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For the Throne by Hannah Whitten

10 reviews

melanie_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Wilderwood is safe, at home in its Wolves, and the Shadowlands are no longer making their attacks on the forest. But Neve is now a captive to the Shadowlands she once hoped to manipulate. Stuck with a once-King who she isn't sure she can trust, she must face unspeakable monsters in order to escape, if Solmir doesn't kill her first. Meanwhile, Red is devastated at the loss of her sister and can think of nothing but getting her back, even if she has to sacrifice herself - and the Wilderwood - to do it. But their quests to be reunited just might be bigger than them - and it's hard to know who they can trust.

This was a great finish to Red & Neve's story. While the first book focused more on what made them different, this part of the story examined the ways they mirrored one another. I enjoyed Neve as a protagonist more than I thought I would and appreciated the way she examined her motivations for grasping at power & control - beyond just saving her sister. Her relationship with Solmir is as multi-faceted and complicated as he is, and while I do wish things had gone differently for them, I understand why it ended the way it did. Red & Eamonn have their own struggles but are determined to work through them together. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed Raffe's storyline - how he took a hard look at his feelings for Neve and what he himself wanted. It was a great series and one I'd recommend to any fantasy fan!

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captainmarcy'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

5.0

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katievallin'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? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Hannah Whitten’s “For the Throne” is the nail-biting high fantasy sequel to “For the Wolf,” the best Beauty and the Beast retelling I’ve come across (and there’s a lot of Beauty and the Beast retelling out there).

The First Daughter is for the Throne.

The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.

Neve, First Daughter, finds herself trapped in the Shadowlands, the inverted kingdom inhabited by old gods and the evil Old Kings. While there, she forms a tenuous alliance with the rogue king Solmir in hopes of keeping the Old Kings from gaining any more power—and in hopes of finding her way back to her sister, Red.

On the other side, Second Daughter Red works tirelessly with her husband, the Wolf, and their friends to bring Neve back from the Shadowlands. With few clues on how to accomplish their goal, they’re forced to make new allies and visit old enemies to gain any information about how to rescue Neve.

“For the Throne” was a full-throttle adventure the whole way through. As excited as I was to keep flipping to the next page, to find out what was going to happen next, I found myself missing the quieter moments that were found in “For the Wolf.” Those introspective moments in the Wilderwood gave the reader a chance to get to know the characters and appreciate Whitten’s creative genius.

Although it was a necessary change, “For the Throne” lacked a lot of the charm of the first book because its primary setting of the Shadowlands was considerably more treacherous than the Wilderwood and the stakes were significantly higher in “For the Throne.” All in all, “For the Throne” was a good book, but “For the Wolf” was a great book.

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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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readwithde's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

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ka_ke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

Unlike For the Wolf, the ending to For the Throne is predictable. That being said, For the Throne is still a magnificent duology closer, we even get closure for Arick! I appreciated that Red and Raffe’s perspectives were included but did not demand equal attention to Neve’s story. The world building is a work of art. I look forward to reading more from Hannah Whitten

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hannah Whitten’s dark and richly detailed conclusion to the Wilderwoods Duology was just as incredible as the first, infused with Whitten’s signature brand of gorgeous prose, blending horror elements with fairytale-esque world-building and emotionally complex characters that fans of dark, atmospheric (adult) fantasy are going to absolutely love.

Red and Wolf have finally managed to contain the threat of the old kings, but at a steep cost. Neve (Red’s sister) is lost in the Shadowlands in sinister inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have spent centuries trapped alongside the Old Kings who’ve been slowly gaining control. But Neve isn’t alone, she has an unconventional ally—one she’d rather not have speak to again—the rogue king Solmir.

Solmir wants to end the shadowlands and he belives Neve is the key to its destruction. But in order to succeed he and Neve have to embark on a perilous journey to find the mysterious Heart tree and claim the dark, twisted powers of the old gods…

For The Wolf was definitely a standout read for me in 2021–I absolutely loved creepy atmospheric world of gods, monster and sentient woodlands and the creepy otherworldly vibes were just fantastic! I loved it so much that I definitely had high hopes for it’s sequel and I’m glad to say it most definitely lived up to—and surpassed—all of my expectations.

The pacing of the first few of chapters does start off a little slow but soon picks up and we switch between Red and Neve’s POVs. We also get a bit of a refresher for some of the bigger events in book one, which will be helpful if you haven’t read For The Wolf in a while (though I’d still recommend rereading it before starting For The Throne).

I have to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Neve or her actions in the previous book. However, her development here was soo well crafted that I honestly found myself more invested in her POV chapters than in Red’s (shocking I know given how much I love all of her and Eammmon’s scenes together.)

The Shadowlands (a creepy, inverted world that reminded me of the upside down from Stanger Things) was a really interesting new setting that really gives us a chance to delve deeper into thhe worlds lore surrounding the Gods and the Old Kings which I really enjoyed, and felt that I had a richer sense of this compelling, dark and magically gothic world. The Old Kings are more substantial here than I had anticipated, but I loved our fleshed out and villainous they were.

We do get some mirroring between the Shadowlands and The Wilderwoods but it’s the sisters (Neve and Red) who carry the most parallels in their story arcs. Like Red and Eammon before them, Neve and Solmir have a bit of a love/hate, enemies to lovers relationship which I absolutely loved, Solmir’s swoon worthy, bad boy monster vibe was perfection. He also helps Neve (and the readers) really explore the concept of monsters and what actually defines them.

The ending was full of gloriously plot twisty, edge of your seat action that I didn’t want to put down—and I was definitely satisfied with how things were wrapped up.

All in all, For The Throne is a wonderfully rich and beautifully written dark fantasy and the sneak peak into Whitten’s upcoming new series has me already eager for a copy! If you love dark fantasy then I definitely recommend checking this (and the first book, For The Wolf) out.

Also, thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-arc.

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mo345's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

4.75

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katroseknibbs'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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

FOR THE THRONE by Hannah Whitten. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4.

I knew going into this book that I probably wouldn't like it as much as For the Wolf but it was still a great read. The universe gets expanding in a way that makes this book fairly different from the first. With the limitations of the Wilderwood gone, Red, Eammon, and company are free to travel around, giving us a larger glimpse of the outside world, as well as the Shadowlands.

I love that the author didn't make excuses for Neve and Solmir. We learn that some of Somlir's story and motivations are different than what we may have assumed in the first book, but he's still unapologetically an asshole. People aren't black and white, so getting to know Neve (even if you still don't agree with her actions) fleshes out her character in a "real person" way. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded spending more time with them in the Shadowlands, but this book is divided POV much more than the first.

There were a couple things at the end that I thought were odd choices.

Mostly the soul stuff. After we spent a lot of time being like "don't lose your soul" in the Shadowsland, but then at the end it's like, fine? Arick coming back to life was also strange to me, since there was a big emphasis of "actions have consequences" and "somebody has to pay for your mistakes". Having him come back negates a major consequence of the first book. Also, I didn't really care for the introduction of Kayu. I knew from the beginning that she was just going to be an alt love interest for Raffe, so I didn't really care about her.

However, a lot of it was great and emotionally satisfying.

I love that magic has returned to the land and that Eammon can't even see/use it anymore. The poor kid needed a break.

Overall, a powerful debut duology. I can't wait for The Foxglove King and whatever Whitten puts out. I'd probably read her grocery list if she'd let me.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Orbit for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

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