Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an e-copy of this book.

This book is quite complex to review.

First of all, if you are expecting a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, this is not it. The main character’s name is Red, she wears a red hood and she is promised to the Wolf – who is not a wolf. And that’s the extent the retelling will go. I was surprised to recognise elements from The Beauty and The Beast, which, for some reason, keeps being the favourite fairy tale of all the writers and an infinite source of inspiration (screams into the wild: that’s enough!).

Well, bummer. This was a first point deduction to this story.

Another point deduction was the rather confusing introduction and info dump in the beginning, mixed with a super detailed description of the Wilderwood. Further down in the story, I am sorry to say, it didn’t get easier to grasp.

Red was a very weird character, who I couldn’t relate to. In the beginning of the story she has given up and accepted her destiny as a sacrifice for the Wolf. There are a series of quite dark chapters, including the creepy ceremony where she is prepared to be sent as an offer, and I was quite intrigued by the premises. I was able to turn a blind eye on the confusing settings, and I was ready for the ride but it didn’t get better. Once she finally enters the Wilderwoods and meets the Wolf she makes it quite clear she is there to stay and she doesn’t want to go. You are supposed to understand Red’s motivation to stay based on a short account of a very traumatic experience she and her sister Neve went through. One night they get drunk and enter the Wilderwood, you are given hints that something terrible happened, other than Red getting a spiritual and magical connection with the enchanted woods. The reader is given few details of that terrible event, chapter after chapter, after chapter… and then it’s the middle of the book and you still don’t know what the heck happened and why Red is so reluctant to go back.

I mean, you get to understand the full picture only when you are too far into the story, so it is difficult to fully get Red’s actions or stubborn behaviour. Instead, she just comes across as an immature and petulant child. And on top of that, you have a repetitive plot – so much blood spilt – and a magic system more and more puzzling.

Another thing that made me cringe was the swearing. I have no problems with swearing in general, but an s-word here and there further prevented me from taking the dramatic tones of the story seriously – or whatever these characters were saying.

The romance was bemusing. How the writer managed to do insta-love and slow-burn at the same time is a mystery. Anyway, it wasn’t even justifiable, because falling in love with someone just because he is broody (or because he constantly smells of coffee) is not enough for me (also he is not a wolf as promised).

I don’t think this book should be categorised as YA but it’s not even adult, probably something in the middle. I have to admit, it was a bit of a struggle to finish it, I almost DNF’ed at 40%. The pace of the story was too repetitive, the characters not fully developed and it just didn’t work for me. It saddens to say this – sigh. This was another highly awaited release of the summer, which didn’t live up to the hype.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4’5 stars
For the Wolf was a brilliant debut by Hannah F. Whitten. The story grabbed me instantly. I absolutely loved Hannah’s writing. The plot was fantastic. I found it very original and although it had a bit of back and forth in a couple of instances, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I can’t wait for the sequel!
I was intrigued by all the characters. One of the only faults that I find in this book is that I wanted a lot more backstory, not only on the Wilderwood itself but also on each of the characters in this book as well as previous Second Daughters as well as Eammon’s parents. I really hope we find more about all of them in the sequel. This was such a rich world, I just want more of everything!
I also really loved the romance in this book, it was the perfect degree of slow burn and I am, really excited to have more of their relationship in the sequel.
This book had some of my absolutely favourite tropes (enemies to lovers, slow burn, marriage of convenience and even what I can see shaping up to be found family in the sequel). The ending left me wanting so much more. For the Throne can’t come out soon enough!

What can I say? There are nods to Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. There is magic. There are monsters. What is there not to love?

This is the story of sisters Neve and Red, daughters of Queen Isla. The first daughter is for the throne and the second daughter is for the wolf. The Wilderwood is the magic forest where the wolf lives. It guards the Shadowland where the five Kings have been imprisoned and the sacrifice of the second daughter is supposed to secured the release of the Kings. There have been three second daughters before Red, and the Kings are still imprisoned. However, Red has a secret. Red has visited the forest before. She conceals a seed of magic.

When Red goes to meet her fate, she find that the wolf is a man, strong and handsome and full of magic. He is the warden of the wood and it is his magic that keeps the boundary secure, that stops the monsters escaping, his magic that binds him to the wood. So immediately we have two characters that are connected by legends - the legend of the wolf and the legend of the second daughter - two stories woven together like the branches on the trees of the Wilderwood.

The relationship between Red and the wolf is full of tension - will they fall in love or won't they?
He wants to protect her, but he doesn't want her to get close to him; he doesn't want her bound to the wood in the same way that he is. However, as Red grows to understand her power and her destiny, she realises that the wolf might, or might not, be able to have everything all his own way.

The other characters in the novel are well drawn, Neve, who will do anything to get her sister back. Fife and Lyra, who are companions of the wolf and, like him, are bound to the wood.

This is a terrific read, full of danger, excitement and blood and a fantasy novel. The only thing that stopped this being a five star for me was the number of times that Red chewed her lip. Such a little thing that does not prevent you racing to the end and wishing that the sequel was out now, but it just made me go, 'again?'

I loved this and the ending had me gasping for breath, I will be waiting with baited breath for the sequel.

Become entangled with the Wilderwood in this deliciously dark & atmospheric adult fantasy.

Red is a second daughter and, like any second daughter born to the ruling family of her Kingdom, she is waiting to be claimed or sacrificed to the Wolf in the wood in the belief that this will keep the resident nasties at bay and maybe convince the Wolf to release the ancient lost Kings.
Red fully expects to die fairly quickly either by something in the mystical & twisted wood or by the Wolf himself but it turns out to be not quite so simple. She isn't as cursed as she thought and perhaps the real danger is taking root back at home with her distraught sister.

Cue danger, darkness & body horror (the author has a list of content warnings) as well as lots of lovely angst & yearning and cool forest magic. And, although it has a few fairytale elements, it doesn't feel like a retelling or reimagining but it's own darkly glorious thing.

I was in just the right mood for this- I loved the dark woodsy atmosphere that seemed to entangle & enclose me as I was reading; the mysteries & conspiracies to uncover; the characters to root for (pun intended) or against.

For the Throne can't come soon enough.

I'm a sucker when it comes to retellings. They're one of my favourite types of books to read. The writing in this book was beautiful. The book was creepy and captivating.

The magic system in this book was fscinating and easy to follow. I absolutely lover Red and Eammon. They were so well suited for each other. I loved how their love story was a hard battle and not just an instant thing. This isnt a romance book but the love story in it was great.

I loved every character in this book every single one was well written.

I'm excited to see where the next book takes us. Overall i really enjoyed this book

The first daughter is for the throne.

The second daughter is for the wolf.

The wolves are for the Wilderwood.

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten was for sure one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It was stated as a red riding retelling and I was giddy with excitement. As a child it was one of my favourite fairy tales…the innocence of Red and the wicked ways of the big bad wolf…tell me who could resist? Hannah Whitton’s writing was hypnotic and melodic. I was transported to a world that made the impossible possible.

The author had the ingredients that would surely blow my mind. A Red Riding Hood retelling. Sentient trees. An age-old tradition. It’s shrouded in myth and foreboding, and I couldn’t wait to get into the guts of the story. Red is the second daughter of the Royal Family and as tradition and protocol insist, the second daughter must be sacrificed to the wolf who resides in the Wilderwood. Red has a burden to bare and she feels this is the necessary outcome to protect her sister Neve, from something that happened three years ago…something that occurred in the very woods she will be sacrificed to.

For the Wolf is an ambitious fantasy that examines the intricacies of sibling relationships, long-standing traditions, the influence of faith and religion and mythology. They all interconnected, and it gave a well-rounded situational reasoning behind the plot. Neve and Red clearly have a close and connected relationship to the point that one will sacrifice themselves to save the other. Its not often that you experience such a selfless relationship in fantasy, and it enhanced the story for me…it made it more human. Whitten’s perfect prose was what really stood out. The imagery, the descriptions and the magic brought it all to life.

As much as I wanted to love For the Wolf, there was just a few things that weren’t connecting with me. I wasn’t really enjoying the character of Red all that much. Yes, she’s going through a shitty time and yes it must be exceedingly difficult knowing that you are going to be sacrificed to a wolf, but jeez, was she angsty, kind of self-entitled and a bit of a brat. It seems like everyone is bending over backwards for her while she wants to stay firm with her decisions…urgh.

The other thing that really occurred to me about halfway through the book was how little it really resembled a Red Riding Hood retelling BUT I really noticed similarities between this story and Beauty and the Beast. I think it’s been mismarketed a tad.

Thank you Orbit Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read For the Wolf; sadly this isn't a book I felt able to finish but I appreciate the opportunity all the less.

I really really tried to like this book and to keep going with it but I just found that I began to skim pages, hoping to get to an interesting bit or something that would hook me into this book but I just couldn't find it. I feel like the author was trying to make the book creepy and atmospheric, which is all well and good, but at 50% into the book I felt we should have more than that and have some idea of a plot. All I know is the second daughter gets sacrificed and they have to bleed on some trees. I read 50% of this book and that's all I can sum it down to.

I hadn't realised this was an Adult book but honestly at times it felt like YA and this is part of where the problem lie that it didn't quite seem to know what it wanted to be.

Sadly this wasn't a winner for me but i'm sure others will love it.

Out 3 June 2021.

I can’t actually say anything negative about this book. It was fine. The characters were interesting, as was the plot - I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it, so it took me over a month to finish it.
I’ll pick it up another time and give it a second chance because I think I could really enjoy it.

'The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.'

Wow.

When I saw that this book had been compared with Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale (two of my favourite books!) I was apprehensive - but this book deserves to be up there!

For The Wolf is an engrossing, magical and soulful story which will be difficult for lovers of fantasy and slow burn romances to put down. The characters are well rounded and likeable, the plot is rich and layered and the setting is glorious. I would be running to live the in the Wilderwood too!

I enjoyed the depth the author has gone into in terms of the myth and magical system of the story - the way that the connections of the Wilderwood and the Shadowlands work was not predictable and was refreshing to read.

Eamonn and Red's story is beautiful. I really enjoyed the fact that they didn't behave stereotypically - a woman can save the man too! - and the male characters were loving and protective without being toxic and alpha. Again, the romance was really refreshing and handled with great care.

If you enjoy fantasy, slow burn romance, with strong female characters and respectful males - you will really love this!

I can't wait for book two.

I loved this! A really interesting mix of fairytales, more beauty and the beast than anything it's got all the ingredients you love to see, a wicked witch, a precaious throne and a hunated forest among others. The world building is a tiny bit heavy-handed and there was a second (smaller) POV I didn't like as much as the first but the dialogue was excellent, the romance was very sweet and it was the perfect dose of escapsim.

It's already been said but if you like Naomi Novak or Katherine Arden's books you'll like this one. I'm excited for the next in the series too, though this doesn't end on a cliffhnager which was a releif.

For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten is an intense fantasy tale that teases the reader with hints of the familiar, but is something wonderful in its own right.
The tradition has held for centuries, the first daughter is for the throne, the second for the Wolf. For the first time in over a century the Queen has two daughters, and both know their fates. As the oldest twin Neve is destined to rule while her younger sister Red will be sacrificed for the good of the country, in an effort to appease the Wolf who patrols the Wilderwood on the edge of the kingdom, and protects it from the Shadowlands and the monsters that lie beneath. If the sacrifice is pleasing enough, the Priestesses hope that the Wolf will release the Five Kings who were taken prisoner centuries before. While the myths and traditions that have developed over the intervening years have shaped the fates of several princesses as well as that of the nation as a whole, Red and Neve will discover that the truth that lies behind them is darker than either of them ever believed.
This is a powerful work of fantasy that opens strongly with a dramatic encounter in the woods, where we meet the sisters . The majority of the story is told from Red's perspective, but even after she travels into the Wilderwood we do get some brief interludes from Neve's perspective. As I mentioned previously there are aspects of the story that hark back to familiar fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and even Snow White, but the author does a fantastic job of breathing new life into these old stories and using them as a jumping off point into something different, but just as dark and macabre as the original Grimm's tales. I do feel that the pace slowed a little in the beginning and although the author clearly put a lot of effort into building a world with its own customs, history and religion, some of these details were not made clear for the reader soon enough, so much so that I struggled to maintain interest in the middle of the book. Once more of the background was made clear, it meant the story made a lot more sense and I was more engaged as the book came to its dramatic conclusion.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.

For The Wolf follows Redarys (Red) as she approaches her birthday and awaits the arrival of ‘the mark’ which will call her to the Wilderwood as a sacrifice to the Wolf, thereby saving her kingdom from monsters of legend.

When she enters the wood, Red is surprised to find that the Wolf is a man not the monster she has heard stories of, that magic is real and that there is so much more to the legends than she had previously been taught.

This story is beautifully crafted and builds a fascinating supernatural world, with fairytale elements (similarities to both Red Riding Hood and Beauty & the Beast) but a more mature approach to romance, the way the characters interact and darker themes.

There is so much drama and tension, Hannah Whitten keeps you hooked and rooting for both Red and Eammon as the story develops.

It also ends on quite the cliff-hanger and I really can’t wait for book 2!

Hopefully, that will include a map of the kingdom – it would be great to see more of the world the author envisions in later books.

Okay! This was a surprisingly enjoyable book! Very atmospheric and perfect for killing time. I am not familiar with the original red riding hood storyline so I cannot comment on that. I am definitely interested enough to continue and recommend this book to anyone who wants to forget their surroundings for a few hours.

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in return for a fair review.

For The Wolf is a skilfully woven fantasy, with echoes of fairytales you think you recognise, whilst being at its heart a wholly original story. Themes of blood and sacrifice, with cutting and bloodletting used to fuel a Magic system rooted in nature (pun intended).

Twin sisters, one set to ascend to the throne, one to be a sacrifice.
Red is the Second Daughter, fated since birth to be a sacrifice to the Wolf of the Wilderwood, in return for containing the monsters in the Shadowlands beneath the wood. The full purpose of the sacrifice is unclear, lost in the passage of time, but the Priestesses say perhaps this time the sacrifice will be enough for the Wolf to release the Five Kings taken prisoner by the Wilderwood 400 years before. Red and her sister Neve don’t believe in the old stories, but they are soon to find out the deeper hidden truths that lie beneath the legends. Monsters are real, but sometimes the biggest monsters are people!

I really enjoyed every moment of this novel, the well drawn characters dealing with trauma and emotional turmoil, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. I loved the romantic elements, underpinned by strong themes of choice and consent.

Firstly, thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC! Much appreciated and honoured at the same time!
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I did enjoy the ending much more than the beginning. It took me forever to finish it. The writing style is very poetic and the author really went into describing the surroundings. Great description but it might have been a bit shorter. It really depends on what you personally like! I do enjoy a good description but so many mentions about the forest just made me sight.
Lets talk about the plot. Be aware that there a lot of bleeding and cutting is mentioned in the book! I did not have any problem with that, but some people might.
Red, The Second Daughter, was an interesting character. I wouldn't put her in a strong female protagonist category thou. More like caring about others one? She was meant to be sent off to the woods because she was the second daughter but the reason Red didn't go against it, was to protect her family from herself and her magic.
Neve, Red's sister, meant for the throne. Her main purpose was to bring her sister back. But I do not think that we really needed to read her point of view for like the first 200 pages. It felt like reading the same story twice. She did earn my attention at the end of the book. Neve actually ended up sacrificing herself and ended up in the Shadowland. It hit a chord and sparked my attention to look forward to the sequel!
The Wolf. He doesn't stand a chance against my older book boyfriends. He was really caring and kindhearted, which is just not my type. He did his best to take care of Red from day one, even though she might have not realised it at first. Red grew more as a character but Wolf opened himself, showed that he as vulnerable as the rest of the characters. Especially thinking about all the myths people made about him being a cruel murderer, who refused to release the Kings.
It did feel like a fairytale. I might not have enjoyed the first few pages but I did not expect the ending! It kinda left us with a cliffhanger but the author gave us some clues of what to expect in the sequel.
If you enjoy a slow burn romance and a poetic take on the surrounding - I would definitely give it a go! It might not be the quickest read but it will be hard to put it down!

I read the ARC for “For the Wolf” in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the feeling this book gave me. You know a book is going to be good if the feeling is right and I had it with this one. It is about a dark magical forest and gave me the same feeling as “Uprooted” by Naomi Novik.

If I have to compare it to classical stories though, it would be a mix between the Red Riding Hood and The Beauty and the Beast, and I loved the remake into a lot darker setting and more magic.

The Female Main Charachter is called Red and is a really relateable characters, though sometimes I didn‘t quite understand some of her thoughts. As could be said for The Wolf. I really liked him and he will be one of my book boyfriends from now on, but sometimes some of his thoughts also were kinda baffling.

What i really loved was the whole history of the forest and how it affected the believes of the people. And also how far people would go for the ones they love or what they believe in.

Overall I loved the book and I am excited to read the second book.

Hannah Whitten weaves a captivating debut through a blend of two classic tales: Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood, seamlessly put together into an un-put-down-able adult fairy tale that touches the themes of love, loss, and duty.

Truly a masterpiece that deserves to be in everyone's TBR list.

I have received an eArc of this book through NetGalley in exchange of a honest review.

The review is the following and will be published May 21st both in English and Italian on Instagram, my personal blog and Goodreads (all links on my profile), to comply with the publisher will of not posting any review before two weeks from the release ( If I can post it before, please, let me know).

"For the Wolf" it's not an YA and I'm glad of it. It was what draw me in reading this book and I'm happy to see it wasn't disproved. However, even if it' isn't an YA in its fullness, it has some YA elements, especially when it comes to the main romance.
But I'll start from the beginning.

The book is advertised as a retelling of Red Riding Hood but that's not quite right. If you have been drawn to it because of that you could have a minor disappointment. If you didn't want to read it for the same reason, don't worry, because it's a really mild retelling. The main elements that have been taken from the tale are the characteristic red cloak, a forest and the name "Wolf". The rest is an original tale with elements from Snowhite and The Beauty and The Beast (kind of).
It was clear for me that the author wanted to set an atmosphere halfway between a fairy-tale and a horror story. The description of the woods and some events are written as if trying to obtain a horror and upsetting vibe, but it wasn't quite reached.for me.
The story it's kind of predictable, but not too much, so you are able to enjoy the twists.

However the main issue for me was the narrative rhythm and scarce worldbuilding. The latter is quite poor, but I'll explain myself better.
I see a recent trend in fantasy books confusing worldbuilding with mythology. But myths are just a part of worldbuilging. An important part, certainly, but not the only one.
A compelling world building is one that shows the reader lots of aspects of the world the story is set in: geography, well-described settings, etc. It's also one that gives the idea of a large world with its political and economical mechanisms and history. Hannah Whitten does a nice job in the historical and mythological part, but it's kind of repetitive focusing on three or four elements. Maybe it will be deepened in the other books, but the approach to worldbuilding here doesn't convince me.
Then, the geographical part it's quite poor. We have three settings and the one that it's described best is the forest, but I feel that there could have been more to it, especially if some repetitve concepts were left out.

Here I come to the second issue: the rhythm of the story. It started quite well. A bit of info dumping but that's is often normal and necessary even if I appreciate more a different and diluted approach. The thing is that this info dumping continued through 30% of the book, some concepts were repeated too often when it was n0t necessary and some conclusions where easy to draw for the reader, while for Red it took almost the entire book. This last part could be ok if well told, but I felt it wasn't compelling as it could have due to the repetitions, as I've said before. I found the pace slow and sometimes a little bit boring with little insight on events and characters to justify it. Again,i f some concepts that had already been written hadn't been repeated it would have worked better, at least for me.

Next; the romance. The pair Red-Wolf it's quite obvious from the start and that's totally fine, it could be the reason you would want to read the book. The "problem" here is that it's again quite repetitive in its dynamics: getting close-walk through the forest-danger.-getting apart and so on. It becomes quite frustrating reading about Red saying the same things to the Wolf over and over. And I think that when they finally get there, this incredibile love that has presumably grown can't be felt so much by the readers. And that's maybe because even if it's a character driven plot the glimpses on the characters psychology are focused on the same elements over and over.
That is also linked to the next thing: the relationship between Red and Neve. It should be the strong link that stirs the plot, but it's based on the reader inconditional trust that this relationship is strong as it's been said. You do not have time to really appreciate the love between the two sisters, you can only take the author's word on that. It's like it's being said: "They are sister and they love each other. Accept it. I can't show it to you now through in depth memories and all". And we are talking about a 464 pages book, so there should have been time.

So, those are the critical points in the book, according to me: rhythm (even if it gets better in the last 20%), worldbuilding (too scarce even for a first book), some writing regarding relationships. There are some nice ideas and the style is good, but overall it could have been better structured so that every aspect could be enjoyed and repetitions avoided.

That been said, I don't think this is a "bad" fantasy book. I have read some bad-written, bad-developed fantasy novels and this is better than those. I didn't really liked it, even if I was ready to love it, as always with the books I read.
The horror elements are a nice touch, I wish they would have been better placed and more vividly described I hope it will happen in the sequels.
The mythology and magic linked to the forest is well thought but I hope it will be deepened (for example more insights on the religious system, because it's quite strange how it could stand like this. Again the reader it's asked to trust what's been said even if the info are little and the historical facts are superficial).
The secondary characters have the potential for developing and seem quite interesting so I hope it will be given them some space to be known by the reader.
I also hope to see more about Neve and Red past because it was only mentioned focusing on the same points. The same goes with the Wolf.

I will read the sequels to see where they will end and I'm curious about that, but this is not a book I would recommend to those who love a balance between a well written world building and in depth character developement as do I.
However I think it could be enjoyed as a light read from those who appreciated "The Lunar Chronciles", even if it's quite diffrent from those and even If I appreciated more "Cinder" than "For The Wolf".

The overall vote Is 2.5/5
I didn't dislike it, but I didn't like it either. It's almost there but not quite; I am curious to see how the author will grow.

For the Wolf is a story of a Second Daughter 'Red' who has to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in order to keep her town safe and in hopes of the Wolf finding her a good enough sacrifice that he will realise the captured Gods, that were taken from the world centuries ago.

Red gives herself over to the Wolf in hopes of being able to control a power the Wood had given her. At least in the Wood she can protect those she loves by never being the one to hurt them, but now she just has to survive the Wood and the Wolf.

But not all is at it seems when Red finally meets the Wolf and discovers the past she has been taught is not one that is completely true. Now armed with the truth and learning to control her power she must decide how to use her gifts and who she can really trust.

I think this was described as a 'Red Riding Hood' retelling , but for me I'd describe this as Red Riding Hood meets Beauty and the Beast, there's little elements of both and I can say I really enjoyed these aspects.

I loved the world building, there's some really nice descriptions and sentences through out. It took me a while to really come to grips with the magic system and what was happening in the Woods though.

Red was a favorite character, I loved her bravery and her will to do good to matter what. The connection between her and the Wolf was really well done, I was rooting for them both from the very beginning, even though it was slow burn I was still all for it.

I got through this one pretty quickly, the pace for me was just right. Enough action going on that I was never bored, but still enough character development going on that I became really invested in Red and the Wolf.

The dark and atmospheric moments really had me captivated. There's nothing I love more than a tortured monster, especially one who gets on his knees.

The ending has me desperate for book two, I cant wait to pick it up, I hope book two has an equally pretty cover!

I really enjoyed this one, I didn't put the thing down. This is a definite one to recommend.

Thank you so much to Little Brown Book Group, Orbit UK and Netgalley for an E-arc of this.