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purpledaisies's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
siavahda's review
5.0
HIGHLIGHTS
~turns out you can be a deadly wolf shapeshifter AND a cinnamon roll
~Mythic Horror = beautiful evil
~nonbinary knights ftw!
~heed the magpies
~don’t stop running
My relationship with horror is not complicated: I don’t read or watch it, because I’m a total wimp.
…Except. Sometimes. Sometimes a premise is just too fucking good. Sometimes a premise or line or snippet of passage is so fucking good that it makes me brave enough to take a breath and take the plunge.
Folx, I am so, so glad I risked it this time, because The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt isn’t just going on my best-of-2021 list: it’s going on my next Best of the Decade list.
…I don’t even know where to start. Gods.
Well, I’m gonna start with the worldbuilding, because worldbuilding is my Thing, ’kay?
WORLDBUILDING
The impression that Wolfmoor’s world is generically Medieval Western Europe-esque dies pretty much instantly: yes, there are castles and nobility and knights, but this a queernorm world right down to its bones. Not only are same-sex pairings not noteworthy in this setting, neither are nonbinary people – the honorific for whom, by the way, is Maurr – who get to just exist here; we have a major nonbinary character in the main cast, but many of the so-minor-they’re-unnamed background characters use they/them pronouns too, and you don’t realise how revolutionary that is until you’re reading it and seeing it treated as completely normal. And Wolfmoor goes even further: group marriage is a normal part of this world, too, and the society is utterly gender-neutral in the same casually powerful way that it embraces nonbinary people – I’ve read books where women can be knights before, I don’t know how to explain what it is about Wolfmoor’s version that makes the existence of women knights pack such a punch here, especially when we see just one or two of them fairly briefly. But it does – pack a punch, that is.
That is not even close to all of the delicious gender-fuckery in this book: women can be knights, yes, and they can be noble – but Wolfmoor’s gone and made the titles gender-neutral as well. ‘Lord’ can refer to a woman or a man or a nonbinary person, and I got such a fucking thrill when it was revealed that the King of the Wild Hunt is a woman. It’s such a small thing, letting women use traditionally male titles; it seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is, because no matter how forward-thinking we believe ourselves to be, ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ have different connotations in our heads than ‘Lady’ and ‘Queen’. They just do. And in Medieval-esque settings, ladies and queens typically had less power than lords and kings. That’s not the case in this book, but…but maybe that lingers in my mind, because it felt to me like these women using – claiming – having male titles were reaching for or embracing a quality or power not traditionally, typically granted to women.
We’ve seen women as evil Queens before. But as a terrifying dark King?
I don’t know how to say what I mean. Can I just say it’s awesome?
THE STORY
The Wild King is relevant because Skythulf – who is a kind of shapeshifter called a scythewulf, able to shift between wolf and human forms at will, and considered bestial and sub-human because of it – is offered the choice of execution or running with the Wild Hunt as punishment for displeasing his queen. As you might have guessed, the vast majority of those who choose to run do not come back; and although at first glance it seems like an easy choice – nobody comes back from execution, whereas with the Wild Hunt you have a chance – I…am not sure I’d be brave enough to choose the run, myself.
Because the run may not do you the mercy of actually ending you.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~turns out you can be a deadly wolf shapeshifter AND a cinnamon roll
~Mythic Horror = beautiful evil
~nonbinary knights ftw!
~heed the magpies
~don’t stop running
My relationship with horror is not complicated: I don’t read or watch it, because I’m a total wimp.
…Except. Sometimes. Sometimes a premise is just too fucking good. Sometimes a premise or line or snippet of passage is so fucking good that it makes me brave enough to take a breath and take the plunge.
Folx, I am so, so glad I risked it this time, because The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt isn’t just going on my best-of-2021 list: it’s going on my next Best of the Decade list.
…I don’t even know where to start. Gods.
Well, I’m gonna start with the worldbuilding, because worldbuilding is my Thing, ’kay?
WORLDBUILDING
The impression that Wolfmoor’s world is generically Medieval Western Europe-esque dies pretty much instantly: yes, there are castles and nobility and knights, but this a queernorm world right down to its bones. Not only are same-sex pairings not noteworthy in this setting, neither are nonbinary people – the honorific for whom, by the way, is Maurr – who get to just exist here; we have a major nonbinary character in the main cast, but many of the so-minor-they’re-unnamed background characters use they/them pronouns too, and you don’t realise how revolutionary that is until you’re reading it and seeing it treated as completely normal. And Wolfmoor goes even further: group marriage is a normal part of this world, too, and the society is utterly gender-neutral in the same casually powerful way that it embraces nonbinary people – I’ve read books where women can be knights before, I don’t know how to explain what it is about Wolfmoor’s version that makes the existence of women knights pack such a punch here, especially when we see just one or two of them fairly briefly. But it does – pack a punch, that is.
That is not even close to all of the delicious gender-fuckery in this book: women can be knights, yes, and they can be noble – but Wolfmoor’s gone and made the titles gender-neutral as well. ‘Lord’ can refer to a woman or a man or a nonbinary person, and I got such a fucking thrill when it was revealed that the King of the Wild Hunt is a woman. It’s such a small thing, letting women use traditionally male titles; it seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is, because no matter how forward-thinking we believe ourselves to be, ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ have different connotations in our heads than ‘Lady’ and ‘Queen’. They just do. And in Medieval-esque settings, ladies and queens typically had less power than lords and kings. That’s not the case in this book, but…but maybe that lingers in my mind, because it felt to me like these women using – claiming – having male titles were reaching for or embracing a quality or power not traditionally, typically granted to women.
We’ve seen women as evil Queens before. But as a terrifying dark King?
I don’t know how to say what I mean. Can I just say it’s awesome?
THE STORY
The Wild King is relevant because Skythulf – who is a kind of shapeshifter called a scythewulf, able to shift between wolf and human forms at will, and considered bestial and sub-human because of it – is offered the choice of execution or running with the Wild Hunt as punishment for displeasing his queen. As you might have guessed, the vast majority of those who choose to run do not come back; and although at first glance it seems like an easy choice – nobody comes back from execution, whereas with the Wild Hunt you have a chance – I…am not sure I’d be brave enough to choose the run, myself.
Because the run may not do you the mercy of actually ending you.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
youshouldreadthisif's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
senqin's review
4.0
Welcome, unclean soul, says a chorus of voices overhead...Thou art granted passage into our land. Look not upon the Wild King with thine own eyes, else ye be blinded. Run true and speak not thine own name. If thou stray from the path, thy doom thou shalt earn, and thou shalt become one of the riders, unperishing.
★★★★
This book was really just like -- I present thee with a lycanthrope and a knight who are literally GOALS for queerplatonic life partners and watch! as they struggle to survive in a horrid gauntlet of bloody folklorish terrors all while trying to preserve the light that is their faith and love in each other in this seriously f*cked up world and honestly what more could you want out of a story?
— ♩♫♩ ~ Ufrior
kelseyjosund's review
4.0
You know you’re in a little corner of the internet when you’ve seen a book recommended So Many Times that you’re sure it’s a bestseller and then you find it on Goodreads and it only has a few dozen ratings!
Anyway, this was…I hesitate to say delightful, because it was dark and gory, but it was a quick read that I enjoyed. The queerplatonic relationship (and general casual queerness of the world) was refreshing. I suspect more avid readers of fantasy would pick up connections to the genre that I missed.
Anyway, this was…I hesitate to say delightful, because it was dark and gory, but it was a quick read that I enjoyed. The queerplatonic relationship (and general casual queerness of the world) was refreshing. I suspect more avid readers of fantasy would pick up connections to the genre that I missed.
terriaminute's review
I got this free via the author's newsletter, thank you! Alas, though I got to 49%, I am now slinking away, defeated by the language, but mostly by the trips back in memory plus the somewhat convoluted language. I don't have a very good feeling for the MC or for anyone he interacts with, except the knight, who is the best character.
I need main characters I can feel for. That's hard when I can't quite grasp the essence of one, any direction or desire beyond vague service. Ah well. I tried.
I need main characters I can feel for. That's hard when I can't quite grasp the essence of one, any direction or desire beyond vague service. Ah well. I tried.
alt_air's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Skythulf is a tough and endearing protagonist. He's that perfect mix of physically confident but emotionally vulnerable which makes the scenes with Brennus, his best friend and liege, really shine.
The worldbuilding is sketched well, giving just enough detail to feel lush in the small space of a novella. The accompanying illustrations perfectly fit the mood of the text. The sections in the forest during the Wild Hunt are particularly good, as are the flashbacks. Specifically, I love the way that the flashbacks are placed throughout, positioned to so they answer, implicitly or explicitly the trajectory of some emotion which has been expressed in the present.
The Wild Hunt itself is great, it would be my favorite thing were it not eclipsed by the bond between Skythulf and Brennus. I love the ending, it looks like this is intended to be a series and I hope that happens.
The worldbuilding is sketched well, giving just enough detail to feel lush in the small space of a novella. The accompanying illustrations perfectly fit the mood of the text. The sections in the forest during the Wild Hunt are particularly good, as are the flashbacks. Specifically, I love the way that the flashbacks are placed throughout, positioned to so they answer, implicitly or explicitly the trajectory of some emotion which has been expressed in the present.
The Wild Hunt itself is great, it would be my favorite thing were it not eclipsed by the bond between Skythulf and Brennus. I love the ending, it looks like this is intended to be a series and I hope that happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Murder, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Slavery and Rape
joreadsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read an ARC from the author
Content warning: blood, gore, body horror
Skythulf is a scythewulf, neither a man nor a beast, who must serve the Wild Hunt in order to regain his honor after killing an impostor nun. Told in flashbacks in a world where myths come to life, this dark fantasy light novel is not one to miss.
There is so much packed into this neat little horror package. The worldbuilding comes at you hard and fast, unfolding in vivid detail. Myths get introduced, stories told with folkloric prose, only to show up as character and plot events page later. It’s riveting and makes for a quick read, even with the short page count. The illustrations also lend a mythologic air to this story.
I also really enjoyed the relationships. There’s definitely a bit of a nature versus nurture when it comes to Skythulf and his thorniness. He has tenderness and honor in Brennus, and I loved the contrast in that relationship. One is very much of the world, while the other has been shunned by it. It’s beautiful amid the gory, violence pulled straight out of the aesthetics of Northern European folklore. I think what also helps is that the world is gentle towards those who are queer, and this bit of kindness doesn’t conflict with the otherwise intense story and world Wolfmoor presents.
Content warning: blood, gore, body horror
Skythulf is a scythewulf, neither a man nor a beast, who must serve the Wild Hunt in order to regain his honor after killing an impostor nun. Told in flashbacks in a world where myths come to life, this dark fantasy light novel is not one to miss.
There is so much packed into this neat little horror package. The worldbuilding comes at you hard and fast, unfolding in vivid detail. Myths get introduced, stories told with folkloric prose, only to show up as character and plot events page later. It’s riveting and makes for a quick read, even with the short page count. The illustrations also lend a mythologic air to this story.
I also really enjoyed the relationships. There’s definitely a bit of a nature versus nurture when it comes to Skythulf and his thorniness. He has tenderness and honor in Brennus, and I loved the contrast in that relationship. One is very much of the world, while the other has been shunned by it. It’s beautiful amid the gory, violence pulled straight out of the aesthetics of Northern European folklore. I think what also helps is that the world is gentle towards those who are queer, and this bit of kindness doesn’t conflict with the otherwise intense story and world Wolfmoor presents.