A review by iftheshoef1tz
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

I wanted, so bad, to like this book. The premise is super interesting, and though it’s in first person present, it’s not bad. It’s gory and dark, and the brutality of this world is not left to the imagination.

However.

Instead of letting the relationship between Evike and Gaspar develop more naturally, Reid just beats you with the “he’s actually good” way to early in the book. There is good, believable animosity between them to start, and while I think the bargain between them

to not tell Evike the truth until the end

is just a lazy way of being like “no just keep reading, i promise i’ll explain it,” it at least makes sense and forces them into proximity. (Only one tree root nest! Only one tree root nest!) I would have preferred all these “hints” about Gaspar’s goodness have been withheld or not so easily seen by Evike and instead have the thaw begin when

they talk about their respective dead moms.

It was just too much too early on, and so much of Evike’s narration was spent trying to convince me to feel strongly about this pairing instead of just…letting me feel what I feel.

It also felt very “here is a tale about legends in our world! Sounds fake!” And then they live/experience the folklore, and then there is a moral. Too much monster of the week schtick, too many similes.

Tropes:
Folklore-inspired
Will-they-won’t-they (obviously they will)
Not like other girls
Not like other princes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore