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A review by alyshiastauffer
Song of the Dark Wood by Sheila Masterson
5.0
5 Stars. Easily. Possible Spoilers below (via a quote). ARC- September 20, 2024 release date.
Thank you Sheila for the eARC, I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy!!!
I just finished this book and let me tell you what, I loved every second of it, and I already wish I could read it for the first time again. If you're looking for female rage, vengeance, some gods fighting for power... you're going to want to read this book.
This is a standalone and after reading it, I feel like I read an entire series. So much happened within the pages of this book but it was written perfectly (from my point of view). Nothing seemed rushed to me, and I learned about the characters and their own personal stories in, what I feel, is a bunch of perfect arcs. What a wonderful story, a twist on Red Riding Hood, a twist on sacrificial maidens, and some female vengeance- which I feel like I exist for these days.
"Rowan would try for Orla and Aeoife- for all the Maidens who had come before her. She would try for Sarai, who deserved to love who she loved and live a life that allowed her to be who she truly was. She would try for their small, sheltered village that needed to acknowledge the damage done, grow from their mistakes, and never forget them so that they would not be repeated. Most of all, Rowan would try for herself. She'd been alone her whole life, but she wasn't anymore, and she never would be again, because the forest had always been listening, and it knew her pain well."
Rowan has lived her life since age 5 in the Maiden Tower, learning what she needs to do to ferry the souls of the dead to the God of Death, the Wolf, in the Dark Wood. In her 15 years of learning, most of what she has done is resign herself to her fate. Throughout the story she is mainly focused on keeping Aeoife unaware of what is going on since she is the youngest Maiden in the tower (10). However, when things go south for the Red Maiden before her she's thrust into the role much sooner than anticipated. She must find a way to be the last Red Maiden and keep Aeoife safe.
Thank you Sheila for the eARC, I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy!!!
I just finished this book and let me tell you what, I loved every second of it, and I already wish I could read it for the first time again. If you're looking for female rage, vengeance, some gods fighting for power... you're going to want to read this book.
This is a standalone and after reading it, I feel like I read an entire series. So much happened within the pages of this book but it was written perfectly (from my point of view). Nothing seemed rushed to me, and I learned about the characters and their own personal stories in, what I feel, is a bunch of perfect arcs. What a wonderful story, a twist on Red Riding Hood, a twist on sacrificial maidens, and some female vengeance- which I feel like I exist for these days.
"Rowan would try for Orla and Aeoife- for all the Maidens who had come before her. She would try for Sarai, who deserved to love who she loved and live a life that allowed her to be who she truly was. She would try for their small, sheltered village that needed to acknowledge the damage done, grow from their mistakes, and never forget them so that they would not be repeated. Most of all, Rowan would try for herself. She'd been alone her whole life, but she wasn't anymore, and she never would be again, because the forest had always been listening, and it knew her pain well."
Rowan has lived her life since age 5 in the Maiden Tower, learning what she needs to do to ferry the souls of the dead to the God of Death, the Wolf, in the Dark Wood. In her 15 years of learning, most of what she has done is resign herself to her fate. Throughout the story she is mainly focused on keeping Aeoife unaware of what is going on since she is the youngest Maiden in the tower (10). However, when things go south for the Red Maiden before her she's thrust into the role much sooner than anticipated. She must find a way to be the last Red Maiden and keep Aeoife safe.