Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

197 reviews

abibea's review

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

4.25


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archiveofrasa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The main aspects that stood out to me were the world-building and religious themes, plus the fairytale/folklore sort of writing style I know Reid has. I don't think I've ever really read something that wasn't purely historical that puts an emphasis on religious themes of a fantasy world, so I think the author did a good job on that.

But I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy this book as much. It did take me quite a while to finish it and I grew pretty exhausted, which might be the reason why my enjoyment dwindled over time. I'm not sure if that is the book's fault or mine. The ending was really nice, linking all the stories Évike told to her being able to write them down. Very sweet.

This is also a pretty gruesome book. It doesn't really hold back, so check the content warnings.

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chrispybacon's review

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

2.5

The book had a strong premise but poor execution. I was excited to have a heroine in her mid-twenties but Evike is so dumb I could not relate to her at all. None of her relationships are healthy - the Yehuli want her to convert (they also help her but they are very interested in her joining them), her love interest is a coward and also her jailer, her whole village physically and verbally abused her. Her life was shit and I would have left all of them in the dirt. It makes zero sense to return to her abusers. 
The plot is a lot of walking, being horny, being angry, being horny, plans backfiring, suffering deadly injuries but surviving them, more being horny and more walking. Somewhere in there were aspects of accepting yourself, growing into your powers (and loosing them), and conflicts about religions and cultures clashing which suffered greatly under all the rest. 

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sarai00's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0


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theabee's review

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Gore, violence

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averi's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5


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marleywrites'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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Gáspár was my favorite character in this story, I was very pleased with how much we got to dig into his narrative and character arc. He and Évike are a really dynamic couple, this was enemies to lovers done right!!

Évike’s character has been through so much trauma, that when she finally grasped the truth of her magic, I was cheering for her. When she finally was able to wade through her trauma and get a handle on it later in the novel, I was so happy for her. The journey was rough, but we really see a lot of growth in Évike in this story. She experiences countless betrayals and is bullied relentlessly by not only her wolf-girl family, but also by the king and Nándor. 

I really appreciated the comparison to Christianity, from a Jewish perspective. Reading this story made me want to dig into the stories and learn more about this religion. 

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the travel involved. The journey itself was very engaging due to the beautiful depictions of nature, but I I loved meeting all the different creatures in the story. It was fascinating to see these mythological creatures come to life on the page. 

Ava Reid’s writing really impresses me- it’s lyrical and lush and I can really feel every emotion and see everything just as the character sees it. I read their book <i>Juniper and Thorn</i> before this book, so I wasn’t sure if I’d find it as good. But honestly I loved both novels a lot and look forward to reading more books by Reid. 

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alliecat1915's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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17kmcollins's review against another edition

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

4.0


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sealreads's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed the plot and characters! I think the pacing could definitely use some work, and the prose could use some refining. The Jewish influence and the romantic subplot were both very nice.

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