Reviews for Into the Heartless Wood, by Joanna Ruth Meyer

beckybookish's review

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adventurous dark emotional medium-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

3.0

parrisrose's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

my favorite book so far this year! it felt like a folk lore retelling, but so original and inventive at the same time. i was crying by the end, so beautifully written & the type of love story that’s painful and heartwarming to read all at the same time. 

saphira's review

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dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

elentarri's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a beautifully written retelling of Beauty and the Beast (sort of) with interesting world building and delightful characters.  

andreareads's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

fairpersephone's review against another edition

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

3.5

megjpartridge's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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

4.0

vee_bookish's review against another edition

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hopeful slow-paced

4.0

This is not exactly a Beauty And The Beast retelling, this story of a boy that falls in love with a monster that lurks in the forest surrounding his home has a similar vibe but the plot is wildly different. This story had a strong start, a very weak middle but a great ending. There needs to be more standalone fantasy novels.

The love story is the main focus of the story, but wrapped around it is a tale of old gods - a God of the Forest and a Soul Eater -waging war on each other for past grievances, with Owen and Seren caught in the middle of it. It's a very brutal, bloody story, but the pure love that Owen and Seren have for each other is a light in the darkness.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, but there was a moment in the middle that seemed to slow down, and Owen started making ridiculous decisions, which felt like it was to add to the tension rather than adding to the story. However, the ending did make up for it and the last few pages were just perfection.

apierlessbridge's review against another edition

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

3.75

sarahosamaa's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful

4.0