Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

51 reviews

bluelillybooks's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In shock, no words, many feelings

I've recovered and here's a review:

My reading experience was definitely a rollercoaster: I went from being super excited to bored to interested to mildly annoyed to captivated and emotional. Save to say the last 20% of the book made my rating go from 3 to a very decent 4 stars. It's easy to fall into the fiction as you follow the characters and the atmosphere - which plays a character of its own throughout the book- is strong from the start. The author lost me for a while in the middle when there just weren't enough things going wrong; too much exposition at a point where you would expect action. So I was all the more happily surprised when the story picked up speed, I suddenly got attached to the characters and promising subplots finally thickened.

Whitten's writing style is right up my ally and I immediately clicked with the fluent storytelling, pretty metaphors and clever allusions. The way the Wilderwood is both setting and character pleases the literature student within me and it is just beautifully and cleverly done. But I wish there were more synonyms for words like "root" and "vine" because girl we got it after the 1726th time.

There was.. a lot of blood though. Like /a lot/. The plot revolves around blood. So big big trigger warning there. I guess that's why this book really walks the line between YA fiction and fantasy.

That makes it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating for me! I did really enjoy For the Wolf and I'll be reading its sequel For the Throne without a doubt. Thanks for getting me out of a reading slump Whitten!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, and Death of parent

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Minor: Cursing, Suicide attempt, and Sexual content

blewballoon's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I had a hard time getting into this, but once Red started to bond more with the Wolf and the others living in the forest it became a lot more interesting. I liked these characters a lot and I understood and sympathized with their motivations. I enjoyed the feeling of found family with their little crew and

the people who lived on the other side of the forest, cut off from the world but very self sufficient.

  I had a harder time with the interlude chapters. I really hated what was going on with Neve and the characters around her. Overall, though, I enjoyed the fantasy and fairy tale feeling of the story and was happy to have read it. I listened to it on audiobook and it was okay, the narrator was fine but I may have preferred reading it myself since I could have glossed over the parts that didn't interest me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Death, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm

Minor: Murder, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

sirkeili's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow, this book really just drew me in and didn't let me go until I finally finished it.  How do I even begin to describe this book?

I love how this tale is Little Red Riding Hood meets Beauty and the Beast, and yet it holds its own in both regards. Red's character feels both remarkably insular to the fairy tale heroine, and yet she also is so much more.

However, this story is also about love, and how far one will go for it. Red for Eammon - and him for her - as well as how far Red and Neve will go for one another. Making deals with gods and ancient beings alike, just to ensure the other is safe, whatever the price may be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Blood, Violence, War, Confinement, Death, Self harm, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt and Classism

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Murder, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Terminal illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

tak_everlasting's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

beccaand's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.25

the feral forest witch vibes? impeccable

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content and Body horror

laura_mcloughlin's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Reread to jog my memory before reading the sequel. I remembered the beginning and the end of the book but there were parts in the middle that I had completely forgotten, so it was good that I reread it. 

 Similar in premise to Uprooted. I liked it for the most part but the world building was not as strong as it really should have been. Characters would learn facts that completely threw their understanding of the world out the window and then they would ask zero follow up questions. 

I still don't really understand the nature of the Wilderwood and the original bargain between the first Second Daughter and the Wolf. 

I did like the aspects of Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White (and Rose Red) that were included in the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Self harm

ldermer's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Grief, Body horror, Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide and Alcohol

ka_ke's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A new favourite! I wasn’t sure at first, but then I got to know the characters & their world more and I fell in love. A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood meets Eldritch Horrors made for an epic fantasy that can interest anyone.

Bonus perk: Red doesn’t get pregnant!

I can’t wait for “For the Throne!” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Cursing

Minor: Death and Death of parent

briely's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Body horror

Minor: Murder