Scan barcode
littlefern's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Main Complaint: Conflicts/ battles resolved too quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gore
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
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
dkgreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
Not sure this one quite lived up to the hype, but it was a solid 4 star Red Riding Hood meets Beauty and the Beast fantasy adventure. I definitely liked Whitten’s other book, The Foxglove King, better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
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
readsavvy's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death of parent
kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
3.5 rounded down :(
this seemed so fun and sexy from the outside, but just didn’t deliver on pretty much anything it promised. the romance was sweet, and i liked the woods, hence the 3 stars, but the “eldritch” in question is really just squiggly dark magic. it’s literally just those lil evil shadows from kingdom hearts transported to something like a Witcher-verse. many of the characters and the magic system feel half-baked, and there’s very little beauty and the beast or red riding hood about this besides very heavyhanded throwaway bits. i enjoyed the romance (which is rare for me!) but nothing about this universe or the chars outside of red/eammon were very intriguing.
also you shouldn’t name a book “for the wolf” if there’s NO FUCKING WOLF 😭 he’s just a guy they ends up something like an Ent from LOTR in the least sexy way possible. extremely unsexy and not very ~dark~ at all. the darkest thing is the blood which frankly splashed around so much that i stopped being shocked by it.
The plot is incredibly rushed; two assassinations and a religious coup happen mostly off-page while Red mopes in the woods… would’ve liked a bit more of the how on that. Kiri was far too heavyhanded and outright weird for people to not have clocked her plotting. Neve was “raised for the throne” but can’t spot a pretty basic manipulation plot ..? ok. grief is one thing, flat-out stupidity is another. the guy in love with your sister so bad he’d shed blood on scary magic trees to bring her back is suddenly (figuratively) up your ass and you don’t immediately suspect foul play?????? your mom dies immediately after derailing a creepy nuns plans & you don’t think it’s weird until later????? cmon now
much of the non-red parts of the story felt half-baked, so I ended up extremely confused as to Neve’s motivations, Solmir’s general existence, and why Raffe just stood there while it all went down… maybe that’s what book two is for, but im not a fan of underexplaining so i have to purchase another installment.
This book could have focused entirely on red and eammon and been LOVELY, but it tried to stray too far into political intrigue and dark magic and just ended up jumbled. i already bought book two, so I’ll finish it, but im really not jazzed about having to spend more time with Neve or Solmir. I would’ve preferred a longer series with more time spent meandering through red’s narrative THEN coming back to the wider world instead of the rapid cuts to increasingly absurd throne shenanigans.
This book really shines in the sweetness between eammon & red; from the moment he meets her, he wants her to have choices, even if he thinks those choices should be “run in the other direction”. he’s kind of bumbling and awkward in a really hot way, and just generic enough that I could kinda imagine him as anyone (i chose a Henry Cavill lookalike). Red is a bit naive, and very brash, but she also won’t take his lone wolf bs and finds solutions without always needing him to help. She is an advocate for working together, which is so refreshing for a fantasy woman. She’s not some Chosen One, she chooses to help and sticks to it, while also trying to look out for her sister.
Surprisingly enough, I would’ve liked more spice! as much as I make fun of the terrible and unrealistic smut that abounds in published fantasy these days, the fade to blacks here kinda left me like… :/ what is the point in drawing on red riding hood if there’s no mauling but in a consensual, sexy way. no beast in the beauty. I wanted banging, I won’t lie. It didn’t have to be super graphic or more than once, but the build up felt like it fizzled to nothing…. marriage for convenience… Sharing a room… wearing his clothes…. All these heated gazes just to get a “she woke up sore” fade in… sigh. I feel like you can’t draw on sources that typically lean into monsterfucking and sexy predator/prey just to make the consummation so milquetoast
anyways, wouldn’t really recommend, but willing to give book 2 a chance. and shame on you to literally everyone recommending this book bc the marketing is NOT matching the book
this seemed so fun and sexy from the outside, but just didn’t deliver on pretty much anything it promised. the romance was sweet, and i liked the woods, hence the 3 stars, but the “eldritch” in question is really just squiggly dark magic. it’s literally just those lil evil shadows from kingdom hearts transported to something like a Witcher-verse. many of the characters and the magic system feel half-baked, and there’s very little beauty and the beast or red riding hood about this besides very heavyhanded throwaway bits. i enjoyed the romance (which is rare for me!) but nothing about this universe or the chars outside of red/eammon were very intriguing.
also you shouldn’t name a book “for the wolf” if there’s NO FUCKING WOLF 😭 he’s just a guy they ends up something like an Ent from LOTR in the least sexy way possible. extremely unsexy and not very ~dark~ at all. the darkest thing is the blood which frankly splashed around so much that i stopped being shocked by it.
The plot is incredibly rushed; two assassinations and a religious coup happen mostly off-page while Red mopes in the woods… would’ve liked a bit more of the how on that. Kiri was far too heavyhanded and outright weird for people to not have clocked her plotting. Neve was “raised for the throne” but can’t spot a pretty basic manipulation plot ..? ok. grief is one thing, flat-out stupidity is another. the guy in love with your sister so bad he’d shed blood on scary magic trees to bring her back is suddenly (figuratively) up your ass and you don’t immediately suspect foul play?????? your mom dies immediately after derailing a creepy nuns plans & you don’t think it’s weird until later????? cmon now
much of the non-red parts of the story felt half-baked, so I ended up extremely confused as to Neve’s motivations, Solmir’s general existence, and why Raffe just stood there while it all went down… maybe that’s what book two is for, but im not a fan of underexplaining so i have to purchase another installment.
This book could have focused entirely on red and eammon and been LOVELY, but it tried to stray too far into political intrigue and dark magic and just ended up jumbled. i already bought book two, so I’ll finish it, but im really not jazzed about having to spend more time with Neve or Solmir. I would’ve preferred a longer series with more time spent meandering through red’s narrative THEN coming back to the wider world instead of the rapid cuts to increasingly absurd throne shenanigans.
This book really shines in the sweetness between eammon & red; from the moment he meets her, he wants her to have choices, even if he thinks those choices should be “run in the other direction”. he’s kind of bumbling and awkward in a really hot way, and just generic enough that I could kinda imagine him as anyone (i chose a Henry Cavill lookalike). Red is a bit naive, and very brash, but she also won’t take his lone wolf bs and finds solutions without always needing him to help. She is an advocate for working together, which is so refreshing for a fantasy woman. She’s not some Chosen One, she chooses to help and sticks to it, while also trying to look out for her sister.
Surprisingly enough, I would’ve liked more spice! as much as I make fun of the terrible and unrealistic smut that abounds in published fantasy these days, the fade to blacks here kinda left me like… :/ what is the point in drawing on red riding hood if there’s no mauling but in a consensual, sexy way. no beast in the beauty. I wanted banging, I won’t lie. It didn’t have to be super graphic or more than once, but the build up felt like it fizzled to nothing…. marriage for convenience… Sharing a room… wearing his clothes…. All these heated gazes just to get a “she woke up sore” fade in… sigh. I feel like you can’t draw on sources that typically lean into monsterfucking and sexy predator/prey just to make the consummation so milquetoast
anyways, wouldn’t really recommend, but willing to give book 2 a chance. and shame on you to literally everyone recommending this book bc the marketing is NOT matching the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
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