I absolutely love when a cover perfectly represents what is inside. This one is so pretty too- I love the colors.

Enna is an endearing character. Her soul is a main source of focus in this story and for good reason. It really does burn brightly and purely. As Enna shares her soul with Maekallus, he begins to feel and realize things long forgotten. I loved the contrast between dark and light in relation to Enna's soul. The relationship develops slowly between Enna and Maekallus as they work through a common problem that binds them.

The story also progressed slowly but picked up a bit about half way though. I just finished reading a fast paced, high intensity book so maybe the contrast between that book and this one made it feel extra slow to me. This book definitely wasn't intense and didn't involve my emotions much. It was however, sweet and gentle with a unique plot and likable heroine. This author does a good job of weaving in the magical to spark imagination. While this wasn't my favorite book by this author, I did enjoy it and would easily recommend it to teenage (and older) fantasy lovers. The ending really was magical. 💜

Content: kissing, mild peril, mild violence

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

THE WILL AND THE WILDS took me a while to read because it's a slow and odd book that, despite its length, builds up to its climax slowly. I ended up liking it because it reminded me a lot of the fairytale stories I read as a kid by authors with triple-barreled names like as Diana Wynne Jones and Margaret Peterson Haddix and Gail Carson Levine and Vivian Vande Velde, but I already know that some readers probably aren't going to like it precisely because it is so slow and non-confrontational. Epic, fast-paced fantasy this is not.

Enna lives on the edge of the wildwood, which is, itself, only a stone's throw away from the monster world, a place called the Deep, which seems to be a sort of Unseelie faerie land where creatures that are part demon and part fae, called Mystings, come and go at their leisure. Sightings of them are rare-- in part because many of them are deadly-- but Enna's grandmother kept a journal of them and Enna uses that info to survive.

She lives with her father, a man who fought the mystings and lived, escaping with a rare and odd jewel that she wears around her wrist because it warns her when mystings are near. But his escape cost him his sanity, and now he appears to be suffering from dementia, living halfway in the past every day of his life. It's an odd life, and Enna is regarded with suspicion by the villagers for being a witch. All that changes when mysting visitations become more frequent, and she is forced to enlist the help of a being named Maekellus.

Her deal with him goes awry and the pact they made becomes a curse, binding the two of them together. If they can't break the curse, the two of them will perish, and kissing him to ease the curse will steal her soul. It seems like the two of them might be doomed, especially when she starts to fall for the magical man with the unicorn horn and the cloven feet who seems like he might be the devil himself. But will he end up proving to be her greatest ally-- or her destruction? Only time will tell, and time itself is running out. (Seriously, why haven't I been hired on as a blurb writer, yet?)

As I said before, I loved the dark fairytale elements of this book and any time you throw in a dangerous man who could be the heroine's destruction, I melt like butter. It's even better that he's a redhead, because apparently I have a thing for those. I also really liked the idea of the Deep-- really, the author spent way too much time in that creepy world, I wanted more-- and the mystings. I could have learned way more about them and their world and their creepy powers, which actually brings me to my biggest complaint: the ending was so anticlimactic. I understand why the author did it and I do think there is strength in grace, but the book seemed to be building to something epic and I kept holding my breath, wondering how something so big was going to go down in such a small amount of pages... and yeah, it turns out it wasn't going to. Not saying any more on the subject, but boo.

Also, at the end of the book is a piece of what looks like handwritten sheet music called "Enna's Wildwood." Obviously, I whipped out my flute (heh) and played it to see what it would sound like. It sounded a lot like creepy video game music that you'd hear in an enchanted forest in one of the Mana or Zelda games. I was kind of into it. So that was fun. If you can read sheet music, give it a try!

Thanks to Netgalley/the publisher for the review copy!

3.5 out of 5 stars

This was my first book by Charlie N. Holmberg and I could not be more pleased. This book is absolutely wonderful. It is completely captivating. I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author.

I’ve been so excited for this book and I wasn’t disappointed at all! As always, Charlie N Holmberg tells an amazing story. I loved this book as much as I love the rest of her work. Great characters, unique world, and amazing love story.

Enna lives with her father in a small village in the woods, where she doesn’t quite fit in. She has a stone her father gave her, that warns her when mystings (a type of monster that come from another realm called the Deep) are near. But the mystings are also interested in the stone and everything changes for Enna when she meets Maekallus, a type of mysting known as a narvad....

The story reminded me a bit of “Keturah and Lord Death” and a bit of a very dark version of Beauty and the Beast. The ending is bittersweet. In general, I like Holmberg’s writing and the very diverse types of stories she is capable of telling. This felt different from previous stories of hers I’d read, and I had mixed feelings about the characters. Still, a fast read. 3 stars.

I’ve never read any other books from this author before, but have heard that the Paper Magicians series is really good. After reading this book, I may have to check those one out.
Enna lives on the outskirts of town with her father, who has a strong case of dementia. His dementia, caused from spending too much time in the Mysting realm, which I associate with being a second universe/world to our mortal realm. The Mysting realm will start to eat away at a human’s soul and body if stayed in too long. The same goes for mystings in the human realm as well. Which is really the bases to our whole story.
I thought the way Holmberg built the world within the novel to be really interesting. I would have liked a little more information around the way magic works in this world though. We learn a lot about mystings but at the same time we don’t fully understand how magic works. We also never directly learn how Enna’s father managed to steal of the protection stone she has.
I know that this is a stand alone and while the story itself wraps up nicely, I could have used a bit more about ‘how’s’. Past that I loved the amount of monster folklore and the reading ease of this book. It’s for fans of YA Fantasy books, and of course forbidden romance fans.
A solid ★★★★☆ rating.

I’m going to say straight out that I enjoyed reading The Will and the Wilds. It was a comfortable, easy read for me, and it came at the perfect time. It is very much a Beauty and the Beast type of story, and plays on similar riffs and tropes. And I adore them. It causes Enna to question the nature of humanity and the soul, but she doesn’t dwell too much on the philosophical, because there are demons coming for her, man.

The Will and the Wilds revolves around two main characters – Enna, a human, and Maekallus, a mysting (basically a demon.) That was both a pro and a con for me, because while the Beauty and the Beast thing essentially only involves two people, which I am okay with, there were bigger stakes, and I didn’t really feel the urgency because we were so focused on Enna and Maekallus.

The writing was super easy to read. Most chapters were from Enna’s point of view, and we really get to know her and the kind of person she is. Curious, smart, practical, and considered a bit of an outsider. She loves learning, has a near obsession with mustangs, and wants to go to university, but can’t because she’s female. Sadly, this angle wasn’t explored in the book and was more of a footnote. Enna goes on learning on her own, so I suppose it doesn’t matter? Every so often we got a chapter in third person limited from Maekallus’ perspective, which I enjoyed.

The magic and the worldbuilding were pretty solid, and there were some interesting points, but it wasn’t the focus of the novel, so I still have a lot of questions.

The one thing that really bothered me was the way Enna gaslighted her father all the time. I won’t go into a lot of detail here, but basically her father has symptoms of dementia, and Enna uses his memory loss in order to lie to him. It just didn’t sit right with me.

For me, The Will and the Wilds was a good read, and one I would recommend. It wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but I enjoyed reading it. If you like Beauty and the Beast, Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia, or the K-Drama ‘A Korean Odyssey,’ you may enjoy The Will and the Wilds.

The Will and the Wilds was a unique retelling with quite the twist. This epic fairytale romance will make that Romeo and Juliet romance come alive. That people from two different sides of the realm can be together happily.

“The strong prey on the weak, it has always been so. The setting is just happenstance.”

A species called mystings have been wandering the human realm and the wildwood near Enna’s village for years. They lurk through the darkness of the trees, killing and consuming those left unprotected or caught unawares. But Enna has always been kept safe by a charm on her wrist that warns of a mystings proximity-a charm her father stole from the monster realm. So when her home is suddenly attacked by not one, but two goblers, Enna is forced into the wildwood to summon a mysting in the hopes of striking a deal. She has heard that some mystings may be persuaded into work by mortals, and Enna hopes that a mysting will kill the creatures that seem to be hunting her. But the deal Enna makes will cost her more than she planned on bargaining with, and her soul might not be the only thing up for shattering.

“Mystings should never be trusted. Ever.”

The Will and The Wilds is set in a much earlier period where horses are the primary use of transportation, food is traded in a market of a small village and talk of witchcraft is either whispered about or scoffed at. Enna and her father are practically shunned by their fellow villagers due to Enna’s fascination with the mystings that plague their world, and because her father experiences frequent lapses in his memories. Though there have been reports and sightings of mystings in the wildwood near their village, many villagers assume that they do not exist or think they have left. But Enna knows full well they are still very close and prowling the woods.

The day that Enna was born, some seventeen years ago, her father and mother were attacked by a species of mysting that delights in consuming humans. With Enna still in the womb, and her mother being horribly eaten alive (ugh, I know), Enna’s father is forced to cut her out of his wife and flee. Her father then finds a way into the monster realm (where the mystings originate from) and steals a charm from a powerful creature, which he brings back to Enna and gifts to her for protection. The charm that has hung on her wrist ever since warns of a nearby mysting. With this charm, several herbs and rituals to keep mystings at bay, and a journal that has been passed down in her family which holds vital information about the monster realm and its creatures, Enna is able to keep herself and her father safe. Until, of course, their home is attacked. From her journal, Enna learns that sometimes mystings will make a bargain with humans if a summoning circle is cast. So naturally, the poor dear casts the circle.

“Some of the intelligent species of mysting are tricksters-these are creatures more interested in toying with mortals than feasting upon them. However, do not let that fact convince you they are docile, for often a trickster will claim something far more valuable than flesh.”

Enter: Maekallus.

Devilish mysting creature with a razor-sharp tail, a horn sword and the kiss that will do more than just take a girls breath away…

…it’ll take her soul too. ❤

Maekallus is a type of mysting called a Narval, who consume human souls with a kiss. After a deal between Enna and Maekallus turns south, and Maekallus is bound to the mortal realm with his body slowly decaying into a bubbly black tar, Enna makes the decision to willingly kiss him in order to save him. But what would normally leave a human completely soulless, somehow, only a piece of Enna’s soul is given to Maekallus.

“The mortal realm will devour a mysting’s body. The monster realm will destroy a human’s mind.”

This story is such a fantastical and beautiful tale. It blends two of my favorite genres (Fantasy and Historical Fiction) into an old-timey tale where portals to realms are opened, and a human becomes bound to a monster. It has a slight Beauty and the Beast romance mixed with a Grimm fairy tale darkness. Instead of angels and demons, it’s demons and humans, and it is totally swoon-worthy! The romance doesn’t overpower this wonderful plot by making it an eye-roll fest full of forced physical contact or stomach roiling one-liners. It feels natural and purposeful, and fully adds to the story that the author tells.

“It’s nothing like Tennith’s kiss. There’s desperation in the movement of his lips. They’re rough, but in a different way. Tennith was much warmer.

Maekallus is like kissing the twilight.”

There is a slight love triangle that happens, but trust me, it is so inconsequential to the big picture and it actually adds an amusing scene to the story that I was LOVING. I found Enna to be a very proper, strong, loyal and good-hearted character who is incredibly selfless. On more than one occasion she is willing to sacrifice herself for someone else, and she exudes a determination and strength that is to be envied. Maekallus is…mysterious. As a mysting he doesn’t have a soul, so he does not understand human emotions like fear, sadness, happiness, love or regret. He finds amusement in toying with humans and delights in consuming a soul to feel the short-lived traces of their emotions.

Though I fully enjoyed this story and read it in a day, I did find that there was a lot of moments that were either left unexplained or just weren’t tied up properly. The world-building wasn’t really there, the explanation of how a portal from the monster realm opened into the human world was vague, and scenes that didn’t center on Maekallus and Enna were left off to the side without a second glance. There was a lot of exciting moments that kept me hooked throughout the read, but I do wish there was more emphasis put on descriptions and extra history/research on the mystings in proximity to humans. But with that said, I also don’t think it takes away from the story at all. The writing is beautiful and eloquent, the dialogue is a fantastic representation of the times and the story as a whole is truly beyond creative. It was a perfect blend of fantasy, romance, sweetness and darkness.

This was so freaking good. Like Jesus Christ, I didn't expect this.

I went back and forth on whether to give this 4.5 or 5 stars, since this is an arc and I tend to be more strict about books I'm obligated to review, but I've decided to rate this 5 stars simply because I feel that the overall enjoyment this book gave me far outweighs its flaws, not that there are many to begin with.

I've had terrible luck with arcs in the past. I've always picked out books I was certain I would enjoy, but they've all been two star reads for me for various reasons. Until now.

Enna is a twenty year-old girl that spends her days taking care of her father and using various plants to protect them from the wildwood, a forest near their home filled with monsters called mystings, the majority of which are hostile towards humans. Enna wears a bracelet with a stone that can sense them, and after being attacked by one and sensing another, she summons an intelligent mysting named Maekallus to kill it for her. This is where the story really begins.

This book grabbed my attention from page one. The author wasted little time jumping into the story, and her writing really drew me into what was happening.

I really liked Enna as a character. She was caring, ambitious and intelligent. She was flawed like a real person but wasn't one of those weak, timid main characters that I despise. I liked how no-nonsense and borderline hostile she was to Maekallus in the beginning. It wasn't one of those stories where the female lead starts off headstrong and fierce and ends up this sappy, whiny, useless blob. It took a while to change, and when she did, she kept the most likable aspects of herself and I enjoyed that.

I didn't particularly like Maekallus in the beginning but he grew on me as his character developed. I disliked his dishonesty, but I realize I probably would've been just as deceptive in his situation. Again, another flawed but likable character. I also really appreciated his character design, more specifically his horn and hooves. Most authors would avoid adding traits like that to their male lead, since I feel like some readers wouldn't like it. Especially in the young adult romance genre.

One of the main reasons I read fantasy is for the magic and the creatures. This book did not disappoint.

There is nothing I love more than the suspense and the anxiety given to me from a book filled with dangerous fantastical creatures, and a main character that lives/works close to them. These creatures in particular were fun to read about. I enjoyed their weird descriptions and reading about their habits and the things that can hurt or deter them.

The little descriptions and tidbits of information at the beginning of every chapter were a nice touch, as were the formal way the characters spoke. It really gave me a sense of feeling that they were actually in another time and another place, and unlike some other fantasies, I never forgot it wasn't my world.

However, I do feel that the ending was a tad rushed and definitely could've been extended into more than one book had the author chosen to do so. Sadly though, I have a feeling this will be a standalone novel since everything was wrapped up by the end of this, albeit leaving a few unanswered questions.

I'm very upset at that, since I would've loved a sequel.

I also felt that some things came too easily to the main character at times. There was the occasional plot device here and there and a couple of scenes were a bit anticlimactic.

But the only real issue I had with this book was that I felt like every loose end wasn't tied up and it could've been so much longer and so much more. I hope that the author writes a sequel even though I don't think she will.

Overall, this was a very fun read and I would recommend this to young adults and new adults that like fantasy, dangerous creatures, & romance that takes time to develop.

See my full review on my Goodreads!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3155190744?book_show_action=false

I received a free copy of the ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! It was a wonderful forray into the forest, where mystings have a way of turning up. I loved how the magic system slowly unfolded. I enjoyed the character development and facets of their personalities. It was easy to get submerged into the world. It was light hearted. Beautiful stand alone book. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys light fantasy and magic.

The Will and the Wilds is a magical journey! I was enthralled from the very beginning, and love when an author makes me question falling for certain characters. There were times with the story, that I was afraid things wouldn't work out, whether it was in the way I wanted or not. This story was bewitching in the best way, and I love that the author even composed a song to help bring it to life! I've read The Will and the Wilds twice now, and the audio book was definitely the way to go. The characters are brought to life in vivid detail, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I still found myself gasping or crying at certain parts. It has the perfect mix of fantasy, magic and romance. The story line will stay in your thoughts for days, until you find yourself reading it all over again. A beautifully woven tale, with enchanting characters and a world every reader longs to escape in.

Content Warning: Gore, Death, Mental Health

"Without a soul, she doesn't have a will."

The Wild and the Wilds is a story about how a soul ultimately defines the line between the human and the monster. The town of Fendell is situated on the edge of the Wilds—a large, magical forest teeming with foul mystings. Mystings, monstrous creatures not unlike tricksters, goblins, and such, are not to be trusted. Enna and her father live in the Wilds. Having lost her mother before she was even born (view spoiler) her mother was attacked and killed by a pack of ruthless mystings. Her father, having traveled to the monster realm to find a charm to keep her safe, lost his mind in turn.

"Mankind cannot linger in the monster realm, just as mystings cannot abide here long. Our worlds are too different, and they reject those who don't belong. My father stayed too many hours in the monster realm, and in exchange, it claimed the sharper bits of his mind. And so he retired here with the Telling Stone, learned to grow mushrooms, and the rest of our lives have been uneventful."

With her father's intermittent lucidness, Enna must take care of them both. Recently, mysting appearances have been more frequent. Enna knows, because the charm her father gave her tells when a mysting is near. After a direct attack on their house and Enna being marked by a Gobler, Enna turns to desperation and summons a mysting to help her against the Gobler threat. A humanoid/equine creature known as a narval appears, and she strikes with him a deal—he will hunt down the Goblers threatening her, and she will give him two war medallions of her father's in turn.

Soon after, Maekallus finds the Goblers, but is defeated, cursed, and trapped in the human world to die. Enna finds him, deteriorating quickly, as her world won't allow him to live for long. To save him, she offers him a kiss. The tricky thing about a narval is that they steal one's soul with a willing kiss. Enna kissed Maekallus willingly, and her soul fractured.

Healed for now, Maekallus—the soul eater—begins to lose his monstrous form, and Enna begins to hollow out from the missing pieces of her soul. The two, working together for their own purposes, begin to work together to solve their predicaments. Can the curse be broken to send Maekallus back to his home? Will Enna's soul remain fractured forever? With the threat of the mystings all around, searching for the charm Enna possesses, their time is wearing thin.

"But for every mysting who's willing to cooperate, there are five others who will eat the flesh off your bones, if you but give them the chance."

The Will and the Wilds is undoubtedly an intriguing story. I was sucked in the the plight between these two characters immediately. The uniqueness of this story is apparent, as it's not just a story—it's also a lesson. The concept of one's soul is discussed frequently, and how it makes us who we are—human. Humans with a will, at that. If that soul is taken away, or broken, what would happen? While these musings got me thinking, I couldn't help but notice the lack in world-building. Here is an incredible forest, the Wilds, a monster realm, in a seemingly Medieval era with little to reference it all by. These details aren't exactly necessary since they aren't the main point of the story, but are needed to make this story great, in my opinion.

Despite the world building, I appreciated the attention that the author delegated to these characters. Watching Enna slowly descend as her soul became more fractured, whilst Maekallus ascended towards a pure form of humanity kept these characters in a pendulum-like-state with Enna's soul anchoring it all at the center. Mystings are creatures born from ill-does of humans. Throughout the entire story, Maekallus character is represented as something impure and inhuman, but moves to become something whole. All-in-all, I thought this was a very creative, unique, and thoughtful read.

Vulgarity: Mild.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: Moderate with some gore.

My Rating: ★★★1/2

I'm a little sad about this one... it's by far my least favorite Charlie Holmberg book : (
The world building is quite good. Ms. Holmberg has an incredible imagination and a talent for putting it on a page. This is a world of men and monsters. Below the human world is The Deep. The description is a place with no sun, but an ever-present red glow. The landscapes are harsh and Mystings (the inhabitants) brutal. It is very hell-like. The monsters are quite demon like - including that one subset are tricksters, not to be bargained with.
Humans can cross over to the Deep, but it will begin to destroy them quickly. Mystings may cross over to the human world but within a very short time they will begin to rot. Some can stay longer than others, some prolong their stays by frequent trips back into The Deep.
This is the story of Enna and Maekallus. Enna's grandmother studied mystings but her mother was killed by them. Enna's father is steadily losing his grip on reality, having journeyed once into The Deep, and returned with a charm meant to protect Enna, but now it seems to be putting her at risk. The charm is a bracelet with a Telling Stone that warns her when Mystings enter our realm. They're coming more frequently and creeping closer. In a dangerous bid to try and stem the tide, Enna calls on her grandmother's knowledge and enacts a summoning spell to seek a sympathetic Mysting. Maekallus is the last thing she expects to answer the summoning.
Maekallus is a humanoid Mysting of a most dangerous kind, a trickster. They have the capacity to steal human souls through a willing kiss.
This is where things go wrong for me. I'm used to Charlie Holmberg's books having much sweeter romance, based on kindness and like-mindedness. The "romance" that develops between Enna and Maekallus is much more lust based than anything. Much more longing for arms and lips than the sweet gestures and encouraging each other's dreams and pursuits of the Paper Magician Series. It just wasn't what I'm used to from Charlie Holmberg, and I found it a little disappointing.
There is a bit of a redemption message as part of the story, which I found insightful. Without giving too much away, the point is made that a soul is what gives us responsibility for our actions toward others, as well as the capacity for forgiveness. The world building is still good, the story is still good, I just found it a bit disappointing.

"Monsters are only ever fascinating from afar."

As I was reading this book, it felt like a mix of Beauty and the Beast, Labyrinth, and Russian Folklore. Though I really enjoyed our very intelligent characters, I felt that there were things lacking in this story. I wanted more of the world. I wanted more from the side characters, and overall, I think I just wanted a little more.

I do believe that this book could have benefitted from 50-100 pages more, and some time developing those things, especially the world. Holmberg had an opportunity to create a lush and beautiful world, but I felt like it fell a little flat.

All in all, it was a quick read, and I did enjoy it.

My heart is full right now, this story beating deep within me. I loved this book. I didn’t think I would. I didn’t think Charlie Holmberg could possibly write something I could love more than her Numina trilogy. But, oh, she did! I absolutely devoured this story. Wanted to put life on hold so I could live in this world amongst these characters. And I ache that it’s over. I want it to continue. I want more of Enna and Maekallus. Of the mystings. Of this completely unique and amazing world. I want to know the secrets that Enna had just begun to uncover, and I want to see what becomes of her and her narval. I want more of Maekallus, his past and his future, his secrets and his memories, and what becomes of the Will Stone. This story was amazing and I can’t wait to read it again!

This is my fifth review of a book by Ms. Holmberg, but I think I’ve actually read everything she’s published! She never lets me down, I know just what I’m going to get from her. She always writes a great plucky young heroine, a mysteriously romantic leading man and a truly imaginative magical setting. Her books are easy to read and you’re sucked into her stories from page one.

Enna is an excellent character, a young woman who is clever, loyal and bright She is an intellectual in a society that frowns on women being educated but is unwilling to give up her dream of researching and mapping out the ways of mystings. She desires to more fully understand the world around her. She’s my favorite thing about this book, but then no surprise, I’m such a sucker for main character who is a nerdy girl. But things aren’t so easy because the world of mystings is complicated and dangerous.

If you’re looking for fantasy, here it is.

If you’re looking for romance, here it is.

If you’re looking for a great book to read over the weekend with a cup of tea/coffee/cocoa, here it is.

You can’t go wrong with this one. I fully recommend it.

Song for this book: Millstone by Eisley

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Enna lives at the border of the town of Fendell and the wildwood, caring for her ill father. The Wildwood, is a forest where mystings can enter the mortal realm and pray on human bodies and souls.
When she is almost killed by one, because she possesses an enchanted stone. She takes matters in her own hands Enna uses her knowledge of the mystings, to strike a dangerous bargain with another mysting for protection.
Like all bargains with a trickster demon, Maekallus.
Maekallus’s help comes with a hefty price...
A kiss....
One with the power to steal her soul.

But, when things take a different twist and Enna and Maekallus end up bound.
They have to work together to save their lives and Enna’s soul.
A forbidden romance, monsters and magic the perfect ingredients for a book that you can't help but devour.
Charlie N. Holmberg is a wordsmith. She has the rare ability to create lush worlds and captivating characters. This fantasy take of dark monsters and lovely forbidden romance with a few moments of sexual tension.
The perfect magical read, all with the cottage on the edge of the dark forbidden forest feels.

"Beware the narvals, formed from the spilled blood of bastards.

They feed upon souls, and will steal one with a willing kiss."

"Little mortal, you’ve just half a soul left. Be careful how you divide it."

"What is a soul if not an extension of the heart?"

#TheWillAndTheWilds
#thewillandthewilds #charlienholmberg #wunderkindpr #amazonpublishing


“I am the afterlife. I was created by death. I am the end. When I perish, I am gone.”

Everytime I start a Charlie novel I try to go in with an open mind. It’s no secret that I am obsessed with her work so I try to have an unbiased opinion with each book. However, she has been teasing me with this book for a while now so it was hard not to go in with super high expectations. But she went above and beyond what I had hoped for this book. The Will and the Wilds is a reminder of why I love Charlie’s writing so much. It’s simplistic in the best way a book should be. Charlie takes a wonderfully small world but makes it feel huge. The scene doesn’t change much but she puts so much magic into her words that you don’t need a whole map to traverse in her story. I loved the idea behind the mystings and how they entwined in Enna’s world. If you’re looking for a fantasy book with a lot of action, this would not be the book for you but it is a nice reprieve. A fantasy books that revolves around the characters and the settings rather than a high stakes adventure. All of the pieces came together perfectly.

One of my favorite thing about Charlie’s writing is her character developments. She always does a fantastic job of building her characters and giving them realistic strengths and weaknesses. This make it so much easier to relate to the characters and connect with them. I loved Enna. She was such a fantastic protagonist but by using her wits and surroundings. Maekallus was another great character. I’m glad we were able to get some of his perspective as well. It was nice to see the progression of Enna’s soul in him and how it affected him. I honestly didn’t know if Enna was going to end up with Maekallus or Tennith but honestly, I’m glad the story went the way it did. There weren’t a lot of characters in the book which made it easy to follow and enjoy. The characters that were in it though played their important role to the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, The Will and the Wilds by Charlie Holmberg was exactly the book I wanted from her. While I love all of her books this book reminds me of why I fell in love with her writing. A simple story, with not much action, but so much detail in all the right places. The character development is done so precise that the progression only felt natural. Charlie always creates such a beautiful world and this one was no different. I highly recommend this book if your looking for a great fantasy with a little bit of romance.

This story has a very 'Beauty and the Beast' vibe. Which isn't at all surprising given the characters involved. It was a very standard young adult read with a dark, hard heart creature loving a soft woman.

You have a story of a very heart-wrenching romance. I felt Enna's grief the most. She was the character that compelled me. She was very strong-willed and wanted to be very educated, so I grasped onto that.

This was also a very character-driven story. You get a lot of eternal dialogue going on as both Enna and Maekallus start to learn a little bit more about themselves, learn a little bit more about heart, and a little bit more about soul.

The world has a very Russian feel to it. The mystings reminded me a lot of Russian folklore and the creatures that reside in those stories. They've been translated into mystings, these demonic entities. They are creatures that can't stay very long in our realm, which also gives them a little bit of a Fae feel. It all it this very fairytale-like feel. Which I enjoyed quite immensely.

However, Enna and Maekallus were the only characters that ever had any true development. Everything else was very flat. Even the world still felt very surface level. There were a lot of things that were hinted at in the story but they were never brought to fruition. I had a lot of questions about dad, about mom, about grandma, about all these side characters, that felt like they had some significance in the story. Especially in the ways that they were mentioned. You never really got the completion of these tidbits that started to play out in the story but then fell away as some of the action sequences started happening and it came closer to the end. Which made this world feel very fuzzy. There was a lot of vagueness.

It felt like a story could have been developed a little bit more. At least the world and everything outside of the romance that is happening between these two characters. There are little bits and pieces that are put in there to help push them forward but a lot of it's very much character-driven. It's them internalizing a lot of things and dealing with a lot of things and slowly coming together through all of that. Which isn't bad. It was almost too simple outside of that and didn't feel like it held up the rest of the story.

It was a very quick read, enjoyable read and it is something that is good for a quick weekend read.