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mckiheather's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story did a great job resolving what was left over from the first book, and it was very interesting to get to see so much from the “villain” characters (relatively speaking). It keeps your attention when stories don’t exist in black and white and this one is basically all in gray.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction and Toxic relationship
sirkeili's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Because this book's plot is a direct recap and continuation of the first novel, I immediately jumped back into the world of the Wildwood Wolves and the Shadowland Kings.
Neve's strength throughout the book was unmeasurable, and her wit really drew me her as a character entirely. I could see how much she and her sister's fierce and deep love for one another was a driving force. Yet she comes to terms with her own shortcomings, and embraces who she is, and ultimately I found her development and growth to be the most compelling.
I had initially suspected Solmir would have a bigger part to play, as they seemed to really focus on his possession of Arrick towards the end of the first book, and his relationship to Eammon's parents fate as the Wildwood Wolf and Second Daughter throughout. He became a surprise favourite, as I started out sort of expecting this redemption arc, but still kind of wary of his method to begin with. As he slowly became more vulnerable to Neve, I slowly found myself being won over by him, and he ultimately pulled a Eugene and I was a goner.
I also really enjoyed Red and Eammons flirty behavior, when they were not intently focusing on helping Neve. It was nice to see their relationship flourish and grow, and it felt organic and yet fortified all the same.
I wasn't as interested in the Raffe segments, but I was happy to see that he too was able to find happiness in Kayu. He deserves it for the hell he was put through, honestly, that and a solid nap.
Overall, it was heartwrenching to watch Neve fight her way back to her sister from the Shadowlands, and Red doing the same from above, and both aching to just be together again. The fact that they sacrificed something so precious to be reunited with their loved ones was a bittersweet victory, but a victory nonetheless.
The surprisingly sweet meet-cute ending for Solmir and Neve makes me hope they can finally experience peaceful life together now. I hope to see them again someday soon. ❤️
Neve's strength throughout the book was unmeasurable, and her wit really drew me her as a character entirely. I could see how much she and her sister's fierce and deep love for one another was a driving force. Yet she comes to terms with her own shortcomings, and embraces who she is, and ultimately I found her development and growth to be the most compelling.
I had initially suspected Solmir would have a bigger part to play, as they seemed to really focus on his possession of Arrick towards the end of the first book, and his relationship to Eammon's parents fate as the Wildwood Wolf and Second Daughter throughout. He became a surprise favourite, as I started out sort of expecting this redemption arc, but still kind of wary of his method to begin with. As he slowly became more vulnerable to Neve, I slowly found myself being won over by him, and he ultimately pulled a Eugene and I was a goner.
I also really enjoyed Red and Eammons flirty behavior, when they were not intently focusing on helping Neve. It was nice to see their relationship flourish and grow, and it felt organic and yet fortified all the same.
I wasn't as interested in the Raffe segments, but I was happy to see that he too was able to find happiness in Kayu. He deserves it for the hell he was put through, honestly, that and a solid nap.
Overall, it was heartwrenching to watch Neve fight her way back to her sister from the Shadowlands, and Red doing the same from above, and both aching to just be together again. The fact that they sacrificed something so precious to be reunited with their loved ones was a bittersweet victory, but a victory nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief
natashaleighton_'s review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hannah Whitten’s dark and richly detailed conclusion to the Wilderwoods Duology was just as incredible as the first, infused with Whitten’s signature brand of gorgeous prose, blending horror elements with fairytale-esque world-building and emotionally complex characters that fans of dark, atmospheric (adult) fantasy are going to absolutely love.
Red and Wolf have finally managed to contain the threat of the old kings, but at a steep cost. Neve (Red’s sister) is lost in the Shadowlands in sinister inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have spent centuries trapped alongside the Old Kings who’ve been slowly gaining control. But Neve isn’t alone, she has an unconventional ally—one she’d rather not have speak to again—the rogue king Solmir.
Solmir wants to end the shadowlands and he belives Neve is the key to its destruction. But in order to succeed he and Neve have to embark on a perilous journey to find the mysterious Heart tree and claim the dark, twisted powers of the old gods…
For The Wolf was definitely a standout read for me in 2021–I absolutely loved creepy atmospheric world of gods, monster and sentient woodlands and the creepy otherworldly vibes were just fantastic! I loved it so much that I definitely had high hopes for it’s sequel and I’m glad to say it most definitely lived up to—and surpassed—all of my expectations.
The pacing of the first few of chapters does start off a little slow but soon picks up and we switch between Red and Neve’s POVs. We also get a bit of a refresher for some of the bigger events in book one, which will be helpful if you haven’t read For The Wolf in a while (though I’d still recommend rereading it before starting For The Throne).
I have to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Neve or her actions in the previous book. However, her development here was soo well crafted that I honestly found myself more invested in her POV chapters than in Red’s (shocking I know given how much I love all of her and Eammmon’s scenes together.)
The Shadowlands (a creepy, inverted world that reminded me of the upside down from Stanger Things) was a really interesting new setting that really gives us a chance to delve deeper into thhe worlds lore surrounding the Gods and the Old Kings which I really enjoyed, and felt that I had a richer sense of this compelling, dark and magically gothic world. The Old Kings are more substantial here than I had anticipated, but I loved our fleshed out and villainous they were.
We do get some mirroring between the Shadowlands and The Wilderwoods but it’s the sisters (Neve and Red) who carry the most parallels in their story arcs. Like Red and Eammon before them, Neve and Solmir have a bit of a love/hate, enemies to lovers relationship which I absolutely loved, Solmir’s swoon worthy, bad boy monster vibe was perfection. He also helps Neve (and the readers) really explore the concept of monsters and what actually defines them.
The ending was full of gloriously plot twisty, edge of your seat action that I didn’t want to put down—and I was definitely satisfied with how things were wrapped up.
All in all, For The Throne is a wonderfully rich and beautifully written dark fantasy and the sneak peak into Whitten’s upcoming new series has me already eager for a copy! If you love dark fantasy then I definitely recommend checking this (and the first book, For The Wolf) out.
Also, thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-arc.
Red and Wolf have finally managed to contain the threat of the old kings, but at a steep cost. Neve (Red’s sister) is lost in the Shadowlands in sinister inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have spent centuries trapped alongside the Old Kings who’ve been slowly gaining control. But Neve isn’t alone, she has an unconventional ally—one she’d rather not have speak to again—the rogue king Solmir.
Solmir wants to end the shadowlands and he belives Neve is the key to its destruction. But in order to succeed he and Neve have to embark on a perilous journey to find the mysterious Heart tree and claim the dark, twisted powers of the old gods…
For The Wolf was definitely a standout read for me in 2021–I absolutely loved creepy atmospheric world of gods, monster and sentient woodlands and the creepy otherworldly vibes were just fantastic! I loved it so much that I definitely had high hopes for it’s sequel and I’m glad to say it most definitely lived up to—and surpassed—all of my expectations.
The pacing of the first few of chapters does start off a little slow but soon picks up and we switch between Red and Neve’s POVs. We also get a bit of a refresher for some of the bigger events in book one, which will be helpful if you haven’t read For The Wolf in a while (though I’d still recommend rereading it before starting For The Throne).
I have to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Neve or her actions in the previous book. However, her development here was soo well crafted that I honestly found myself more invested in her POV chapters than in Red’s (shocking I know given how much I love all of her and Eammmon’s scenes together.)
The Shadowlands (a creepy, inverted world that reminded me of the upside down from Stanger Things) was a really interesting new setting that really gives us a chance to delve deeper into thhe worlds lore surrounding the Gods and the Old Kings which I really enjoyed, and felt that I had a richer sense of this compelling, dark and magically gothic world. The Old Kings are more substantial here than I had anticipated, but I loved our fleshed out and villainous they were.
We do get some mirroring between the Shadowlands and The Wilderwoods but it’s the sisters (Neve and Red) who carry the most parallels in their story arcs. Like Red and Eammon before them, Neve and Solmir have a bit of a love/hate, enemies to lovers relationship which I absolutely loved, Solmir’s swoon worthy, bad boy monster vibe was perfection. He also helps Neve (and the readers) really explore the concept of monsters and what actually defines them.
The ending was full of gloriously plot twisty, edge of your seat action that I didn’t want to put down—and I was definitely satisfied with how things were wrapped up.
All in all, For The Throne is a wonderfully rich and beautifully written dark fantasy and the sneak peak into Whitten’s upcoming new series has me already eager for a copy! If you love dark fantasy then I definitely recommend checking this (and the first book, For The Wolf) out.
Also, thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the e-arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror
mo345's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror
katroseknibbs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
FOR THE THRONE by Hannah Whitten. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4.
I knew going into this book that I probably wouldn't like it as much as For the Wolf but it was still a great read. The universe gets expanding in a way that makes this book fairly different from the first. With the limitations of the Wilderwood gone, Red, Eammon, and company are free to travel around, giving us a larger glimpse of the outside world, as well as the Shadowlands.
I love that the author didn't make excuses for Neve and Solmir. We learn that some of Somlir's story and motivations are different than what we may have assumed in the first book, but he's still unapologetically an asshole. People aren't black and white, so getting to know Neve (even if you still don't agree with her actions) fleshes out her character in a "real person" way. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded spending more time with them in the Shadowlands, but this book is divided POV much more than the first.
There were a couple things at the end that I thought were odd choices. Mostly the soul stuff. After we spent a lot of time being like "don't lose your soul" in the Shadowsland, but then at the end it's like, fine? Arick coming back to life was also strange to me, since there was a big emphasis of "actions have consequences" and "somebody has to pay for your mistakes". Having him come back negates a major consequence of the first book. Also, I didn't really care for the introduction of Kayu. I knew from the beginning that she was just going to be an alt love interest for Raffe, so I didn't really care about her. However, a lot of it was great and emotionally satisfying. I love that magic has returned to the land and that Eammon can't even see/use it anymore. The poor kid needed a break. Overall, a powerful debut duology. I can't wait for The Foxglove King and whatever Whitten puts out. I'd probably read her grocery list if she'd let me.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Orbit for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
I knew going into this book that I probably wouldn't like it as much as For the Wolf but it was still a great read. The universe gets expanding in a way that makes this book fairly different from the first. With the limitations of the Wilderwood gone, Red, Eammon, and company are free to travel around, giving us a larger glimpse of the outside world, as well as the Shadowlands.
I love that the author didn't make excuses for Neve and Solmir. We learn that some of Somlir's story and motivations are different than what we may have assumed in the first book, but he's still unapologetically an asshole. People aren't black and white, so getting to know Neve (even if you still don't agree with her actions) fleshes out her character in a "real person" way. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded spending more time with them in the Shadowlands, but this book is divided POV much more than the first.
There were a couple things at the end that I thought were odd choices.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Orbit for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
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