Of Myths & Magic: For the Wolf Review

The review

I have been antsy about reading For the Wolf; it has been sitting on my TBR for a while now. I am always worried about retellings - will they be dense and flat or build new worlds in a long-told favorite? I was pleasantly surprised with For the Wolf and the story-telling of Hannah Whitten; she took the core ideas of Little Red Riding Hood and transformed the story into a whole new world.

The story begins by providing background to Redarys, our primary character, and her responsibility as a “Second Daughter” to be sacrificed to the Wilderwood and The Wolf within as an offering to release the imprisoned Five Kings and ensure monsters are not released on the surrounding country. I appreciate the history-building of the first few chapters in providing context to their world, but not too much background where there are no surprises (or alternate more accurate tellings by the Wolf) once Red descends into the Wilderwood to fulfill her destiny.

The relationship between Eammon and Redarys is perhaps my favorite - while there are noticeable battles the two must, independently and jointly, fight through to be together, the story allows for the two to build a happy relationship without strife just for the sake of strife. Eammon’s character type is a mix of rigidity and dedication - having lived such a long life dedicated to the survival of the Wilderwood and the destruction of the forest and friends alike, he is hardened against outside help and an insistence on being alone. Red is timid, cautious, and a bit self-conscious in her initial descent into the Wilderwood, having difficulty in her adjustment to a life outside of the castle, her sister, and the shock of having actually lived in crossing through the danger and attacks of the Sentinels for her blood. She, however, is also curious and dedicated and grows into her own within her new home, providing needed support to Eammon and calm to the Wilderwood. Their relationship is marked by a slow-burn romance and a fierce connection to one another, which is made clear throughout the story within their quick-witted quips and bargains to save each other from being consumed by the forest and each other.

Red’s relationship with her sister, Neve, is also a strong point within the book, though I personally was not a huge fan of Neve’s character arc as we progress through the story. Red and Neve have a strong bond as twin sisters, both conflicted with Red’s untimely and unfair sentence to the Wilderwood and its warden, The Wolf, promised centuries earlier. Their relationship and their childhood friends provide a clear conscience for Red’s development as she approaches her sentence to the forest. Still, Whitten does great work of making it clear that Redarys’ responsibility to the Wilderwood, keeping her country safe, and ultimately her attachment to Eammon will always be her true calling.

Neve seemingly began as a strong-willed sure-of-her-self character but quickly turned into an all-consumed danger with a need to rescue her sister from the Wilderwood. Neve’s quick trust in the mischievous High Priestess, Kiri, and distrust in Red following her short return to Valderya was frustrating. In essence, having never been truly away from her sister, it is understandable that Neve may not be able to come to reality about her sister’s situation, but her incessant disposition to be dismissive of Red, despite having lived years with her and such a short period of time without her, did not resonate well with me. As an aside, I’ll also note that I am not always a fan of books that switch character perspectives across chapters (unless it’s dual perspectives of a couple), so that may partially explain my dislike of Neve’s character development as the book begins to narrate from her point of view. The ending provides some redemption for Neve’s character, and I appreciate her being (seemingly) understanding of Red’s dedication and sacrifice for the Wilderwood and acknowledgment that despite that, Redarys still loves and cares for her.

Personal thoughts

Overall, I am excited to see what the second book in the series has to offer; I think we will see a lot more from Neve and the Five Kings, particularly Solomir, so the book is likely to have a large focus on Redarys and Eammon’s attempts to save Neve from the Shadowlands and restrain Five Kings from attempting to break out from the lands and harm the Wilderwood. The world within the Wilderwood is unlike many other trending fantasy novels, and Whitten’s way of story-telling is truly intriguing and would alone keep me reading through the other books in the series.

Book details

Author: Hannah Whitten

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 437 pages

Series: Book 1 of 2 from the Wilderwood series

Tropes: Re-telling, multiple perspectives, slow-burn

Rating: 💡💡💡💡

Spice rating: 🔥

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