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gnarly_cinnamonroll's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A spitfire main character tries to grow confidence in her own abilities, but fear remains a huge hurdle as she tries to understand the world around her and her budding romance with a wolf-man.
I love the idea of this book, but I wish thatthere had been more development between Red and Eammon. I found that I was frustrated with the lack of communication between the two, and was more invested in the relationship of Fife and Lyra. I loved the relationship between Neve and Red- I'm glad that the perspective switched between the two sister's in the book. The writing in the book felt reminiscent of fairytales and made me curious to learn more about the world.
I love the idea of this book, but I wish that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Self harm
gray_hamilton's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Whitens writing is gorgeous, however was a bit slow for me and I wasn’t particularly captivated by the plot, (just not for me!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Blood, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
lilacandgray's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
butilikeit's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Confinement, Self harm, Blood, and Death of parent
becksbecks's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Fun ideas, not very well written. Fight scenes seem to jump around too much and description seems to be missing which almost made me feel dizzy and lost while reading. On the other hand, character traits are definitely told (multiple times) and not shown, and the world is not developed enough to be convincing or intriguing , leading to a boring and confusing read overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
reclusivebookslug's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I liked:
- Provided an overall fun reading experience; helped get me out of a reading slump
- Great set-up, especially with the religion that's built up around the magical elements
- Themes about the power of choice and autonomy
What I didn't like:
- Feels like a book that wants to stand on its own but still ends up requiring reading more of the series to feel complete or meaningful (part assumption, as I haven't read the rest of the series yet)
- Romance felt pretty generic
- World-building became a bit difficult to understand and it's thematic resonance was unclear; overall, didn't quite stick the landing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Gore
eenicem's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Self harm
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
xvicesx's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Really didn't care much for this. It seems like there was more story in the interludes than there was in the "main" part, and Neve was more of a heroine than Red could ever dream of being.
There were a whole bunch of things that didn't quite make sense to me such as Eamon swearing "Kings" which didn't really have its place seeing they were just a bunch of random people to him, not actual gods. The desperate need of the people (as a whole) in the forest city to escape also didn't have its place because they had more than everything they needed to not just survive but actually thrive.
Overall, to me it felt like the author had a good idea, but failed to deliver. It would have been interesting to see Red learn to exist, to not have to consider the expiration date on her life, and maybe to see some real relationship grow between her and the Wolf. As it was, it felt very forced.
Dunno. Maybe it's just me, but this one feels like a flop.
There were a whole bunch of things that didn't quite make sense to me such as Eamon swearing "Kings" which didn't really have its place seeing they were just a bunch of random people to him, not actual gods. The desperate need of the people (as a whole) in the forest city to escape also didn't have its place because they had more than everything they needed to not just survive but actually thrive.
Overall, to me it felt like the author had a good idea, but failed to deliver. It would have been interesting to see Red learn to exist, to not have to consider the expiration date on her life, and maybe to see some real relationship grow between her and the Wolf. As it was, it felt very forced.
Dunno. Maybe it's just me, but this one feels like a flop.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, Self harm, and Blood
missdeaddoll's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
lindseymeown's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Redarys, the Second Daughter of Valleyda, has always known she’d end up in the Wilderwood, the mysterious forest at the edge of her kingdom and home of all manner of monsters, including the Wolf. Born shortly after her sister, Neverah, Red’s birth order alone ensures she’ll be sent to the forest when she comes of age, a faithful sacrifice and small price to pay for the Wolf and the magic of the Wilderwood to hold the shadows at bay and return the five Kings, Valleyda’s true gods.
Neve isn’t going to let her sister go without a fight, but sometimes it’s hard to know what’s fact and what’s fiction, who’s friend and who’s foe, and which way the story should end.
It’s my own fault that I wasn’t a fan— pulled in yet again by a beautiful cover on a thick fantasy tome and not reading into the details and reviews enough to know that what I’d really be getting was a tortured romance with a twilight, twisted forest as a fantasy backdrop. The characters’ constant bloodletting felt repetitive, Red’s (and Neve’s) characters felt rash and foolish, and overall I just didn’t feel like there was much to the plot that could really resonate— just a bunch of tropes thrown together in the woods.
I can see it working for die-hard fairy tale & romance enthusiasts— the sensitive, brooding, misunderstood, and cursed Wolf, (who smells like libraries, by the way), the determined heroinewho will sacrifice her freedom to save him & ultimately her continent, though she was quite literally “thrown to the wolves” in a sacrificial scarlet cloak by her own family and the people of said continent— it just wasn’t enough of what I come to a fantasy looking for. 🤷🏻♀️
Neve isn’t going to let her sister go without a fight, but sometimes it’s hard to know what’s fact and what’s fiction, who’s friend and who’s foe, and which way the story should end.
It’s my own fault that I wasn’t a fan— pulled in yet again by a beautiful cover on a thick fantasy tome and not reading into the details and reviews enough to know that what I’d really be getting was a tortured romance with a twilight, twisted forest as a fantasy backdrop. The characters’ constant bloodletting felt repetitive, Red’s (and Neve’s) characters felt rash and foolish, and overall I just didn’t feel like there was much to the plot that could really resonate— just a bunch of tropes thrown together in the woods.
I can see it working for die-hard fairy tale & romance enthusiasts— the sensitive, brooding, misunderstood, and cursed Wolf, (who smells like libraries, by the way), the determined heroine
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm