Reviews with content warning for Cursing - For the Wolf

Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

17 reviews

barnesbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.5

I'd heard a lot of talk about this book a while ago, so I thought I'd give it a chance. The first half of it frustrated me because of the lack of information given to Red. It felt like it took a while for things to start happening. The second half of the book kept me enthralled and makes me want to read the next one. I like how the story mixes different fairy tales, like Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast, without feeling cliche or like it's trying to include too much of each. The worldbuilding is unique. The narration could get repetitive at times. Overall I enjoyed the story and want to know what happens next.

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chasinggrace's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’m for the Wolf, fr fr.

For the few pages that Red and Eammon got some fucking peace and were happy and in love, I almost closed the book! The end! All happy, that’s it!

If Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast had the political intrigue of Throne of Glass/ACOTAR, you’d have For the Wolf. I loved Redarys immediately - she fights through her fear with stubborn anger and doesn’t let anyone push her around.

Unfortunately, i can’t say the same for her sister. Neverah ANNOYED ME, and that’s the only reason I’m hesitating to pick up the second book. Also,

what was with Raffe’s attitude at the end towards Red?? Have some respect for Goddess Lady Wolf please.

I thought the writing was great, the pace was perfect, and I was anxious when Red and Eammon were apart - got really attached to them! Nothing negative to say about the book, I’m for the Wolf!!

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melanie_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Redarys has always known her destiny. In Valleyda, the First Daughter is for the throne and the Second Daughter is for the Wolf. So while her sister Neve is destined to rule their tiny nation someday, Red is to be sent into the Wilderwood on her 20th birthday, a sacrifice to the Wolf, in the hopes that he will be satisfied and release the god-like Five Kings of old. Red has long lost her faith in the Kings' return and doubts her venturing into the Wilderwood will make any difference. Nevertheless, she is eager to go. The spark of the Wilderwood deep within her is a power that she fears more than the Wolf, having seen the devastation it wrought 4 years ago. She needs to get away from those she loves so they can be safe. But, when she enters the forest and finds the Wolf, he is nothing like what she imagined. Meanwhile, Neve seeks power and powerful allies with the hopes of getting her sister back.

A reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, For the Wolf is magical story that goes beyond the traditional fairy tale. Red is a heroine worth rooting for: forced by birthright to be a sacrifice, she is determined to follow through with that sacrifice for the sake of those she loves. She makes it clear that this is her choice. Her relationship with Eamonn (the Wolf) is also one that requires a lot of determination. While he'd rather she leave him alone, she sees his sacrifices and can't help but stay. Their connection is as inevitable as Red's choices regarding the Wilderwood. The first 30% of the book is slow (a lot of background) and details and answers are slow to be revealed, but the story itself coupled with themes of magic vs. shadow, power, faith & religious abuse, etc. made this an amazing read!

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charliesmom's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

For the Wolf is a fairytale wrapped in a blood promise. A dark, hauntingly beautiful fantasy that is absolutely perfect for spooky season.

I love fairytale retellings, I love folklore, and I love Hannah Whitten’s other book The Foxglove King, so I went into this book wanting to love it with my whole heart. It delivered on so many things! The world was lush and beautiful, the prose was atmospheric, and the characters had such strong bonds with each other. This book took the spooky forest trope and spun it into something new and delicately beautiful.

The one thing that kept this from being a five start book for me was the pacing. It was definitely intentional, and built a lot of necessary tension, but the first half was much slower than I personally prefer. It picked up significantly around the halfway mark, and the last 40-50 pages were an avalanche of action and emotional beats.

I can’t wait to read the sequel! Hannah Whitten is making herself one of my go-to spooky season authors. 4 stars.

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bea_reads_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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kaycie51782's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

This is book 1 of a series. I won't be reading book 2.

Are you familiar with the advice when writing narrative fiction "Show, don't tell"? This author from that advice VERY SERIOUSLY. There wasn't a passage in this decently lengthy book that wasn't overflowing with vivid imagery. It was exhausting to read.

The main characters glorified self harm in defense and protection of the magic in the story. It got a little sickening by the end. There were ridiculously overused phrases ("she pressed her lips into a bloodless line", "she curled her fingers until crescents were pressed into her palms", and on and on and on).

The mythology of the universe was never well explained. The author took far too long to tell any kind of back story, but continued to pour more and more foreshadowing and blocked memories until I didn't really care what happened.

Sometimes it's okay to say "This event made her mad" instead of "The scene playing before her caused her vision to redden" or something similar.

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clevergirl216'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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Book started slow, but by the end I was captivated. A little reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, but much more mystical. This book doesn’t have a full ending and is the first of a series.

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saurahsaurus's review against another edition

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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

3.75

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bluelillybooks's review against another edition

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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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