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A review by wordsofapaige
Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer
adventurous
dark
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
In all honesty I picked this book up because it was all over Instagram and it looked beautiful. Thankfully, this is one of those times where a cover buy works out and the story within is just as beautiful as the outside is.
This is a dual-perspective narrative from our characters Owen and Seren, one being a human boy and the other a tree siren. I loved that we got to see Seren's perspective because it would have been easy to write her off as a monster, but having this dual-narrative allows her to gain a bit of humanity. It also gives her Mother, the witch, an extra dimension, as we see her through Seren's eyes as well as the human stories that surround her existence.
It feels unusual to talk about the design of a book, but I feel that it's important to for this one. The design really lifts the story into a whole other level. Each chapter is headed with a design, one for each perspective. These evolve depending on where that character is in their personal story arc, and it actually took me a little bit to catch on but once you notice it it's a lovely detail. There are also other lovely little images throughout, such as in some paragraph breaks, and some pages have gorgeous borders.
Another lovely design feature is the way in which Seren's chapters are written. It starts off in this wonderful poetry-like style, that allows Meyer to really emphasise certain words and sentences. The writing style for Seren evolves as the story continues, and it defines Seren at each stage of her character arc. It was a really, really lovely touch that allowed you to see her transformation in more ways than one.
This book is classed as YA. Owen is 17 but he reads as more like someone in their early twenties. I forgot it was a YA book for the majority of it, because it has some very dark themes within. My only issue with the book was that there was definitely some insta-love going on, and I kind of wanted this explored more. Owen doesn't particularly take long to fall for Seren, and considering as he's lived his entire life in fear of the tree sirens I thought it was a bit speedy. However, I quite quickly forgot this issue as the romance isn't necessarily the centre point of the story. It's more a story of family, an ancient war and the lengths you will go to for those you love.
I really enjoyed Into The Heartless Wood, and I'd recommend picking up a physical edition if possible to really enjoy the design of the book.
This is a dual-perspective narrative from our characters Owen and Seren, one being a human boy and the other a tree siren. I loved that we got to see Seren's perspective because it would have been easy to write her off as a monster, but having this dual-narrative allows her to gain a bit of humanity. It also gives her Mother, the witch, an extra dimension, as we see her through Seren's eyes as well as the human stories that surround her existence.
It feels unusual to talk about the design of a book, but I feel that it's important to for this one. The design really lifts the story into a whole other level. Each chapter is headed with a design, one for each perspective. These evolve depending on where that character is in their personal story arc, and it actually took me a little bit to catch on but once you notice it it's a lovely detail. There are also other lovely little images throughout, such as in some paragraph breaks, and some pages have gorgeous borders.
Another lovely design feature is the way in which Seren's chapters are written. It starts off in this wonderful poetry-like style, that allows Meyer to really emphasise certain words and sentences. The writing style for Seren evolves as the story continues, and it defines Seren at each stage of her character arc. It was a really, really lovely touch that allowed you to see her transformation in more ways than one.
This book is classed as YA. Owen is 17 but he reads as more like someone in their early twenties. I forgot it was a YA book for the majority of it, because it has some very dark themes within. My only issue with the book was that there was definitely some insta-love going on, and I kind of wanted this explored more. Owen doesn't particularly take long to fall for Seren, and considering as he's lived his entire life in fear of the tree sirens I thought it was a bit speedy. However, I quite quickly forgot this issue as the romance isn't necessarily the centre point of the story. It's more a story of family, an ancient war and the lengths you will go to for those you love.
I really enjoyed Into The Heartless Wood, and I'd recommend picking up a physical edition if possible to really enjoy the design of the book.