“A bargain between a Woodsman and a wolf-girl already seems a fragile and terrible thing. Whose god would approve of it?”

Évike is outcasted and hated by her village, as she is the only woman without power. She is abused, ridiculed, and sent to die and be a sacrifice for her village to the Woodsmen. The Woodsmen are soldiers from the kingdom who are sent to claim pagan girls for the king’s blood sacrifice. Évike is disguised as a seer and forced to be sacrificed to the Woodsmen. Along the way everyone in the party dies except for Évike and the captain, or rather the crown prince Gáspár. Both of them must now travel together in search of a mystical power that would help stop Gáspár‘s fanatical and psychopathic brother from claiming the thrown. Both of them must survive harsh winter conditions, monsters, and villagers who have other plans.

I really loved how well the enemies to lovers trope was handled here, it definitely was a brutal enemies to lovers as both of them were constantly at odds with one another. Throwing stabs and wounds, making the other question their morals, and making each other hurt as they are both two people who have endured so much abuse and been outcasted. They were both wonderful characters who had different strengths and their wounds were so deep. Évike was raised in an environment where she was both physically and mentally abused by people, and her scars definitely show. Gáspár is the same, he was physically abused and outcasted by his own father and is now just trying to save the people in the kingdom. Both of them are deeply wounded and just trying to survive. Their tenuous romance is great and their bonding is something that slowly grows.

I really enjoyed reading this book and the romance was amazing. The conditions were brutal and the world was interesting. I definitely sympathized with both characters and overall I really did feel for them. I would highly recommend this read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*