Book Review: The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
★★★
I do love me some dark romance, and if it's enemies to lovers, that's just the cherry on top!
The Wolf and the Woodsman gave me a little more than I expected, though. The romance often felt more like a subplot than the main focus of the story, which I actually liked.
This is a world of gods, religions, kingdoms, rituals, and magic. The world-building was good, albeit a little rushed, probably because this is a standalone rather than a series. Still, I feel like this is a book I could go back and read again and discover things I completely missed the first time around. The class systems, religious rituals, and magic were all well thought out and used cleverly throughout the story.
However, I really wish this was a book I had physically read rather than listened to.
Because of the intense and fast-paced world-building, I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of the different names, religions, gods, and places through the audiobook. There were moments when the main character would compare two things that existed within this world and I would just think, Wait, what were those again? This is definitely a book I think would benefit from a closer read.
The Romance
Like I said, the romance is enemies to lovers, and I really enjoyed it. Even though the romance is more of a subplot than the main focus of the story, I thought it was a good dark romance and fit really well alongside everything else happening in the book.
The flirting and tension between the two characters were especially good. There were definitely moments that had me giggling and kicking my feet, and I loved watching the hostility between them slowly turn into attraction.
If anything, I just wish they had dragged it out longer. The tension was already there, and I would've happily taken an even slower burn before they finally gave in to it.
Gods, Faith, and Sacrifice
What I found much more interesting were the book's ideas about religion and faith.
I've somehow managed to pick up several books recently that deal with religion, gods, and faith in one way or another. The Wolf and the Woodsman reminded me of Empire of the Vampire in that sense. Both made me think about what it means to believe in gods while living in a world filled with so much suffering.
In this book, we essentially have its version of pagan gods existing against its version of the one true God. Religion isn't just something the characters believe in either. Their faith is connected to kingdoms, cultures, political power, magic, and even their identities.
It left me thinking about some interesting questions.
Why does faith give us power? Are gods inherently good simply because they're gods? What does it mean to sacrifice something for your people, your religion, or yourself? And if these characters derive their power from gods, who are they without them?
I would have loved for the book to explore its magic system and gods even further because so much of it remained mysterious. Then again, maybe that was intentional. Just like the characters themselves, we're left trying to understand these gods, what they want, and exactly how their power works.
A Lot to Fit Into One Book
The ending did feel a little rushed. As I was getting toward the end, I remember looking at my remaining listening time and realizing I only had about 30 minutes left while there were still so many loose threads. I genuinely wondered how everything was possibly going to get resolved in that amount of time. Eventually, though, it delivered.
I should also mention that this book gets violent. There are some graphic depictions of torture, and Reid doesn't necessarily spare you the tiny details. Flesh burning and all.
Despite all of its brutality, I really enjoyed the story.
There were so many themes and pieces of this world that I think could have been explored further if The Wolf and the Woodsman had been a series. At the same time, I'm actually glad it wasn't.
It feels like almost every fantasy book I pick up nowadays comes with the commitment of another two, three, or five books afterward. There's something refreshing about reaching the final page of a fantasy novel and realizing I don't have to buy another book.
P.S. Look at This Edition!
Before you go, I have to show you the The Wolf and the Woodsman Deluxe Collector’s Edition because look at it! The illustrated dust jacket is beautiful and now I think that if I ever do want to reread it, I’d like to get my hands on this edition!
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