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bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Suicide attempt
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
FOR THE WOLF is a slow burn fantasy story full of magic and longing, built on wound care and vibing. Probably not a retelling in traditional sense, it has the bones of Beauty and the Beast, the flesh and sinew of something all its own, twisted and bloody but still whole.
The plot is there, technically, but most of the action is them running around bleeding or not bleeding or asking the other one to bleed or not bleed on something so it can do or not do a magic thing. Also there's only one bed, and some gestures at a love triangle that resolves itself with very little fanfare. If you don't like wound care and longing then read something else, as that's (gloriously, intimately) the bulk of the text. There's a larger arc involving Red's twin sister which is set to continue in the next book, and it has a lot of promise. I like this one, it hits a niche I didn't realize I was missing.
The plot is there, technically, but most of the action is them running around bleeding or not bleeding or asking the other one to bleed or not bleed on something so it can do or not do a magic thing. Also there's only one bed, and some gestures at a love triangle that resolves itself with very little fanfare. If you don't like wound care and longing then read something else, as that's (gloriously, intimately) the bulk of the text. There's a larger arc involving Red's twin sister which is set to continue in the next book, and it has a lot of promise. I like this one, it hits a niche I didn't realize I was missing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Self harm, Body horror, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Sexual content, Confinement, Gore, Murder, and Death of parent
readwithde's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.25
My opinion on this book changed frequently, but I think, in the end, that's what partly made it excellent and definitely memorable.
I appreciated how the early sections of lore and worldbuilding were handling all *in media res* as Red prepared to leave for the Wilderwood. For the first 100-ish pages, though, most of Red's story is lore and worldbuilding with little character development or character building. Her sister Neve, friend Raffe, and beau Arick all enjoy time apart from this influx of lore, and therfore are much more interesting towards the start of the story.
As Red learns to live with the Wolf and the others bound, Fife and Lysa, she grows in both knowledge and power, as well as developing a strong bond with Eammon, the Wolf. The middle of the book shines with their budding partnership and slow-burn romance, effectively pushing Neve's narrative to the side.
The conclusion was a bit jarring for me.The deck was stacked for a courtly intrigue/persuasive fight between the sisters, but quickly veered off course to what seemed like a climatic end. As things started towards a denouement, the action picks back up, the descriptions moving so quickly I had trouble understanding what was actually happening. It did slow back down, giving the characters a proper battle and more complete ending, but it still felt a bit vague and hollow to me.
Some of the most interesting worldbuilding I've read in a long time, and very descriptive magic; captivating.
I appreciated how the early sections of lore and worldbuilding were handling all *in media res* as Red prepared to leave for the Wilderwood. For the first 100-ish pages, though, most of Red's story is lore and worldbuilding with little character development or character building. Her sister Neve, friend Raffe, and beau Arick all enjoy time apart from this influx of lore, and therfore are much more interesting towards the start of the story.
As Red learns to live with the Wolf
The conclusion was a bit jarring for me.
Some of the most interesting worldbuilding I've read in a long time, and very descriptive magic; captivating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Sexual content
mo345's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Self harm, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Torture
forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
The only thing I kept thinking about while reading this was how much I could see it made into a movie by Studio Ghibli. The author knows how to take her time in all the right places and draw out the pocket of the story in a way that felt effortless, hence the Ghibli vibes. This book is a beautiful, wonderful mix of dark fantasy, fairy tales, and political intrigue. I want to gush about so many things I loved about it. The world building is fantastic, I loved the whole idea of the Wilderwood and the Wolf. The Wolf himself was so different than what I was expecting that I adored him from the get go for the subversion. The narrator, Red, feels like a breath of fresh air. I loved her attitude towards everything, her fear and her contempt and her curiosity. Her reflective nature helped make this story what it is. I think my favorite thing about this book, though, was the writing style; it's utterly captivating to me, cutting in just the right way to make the reader feel the impact of certain lines and really experience the storytelling and the uniquely terrifying setting of the Wilderwood. Holy crap, do I recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, and Self harm
Minor: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Violence
The self-harm trigger is in reference to charactersmargotnelson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had heard so much hype about this book so I was really eager to dive in. I was especially excited about the nature-horror twist on Red Riding Hood, and to see how that all played into a larger fantasy set-up. The first half of the book was a little dense for me, mostly because of how descriptive the author's writing style is. I would describe it as maximalist, and it works for a fairytale book but did make it a little hard to understand exactly what was going on at times. However, the second half of the book made up for it. By that point, the dynamic between Red and Eammon was a lot more believable and tense, the logic of the Wilderwood made more sense, and the political intrigue was a great parallel plot. I did enjoy this book, even if it took a while to get into!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Self harm, and Violence
outsidestar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
RTC closer to publication date.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and Self harm
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