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heartbrekker 's review for:
The Wolf and the Woodsman
by Ava Reid
“What’s to stop humans from doing harm, if you don’t fear for the fate of your soul after death?”
This lovely debut officially threw itself onto my top reads of 2021 list because it sucker punched my heart. I’ve had such a confusing time describing my feelings for this book because it left me breathless and in awe.
From a magic system based on body horror to stunning prose and visceral Jewish mythology, TWATW did a lot in less than 500 pages. Plus, for those of you that adore enemies to romance- this book is 110% for you! Gáspár and Évike deserve all the hugs and love.
“Do you call a hawk evil when it snatches up a mouse to eat? Do you call a fire evil when it burns your logs to ash? Do you call the night sky evil when it drinks down the day? Of course not. They are surviving, like the rest of us.”
In my opinion, the most powerful part was Évike’s own identity struggle (which I saw myself reflected through) and the obvious religious and ethnic persecution, which led to ethnic cleansing and genocide. There’s also a lot of antisemitism within this story.
I can’t count the amount of times I teared up and had to lay the book down for a few minutes because the visceral pain/ experiences were a lot to take. TWATW may be a fantasy, but it doesn’t make these experiences less real because they have happened to tons of cultures, nations, people, etc. I thought of all of them as I read, partly because I knew going into this review that this book was about nation building and hate for ethnoreligiois minorities (more of this on Ava’s GR). It just packs a punch to your soul, if I’m honest.
“There is no remedy for what will be.”
Although, amidst all of this, Ava does find moments of joy and wit. Évike’s relationship with a certain family member made me cry and proved to be my favorite overall moments. There’s a certain initial ice scene that not only spiked my adrenaline but made me scream for my new favorite ship! Overall, you’ll experience all of these emotions and then some; it’s worth it.
Thank you to Harper Voyager US for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Parental abuse, cultural genocide, ethnic cleansing, self-harm, graphic animal death (not let but wild), torture, bodily gore/ harm, violence, antisemitism, and immolation
This lovely debut officially threw itself onto my top reads of 2021 list because it sucker punched my heart. I’ve had such a confusing time describing my feelings for this book because it left me breathless and in awe.
From a magic system based on body horror to stunning prose and visceral Jewish mythology, TWATW did a lot in less than 500 pages. Plus, for those of you that adore enemies to romance- this book is 110% for you! Gáspár and Évike deserve all the hugs and love.
“Do you call a hawk evil when it snatches up a mouse to eat? Do you call a fire evil when it burns your logs to ash? Do you call the night sky evil when it drinks down the day? Of course not. They are surviving, like the rest of us.”
In my opinion, the most powerful part was Évike’s own identity struggle (which I saw myself reflected through) and the obvious religious and ethnic persecution, which led to ethnic cleansing and genocide. There’s also a lot of antisemitism within this story.
I can’t count the amount of times I teared up and had to lay the book down for a few minutes because the visceral pain/ experiences were a lot to take. TWATW may be a fantasy, but it doesn’t make these experiences less real because they have happened to tons of cultures, nations, people, etc. I thought of all of them as I read, partly because I knew going into this review that this book was about nation building and hate for ethnoreligiois minorities (more of this on Ava’s GR). It just packs a punch to your soul, if I’m honest.
“There is no remedy for what will be.”
Although, amidst all of this, Ava does find moments of joy and wit. Évike’s relationship with a certain family member made me cry and proved to be my favorite overall moments. There’s a certain initial ice scene that not only spiked my adrenaline but made me scream for my new favorite ship! Overall, you’ll experience all of these emotions and then some; it’s worth it.
Thank you to Harper Voyager US for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Parental abuse, cultural genocide, ethnic cleansing, self-harm, graphic animal death (not let but wild), torture, bodily gore/ harm, violence, antisemitism, and immolation