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ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
I think that you can generally guess the broad strokes of the story (the beats of Évike and Gáspár's relationship felt very by the book at times), but the world building and prose is so fabulous that I loved following the story anyways. I am very pro-female protagonists who have a bent towards "unlikability," and Évike is so viscous and passionate that I just deeply enjoyed it. It's a really great world infused with Jewish and Hungarian mythos, set in a creepy world full of dark forests and bitter cold, and protagonists who love their homeland and peoples.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, Gore, and Self harm
Moderate: Xenophobia, Torture, Antisemitism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: War, Vomit, and Death of parent
becca99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia
beforeviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As someone who is both Hungarian and Jewish, I was already brimming with anticipation for this book. But I would never have imagined the execution to be as flawless and riveting and gorgeously Jewish as it was. It is jam-packed with descriptive prose and constant excitement and amazing character development and pacing. The height of every plot point and every piece of character development felt earned without ever slowing down the pacing.
This book is a loose retelling of the story of Esther, which is often told around the Jewish holiday of Purim. Please look it up if you have the time, but the story is essentially about identity, about self-worth, and about human rights, all of which were themes that directly correlated with the plot of The Wolf and the Woodsman.
Firstly, the journey (physical and metaphorical) that we embarked on with the characters was so well-written. The physical journey was riddled with episodic folklore/fairytale elements, filling the travel scenes - that would normally drag in terms of pacing and development - with excitement and tension. Though a small aspect of the story as a whole, this really helped keep me engaged through a part of the story that would have otherwise potentially lost my attention and in my opinion, helped build the atmosphere of the story more than anything else.
The metaphorical journey on the other hand is one I can only begin to compliment. The conversation around religious oppression, religious divide, and anti-semitism was so purposefully and intricately woven into the framework of the character’s conversations and growth, and with such obvious care and nuance. Even the parts of the story that didn’t include the Jewish characters still felt like they included Jewish conversation at its core. I found myself screaming with excitement to see my experiences as a Jewish person in a Christian society so accurately reflected in the world of these characters. I would invite every Christian person to read this book and reflect on the oppressions their religion has placed on the world around them, in ways both large and small. (Also reminder that this is a fantasy book so this is done mostly through metaphor.)
But as much as I loved the journey and the atmosphere, the magic systems were maybe my favorite part of the entire work. They were utilized as such a strong vessel to hold conversations about power and religion and they all felt so purposefully crafted to further the themes of the story I mentioned earlier. I will say, my favorite magic system was that of the Yehuli. I could feel my Jewish ancestors smiling down at the idea of Hebrew being used as magic in and of itself. It added a whole other layer to the idea that words have meaning, and that they quite literally hold power. It made me feel empowered and it made me never want to read a non-Jewish fantasy book ever again. (It also made me want to get back to my Hebrew studies.)
I also LOVED the romance in this book. I love a good enemies to lovers slow-burn romance and Évike and Gáspár certainly delivered. However, the thing I actually loved most about this romance in particular was the fact that the romance plot line didn’t feel separate from the rest of the world or even the rest of the plot. It wasn't thrown in as a second thought or used as a little treat to toss in for the readers as a reward for getting through the dense gore and fantasy. It instead was used as a tool to continue the discussion of religious divides and power and morality and it ended up being the keystone to some of the most important themes in this story and helped the characters to grow and become better and more complex individuals, as the best romances should.
Overall, there’s not much more I can say other than I loved it. It’s a brand new favorite of mine and I can’t wait to recommend this to everyone I know.
(Also just a side note: it disgusts me to see people reviewing this book complaining that it was too Jewish or that the names in this book were "weird" and "hard to pronounce". There are cultures other than your own.)
This book is a loose retelling of the story of Esther, which is often told around the Jewish holiday of Purim. Please look it up if you have the time, but the story is essentially about identity, about self-worth, and about human rights, all of which were themes that directly correlated with the plot of The Wolf and the Woodsman.
Firstly, the journey (physical and metaphorical) that we embarked on with the characters was so well-written. The physical journey was riddled with episodic folklore/fairytale elements, filling the travel scenes - that would normally drag in terms of pacing and development - with excitement and tension. Though a small aspect of the story as a whole, this really helped keep me engaged through a part of the story that would have otherwise potentially lost my attention and in my opinion, helped build the atmosphere of the story more than anything else.
The metaphorical journey on the other hand is one I can only begin to compliment. The conversation around religious oppression, religious divide, and anti-semitism was so purposefully and intricately woven into the framework of the character’s conversations and growth, and with such obvious care and nuance. Even the parts of the story that didn’t include the Jewish characters still felt like they included Jewish conversation at its core. I found myself screaming with excitement to see my experiences as a Jewish person in a Christian society so accurately reflected in the world of these characters. I would invite every Christian person to read this book and reflect on the oppressions their religion has placed on the world around them, in ways both large and small. (Also reminder that this is a fantasy book so this is done mostly through metaphor.)
But as much as I loved the journey and the atmosphere, the magic systems were maybe my favorite part of the entire work. They were utilized as such a strong vessel to hold conversations about power and religion and they all felt so purposefully crafted to further the themes of the story I mentioned earlier. I will say, my favorite magic system was that of the Yehuli. I could feel my Jewish ancestors smiling down at the idea of Hebrew being used as magic in and of itself. It added a whole other layer to the idea that words have meaning, and that they quite literally hold power. It made me feel empowered and it made me never want to read a non-Jewish fantasy book ever again. (It also made me want to get back to my Hebrew studies.)
I also LOVED the romance in this book. I love a good enemies to lovers slow-burn romance and Évike and Gáspár certainly delivered. However, the thing I actually loved most about this romance in particular was the fact that the romance plot line didn’t feel separate from the rest of the world or even the rest of the plot. It wasn't thrown in as a second thought or used as a little treat to toss in for the readers as a reward for getting through the dense gore and fantasy. It instead was used as a tool to continue the discussion of religious divides and power and morality and it ended up being the keystone to some of the most important themes in this story and helped the characters to grow and become better and more complex individuals, as the best romances should.
Overall, there’s not much more I can say other than I loved it. It’s a brand new favorite of mine and I can’t wait to recommend this to everyone I know.
(Also just a side note: it disgusts me to see people reviewing this book complaining that it was too Jewish or that the names in this book were "weird" and "hard to pronounce". There are cultures other than your own.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Vomit, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief
amber_vw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Vomit, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts
camillou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Gore, Racism, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and War
bi_n_large's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Antisemitism, Vomit, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual assault
marie_thereadingotter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book is so damn good.
I received this book from NetGalley for review.
I received this book from NetGalley for review.
It's a little slow-paced, but never boring. It just has a really good buildup to the climax of the book. There is a lot of character development in that time with the main characters. This book takes place over a relatively short amount of time, but it is packed with character development, great worldbuilding, and an interesting magic system based on physical sacrifice.
Évike is a character who has a lot of personal inner struggles, and her path to self-acceptance was very believable. She learns about the other side of her heritage and their stories, and the stories of the people she was raised to hate and fear, and she starts to see that things aren't as simple as she first assumed.
Gáspár is another well-rounded character. He goes through a similar path of character growth involving self-acceptance. His is just as personal, but the other side of it. Him coming to terms with his father and brother and even the religion he devoted his life to aren't as fallible as he once believed. That their way is hypocritical at best, and fundamentally flawed at worst. And he too had to realize that things aren't as black and white.
The magic system, in a word, gruesome. The Pagan women are born with magic that often comes with some kind of physical mutation and the magic of the Woodsmen involves the physical sacrifice of mutilation. The magic of the Yehuli wasn't as clear to me. And all the magic that can be performed by each group is different, I am unsure how to explain it. It might lean a little into spoilers.
There is a bit of romance, in this book. It's very much a background plotline, and while it does affect character motivations, it doesn't overrule anything else in this book. I felt that this was a much better balance with the other more pressing plotlines than a lot of other fantasy books that have a romance.
I have no idea if this is a standalone book, or if there will be more books later. Things to get wrapped up at the end. But I also want to know more about this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Blood, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
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? Yes
5.0
THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is an enemies-to-lovers tale filled with bickering and tender moments of wound-care. It luxuriates in tense conversation, short back-and-forth dialogues punctuated by stony silence and snow. The MC’s narrative ruminations on her traveling companion deftly show what she thinks of him while leaving room for something more in his body language that an interested reader might puzzle out. They fill the silence in a way that ensures the reader is never left alone, even while the MC is trapped in her head, relentlessly pondering the meaning of every word, silence, and gesture from the Woodsman. They are drawn together by a strangely aligned goals that have, at minimum, a destination in common for both of them. Once at this destination, the narrative opens somewhat while still keeping focus on the weight of words and the way they can twist in an instant from toying to cruel, from mild interest to genuine warmth. Its slowly widening scope introduces the political tightrope the MC must traverse. Here it becomes apparent that amid all that travel, banter, and attempts to not fall in love was a lot of very important information about the power structure and current state of the kingdom and its leader. I really like political structures in fantasy, and therefore was very interested in this one, but it isn’t a politically dense book. It conveyed really well essential social information in a seemingly inconsequential manner before the MC arrived in locations where she needed to use that knowledge, and I appreciate how well it was worked in.
One of the strengths of this as an enemies-to-lovers story was that the MC and the eventual love interest had pretty good reasons to dislike each other as kinds of people, but not to already hate each other specifically, which made the transformation from ire to romance feel believable but not rushed. A lot of really excellent emotional groundwork and world-building was laid in the first half of the book, which meant that the second half could carefully subvert some (but not all) of those expectations and play with their implications in some really great ways. I feel a little as though that’s just how good books work, but the first and second half feel so distinct to me. Each had their own unique flavor which made the whole book sing. The world building is really good. I like the way that there were canonically several paths to magic, all of which are different in their particulars but involve some combination of access, mastery, and sacrifice. The MC begins the book thinking that she is unable to use the path that everyone has been expecting her to have. she finds her way into the path that’s good for her; not wholly new ground, something recognizable to those around her even if her specific blend is a bit strange.
One of the strengths of this as an enemies-to-lovers story was that the MC and the eventual love interest had pretty good reasons to dislike each other as kinds of people, but not to already hate each other specifically, which made the transformation from ire to romance feel believable but not rushed. A lot of really excellent emotional groundwork and world-building was laid in the first half of the book, which meant that the second half could carefully subvert some (but not all) of those expectations and play with their implications in some really great ways. I feel a little as though that’s just how good books work, but the first and second half feel so distinct to me. Each had their own unique flavor which made the whole book sing. The world building is really good. I like the way that there were canonically several paths to magic, all of which are different in their particulars but involve some combination of access, mastery, and sacrifice. The MC begins the book thinking that she is unable to use the path that everyone has been expecting her to have. she finds her way into the path that’s good for her; not wholly new ground, something recognizable to those around her even if her specific blend is a bit strange.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Kidnapping, Racism, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Torture, Animal death, and Child death
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Cannibalism
CW for ableism (minor), bullying, kidnapping, homophobia (minor), racism, antisemitism, religious bigotry, blood, gore, vomit, sexual content, physical abuse, domestic abuse (backstory), emotional abuse, self harm, murder, torture, cannibalism (not depicted), animal death, parental death, child death, death (graphic).jamesflint's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Antisemitism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse and Vomit
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