Reviews with content warning for Blood - For the Wolf

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For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

162 reviews

bluejayreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

2.5

One of the quote endorsement things on my library’s copy of this book said it was great for “fans of Uprooted,” and I am definitely a fan of Uprooted. And I was liking the twisted fairy tale vibes I was getting from the back cover.

As hard as everything from the cover to the protagonist’s name tries to give a Red Riding Hood vibe, For the Wolf is reimagining of Beauty and the Beast if anything. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’ve watched the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast, you’ll be able to predict the basic shape of a lot of future events.

In this word, the gods are gone, and the Wolf in the Wilderwood has them trapped. Per tradition that’s practically taken the role of prophecy, the oldest princess becomes queen, and the second princess gets sacrificed to the Wolf in hopes that an acceptable sacrifice will convince him to release the gods. Naturally, queens try to only have one daughter, but Red has the unfortunate honor of being a twin. So on her twentieth birthday, she got to be sacrificed to the Wolf.

The main story is Red, meeting the Wolf (which is actually a title, not a species indicator), exploring what in the heck is going on in the Wilderwood, and dealing with magic. But there are also some parts from the perspective of Neve, Red’s sister, back at home and desperate to get her sister back.

At first, I loved the story. It definitely had Uprooted vibes, I was curious about the Wilderwood and what was behind all the weird stuff going on, and I was actually a little interested in the relationship between Red and the Wolf.

And then it started to drag. Red is stubborn and powerful and has an attitude of “I’m here now so I’m going to help,” but the Wolf absolutely refuses to tell her anything about what’s going on, claiming he’s trying to protect her even when knowing would help her protect herself. I was expecting him to eventually give in and tell her and then the story could start, but he never did. Red doesn’t find out certain Very Essential Information until right before the climax. It only took a few chapters for this deliberate and repeated refusal to let Red join the plot to go from slowing down the story to outright frustrating.

The big driving force of this story is how much Red is loved, but I think I have a different understanding of love than than what’s in this book. There are no less than two (and arguably three) characters who show their love for Red by being willing to die in the process of undoing Red’s choice rather than accept that she made a choice they didn’t like. They all said they loved her – and maybe they thought they did – but actual love has to also involve respecting the other person’s autonomy. If they aren’t willing to respect her choices about her own life and instead do everything in their power to force her to do what they want, that shows more that they feel like they own her or are entitled to make decisions for her rather than loving her.

I wish I could have liked this book more than I did. The world was fantastic, even the small bits of politics that I got from Neve’s sections were interesting, a unique religion is a driving force in the story, the Wolf’s story was revealed in tantalizing layers, I actually enjoyed the slow-burn relationship between Red and the Wolf, and the Wilderwood was a great setting with a lot of potential. But even though the story hinged around Red’s choices, every single character in the book was dead set against letting her make those choices – or if she managed to anyway, doing everything up to and including dying to undo them. It’s like the entire story was telling Red, “Yeah, we know you’re the main character, but we don’t want you to be part of it so it sit down and shut up.”

I did finish it. I suppose it’s because I wanted to see if anyone ever let Red make a choice (spoiler: no, the only “character” who respects Red’s choices is not even human) and because there were other good things in the book (the Wilderwood, mainly) whose stories I wanted to see play out. I was so excited to find something similar to Uprooted that I hoped to love, and then it rapidly decided that it hated its protagonist and drove me into frustration. I wish I could have liked this.

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cuethesun's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

i thoroughly enjoyed this book in a way i didn’t entirely anticipate. i couldn’t help falling in love with the characters. conversely, there were times where some of the magic didn’t seem cohesive and i’m not sure if that was my interpretation or if that was a plot hole. i wish there were more backstory for some of the minor roles.

a lot of this plot fell very nicely within the realm of several other fairy tales which was a pleasant surprise. i enjoyed the overlap of familiarity with those characters.

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books_before_bed_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It's very rare that I realize how much a book is going to grab me soul before I finish it, but this one did. I am absolutely astounded at this beautiful story, and cannot wait for the sequel

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emily_liggett'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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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folded_between_pages_of_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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frankieclc's review against another edition

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4.0

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unquietlibrarian's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

“So where are you going, then?” “To do Wolf-things.”

For the Wolf is a dark, romantic, and sometimes funny fairytale retelling that came out in 2021. With elements of Red Riding Hood, and also Beauty and the Beast, For the Wolf still gives us an original and engaging story with strongly developed characters. The world Hannah Whitten created is rich and full of mystery. It has some very interesting elements to it and is complicated without being confusing or overwhelming. I enjoyed the details the author put into the backstory, and appreciated that it was laid out in a way so as not to take away from the main story, but instead added to its development.
The two sisters, Red and Neve, are complex and engaging in their own ways. But the story isn’t limited to just them, there is a fascinating collection of characters in the Wilderwood and surrounding area that all deserve their own story. The plot itself has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting, and I couldn’t predict how the book would end. I did know that the story wasn’t exactly over, because For the Throne (the sequel) had already been announced when I started reading it. I loved the way Hannah Whitten wove fairytales into her book but didn’t rely too heavily on them to carry the plot.
I’m very excited for the sequel, and I’m glad I don’t have to wait for ages for it to come out! For the Wolf focused on Red, and it looks like For the Throne will give Neve the limelight. I’m looking forward to seeing how Neve’s story plays out! I would recommend For the Wolf to anyone who enjoys Young Adult fantasy, especially fairytale retellings.

Content Warnings