Is a beautifully written novel with a carefully woven argument that transports readers into a world of magic, danger and intrigue. Holmberg's characters are complex and multifaceted, and the relationship between Enna and Maekallus is a fascinating exploration of the balance of power, trust and sacrifice. The themes of identity, autonomy and the consequences of elections are scrupulously woven into history, adding depth and nuances to the narrative.
Overall, it is a must-read for fanciers of fantasy and romance, offering a unique and captivating story that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end.

After i`ve read over half-way and still did not enjoy it. I decided to call it quits. It just did not interest me, at all. The chemistry, non-existent, and the hero and heroine? Boring.

I've read a few books by Charlie Holmberg, and I've always walked away feeling good. This story is cozy and whimsical and filled with folklore. Think cottage witch vibes with magic and wild creatures.

I live this kind of books. Full of folklore and whimsical atmosphere. Enna was such a wonderful heroine and the book kept me hooked right form the start. The Author's writing was truly beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg is a fantasy novel set in a small historic rural type village. After being attacked Enna makes a deal with a Mysting Maekallus to keep herself safe, however Maekallus's help isn't free and bit by bit Enna gives up her soul.

I really enjoyed this book, the imagery was amazing and I could picture each charater and setting so easily. The way the author described certain emotions made them so much more real and allowed you to really get to know the characters.

Would definitely recommend this book!

Charlie N. Holmberg's The Will and the Wilds is a fantasy that feels deeply rooted in mythology and the tradition of storytelling.

Enna lives with her father at the edge of the wildwood - a border to the land of monsters. She was raised to exercise great caution when dealing with Mystings - a part demon, part fae creature. Enna's grandmother kept a journal of her knowledge and experiences with Mystings, and Enna refers to it often for guidance.

The Mystings have gotten bolder and one tries to kill Enna just outside her home. Ignoring it will only serve to have more encroach on their home, so Enna feels her only option is to call her own Mysting to protect her home. But making a deal with a Mysting is possibly more dangerous than having one try to kill you.

The Mysting Enna calls upon, Maekallus, agrees to help Enna for a very simple payment ... a kiss. But with a Mysting, a kiss has the power to steal one's soul. But for Maekallus, a kiss, given willingly, will break a spell that has bound him to the mortal land. Otherwise he is soon to perish.

Enna agrees but dedicates her time to finding another way for Maekallus to break the spell so that she won't be doomed to hell herself.

Charlie N. Holmberg has been hit-or-miss for me lately. I think her Paper Magician series was one of the best fantasy series out there and I recommend it often. But none of the books in the last series (Numina) grabbed my attention at all. With The Will and the Wilds, Holmberg returns to providing a truly engaging fantasy.

What captures our attention, aside from Holmberg's lyrical prose, is the strength of Enna. There is a delicate balance between the innocent, wholesome young girl and the daring, brave youth who calls up her own demon to protect her home. Holmberg straddles that line perfectly. Too far in one direction and Enna becomes too devious and we lose interest in her. Tipping to the other side and she becomes a weak patsy who is lost and we're okay with it.

There aren't a lot of characters here. Enna is our main focus, and while there is a human 'hero' who wants to help Enna (love at first site), our real hero is Maekallus, who wants to eat the soul of the heroine. That's not too typical. Even a character such as Enna's father is really a minor character there to flesh out the world a little bit and make it feel like Enna isn't alone in the world

I looked forward to reading this each day that I sat down with my Kindle.

Looking for a good book? If you like a fairy-tale style fantasy, you really want to pick up Charlie N. Holmberg's The Will and the Wilds.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I'd say this is not a bad book, but for this YA novel to be exceptional it would need more original and and inventive world. And also more authentic romance.
Because while the world itself is not bad, the "main" baddie does not work and there is no real threat to get you into the excitement of the conflict of good vs. evil. Instead the romance and its impossibility seem to be of central focus - yet the relationship of the characters is based more on the attractivity/lust factor (there is no sexual scene per se, yet the inclination towards it is clear) than any soul connection, so I find it hard to emotionally connect with the couple.

But the plot, even with aforementioned critique points, is swift and Enna's love towards her ailing father is a saving grace here. That and the herbalism:)

I'll start this with Charlie N. Holmberg is one of my favorite authors. Anytime she produces something new I have to read it. This book was no exception. The unique world she built kept me immersed while trying to figure out exactly where the story was going. Her use of relatable characters and tough situations kept me turning pages through the night. I would highly recommend this book!

The writing of this one was quite beautiful, and I had high hopes for it when I went in - the set-up was quite good, and the premise sounded right up my alley. But it just wasn't to be. I'm aware that this may be me 'reading into things' a little too much, but the descriptions of one of the main types of attacking creatures sounded incredibly fat-phobic - I mean, I reread these descriptions a couple of times and it really just sounded like a humanoid who was fat, but described in a really awful way.

Add to that the idea of someone who has lost their memory not being 'whole', and I was kind of done. It didn't take much for me to decide to put this one down - honestly the plot seemed a bit wishy-washy, and I didn't find I cared enough for the characters to stick around - so it's a low rating from me.

The synopsis of this and the cover made me assume this was more than just a romance but it was just a romance with a “devil” type boyfriend character. It has very little plot, and I have to have plot to balance out romance. If you aren’t a plot driven reader and love romance with dark characters, like Luc from Addie Larue, then you’ll like this book.

I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings! I'm also a big fan of Holmberg's other work, so I was eager to read this story. It did not disappoint! I immediately fell in love with Enna and Maekallus, and it's really their story that kept me quickly turning pages. Enna is a wonderful heroine, and I really enjoyed that the story is told through her perspective. She is fierce and brave and just a really interesting character. Maekallus is complicated and broody at times, and I wasn't sure that I really liked him, but I was won over in the end.

If I had any criticism, it would be that the world-building is lackluster at times. There are plenty of magical creatures around, but I didn't feel like I got a good mental picture of what they looked like. Ultimately, it's not a story that is primarily focused on world-building (the character building is much better!), but it's such an interesting world that I would have liked to experience more of it somehow.

All in all, I really enjoyed it! I'm sure that I will re-read it again sometime soon.

A big thank you to Charlie N. Holmberg, 47North, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

I loved the story of Enna & Maekallus. Enna has always worn a protection stone & feared the mystings. When one tries to kill her to get her stone, she teams up with Maekallus. He agrees to help her for the price of a kiss, which gives him a piece of her soul. Now they must figure out how they can both survive.

DNF at the two-thirds point.

This is a perfectly ok quiet fantasy romance with interesting worldbuilding, but I just found that I wasn't in to it. The writing style kind of bugged me, and I found the protagonist to be a little Mary Sue-ish in the tradition of Jane Eyre. I also didn't connect with the structure of the novel - it seemed like nothing really happened except Enna running back and forth between her house and the clearing where the love interest character (who I didn't feel was fleshed out enough to be interesting. Smirking isn't a personality.) was trapped for a large portion of the story.

Just didn't work for me, but might for other fans of fantasy romance.

A whimsical and enchanting tale reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. Enna lives at the edge of the wildwood with her father, always on alert for mystings – monsters that enter the human realm to wreak havoc. When Enna gets tangled up with mystings searching for her magic stone, Maekallus enters the scene to help her – but he can’t stay in the human realm for long before it starts to have negative effects.

Enna is courageous, a bit feisty, smart, and so loving towards her father. Her development through the story is a bit backwards, as she loses a bit of her soul with her kiss, but she never loses her determination. It was a little frustrating at times to be trapped in her head. Her thoughts tend to be a bit redundant. No matter the challenge, Enna faces it with bravery and compassion.

Maekallus was my favorite character. A mysting with no soul, his development is particularly interesting because with Enna’s kiss, he gains a piece of her soul. The reader is allowed little glimpses into his past as the soul takes root. Whitty and cunning, Maekallus will do anything to break the spell.

There are a number of other, smaller characters we are introduced to throughout the story, but I feel like none of them really got enough backstory. Enna’s father deserves a whole book of his own. I would love to see his backstory – falling in love with Enna’s mother, the war, and how he came in possession of the enchanted stone.. it sounds like an epic tale! This would also give us some much needed backstory about the mysting and human war, and the mysting leader, Scroud.

The writing is what really pulled me into this story. It’s beautifully enchanting, and the way the story unfolds kept me interested – even when there wasn’t quite enough dialogue for my liking. I will say, I was expecting the ending to be different. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it feels like it builds and builds to a point, and then it didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping for.

Another fairy tale retelling, this one was mediocre. If you love Beauty & the Beast, retellings, and romance, then you'll enjoy this. If that isn't your thing, it will just be "eh".

I really enjoy Charlie N. Holmberg's works and was very excited to read this one.

I found myself losing interest in the story and after 100 pages came to the conclusion that this was not the book for me.

The book was a bit too slow for me. I honestly and tragically had a hard time getting into it. After a few attempts to get past the first 75 pages, I had to let it go.

I enjoyed reading several aspects of this book! The pacing was wonderful, characters were well drawn, and the reading experience on the whole was delightful.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like this is a "typical Charlie Holmberg novel." To me, this means it has a sweet romance, elements of magic or fantasy (often includind some kind of quest), and a happy ending. I will say this book actually tricked me in who has going to be Enna's love interest but I like the way it all turned out. It is very quickly moving and as I neared the end, I wondered if the story would be wrapped up in one book. The relationship between Enna and Maekallus was satisfying and exactly why I love Holmberg's books. I read this shortly after finishing the Numina series and I will admit that many of the creatures from this story kinda sorta seemed like leftover Numina beasts, but that is the only negative thing I can say about this book. If you are a fan of Charlie Holmberg and familiar with her other novels, I would rate this one above Veins of Gold, but below the Numina and Paper Magician series. I would put it about equal with The Fifth Doll and a little below Followed by Frost.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for approving my request to read this book.

I am a big fan of fantasy and I like to explore different fantasy worlds. This book has a complex world system which I loved reading. The characters were well written and overall i was hooked from the first chapter. I love Enna and her thirst for knowledge. Overall, it's a perfect read.