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A review by cosyqueer
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
5.0
I read this book in one sitting. It felt both WAY too short and like I'd been reading it for years (in the best way). This story was so impeccably paced, with characters surprising me at every turn, their intentions slowly falling apart and muddling along with their staunch beliefs. Every component in the book was crafted perfectly, especially the clear inspiration drawn from Hungarian and Jewish Mythology. I loved seeing the characters and their motivations collide with the solid, immovable nucleus of lore that Reid created.
My favourite part of this book is (and always is, say it with me, folks) the main character. From the first page, I was smitten with Évike's cockiness, her grit and her integrity. She enhanced every scene with her commentary and insanely relatable decisions and motives. Évike is an example of when the commonly used 'orphan-outcast-with-no-friends' character profile is executed perfectly, creating a whole living, breathing entity that readers can identify with.
The descriptions of the scenery were sublime (never gratuitous) and the dialogue was gritty and real. Not only did the plot/characters suprise and shock me but so did the writing! I was not expecting the (very tasteful) amount of gore/body horror or the (filthy) steamy scenes and I was absolutely giddy with it all.
I became addicted to the way this book made me feel; it had the perfect balance of literal, before-your-eyes magic and more metaphorical is-it-just-in-her-head magic, taking me back to my favourite middle grade stories that were all thick with allegories. The tone of this story was steadily dark, but had glimpses of innocence and of pure, blinding hope that felt extremely comforting and nostalgic to me.
I would recommend this book for adults who loved Ella Enchanted growing up and want a saucy, gory and insanely well-researched upgrade.
As a quick sidenote, the audio narration by Saskia Maarleveld was absolutely magical. They brought The Wolf and the Woodsman to life so expertly and made this dark, twisty tale completely unforgettable.
Thank you to PRH, Del Rey and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook, I'm eternally grateful.
My favourite part of this book is (and always is, say it with me, folks) the main character. From the first page, I was smitten with Évike's cockiness, her grit and her integrity. She enhanced every scene with her commentary and insanely relatable decisions and motives. Évike is an example of when the commonly used 'orphan-outcast-with-no-friends' character profile is executed perfectly, creating a whole living, breathing entity that readers can identify with.
The descriptions of the scenery were sublime (never gratuitous) and the dialogue was gritty and real. Not only did the plot/characters suprise and shock me but so did the writing! I was not expecting the (very tasteful) amount of gore/body horror or the (filthy) steamy scenes and I was absolutely giddy with it all.
I became addicted to the way this book made me feel; it had the perfect balance of literal, before-your-eyes magic and more metaphorical is-it-just-in-her-head magic, taking me back to my favourite middle grade stories that were all thick with allegories. The tone of this story was steadily dark, but had glimpses of innocence and of pure, blinding hope that felt extremely comforting and nostalgic to me.
I would recommend this book for adults who loved Ella Enchanted growing up and want a saucy, gory and insanely well-researched upgrade.
As a quick sidenote, the audio narration by Saskia Maarleveld was absolutely magical. They brought The Wolf and the Woodsman to life so expertly and made this dark, twisty tale completely unforgettable.
Thank you to PRH, Del Rey and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook, I'm eternally grateful.