and Neve's character development throughout this book is just incredible. Two such strong and powerful female characters 💪I must confesd though... some of the plot is a bit predictable, but I feel that it's because I've read/watched a few Red Riding Hood retellings that I think it can be a challenge for authors to take readers by surprise.

E.g the wolf not actually being the bad guy, The character getting nicknamed red and using a cloak to symbolise the red hood.

The development of the wolf/Eammon in this story is brilliant and such a clever twist on the relationship between the classic story which we have all grown up with!

I loved this! It was such a fun fast paced story, this is a really great twist on Little Red Riding Hood.

I found the magic system a little hard to understand at first and the world building was a little overwhelming at times but easy enough to understand once you wrap your head around everything.

It’s very interesting and I loved the romance, and how far people are willing to go for those they love, I can’t wait to see how things pan out in the second book 🙈

I was looking forward to this novel since the moment I read the blurb on goodreads. The tag line itself is just so damn good, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and the plot called out to me with a force. I needed this book. My expectations might have been a little too high, I admit, because it sounded and looked so very much like Just My Thing.
In the end, it left me feeling disappointed. It was okay. But it easily could have been absolutely amazing, and the reasons why it fell flat for me are highly subjective.

Not to say that "For the Wolf" is a bad book, not at all. It brims with potential, and the world is complex, intriguing and atmospheric. I was immediately hooked at the beginning and I love the dark, eerie atmosphere of the Wilderwood especially. The world building is a little uneven and convoluted at times, but still generally well done and I inittally felt connected to the sisters, Redarys (Red) and Neverah (Neve).. The story is well-written, although it often reads a little too... modern for the setting. Some dialogues and the way the characters talk could have been written for a modern urban fantasy novel, which felt a little jarring in the dark fairytale-esque setting. I also wasn't a fan of the cursing in the book - not because of the cursing and swearing itself, I don't mind that at all, but because lore-friendly "fake" swear words tend to get on my nerves when they are used constantly, which happens in this book. Add to that some "real world" swearing and it just pulls you out of the story a bit. But this is a minor complaint and it's something I don't like in any fantasy novel. Still, the writing is beautiful and captivating.

So is the world, really. I love fairytale retellings of any kind, but especially if they take a darker approach, which this Red Riding Hood inspired tale definitely does. The nature magic, the sentient forest, the ancient bargains, the idea of a shadow world slowly wearing down the Wilderwood, the concept of faith and religion, I loved all of it. It gave me some Beauty and the Beast vibes too, which is an added bonus for those who love this fairytale - though I admit I was hoping for more, you know, Red Riding Hood in all of this.

The first real issue I had with "For the Wolf" relates to the world building insofar that the magic system seems to never be fully explained because it's constantly expanded on. It often seemed to me as if the magic does whatever is needed by the plot or the characters, which gives the impression that there aren't really any limitations or rules to it and the author just develops it as she goes.

Then, there is the plot itself. The novel has an amazing start and an action-packed finale, but the whole middle part of it is very repetitive. It seems like there's a strict template for everything that happens in the Wilderwood that allows for very little variation: The shadows attack a tree, Red or, most of the time, Eammon go into the woods and bleed on the tree, the tree is healed, the characters return and moan about the state of things and the toll it all takes on Eammon, repeat. Sometimes, shadow creatures emerge and have to be defeated by bleeding or magic. Sometimes, Eammon heals several trees at once. None of this really drives the plot forward until the moment the sister relationship between Neve and Red comes into play again - the one relationship that really got me hooked. Then, finally, the story seems to move along. The ending is, as I said before, action-packed, but somehow it doesn't manage to be really exciting. It feels more like a way to set up the sequel than a satisfying ending to a book, maybe because a lot of the bigger plot points are solved so... quietly, like they didn't really matter as much as the story made us think before (spoilery example: the whole 'the Wilderwood might take Eammon whole'-plotline).

But the biggest issue I had with this book were the characters. While I quite liked Red and Neve at first and continued to be really invested in their relationship, all the other characters were.... completely forgettable and entirely flat. And even though I like Red, she isn't really a complex character either. There is nothing that makes her stand out, nothing that makes her memorable. She is, in many aspects, more or less a blank slate. Neve is the much more interesting character to me personally, but she's not the protagonist. Here's hoping the sequel focuses on her - in that case, I'll read it for sure.

What drives this whole book for me is the aforementioned sister relationship, even though the actual focus of the book is supposed to be the romance between Red and Eammon, the Wolf. Sadly, I just really feel absolutely nothing for Eammon. I don't even actively dislike him. I was hoping for an intriguing character with lots of edges and grey morality. In the end, all the edges he could have had were taken from him the moment it was revealed that he wasn't the original Wolf but his innocent son.
I understand that Whitten wanted to show the parallel between him and Red - both are, in the end, victims of a bargain they didn't make, forced into a role they didn't choose. I actually liked this parallel a lot, but it left Eammon with nothing much going for him as a character. His whole existence is just sacrifice. He sacrifices himself for anything and anyone, bleeds and hurts for the forest and Red, and there is barely a page that doesn't remind us that he is a "self-martyring bastard" as the other characters keep calling him. Of course he has to fight this war all by himself. Of course he hurts himself over and over again for his cause. Of course every single character has to tell us how noble but pitiful his existence is. His character seems to exist purely for others, and Red especially, to both feel sorry for him and be in awe of his self-sacrificing heroic deeds. Honestly, it gets tiring really fast. Also, he's broody. Broody and sad and suffering. All the time. And somehow, we're supposed to believe Red falls for him so easily. And I admit I was pretty disappointed that he just is no wolf at all, not even a version of a wolf, it's simply a title that doesn't make sense for him and the lore explanation for this (Wolf is actually another word for Warden, basically) is just... meh. Meh.
All of that lead to me not enjoying their romance at all because I was so incredibly bored and yes, pretty annoyed at some point with Eammon, plus Red's whole personality seems to suddenly be limited to her growing feelings for him. Also, personally I rolled my eyes when they conveniently had to marry in order to somehow strengthen their magic, because it felt so tropey and fanfictioney.

The other characters were kind of there. They have potential but I really couldn't tell you much about them. Fife and Lyra especially peaked my interest but then they just never get fleshed out, and the only thing the novel focuses on is the complicated love between them. Sadly, I just can't care for a romance that doesn't first give me fleshed out, complex characters to be invested in. I also thought that Raffe would have a much bigger role at first, but in the end, the only thing we really know about him is that he loves Neve. Same with Arrick, really - his entire arc is based on being in love with Red, and there is really nothing at all to his character beyond that. All in all, the characters just lack actual character and personality and that kept me from feeling connected to any of them or caring about their fate. The villains, too, are flat and pretty tropey and at no point did I consider them threatening.

So to summarize, "For the Wolf" is a well written novel with a dark and eerie atmosphere, an intriguing world, an interesting underlying plot and a lot of potential to grow into something great in the sequel. But the slow pacing and repetitive plot that makes up the biggest part of the novel as well as the flat characters and uninspiring romance kept me from really enjoying the world Whitten builds.

I love stories set in a sentient forest so i was really looking forward to it.

I was invested for about 30% of the story, at which point it became excruciantingly boring and predictable. I found myself completely disengaged and couldnt bring myself to care for the characters.

I kindly received a copy of this by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For the Wolf reminded my of Beauty and the Beast. It has the same sort of idea of a 'monster' locked away in a forgotten world where the love of a girl, who sees him for what he is, saves him.

The world that Hannah Whitten creates is small, with just 2 main areas that the story is set in. The magical Wilderwood is a bit hard to get your head around initially. The way it is connected to the Wolf and how he has to heal it didn't sit well with me initially. It felt a bit vague how he was able to help it. However, later in the story where it is described in more detail, I found it much easier to understand. The idea of sentinel trees preventing rot/shadows is a bit abstract but as the story goes on I felt it became easier to get my head around.

The main character is likeable. She at sometimes is naive but at 20 years old that is to be expected. The Wolf is a highly interesting character and I'd love to know more about his life before this book. The love between the two of them was really pure and felt so natural in the writing - I was totally rooting (haha) for them half way through the book.

I'd have liked a bit more of the baddies in this book as it's mostly just word of mouth/fear passed through generations. I would love some more gorey monsters/battles/deeds to really set the scene for how terrible the Shadowlands is.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and I'm adding the second book to my TBR pile.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange of a honest review!

So, my friends have been hyping FOR THE WOLF to me for a year now, and I was so glad I had the chance to read it in advance! It’s a very dark and atmospheric adult fantasy book, with magical forests and shadow creatures and sisterly love and monster boyfriends and-

WELL. I loved this book.

It follows Red, the Second Daughter of the Valleydan Queen, who has her fate chosen since the moment she was born: she’s to be given as a sacrifice to the Wolf of the Wilderwood, the warden of a magical forest created to hold back ancient magic and creatures, in the hope he returns the world’s captured gods. She’s torn between feeling scared of what he’ll do to her (not a single Second Daughter has survived) and feeling relief for staying away from her loved ones, for she will never be able to hurt them… again.

FOR THE WOLF was a bit different from what I was expecting. I actually don’t know what I was expecting???? Villain romance, maybe???? It’s not exactly it. More like… “light monster boyfriend”, like the author herself said it. The romance is not secondary here – it’s one of the most important aspects of the book. And it was great??? Eammon is such a sweet fool, and Red is very much the stubborn protagonist I love to read about.

However, there is more to this book than just the romance. The worldbuilding is SO DAMN GOOD. I absolutely LOVE how the Wilderwood works, how magic in this world comes with a price and no one really can escape from it. Also, a lovely surprised was that most of the chapters are from Red’s point of view, but there are interludes throughout the book with Neve’s (Red’s twin sister) point of view and I think this made the book so rich. In those interludes, the author explores politics and power dynamics amongst the Valleydan elite and queendom, and it was very interesting to follow closely Neve’s steps and all the pressure she was feeling.

What I loved the most in this book was the relationship between Red and Neve, another great surprise. I went to this book expecting tons of romance, and I got out of it with one of my favorite sisterly relationships ever. Red and Neve love each other so much, and the motivations for their actions are so damn real and heart-wrenching and I just want to hug them.

One thing I would have liked to see more was the side characters. Maybe I was too attached to Red and Neve, but I couldn’t really connect with Lyra, Fife, Arick and Raffe as much as I wanted to. They don’t have much screen time, and when they do, they don’t shine as much as Red, Eammon or Neve. Hopefully they will be better developed in the sequel, and I’ll get to see the found family trope I’ve been craving for when I first met them.

Hannah’s writing is very good. I felt drawn to this book and its Wilderwood throughout the days it took me to read it, and very curious about what was going to happen, because there was so much at stake and I had no idea how the author would end the book. Let’s say that I was not disappointed. The ending was fantastic, and I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL OH MY GOD I just want my babies Red and Neve to be okay. Please let them be okay!!!!