Reviews tagging 'Death'

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

71 reviews

siad's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

reeseq10's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

theespressoedition's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Talk about an absolutely breathtaking book. The writing alone was enough to make me fall in love - and then you add a brilliant plot and swoon-worthy characters and itโ€™s everything I could possibly ask for in a fantasy novel.

I was fascinated by the Beauty and the Beast-esque retelling that morphed into something entirely its own as the story went on. I honestly wasnโ€™t sure what to expect next and I loved every second of it. It was unpredictable and gripping!

The magic system was phenomenally creative. I mean, blood magic isnโ€™t uncommon in fantasy - but blood and earth magic combined into something dark and vicious but also beautiful??? Now that is incredible!

I was absolutely shocked and pleasantly surprised to read a BatB retelling that didn't have a manipulative, possessive, or even abusive "beast" character. Eammon was a consent king and I appreciated every minute of it.

It got to the point where even when I would wind up slightly confused by what was happening, I still absolutely had to know what came next. It had me on the edge of my seat.

Now, Iโ€™m desperate to know what kind of wood and shadow will follow Red, Eammon, Neve, and the rest of the cast into the next book. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mo345's review against another edition

Go to review page

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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

forthesanityof1's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

montereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

margotnelson's review against another edition

Go to review page

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!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookforthought's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

For the Wolf was one of my most highly anticipated reads for the year and, boy, did it deliver! I loved this book from its first page right up to its last and it easily earned its rightful spot as one of my favourite reads this year so far. 

Redarys is a Second Daughter and all her life she's known what that means: her only purpose is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood so that he will return their old kings-turned-gods to her world. 

The First Daughter is for the throne.
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.
And the Wolves are for the Wilderwood.
 

But Red soon discovers that not things aren't always what they seem, and old myths and legends sometimes lie. The Wolf is in fact a man struggling to hold together the now crumbling Wood, the last remaining barrier between Red's world and an evil beyond imagination. 

For the Wolf brings together familiar fairy tales and original mythology to create a complex and rich world. I could definitely see elements of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast, and even spotted a little Snow White in there! This book takes well-known tropes and elements and gives them an original twist, creating a highly entertaining and engaging read that had me gripped throughout. 

I personally loved the characters and the way they changed throughout the book as more and more is revealed about the Wilderwood and its purpose, the kings, and the mysterious shadows slowly creeping into the world. 

Red is definitely the centre of the book, whether we're following her POV or looking at her sister Neve's attempts to find a way to bring Red back. I really enjoyed seeing Red grow and accept her role in the wood... and at the Wolf's side. While at first she seems passively resigned to her fate, her full strength quickly comes through as she works hard to find her own place in the world. Red is headstrong, witty, independent and fiercely loyal to the people she loves: basically, everything I love in an MC. The romance is definitely a slow burn and Eammon, the Wolf, is the perfect tall, dark and brooding gentleman. 

I also really liked Neve's interludes. I found her to be a very interesting character, and in some ways even more complex and intriguing than Red. I'm so curious to see what Neve'll get up to in the next book! The entire cast is fantastic, and I loved all the secondary characters. I wish we'd gotten to see a bit more of some of them, but maybe I'll get my wish in the second book. 

The world-building was also perfectly on point! The Wilderwood gave me definite Uprooted vibes, as did some of the writing. I'm in love with the author's writing style and the way she crafts gorgeous and deliciously creepy descriptions. The pace did slow a fair bit around the middle mark, which made it feel as though certain sections were dragging on with not much happening. It picked up again though and the ending was incredibly fast-paced and gave me ALL the feelings at once. 

For the Wolf is one of those books that reminded me why I love fantasy so much. Magic, an eerie wood, legends and traditions, and an incredible cast of characters come together in this beautiful and unforgettable tale. Can't wait for the second book! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

whatellisreadnext's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.0

"๐˜๐˜ฎ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต, ๐˜ฅ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ด๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ."

As the second born daughter, Red is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the woods. She is relieved to go, magic that she can't control runs through her veins, atleast the people around her will be safe. But the legends lie, the wolf is a man, not a monster. 

This book was bloody great. It had everything I love in a fantasy book and more. A sentient forest that feasts on bloodโœ” Beauty and the Beast meets Red Riding Hood vibesโœ” Moody centuries old love interestโœ” Weird magical cultโœ” Badass main characterโœ” I honestly just couldn't get enough of this story, and the fact that this is a debut left me flabbergasted. 

Me and romance in fantasy have a very compliacted relationship, but whilst reading For The Wolf, I was totally into it. Eammon is wonderful, and I love him. I'm talking moody bookworm, with a tragic existence, just my type. His relationship with Red drove me crazy, you could literally cut the sexual tension with a knife๐Ÿ’๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

I really enjoyed the journey of For The Wolf, but the ending was something else entirely. There was so much going on, Whitten did not hold back. And that cliffhanger?!?!? I need the sequel For the Throne as soon as humanly possible๐Ÿ’ƒ

This amazing book hit the shelves yesterday and if you love fantasy, then you're going to need it, just saying. Thanks so much to Orbit Books for the gifted copy!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

librarianlex's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings