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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
“I don’t think we know yet what I might become to protect the people I love.”⠀⠀
⠀⠀
Sheila Masterson, Song of the Dark Wood⠀⠀
⠀⠀
⠀⠀
Song of the Dark Wood is a rich, immersive story with fairytale elements and a kick-ass main character. Rowan is the picture of feminine strength and passion. She wants out from under the thumb of her religious oppression and will fight to bring about change any way she can. ⠀
⠀
The Wolf is the perfect shadow daddy, with control issues and a dark backstory. He's a complicated character but I love how much he respects Rowan and asks for her consent. When they are together the banter and sass is off the charts!⠀
⠀
My two favorite things about this book are the themes of consent and feminine rage. It's hard to write about these in a way that doesn't seem preachy but the author expertly wove them throughout the book with quotes like, “Bind my heart to yours if you deem me worthy. Weave your life with mine.” and "All men wanted a wild woman until it was time to be tame." ⠀
⠀⠀
Song of the Dark Wood is a five star standalone fantasy romance that quickly rose in ranks to be one of my favorite books of the year! I would recommend it to anyone who loves magical romance with a dark side. After all, "Love is what holds back the dark."
⠀⠀
Sheila Masterson, Song of the Dark Wood⠀⠀
⠀⠀
⠀⠀
Song of the Dark Wood is a rich, immersive story with fairytale elements and a kick-ass main character. Rowan is the picture of feminine strength and passion. She wants out from under the thumb of her religious oppression and will fight to bring about change any way she can. ⠀
⠀
The Wolf is the perfect shadow daddy, with control issues and a dark backstory. He's a complicated character but I love how much he respects Rowan and asks for her consent. When they are together the banter and sass is off the charts!⠀
⠀
My two favorite things about this book are the themes of consent and feminine rage. It's hard to write about these in a way that doesn't seem preachy but the author expertly wove them throughout the book with quotes like, “Bind my heart to yours if you deem me worthy. Weave your life with mine.” and "All men wanted a wild woman until it was time to be tame." ⠀
⠀⠀
Song of the Dark Wood is a five star standalone fantasy romance that quickly rose in ranks to be one of my favorite books of the year! I would recommend it to anyone who loves magical romance with a dark side. After all, "Love is what holds back the dark."
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt like some of the messaging was laid on too thick and the ending seemed to wrap up very quickly! I liked the messaging and empowerment in the story and love the strong female characters. Finn was absolutely infuriating and I’m conflicted about Cade and the point of his character in the story.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{5}
🌶️🌶️🫑{2.5}
KU ✅
This is a 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮, red riding hood meets Hades x Persephone, retelling! I’m tellin’ ya, this one is perfect for spooky season!!! Fullll of feminine rage (we love to see it) and morally grey characters. You will fall in love with them and I can guarantee Conor will be your next book bf 🫡😮💨🐺
This one follows Rowan (the Red Maiden) and Conor (aka The Wolf aka the God of Death). Since Rowan was young, she’s known she would be a sacrifice to the Wolf to be devoured once her time came as the acting Red Maiden. Now, her time has come and there is a blight in Dark Wood that her town and the Elders are pressuring her to fix. Will she survive her 5 year service to the Wolf? Not many do..
While this 𝙄𝙎 a standalone, I 𝐀𝐌 going to recommend reading Sheila’s Lost God series first y’all! There was a couple of nods to it in this book that had me 👀👀😱 (cuz I haven’t finished that series yet) and ya know I love me an Easter egg 🙃 PLUS, it is a completed series.. with audiobooks on the way!! One a month starting in November!!
𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🐺He falls first
🩸He can make me worse > I can fix him
🐺Girls who see ghosts
🩸Feminine Rage: The Fairy Tale
🐺Haunted Forest
🩸Wound Tending
🐺Touch her and ☠️
🩸Music based magic system
🐺A grumpy god of death
𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:
“𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.”
“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦.”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘦𝘵.”
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”
“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!”
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵”
adventurous
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:
Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/5
Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the Lost God series from Sheila Masterson. I was so excited when I found out Sheila was working on a standalone! SOTDW exceeded all of my expectations!! I loved the fiery FMC, who has been taught since she was young to respect the traditions, be complacent, and give up herself for others. However, throughout the book, as she uncovers mysteries, she embraces all sides of herself and decides to stand up for herself and choose herself first.
Some of my favorite things about this book are the great world-building, the characters and how relatable they are, and the illustrations throughout the book!
Thank you so much to the author for this eARC copy! All opinions are my own❤️
🌶🌶/5
Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the Lost God series from Sheila Masterson. I was so excited when I found out Sheila was working on a standalone! SOTDW exceeded all of my expectations!! I loved the fiery FMC, who has been taught since she was young to respect the traditions, be complacent, and give up herself for others. However, throughout the book, as she uncovers mysteries, she embraces all sides of herself and decides to stand up for herself and choose herself first.
Some of my favorite things about this book are the great world-building, the characters and how relatable they are, and the illustrations throughout the book!
Thank you so much to the author for this eARC copy! All opinions are my own❤️
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:
Complicated
This retelling of The Little Red Riding Hood was impeccable, especially the sprinkle of HadesxPersephone 🥵. From the Epigraph all the way to the very last Illustration, I was absolutely CONSUMED by this book. Sheila creates a world and character so believable, that I truly wouldn't be surprised if they existed somewhere. Rowan is such a fierce and flawed character that I could help but feel a kinship to her as she learns the truth behind everything she has been told. The Wolf, oh the Wolf, he is grumpy and gooey all at the same time.
'You know, I would make the whole world dark for you so that you can be the only bright light" 🐺🎶🥀
This is the perfect book to read during the transition into autumn. I will definitely be re-reading this book and I hope you will pick it up and DEVOUR it.
'You know, I would make the whole world dark for you so that you can be the only bright light" 🐺🎶🥀
This is the perfect book to read during the transition into autumn. I will definitely be re-reading this book and I hope you will pick it up and DEVOUR it.
Song of the Dark Wood was the perfect mix between adding in retelling elements while still making the story unique and it's own. I have always been a fan of little red riding hood and I got the perfect mix of that story mixed in with new magic and lovable characters. Plus, who is going to deny how attractive the Wolf is. I have been craving a fantasy book to draw me in, keep me guessing, and feeling so stressed and invested in the characters that I can't put it down. Song of the Dark Woof brought my love of fantasy back to the front of my brain and I think people will really enjoy it!
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Hands down this is one of my top reads of this year. I was hooked from page one and could not put it down. Seeing Rowan develop in her self worth was something beautiful to see. If you haven’t read this book yet I highly recommend it. You have enemies to lovers, he falls first, dark red riding hood meets hades and Persephone, grumpy mmc, feminine rage, and so so much more. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for this book! So thank you to the author Sheila Masterson and therealmstudios!🥀🌙🐺
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to The Realm Studios and Sheila Masterson for a copy of this ARC!
4.5 stars.
"You know, I would make the whole world dark for you can be the only bright light"
Song of the Dark Wood is a standalone gothic fantasy about a small remote town that has sacrificed a "Red" Maiden to the god of death Wolf for centuries. to be devoured. This book is perfect for readers who like the atmosphere of One Dark Window and love a story with a Hades/Persephone sprinkle.
This story did a good job of showing Rowan's feminine rage while dealing with a male-dominated religion that was hell-bent on suppressing women and using the religion for their devious reasons.
I wish this wasn't a standalone and maybe could have been a dualogy. We need more time to get to know certain characters and hear their lore. Valen and Cade to be more specific .
All in all, I highly recommend this book and I think everyone who reads it will thoroughly enjoy it when it comes out.
4.5 stars.
"You know, I would make the whole world dark for you can be the only bright light"
Song of the Dark Wood is a standalone gothic fantasy about a small remote town that has sacrificed a "Red" Maiden to the god of death Wolf for centuries. to be devoured. This book is perfect for readers who like the atmosphere of One Dark Window and love a story with a Hades/Persephone sprinkle.
This story did a good job of showing Rowan's feminine rage while dealing with a male-dominated religion that was hell-bent on suppressing women and using the religion for their devious reasons.
I wish this wasn't a standalone and maybe could have been a dualogy. We need more time to get to know certain characters and hear their lore. Valen and Cade to be more specific .
All in all, I highly recommend this book and I think everyone who reads it will thoroughly enjoy it when it comes out.
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
If you're looking for a standalone dark fantasy romance to get you in the mood for fall, this is your book. Song of the Dark Wood is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling brimming with magic, feminine rage, gothic vibes, and hints of Hades and Persephone.
I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book- the writing was engaging, the plot was immersive, and the characters were intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the unique magic system and the complexity that was written into the Wolf character. My personal favorite scene was in chapter 24!
I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book- the writing was engaging, the plot was immersive, and the characters were intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the unique magic system and the complexity that was written into the Wolf character. My personal favorite scene was in chapter 24!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
No
A Red Ridinghood retelling with magic, a woman-controlling religious system, with an MMC reminiscent of Edward Cullen, and strong female archetypes.
“Coming of rage” is used to describe it, which I agree with. Love me some female rage.
Thanks to The Realm Studios for the digital ARC in exchange for a review.
“Coming of rage” is used to describe it, which I agree with. Love me some female rage.
Thanks to The Realm Studios for the digital ARC in exchange for a review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault
Minor: Physical abuse