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acedimski 's review for:
For the Wolf
by Hannah Whitten
Have you ever come across a book that seems to be the perfect fit for you, and as you were drawn to it, you were already sweating, afraid of the possibilty that it could be a disappointment? I love fairytale retellings. This might have to do with the fact that I grew up with fairytales, and there were two that stuck with me more than any others ever could: Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood. Naturally, I have always been more drawn to retellings of those, and while I have read and loved many of the first, I rarely was able to find any of the second. For the Wolf does something that I didn't know I needed until I saw the cover for the first time: taking elements of both, and creating a whole new story out of them. So I guess it's understandable, why I was hesitant in picking it up, afraid that this story will disappoint me. But it didn't. On the contrary, I was totally enthralled with this unique take on my most favorite fairytales, and I ended up loving it.
Very often as I was reading this I found myself wondering of which side I'm on. Do I like the forest? Do I have to fear it? Is it good a place? Or a bad one? And this is the simple reason why I love the setting of it. We aren't dealing with a setting that is clearly a great place to be, as much as it doesn't seem to be worst either. The whole atmosphere of this retelling is rather dark, and I have to say it, I love it this way. After all, fairytales aren't really the sparkly, fun stories Disney makes us believe, but have a rather dark air around them too. To see how this was brought into For the Wolf was a delight, and I truly wish for more darker fairytale retellings now.
As much as I want to name the forest its very own character that loves to steal everyone's show, the heart of the story are the sisters Red and Neve. While Red is ready to be given up as a sacrifice to the woods, Neve can't bear the burden to lose her sister to the wolf. I loved seeing their relationship in the beginning of the book, as well as how it progressed as both of them had to spend their time apart from each other. As for Red, I immediately was able to connect to her character, much easier than Neve's which is partly due to the fact that we get to see more of Red as this is above all her story. Red knows her way, but only because she doesn't fight a century-old tradition and offers herself to a monster, she doesn't lack any autonomy. She knows what she has to do, and she would do everything to make the world a better place, even if it could cost her own life.
The same determination we find in Eammon, the wolf of the Wilderwood. From the very first moment he appears, I knew I would either hate him or become totally obsessed with him. Fortunately, it became the latter. Eammon is the kind of character that you need on your book boyfriend list.
Which leads me to the romance of the story. As one can expect of a Beauty and the Beast retelling, romance is part of the story. But with For the Wolf, it never felt like something that has to happen because we expect it to happen anyways. I loved how Eammon and Red slowly became friends, putting their trust into each other, and how their focus was on their goals, on helping each other, and trying to understand what is happening to their surroundings. But let me tell you when the romance hit, it wasn't just a spark, it could have easily ignited the whole forest. And yes, you want to read this.
The only reason I am not giving this a full five-star rating, but instead like to stick to 4.5 stars is because there happens to be a few issues that mostly involve the pacing sometimes. Which, however, I do not see as much of a problem now as I might have as I was reading, because the last third of the book made everything worth it.
Overall, I can highly recommend this book to everyone who loves darker fairytales retellings that have their very own twist to them, as well as a well-written slow-burn romance, and a strong sisterly bond. This book will keep you up, as it was hard to put it down at times, and the ending will make you crave for the sequel, [b:For the Throne|56860527|For the Throne (Wilderwood, #2)|Hannah F. Whitten|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|88893477] as that one promises endless new possibilites, and let me tell you my mind is boiling with theories.
Very often as I was reading this I found myself wondering of which side I'm on. Do I like the forest? Do I have to fear it? Is it good a place? Or a bad one? And this is the simple reason why I love the setting of it. We aren't dealing with a setting that is clearly a great place to be, as much as it doesn't seem to be worst either. The whole atmosphere of this retelling is rather dark, and I have to say it, I love it this way. After all, fairytales aren't really the sparkly, fun stories Disney makes us believe, but have a rather dark air around them too. To see how this was brought into For the Wolf was a delight, and I truly wish for more darker fairytale retellings now.
As much as I want to name the forest its very own character that loves to steal everyone's show, the heart of the story are the sisters Red and Neve. While Red is ready to be given up as a sacrifice to the woods, Neve can't bear the burden to lose her sister to the wolf. I loved seeing their relationship in the beginning of the book, as well as how it progressed as both of them had to spend their time apart from each other. As for Red, I immediately was able to connect to her character, much easier than Neve's which is partly due to the fact that we get to see more of Red as this is above all her story. Red knows her way, but only because she doesn't fight a century-old tradition and offers herself to a monster, she doesn't lack any autonomy. She knows what she has to do, and she would do everything to make the world a better place, even if it could cost her own life.
The same determination we find in Eammon, the wolf of the Wilderwood. From the very first moment he appears, I knew I would either hate him or become totally obsessed with him. Fortunately, it became the latter. Eammon is the kind of character that you need on your book boyfriend list.
Which leads me to the romance of the story. As one can expect of a Beauty and the Beast retelling, romance is part of the story. But with For the Wolf, it never felt like something that has to happen because we expect it to happen anyways. I loved how Eammon and Red slowly became friends, putting their trust into each other, and how their focus was on their goals, on helping each other, and trying to understand what is happening to their surroundings. But let me tell you when the romance hit, it wasn't just a spark, it could have easily ignited the whole forest. And yes, you want to read this.
The only reason I am not giving this a full five-star rating, but instead like to stick to 4.5 stars is because there happens to be a few issues that mostly involve the pacing sometimes. Which, however, I do not see as much of a problem now as I might have as I was reading, because the last third of the book made everything worth it.
Overall, I can highly recommend this book to everyone who loves darker fairytales retellings that have their very own twist to them, as well as a well-written slow-burn romance, and a strong sisterly bond. This book will keep you up, as it was hard to put it down at times, and the ending will make you crave for the sequel, [b:For the Throne|56860527|For the Throne (Wilderwood, #2)|Hannah F. Whitten|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|88893477] as that one promises endless new possibilites, and let me tell you my mind is boiling with theories.