Hannah WhittenRecensioni
Autore di For the Wolf
Recensioni
Content warnings:
alcohol and tobacco use
parental abuse (emotional, physical)
explicit sexual content
adult language
religious abuse
intimate partner violence (emotional, sexual, physical)
gore/violence (fairly severe)
In The Foxglove King, Lore and Bastian survived a prophecy that would have seen Lore dead and Bastian’s body taken over by a god. Bastian is about to be crowned King, Gabriel is now Priest Exalted and Lore, a former poison smuggler, has been elevated to Bastian’s right hand. As Bastian begins to rule the Court, Lore starts to notice changes in his behaviour and fears the worst. Something is whispering in her ear, and she’s beginning to wonder what or who is whispering in Bastian’s ear…
The Hemlock Queen is everything I hoped that the previous book would be, and I loved every moment of it. The character development was much better for a start, and the overall plot was more interesting to me. It’s a lot less religious-based, and leans more towards mythology and folklore, which is what I tend to expect from Whitten. It was a wild ride of suspense and emotion, and I can’t wait for book three!
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THE HEMLOCK QUEEN sets up the final book quite nicely, even as the ending is every bit as infuriating as THE FOXGLOVE KING’s ending. There isn’t as much action in this second book, but there is a lot of skullduggery and searching for answers. By the time the story draws to a close, we have set lines of demarcation and no idea how Lore, Bastian, and Gabe will resolve anything. The wait for the final book is going to be interminable, but I know it will be worth it.
Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods' dark, twisted powers for themselves.
What I loved -
The cover is so pretty! And the premise sounded so cool - first daughters destined for the throne, younger daughters destined to be given to the ‘Wolf’ in the a living forest called the Wilderwood, to release the 5 kings from their imprisonment.
I loved the atmosphere of a creepy, living forest that demands blood magic to survive (as someone who’s currently playing through the Dragon Age video games again, this was exciting!).
The beginning and end were well done and both hooked me.
And I liked the prose. I got a great sense of the setting and what I was “looking at” while reading. A bit purpley at times but overall lyrical.
What I didn’t love -
The pacing! The middle 60% was so slow and I felt it was way too dragged out at 400 pages. Now, I don’t mind a slow story if it’s told well and holds my interest and maintains tension. Unfortunately this story didn’t do that and I found myself skimming or re-reading parts of it and wondering when it was going to end (I know I could have DNFed it, but I’m stubborn sometimes). This book could have had 50-100 pages cut out and I don’t think we’d lose much.
The characters were okay, but not very memorable. I felt both Neve and Red had similar personalities and while they were both technically adults, they came off as stubborn bratty teenagers many times. I wish I had more sense of their closeness other than simply being told they were sisters, so therefore they should love and sacrifice for one another. Not every sibling relationship is good, so I would have liked more showing in this instance and really feel their bond. The supporting characters weren’t really fleshed out and I started getting confused who was who at times, and instead seemed like they were just there to move the plot forward.
The romance was also just alright. I didn’t feel much in chemistry between Red and Eammon. There also seemed to be a very large age gap between the two (Red is 20 and Eammon sounded like he was a few hundred or thousands of years old), which really isn’t for me. Again, I was told they loved and would do anything for each other, but I didn’t quite understand the love they had, except that they fell in love only because they were stuck together.
This was told mostly in third person from iRed’s perspective, with chapters mixed in from Neve’s.
Overall, 3 stars. Enjoyed it for what it was, but I wasn’t invested in the story and characters like I wish I was. Not sure I’ll pick up For the Throne (book #2), but from the sample chapter I read, it seems like it could be a more interesting read.
This second book picks up right where the first one ended. I didn't re-read For the Wolf before starting this one, but it might be worth doing if you have the time as, outside of the main characters, I had a hard time remembering who was who for a few chapters.
The book mostly follows Neve, Red's sister, while she is stuck in the Shadowlands with Solmir, but there are also some chapters in Red's POV as she struggles to find a way to save her sister and even some showing Raffe's POV. Neve was by far the most interesting character, and I loved getting to know her more deeply than before, exploring her complexities and witnessing both her incredible strength and her touching vulnerability.
The author does an amazing job with the atmosphere. It was dark and chilling and just absolutely perfect. I could almost feel the Shadowlands as Neve and Solmir made their way through them to try and destroy them and the Old Kings. I also really liked the original way in which some classic folklore tropes and elements were woven through the story, and the addition of the gods was a very welcome one for me.
Action on the surface wasn't quite as captivating as that in the Shadowlands for me, and I did find that rather a lot of it was too slow-moving to really hold my interest. I still love Red and Eamonn, but some of the other characters failed to really grow on me and, by the end, there were a few too many couples going around. Some of the surprising twists were also not so surprising after all, which was disappointing as I love being surprised!
Still, I really liked the ending and was very satisfied with it as a conclusion to this duology even if this second book didn't quite live up to the first one for me. Hannah Whitten was a fantastic discovery and I look forward to reading many, many more of her books in the future.
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Redarys is a Second Daughter and all her life she's known what that means: her only purpose is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood so that he will return their old kings-turned-gods to her world.
The First Daughter is for the throne.
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.
And the Wolves are for the Wilderwood.
But Red soon discovers that not things aren't always what they seem, and old myths and legends sometimes lie. The Wolf is in fact a man struggling to hold together the now crumbling Wood, the last remaining barrier between Red's world and an evil beyond imagination.
For the Wolf brings together familiar fairy tales and original mythology to create a complex and rich world. I could definitely see elements of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast, and even spotted a little Snow White in there! This book takes well-known tropes and elements and gives them an original twist, creating a highly entertaining and engaging read that had me gripped throughout.
I personally loved the characters and the way they changed throughout the book as more and more is revealed about the Wilderwood and its purpose, the kings, and the mysterious shadows slowly creeping into the world.
Red is definitely the centre of the book, whether we're following her POV or looking at her sister Neve's attempts to find a way to bring Red back. I really enjoyed seeing Red grow and accept her role in the wood... and at the Wolf's side. While at first she seems passively resigned to her fate, her full strength quickly comes through as she works hard to find her own place in the world. Red is headstrong, witty, independent and fiercely loyal to the people she loves: basically, everything I love in an MC. The romance is definitely a slow burn and Eammon, the Wolf, is the perfect tall, dark and brooding gentleman.
I also really liked Neve's interludes. I found her to be a very interesting character, and in some ways even more complex and intriguing than Red. I'm so curious to see what Neve'll get up to in the next book! The entire cast is fantastic, and I loved all the secondary characters. I wish we'd gotten to see a bit more of some of them, but maybe I'll get my wish in the second book.
The world building was also perfectly on point! The Wilderwood gave me definite [b:Uprooted|22544764|Uprooted|Naomi Novik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550135418l/22544764._SX50_.jpg|41876730] vibes, as did some of the writing. I'm in love with the author's writing style and the way she crafts gorgeous and deliciously creepy descriptions. The pace did slow a fair bit around the middle mark, which made it feel as though certain sections were dragging on with not much happening. It picked up again though and the ending was incredibly fast-paced and gave me ALL the feelings at once.
For the Wolf is one of those books that reminded me why I love fantasy so much. Magic, an eerie wood, legends and traditions, and an incredible cast of characters come together in this beautiful and unforgettable tale. Can't wait for the second book!
Find my reviews on Book for Thought.
I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
The Presque Mort is a group a special monks, and Gabriel is both her jailer and her accomplice in this task. But there is also Basition, heir to the Sainted King and ruler of the land, who is not exactly what the city things he is.
I was thoroughly engrossed in this book and was so disappointed when my audiobook ended, because it ended in the middle of a sentence. It turns out that my audiobook was 3 HOURS SHORT!!!! And no way to get a new download. And while I still have not finished this book, I fully plan to reread it in full when it the sequel comes out because I have to know more!!!
4+ This is a really solid second and final wrap-up to the series. Hannah Whitten does a great job writing so that scene is easily visualized and also with all of the emotion going through each character. There were a few plot points that didn't feel as fleshed-out to me as the rest, like they were put in to help manage other pieces of the story, but it wasn't enough to detract much from the book. This is a great duology that I have really enjoyed reading and I look forward to the author's future work.
Ugh, as much as I love series it's also really hard to read the first as an ARC because now I have to WAIT for the next ones!
It was a smidge slow in the beginning but not that bad and while most of the story focused on Red I did like that there were chapters that focused on her sister so we could see both sides of what was happening. I enjoyed the world and the magic and thought both were described well with a slow reveals throughout the book so while you didn't know everything all at once it made sense as you went along (and it made sense because the character was learning as well). Looking forward to the next one!
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
I knew this was a series going into it but before I hit 100 pages I was already sad the rest of the series wasn’t out yet. I thought this was a really interesting and unique world that was built and I am excited to continue and watch how it grows. To be honest, when I first read the synopsis when the book was announced awhile ago I wasn’t really interested in it. But after following the author’s Instagram page and having her post snippets and thoughts about the book it reeled me in and I’m so glad it did. It is a bit hard for me to pin-point what I like about Whitten’s writing so much, but it just works for me.
The quote “Ah yes”...”the kneecaps are the eyes of the legs.” will forever make me giggle
This book has everything — slow burn, he falls first, morally gray characters, found family, world building, magic — everything that I could want in a fantasy novel. I can’t wait for book two!
I am eager to read book 2.
Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the ARC
Content warnings:
death of a child (off-page, though we see the aftermath and lots of time is spent with the body)
parental abuse (emotional, physical)
sexual content
adult language
religious abuse
animal death
some scenes that may be triggering to those with emetophobia
gore/violence (fairly severe)
talk of child neglect and terminal illness
For me The Foxglove King simply did not live up to Hannah Whitten’s previous work. In the Wilderwood Books I didn’t just feel that she went against the grain with her characters and their development, but she had me engaged in their stories from the first moment I met them. In The Foxglove King I didn’t warm up to any of the three main characters, and felt that they were all quite stereotypical.
The main character is Lore, a mysterious woman working as a spy before her hidden death magic is revealed, and she is swept up by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks and the only ones legally sanctioned to use death magic. Blackmailed by the King and his brother, the Priest Exalted, to work for them and spy on the King’s wayward son, Lore has no choice but to do as they say. She is accompanied by a monk, a former duke and lone survivor of an attack when his family betrayed the King. Gabriel is told that to introduce Lore to Court he must return to take up his title, a title and a past that he thought long left behind when he lost his eye and joined the Presque Mort. Attending to Lore, so she can hook up with the Prince is the last thing he wants to do.
As the two of them embark on their mission, they find themselves getting closer to Prince Bastian although not quite in the ways their masters intended. There’s more happening beneath the visage of a decadent court and frivolous parties, and even the deaths that Lore has been told she has to look into aren’t quite what they seem.
I’m not someone who dismisses tropes straight away, however, I can’t help looking at the plot of The Foxglove King especially having read it and see trope after trope piled on top. That is even more disappointing when I know that Whitten can write so much better. One of my biggest dislikes is when a synopsis alludes to something just to sell books, and then it never actually happens in the book. All I’m going to say is that calling it “romance” is a huge exaggeration. There are feelings that build up, but if you’re looking for actual action then this isn’t the book for you. It’s the slowest of slow burns.
The other aspect of the book that was most off-putting for me was the religious theme throughout. Religion in a fantasy book can mean so many different things. It could be based on a real life religion, or it could be something completely fictional. In The Foxglove King it essentially means Catholicism, and religious zealotry is rampant. While there was a hint of this in Whitten’s Wilderwood Books, it was minor, and I got a strong Pagan feel from them. I think that was why it was such a surprise to me that this was the path she chose to go with this series.
With all that being said, Whitten’s world-building especially her magic system in The Foxglove King is absolutely amazing. I adore what she has done with Mortem and lived for every scene with it. There is so much going on regarding the three characters that is sort of said and hinted at that Whitten has sucked me into the world of The Nightshade Crown for at least a second book. Maybe this one wasn’t quite for me, but it has promise, and I’m curious to know what happens next.
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Content warnings:
blood/gore/general violence
mutilation (one instance)
moderate sexual content
parental neglect/abuse
religious trauma/abuse
giant insects
For the Throne continues on directly from where For the Wolf left off so if you don’t quite remember what happened in that book it is worth re-reading or catching yourself back up before picking this one up. While there isn’t a direct catch-up written in, it is pretty obvious from the way Whitten writes the narrative what has happened and through the character’s dialogue you learn what happened. Neve is in the Shadowlands, a choice she consciously made, and Red and Raffe watched her make the decision.
The first book was Red’s story, whereas this one is Neve’s and likewise it is an echo of the first book in that this time it’s about saving Neve rather than Red. As with the previous book the main character’s narration is dominant, and the other sister’s narration runs parallel. While we follow Neve’s journey through the Shadowlands, we also follow Red’s attempts to find a way to get Neve out of the Shadowlands. This time there’s a third narrator; Raffe who acts as the reader’s eyes in Valleyda just as Neve did in the previous book. He plays a much larger role in this book, throw into the position of keeping up the ruse that Queen Neve is ill rather than missing in the Shadowlands. It was great to see more of him as a character and his narration is a wonderful change of pace to the two sisters.
Neve is the dark to Red’s light, and with much of For the Throne set in the Shadowlands Whitten was able to delve into a much darker space. While the Wilderwood had its Grimm fairytale elements of horror, the Shadowlands is pure gothic horror. I got some very strong Lovecraftian and H. R. Giger vibes from it. These vibes mixed with Whitten’s luscious style result in some dark and disturbing descriptions that are also just so delicious. It’s like eating delicious ice cream that gives you brain freeze; tastes so good, but it has that wicked edge to it.
I like Red as a character, however, it’s Neve that I found easier to understand and connect with. The dedication for this book reads “for anyone who grew thorns instead of flowers – you had your reasons” and that really resonated with me on many levels. This is a book about exploring the decisions we make, the truth of our feelings regarding them and taking ownership of them, especially the darker aspects of ourselves. In For the Throne Whitten explores how we create our own identity, the one that we are happy with, that we can answer to. Neve has to come to terms with her actions and their consequences, and decide how they are going to let them define her.
Once again I was blown away by Whitten’s storytelling and visual descriptions in For the Throne. I loved the world-building in both books, and how she brought everything full circle to fit together. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a well written duology, and I’m looking forward to reading Whitten’s next book The Foxglove King!
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!
For the Wolf was a book that I’ve heard a lot of praise for, and then I watched a panel with Hannah Whitten at CYMERA 2021 (read about it here!). By the end of that panel I was sold on every author’s book on that panel, including this one. I just had to wait until I could get my hands on a copy, and eventually my library added it to their catalogue!
Let’s just put it this way; it was so good that before I was even half way done I had popped over to NetGalley, found the request for the ARC for book two and requested it.
There were zero doubts in my mind that I would be wanting to read book two.
The praise that For the Wolf gets are 100% deserved. If I could give this book six stars I would. Whitten has woven a story that is so dark and delicious that reading For the Wolf feels like eating the most delectable cake ever. Her descriptions of the Wilderwood come alive and jump off the page. The emotions that the characters feel flood your own senses. It’s sensory overload and it’s gorgeous.
The book title, cover and synopsis suggests this is a Red Riding Hood retelling, and it is, and every other fairytale you can name. There are so many subverted fairytale tropes in this book, and it’s fantastic. The characters are wonderful, and you will devour all of them, from the lightest to the darkest.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog!
For me, I wasn’t impressed with the writing. I’m an adult reader and I expect to read adult writing. This was very young adult for me. Very repetitive thoughts and the prose did not pull me in.
If YA books are more your speed, check it out.
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Just really long winded and kind of a confusing magic system.