Reviews

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.

"Don’t bleed where the trees can taste it."

When I read that this was for fans of Uprooted, I was sure I'd love this. Dark fantasy starring a bloodthirsty forest and circumstances not what they appear? Um, yes. Sign me up, thanks.

It's not that I didn't not love this but it's that I also didn't love it. I find myself captured somewhere in between which is a true shame because the writing and prose were wonderful. I think if this had been a standalone and tweaked around that, things would have changed for the better. Let's see if I can make some sense of it.

"It won’t do much, Second Daughter, not unless you open your skin and let it take you, root and branch and bone and blood."

The plot. This delivers on the dark and bloodthirsty forest...and an even darker nemesis connected to it. In fact, there were times when I wondered how the characters were not dead for all the blood they kept using to appease the forest in different ways. Inhuman, I tell ya. That being said, the forest isn't the main danger that it was originally thought to be. How the forest plays into this felt like pulling teeth because...

The Wolf. Lord save me from over-protective white knights who think they're doing us strong-willed ladies a service by keeping us in the dark. Honestly, I wanted to bash Eammon over the head constantly and could not for the life of me figure out why Red wasn't doing it for me. So if that sort of thing sets your teeth on edge, I would pass this one by as it's a common theme straight to the end.

The warm familiarity of the bookshelves kept her together, knit her back into herself as she wandered between them.

Red. I think all of us can identify with a storybook heroine that finds herself in a dilapidated castle and takes comfort from a library of books. And a heroine that uses a magic mirror in order to see the sister that she left behind. I was getting Red Riding Hood, Beauty & the Beast, and Uprooted vibes for sure. Still, Red was a strong character even if I think she should have taken Eammon by the ear and pinched until she got some answers.

She’d tried religion on for size for a week or two, to see if it smoothed the rough edges of her thoughts, made them harder to cut herself on.

Neve. Red's sister was a plot point I enjoyed at the beginning and the middle but became twisted and unsatisfactory at the end. Without going into too much detail, I felt like her involvement at the end was a way to continue this unnecessarily into a series. One I'm not quite sure I'm interested in continuing past now because I feel like it's going to feel like stretched taffy.

Kiri. I actually really enjoyed the manipulations of Kiri and the abuses of religion this novel took. While the kingdom scenes weren't my favorite (I was always slightly disappointed that I was pulled away from Red because I wanted more to happen), I'll admit they were interesting and that the novel likely couldn't have worked as successfully without it.

Red was a warped puzzle piece, her changes nearly too subtle to see, but enough to keep her from fitting back into the place she’d left.

It was a good read but I still wish Eammon wouldn't have been such a self-sacrificing white knight and that one of the major plot twists had been tied rather than extended.

Recommended for dark fantasy fans but don't expect Uprooted or you'll be disappointed.

kariatnip's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

neddypooh's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

mellillae's review against another edition

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It's almost unfortunate-- I've never had a book baffle me so thoroughly while still boring me to sleep in the middle of the day. More than halfway through and I can count the major and minor plot moments that occurred on one hand (about 2). The split narration didn't help with the pace, either. We see two stories, both with palpable tension but no movement. All drive occurred off-screen, while center-stage the main characters just languished in their misery and inability.

jascurr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

giselle_tbr's review against another edition

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I just didn't enjoy the ride. I thought I would like a red riding hood adaptation but it's like a bunch of fairy tales crammed together which felt forced.

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