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pepsigirl's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
morgangiesbrecht's review against another edition
4.0
A good Robin Hood retelling is always a treat!
After reading Cosette’s story in The Storyteller’s Daughter, I was eager to read about her spunky, outspoken younger sister, Anika.
I enjoyed Victoria’s take on the tale of Robin Hood. The plot was engaging and filled with a constant question about who the true villains and allies were.
The romance thread was sweet, although love triangles really aren’t my preferred trope. I was rather surprised by the outcome, which I won’t divulge for spoiler reasons.
All in all, a lovely tale, and I eagerly look forward to reading the next books in the series!
After reading Cosette’s story in The Storyteller’s Daughter, I was eager to read about her spunky, outspoken younger sister, Anika.
I enjoyed Victoria’s take on the tale of Robin Hood. The plot was engaging and filled with a constant question about who the true villains and allies were.
The romance thread was sweet, although love triangles really aren’t my preferred trope. I was rather surprised by the outcome, which I won’t divulge for spoiler reasons.
All in all, a lovely tale, and I eagerly look forward to reading the next books in the series!
midnightwritelight's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Imagine you’re a new member of the nobility, now in charge of your manor and the village surrounding it. The people are starving, a war has just ended, and allies are hard to find.
Oh, and there’s a dangerous magic awakening in the Woods that may possibly (very likely) have catastrophic consequences if released.
Follow Anika, the adventure-seeking heroine, as she uncovers the darkness in the Woods and discovers that not everything is black or white.
Anika was the definite star of Woods of Silver and Light. She’s strong-willed and can be reckless at times, but her best trait is how deeply she cares about those around her! Coupled with the beautiful Woods and two swoon-worthy potential suitors, this story is wonderfully intriguing!
Imagine you’re a new member of the nobility, now in charge of your manor and the village surrounding it. The people are starving, a war has just ended, and allies are hard to find.
Oh, and there’s a dangerous magic awakening in the Woods that may possibly (very likely) have catastrophic consequences if released.
Follow Anika, the adventure-seeking heroine, as she uncovers the darkness in the Woods and discovers that not everything is black or white.
Anika was the definite star of Woods of Silver and Light. She’s strong-willed and can be reckless at times, but her best trait is how deeply she cares about those around her! Coupled with the beautiful Woods and two swoon-worthy potential suitors, this story is wonderfully intriguing!
stay_truetoyourshelf's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good story, although the writing style was a little hard to understand sometimes.
I was excited to dive into the character of Anika. She has definitely grown as a character since the last book-I loved exploring her independence and love for her people. Her independence was my favorite aspect of her character-she is headstrong to a fault and would do anything for her people. I liked how her character is flawed in that way, it makes her more believable. The red-herring romance and robin hood elements added several lovely plot twists that kept me engaged. I would also recommend this one to fans of retellings.
I was excited to dive into the character of Anika. She has definitely grown as a character since the last book-I loved exploring her independence and love for her people. Her independence was my favorite aspect of her character-she is headstrong to a fault and would do anything for her people. I liked how her character is flawed in that way, it makes her more believable. The red-herring romance and robin hood elements added several lovely plot twists that kept me engaged. I would also recommend this one to fans of retellings.
womanon's review against another edition
3.0
This was such an enjoyable read. Robin Hood retellings are scarce, and this one was a delight. I loved returning to the same world, although we did explore new parts of it now. However, I couldn't properly get into Anika's voice, and I'm not sure why. I think I just didn't find anything of myself in her, and it made it hard to read at times. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the book, and I can definitely recommend it!
ashton_reads_'s review against another edition
3.0
“My mama always said that my sense of adventure would be the ruin of me. Perhaps she had been right all along.”
To be honest, I was disappointed in this book. But I also want to acknowledge that my disappointment might just be a me-problem, so please keep reading this!
Goodreads Synopsis:
Ronin’s son is dead, but a sorceress banished to the Woods can bring the child back if he and his Silver Raiders do something for her first. She finds there's nothing Ronin Hood won't do for his son…
Anika finds herself drawn to the mystery of the Woods and the thieves who live within, but the cost of associating with the Silver Raiders becomes higher than she's willing to pay. The darkness of the Woods seeps into the Raider's hearts, blurring the lines between hero and villain, until Anika's fight for freedom turns into a fight to survive the magic of the trees that should have never been awoken.
This isn't the tale of Robin Hood you remember.
I will address the things I flat-out liked first. I love the contrast between Anika, the main character, and her sister Cosette, the main character from The Storyteller’s Daughter (click here to read my review). I feel like I can see myself in elements of both sisters! Anika has snark, stubbornness, and a loyalty to her people that I love, and I completely agreed with the decisions she makes for her people; she goes about change the right way and stands her ground against those who are wrong, even if she loves them. This book maintains the unpredictability of the first book, especially when romance is involved, but the plot is also darker and the characters a bit more complex. Like the first book, the magical elements bring the other pieces of the book to life, and the Woods are an interesting addition to the world. And there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments too!
“A criminal with good intentions was a difficult person to stand against.”
Nowww for the icky things.
First off, the aforementioned romantic unpredictability… annoyed me. Like crazy. Because Anika doesn’t seem to have chemistry with either of her love interests. Yes, you heard right - there’s a love triangle, a very confusing love triangle. I was teetering back-in-forth between the two men but not in the good way; I couldn’t figure out who she even liked, at all. And then suddenly, she’s “smitten” (her words!) with one of them!! Out of nowhere?! There just isn’t enough romantic development between her and either of her “love interests” for either choice to be convincing.
Second, I’m actually not sure there was any character development at all. Although I liked Anika’s character, and her friend Elenora had some interesting development, everyone else felt static. I didn’t feel any connection to them; in fact, many of the characters’ decisions are irrational and lack any solid basis, like the characters’ emotions, circumstances, etc. Actually, I think my issue with this book is an overall lack of development. Where The Storyteller’s Daughter has conflict and romance and magic, Woods of Silver and Light lacked the depth I think the author was attempting with the morally grey characters and the darker twist on the “fairytale” she retold.
Perhaps that’s my problem, though. I LOVED The Storyteller’s Daughter - as in, it’s one of my favorite reads of 2021 (which is really saying something) and it means a lot to me and it has no flaws. So perhaps if I hadn’t read it beforehand, I would love this book for its glows and not be so bothered by its grows. Perhaps the irksome things wouldn’t have irked me so much. I don’t know, I don’t have those answers.
So those are all my thoughts. Ultimately, if you like magical Robin Hood retellings with a darker twist and lots of unpredictable moments, maybe you should still give this book a shot - you might see it a lot differently than I did - and be sure to read other reviews besides this one to get the full perspective! And I’ll leave you with one of those laugh-out-loud moments:
“I searched myself for a weapon, grabbing a heavy zucchini so at least I’d have something to throw.”
*I received an e-arc of this book on a tour by @tbrbeyondtours over on Instagram, check out their website
here for more tours and to find this tour’s giveaway! You can find my post for this book here. Thanks!*
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!
juliejanisbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun and intriguing one! Though I liked the first one better, this one still held my interest from the first chapter. This one focused less on the romance and more on the plot of the Silver Raiders vs. the nobels. It made for an interesting story! At first I wasn't sure what I thought of Anika at first but I grew to quickly like her. I enjoyed the mystery throughout it and the magic. The love triangle was unexpected but also a pleasant surprise. I honestly had no idea where it would go and I'm satisfied with the outcome (though it was sad at times). Definitely a fun story!
kathykekmrs's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book for free in place of an honest review. This takes place in a land of magic where magic gifts have been banned from use. There are raiders about stealing from the nobles, while wearing Wolf masks and hiding in the woods. A new Lady, Lady Anika inherits a manor and needs to rebuild her lands. She is encouraging her tenants to use their gifts to prosper as many families lost members in the recent war. As a result of riding out onto her lands she comes across the secrets of the Silver raiders and falls in love. There is another battle and the lands are Anika's.
hannahsophialin's review against another edition
4.0
The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.Anika was one of my favorite characters I wished had more page time in The Storyteller's Daughter with her love of adventure and fiery personality, so when I found out she would be the protagonist in Woods of Silver and Light, I knew I was going to enjoy her story more than I did Cosette's.
Woods of Silver and Light by Victoria McCombs is the sequel to her debut novel and the second novel in the Storyteller's Series. It's a stand-alone novel, but does have minor spoilers from The Storyteller's Daughter and is set in a timeline a few months after the first book's end when Anika has traveled away from her small village and family on her own to Wateredge Manor, originally given to Cosette and Rumpel for their efforts in the war. (They also make an appearance in this novel, which is a bonus because I adored Rumpel.) It's not necessary to read the first book to enjoy the second book, but I highly recommend doing so.
She's hoping for a new adventure, but she's also stuck navigating the waters of upper society now that she's a lady with a title with managing her own lands. She still flaunts the rules of society when she can get away with it, and unlike most of the nobles, she brings with her a far less privileged background that she uses to better the lives of those who live in her lands now that she has that same privilege. Honestly, I just love her so much and every moment she challenged the rest of the nobles with her quick and snappy remarks.
The adventure she's seeking for since leaving her town and family is finally granted when she spots a group of thieves at an event (boring, according to her) sneaking away and is immediately drawn to the Woods nearby. There, she meets the Silver Raiders, who steal from the rich and wealthy, and then distributes those among the poor. As she gets to know them, she is increasingly drawn to the Woods and finds out there's magic and danger that she's warned to stay far away from. But who is she to listen and stay out of trouble?
She still dives right in and develops relationships with Ronin and a few other Silver Raiders, but she also finds out she could be in bigger trouble for being associated with them, learning that in the Woods she's drawn to, Ronin and his Silver Raiders are hoping to bring back a banished sorcerer in exchange to bring back his dead son. I wish we could have gotten more details in the background of the sorcerer - while there was enough information and details, I feel it's a little... bare minimum, considering there is the additional mystery of Anika finding herself as someone's target.
Like the first novel, my biggest disappointment was the ending, which felt just as quick and abrupt as its predecessor. I didn't really notice loose ends if any, and the ending alludes to the setting of the third book that will be far from the setting of the first two books but also the possibility of being tied to Woods of Silver and Light. But overall, the sequel to The Storyteller's Daughter was an enjoyable read, and I'm more than likely to pick up the next novel in the series.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.
Woods of Silver and Light by Victoria McCombs is the sequel to her debut novel and the second novel in the Storyteller's Series. It's a stand-alone novel, but does have minor spoilers from The Storyteller's Daughter and is set in a timeline a few months after the first book's end when Anika has traveled away from her small village and family on her own to Wateredge Manor, originally given to Cosette and Rumpel for their efforts in the war. (They also make an appearance in this novel, which is a bonus because I adored Rumpel.) It's not necessary to read the first book to enjoy the second book, but I highly recommend doing so.
She's hoping for a new adventure, but she's also stuck navigating the waters of upper society now that she's a lady with a title with managing her own lands. She still flaunts the rules of society when she can get away with it, and unlike most of the nobles, she brings with her a far less privileged background that she uses to better the lives of those who live in her lands now that she has that same privilege. Honestly, I just love her so much and every moment she challenged the rest of the nobles with her quick and snappy remarks.
The adventure she's seeking for since leaving her town and family is finally granted when she spots a group of thieves at an event (boring, according to her) sneaking away and is immediately drawn to the Woods nearby. There, she meets the Silver Raiders, who steal from the rich and wealthy, and then distributes those among the poor. As she gets to know them, she is increasingly drawn to the Woods and finds out there's magic and danger that she's warned to stay far away from. But who is she to listen and stay out of trouble?
She still dives right in and develops relationships with Ronin and a few other Silver Raiders, but she also finds out she could be in bigger trouble for being associated with them, learning that in the Woods she's drawn to, Ronin and his Silver Raiders are hoping to bring back a banished sorcerer in exchange to bring back his dead son. I wish we could have gotten more details in the background of the sorcerer - while there was enough information and details, I feel it's a little... bare minimum, considering there is the additional mystery of Anika finding herself as someone's target.
Like the first novel, my biggest disappointment was the ending, which felt just as quick and abrupt as its predecessor. I didn't really notice loose ends if any, and the ending alludes to the setting of the third book that will be far from the setting of the first two books but also the possibility of being tied to Woods of Silver and Light. But overall, the sequel to The Storyteller's Daughter was an enjoyable read, and I'm more than likely to pick up the next novel in the series.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts.
moonfly's review against another edition
5.0
Robin Hood is one of my favourite tales, so I'm so happy to read such a new spin on the story. I particularly loved the woods themselves, and I wish I could visit them! Victoria McCombs has a way of describing places in such a way that paints a vivid picture in my mind, and the plot itself had so many twists and turns I was constantly surprised! I only wish it could have been longer, as sometimes I felt the story was a little rushed. I would highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 stars