Reviews with content warning for Death - The Wolf and the Woodsman

I was in the mood for something a bit magical and escapist, but not quite ready to start/pick back up in a longer series. This standalone novel has been sitting on my TBR shelf at home for awhile, so I decided to give it a go.

Évike is the only woman without power in her pagan village (the villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king), making her an outcast in the small community. When soldiers from the Holy Order of Woodsmen arrive, to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered. But the route to the city is deadly, and eventually only Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain are left alive. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman - he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike and the two make a fragile pact to stop his brother. Over their journey, their mutual loathing and cooperation necessary for survival turn to affection, bonded through danger and mutual understandings of what it's like to be an outcast. However, their newfound closeness is threatened as they reach the city, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.

Well, for one, I loved all the folklore and mythology that is woven into this tale. The Jewish inspiration for the Yehuli people/stories, the central/eastern European monsters/magical creatures and pagan systems, and the influx of monotheism - Christianity - as the power of the city/ruling elite that is sweeping the land (though this was by far my least favorite, personally) worked together in an approximation of history, but with a clear fairy-tale retelling style, that was familiar, intriguing, transporting and well-grounded. I actually got a lot of Grishaverse vibes from the world-building side of things, though the characters were clearly older and the politics/plot was a bit more complex, similar more to Pike's The Lost Queen series (The Lost Queen and The Forgotten Kingdom, to date). Also, Reid definitely doesn't shy away from gore and violence in clear description. There was a lot of it. And it was absolutely not light or subtle or glossed over. However, it also never felt gratuitous, but rather it just realistically fit the story as it developed.

As I mentioned, the world-building and politics were really complex and well-developed. A lot of that, I assume, can be attributed to the base this novel has in well-established folklore, as well as some real traditions and historical facts/events. Specifically, the stories of each cultural tradition, the mythology of where their beliefs and powers came from (and thus the keys to understanding and tapping into that power), were liberally woven through. Perhaps to the point where it slowed the greater story down, sure; however, while there is quite a bit of action and drama, this is also not written with a high-octane feel or pace. Once I settled into the deliberate speed and style of the writing, it fit. There were some aspects of the story were a bit confusing/unclear (as far as why they were necessary), particularly some of the choices made related to the turul, and some that were frustrating to read (in the way that, as a reader, you want to yell at the character that they're making the wrong call). Maybe they were questionable edis on the author's part, but maybe it comes down to Évike being a bit sheltered and Gáspár being timid, both due to how they grew up. Since both really never felt like they belonged, and deep down wanted nothing more than to find a space for themselves, to be needed and cared for, they had to learn some things the hard way, as they went. Sometimes, reading as a character works though all those tough lessons can be frustrating, but it was reasonable to their character development(s). So.

The conflict between belief systems - Yehuli, pagan, Prinkepatrios - was an absolute highlight. What a commentary on the many ways the same beliefs/religions can be interpreted, in actual piety and in a grotesque and dangerous imitation of that (twisted to subdue alternative POVs and minority groups, which is ridiculous if you consider how similar the beliefs actually are). *And* the way they can be re-“interpreted” to support the most convenient story/ruling of the elite and powerful is infuriatingly familiar. The bloody results of religious intolerance are shown to the extreme they deserve/entail IRL here - which is to say, horrifyingly. And hats off to Reid for the way they portray how being raised within one system/POV makes it so hard to break free and cross lines to find common ground with others, as humans, even when both parties want to. Just, quietly heartbreakingly, but the emotionality it pulls from the reader is part of what made this book so good.

Finally, speaking of that difficulty in and yearning to find common ground... The romance between Évike and Gáspár was solidly built and believable. Their development and growth towards each other was slow-paced, as it should be considering it was against both their wishes and beliefs, but keep that in mind if you are looking for a spicier romantasy vibe. It was steadfastly there and so real; it’s always the individual human connections, in this case a bond over a shared history of alienation and the abuse outcasts face (some quite viscerally, both physical and verbal), that overcome cultural prejudices. Plus, the moment Gáspár describes going to his knees for Évike had me *feeling* things. But, it was never overly present or too primary a focus of the way the plot played out.

This was a sweeping retelling, told with classic storytelling/fairy tale rhythm, and building in the respect for stories and the power therein along the way. Layering history and folklore and romance and archetypal conflicts of belief-systems, I was lulled into this world and slow-paced, ineffable vibes.

“We would have called it power, magic. They called it piety. But what is the difference, if both fires burn just as bright?”

“Can you believe in something while still running your hand over its every contour, feeling for bumps and bruises, like a farmer trying to pick the best, roundest peach? / That is the only way to believe in something [...] When you've weighed and measured it yourself.”

“When winter is one long haze of white, snow weighing down your roof and the cold lining your marrow, it is the dream of a green, bright spring that keeps you from despair.”

Content Warnings

callistag1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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aidareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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laurapalmertm's review against another edition

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jg34's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Really enjoyed this one! As always Ava Reid makes her FMC strong and admirable but also she sure makes them suffer which did make this book a bit daunting for me. However it paid off. This is a complex world with lots of lore and legends and magic that was very well spelled out. The relationships are complex and grow beautifully. The characters are multi faceted - while some are so obviously bad or so obviously good there are many that are more morally grey and complicated. And of course I’m a sucker for a good love story so I liked the slow build of Gaspar and Evike’s relationship.

The ending was left a little open with with respect to their relationship going forward which bummed me out a bit, I was really hoping they would be solidly together.

overall fantastic book!

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ska1224's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

them 🤲

Content Warnings

witcheep's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is a dark adventure of folktale-inspired worldbuilding that relies heavily on body horror laced into the magic system and cruel characters ruling over others. The body horror and brutality made me wince, the extent of them were too much for me. However, the book is also a tale of fragile hope building between Évike and Gáspár, the main characters with two very different world views learning to understand and support each other. Their deepening relationship and shifting worldviews were what kept me reading the book further.

"What would you have me do?" he asks. "You have already ruined me."

The worldbuilding showcases a colonizing worldview where the ruling religious group deems other religions, cultures, and ethnicities inferior and something that should be purged. The oppressor-religious group is content on using the other groups to their own benefit, though. They take the others' magic, lives, and even their folklore, but bend it so that it fits their own religious world view. This changing of stories takes the voice away from the original people, hiding them.

You can't hoard stories the way you hoard gold, despite what Virág would say. There's nothing to stop anyone from taking the bits they like, and changing or erasing the rest, [--]

The ruling people of the world do this even to their own kings: their legacy is carved in stone only after their death, when he kings themself won't be able to have a say in it anymore, so the living may decide what kind of kingdom they have left behind. Words have power, and the rulers are very strict with who gets a say in anything important. Hence, the cruelty of rendering other people voiceless extends to every level of the society, making power a fleeting thing instead of a lasting impression.

Reid brings up the topic of picking parts of someone else's folklore and rebuilding it to fit one's own needs multiple times. She seems to have a message that this kind of cultural appropriation is bad, but cannot be stopped. She flashes different possibilities of the groups either being forcefully assimilated into the ruling religious ways, staying separate and against each other, or finding a way to mix and coexist.

Maybe by doing so Reid wants to justify her own usage of source material and research for this book: Reid herself has clearly used this strategy of reusing stories while writing this book. She has combed through different mythologies, religious and cultural lore and histories, and uses them quite loosely as her material, combining them into her fantasy world and disregarding some parts or facts altogether. Reid uses at least jewish lore, Eastern European mythology, history and names, and Finnish national epic Kalevala. I was first intriqued by this, but the execution left me wanting a retelling more true to the elements of the original tales or an altogether more original lore to this fantasy world.

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