Book Review: For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten

*This book was sent to me as a giveaway prize by the author.

Genre: Adult Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling

Alright, before we get into this, I have to say upfront that not only was this book a gift, I also received a copy that has been annotated by the author. I won it in a Twitter giveaway before it released and I'm incredibly lucky and grateful to have it in my possession. I had intended to read it immediately and review it before its release in June but time got away from me, as time often does. The thing is, I knew I was going to love this book and that it was going to drag me deep into my feelings and I wasn't ready for it yet. But I've done it now and here we are.

And I was right, I loved it a whole lot and I have a lot of feelings about it. 

For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten is a home run book for me. It encompasses all my favorite things to find in a book -romance, complicated relationships with family, fairytale symbolism, magic forests, and breathless writing. And of course the exploration of what it means to be human and what it means to be a monster. Where and what are the lines and how do we walk them?

Summary

"The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf."

Red is born a second daughter, her twin sister Neve being the first and therefore the heir to the throne. In Valleyda the title of Second Daughter comes with a horrible responsibility -the be sacrificed to the Wolf of Wilderwood in hope to appease the monster and bring back the Five Kings.

Red has known her fate her whole life, and having already been touched by the woods after a foolish and rebellious night out with her sister, she is resigned to it, determined not to hurt those that she loves with the power slipping through her veins.

But the Wolf is not a wolf, but a man, and the legends she grew up hearing are not what they seem. Red must learn to wield her power and stop the darkness that's sinking in if she wants to save her kingdom as well as the Wolf she can't help falling in love with.

I don't want to give too much away in this review because I really want everyone to go and read this book and experience it fully without too many spoilers. What I will say is that I love Red and Eammon so much. You can tell that Hannah reads romance just from the way she writes their story and it's excellent. They're both so full of love and so afraid and watching them learn from each other and overcome their demons was a joy. Plus, I'm definitely a little in love with Eammon. Forest Boyfriend forever.

Hannah's writing is beautiful and cinematic and she nails the balance between exploring character relationships, personal power, politics, and religion. The threads of this book are deftly woven together to create a seamless tapestry of imagery, story, and powerful emotion. And it's only the first book! For The Throne, which focuses on Neve, is slated to come out in June 2022.

Again, I was lucky enough to be sent an annotated copy of this book, which means that on top of getting to read the story, I also got tons of notes from the author to go along with the experience I really enjoyed getting insight on the writing process as well as recommended songs for each chapter. It was a delight.

5/5 Stars  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"If you give the Wilderwood blood, it won't stop there."