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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

The Wolf and the Woodsman was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While there was a lot to love -- especially around the rich worldbuilding -- I just couldn't connect with the characters.

The world that Reid creates is lush and gorgeous, but far from perfect. The themes of antisemitism in the book are powerful, and seeing the way Yehuli are treated was incredibly moving and infuriating. I really appreciated the way that the culture in the book very much mirrored our own history (and in terms of the antisemitism, our present). I also adored the magic. I'm always here for magic systems that demand sacrifice, and Reid did a fantastic job creating a powerful, fascinating, and intricate magic system.

In terms of the characters, I just couldn't get on with Évike or Gáspár. Their interactions and dialogue were so volatile and it just didn't make sense to me that they could even like each other -- romantically or otherwise. Évike is one of those 'shoot first, ask questions later' (or less charitably, 'too stubborn to live') characters. Her actions are only the result of getting angry that someone is being sensible and telling her what she shouldn't do, so she does the opposite. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in books, so I really struggled with her. Gáspár was basically just a blank slate -- the only thing I remember about him is that he maybe had an eye patch.

I can absolutely see other people loving The Wolf and the Woodsman! But it leans so heavily on the characters that I just didn't like, which definitely impacted my enjoyment of the book.