Daring the wildwood may cost them their lives

Enna has always lived close the wildwood, protected by her ability to sense the mystings around her. Her father has bought her protection by stealing a telling stone bracelet, paying with the loss of his mind. When mysting appearances multiply and turn their focus to Enna, she compels a mysting of her own to protect herself and her father. The cost this time will be her soul, as the kiss that Maekallus bestows upon her steals a bit of her soul each time. But Maekallus will pay with his own existence. Each payment that keeps them alive leads further toward their destruction.

As the story unfolds, the twists thread more deeply through the fabric of Enna’s world. And Charlie N. Holmberg is her usual brilliant self, creating a world and characters that mesmerize and engross us until the very last word. Each being and creation is believable and written in such vividness that you will leave this book with every scene inked indelibly in your memory.

Charlie N. Holmberg never disappoints, and this standalone book, The Will and the Wilds, is yet another testament to her ever-increasing skills. Highly recommended for those who love fantasy, thoughtful plots, and brilliant storytelling.

I fell in love with Charlie Holmberg back when I read her Paper Magician series. I have always been a fan of origami so when I read the synopsis that it was about a magical origami I couldn't pass it up. Instantly I knew that I found a new favorite author. I flew through that series and couldn't help but want more!!! So when I saw The Will and the Wilds pop up on NetGalley I couldn't help myself and instantly started smashing the request button. Then to my happy surprise, I was approved!!!! The book gods were looking out for me that day because I could hardly contain my excitement. Now here we are the day before its published out into the world and I finally can tell all my friends to READ THIS BOOK!!!! It was exactly what I was hoping for when I read the description. Dark and twisted yet still in that same feel good Charlie Holmberg fashion, you are left with a happy contented feeling that you just went through quite the adventure and found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 

If I could compare this book to anything, I would definitely say that it has a Labyrinth feel. Complete with a forbidden romance and monsters and magic and all the ingredients for a book that you can't help but devour. It starts off with our main character Enna narrowly avoiding a gobler attack in her home. But what's strange is that normally the monsters of the wildwood don't venture close to the people of her village and definitely not past the wards and herbs that are supposed to keep them away. But when she wakes up to find a monster in her home in the middle of the night she knows something is different. It soon becomes clear that the stone her father risked his life to find and give her for protection might be the very thing that is putting her in danger. So Enna takes it upon herself to find a solution, but at what cost? Can she save herself and her father without creating more danger? Has she made a huge mistake? You know that saying that if you're going through hell, keep going? I think that was probably the mindset our sweet and innocent Enna had to keep to in order to try and right this horrible mess she gets into,. 

And of course no story can be complete for me with out some sort of love interest, and one of my favorite tropes lies within these pages... FORBIDDEN ROMANCE! I love when two characters can't be together but against all odds they fall for each other anyway. This is one ANGSTY love that you are rooting for helplessly throughout and ugh its so good too!!! I loved this love!!! 

This book was a wonderful journey through the dangerous wildwood and beyond to the Deep. Full of dark monsters, magic, and love there really isn't anything that this story lacks. Not to mention it all wraps up neatly within one book. No waiting for the next in the series, no cliffhanger ending. Just pure enjoyment from beginning to end. There weren't any dull moments, any lags or parts where I was just waiting for something to happen. It was one of those books where every part had meaning and was put there for a reason. Which is why I appreciate Charlie Holmberg so much as an author. She is a wonderful writer that doesn't get the notice that she deserves because everything she writes is just so damn good!!! If you're looking for that dark but lovely story to kick off your 2020 look no further, its here!!!

Enna is a twenty-year-old woman who lives with his father. He was a swordsman many years ago; he fought in The War That Almost Was between mystings and humans. As a consequence of being in the monster realm, his brain has been damaged, so he forget things, and he tends to lose the notion of time. Therefore, Enna takes care of his father, and they only have each other. Enna’s mother died when she was little; she was killed by mystings.
They live near the wildwood, so Enna has a mysting garden, with most of the plants and herbs mystings don’t like, because as she says, "one never knows what will emerge from the wildwood, or when”.

One day, Enna realises there’s a gobler -a kind of mysting- near their house, so she places the necessary elements, such as red salts and some herbs, to stop the creature from entering the house, although, it didn’t work at all. Enna decides to summon a mysting who could help her get rid of the gobler. And that’s when Enna meets Maekallus, a very human-like mysting. They make a deal, Maekallus must find the gobler and kill it, but she must give him something in return. What seemed like the best solution, turned out to be one more problem. Enna and Maekallus are now connected, and the price is bigger than she expected. Her soul is at risk.

I liked the story, although, I was expecting something different. Sometimes, I felt like it was a bit slow-paced and kept wondering, where’s the action?, but I liked it overall.

The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg is the story of an unusual girl and the monsters in the forest outside her home.

Enna is different than the other girls in her town. She’s independent, strong-willed, and has a deep desire to go to school. She takes care of her ailing father who has dementia, and singlehandedly keeps up the house and home.

Everyone knows there are monsters in the forest–mystings–that come from another realm. Don’t go out in the forest at night, and never walk through the forest by yourself. Enna knows all of these things, but she also has additional protection in the form of an enchanted stone. This bracelet warns her when mystings are present, so Enna knows when they are coming.

Enna’s life gets turned upside down when a mysting tries to kill her to obtain the stone. Now she’s marked for future mystings. But Enna is not helpless–she makes a deal with a mysting of her own, Maekallus. But his help isn’t free, and it’s certainly more complicated than she bargained for.

What’s the price of a soul?

I really enjoyed The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg! I read this book voraciously, quickly and enthusiastically consuming the pages. I thought the overall story was great, and I couldn’t help but be sucked into the story.

I loved the characters in the book, especially Maekallus. Mystings are a fascinating concept, and Maekallus is a fascinating mysting. I loved how his character changed as he slowly stole Enna’s soul. He went from pure monster to a human with feelings. Throughout the book, I was 100% rooting for Maekallus.

The romance in the book was sweet and unexpected. I wasn’t sure which way the romance was going to go, but I liked how it ended.

The ending was perfect. I love a good happy ending, and I’m pleased with how things wrapped up.

I highly recommend you read The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg if you enjoy young adult books with a dash of monsters.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful fantasy to read with surprises every now and then. The author Charlie Holmberg takes effort to set the groundwork for this world very nicely and I'd be surprised if there wasn't a book 2 coming along at some point.

It becomes apparent very quickly that the enchanted stone Enna possesses is an important part of the storyline. Readers are gradually fed pieces of information about the stone's history, and with a certain amount of guesswork, it is not difficult to figure out where the story is going before the main characters do.

As for the main characters in the story, they go through trials and hardships, allowing them to demonstrate strong willpower and the determination to overcome all odds. I also find the author's depiction of a soul fascinating, as we see the growth and changes in Maekallus after he acquired a part of Enna's soul.

Personally, I find this story very exciting and I am looking forward to the next book already! (Please tell me there is more to this, considering how the last chapter was written).

Just to let you know, I received a free review copy of this book and I was not obligated to write a review for it. Nevertheless, I am happy to do so as I have a new fantasy world to follow now! Looking forward to checking out the author's other works as well.

#TheWillAndTheWilds #NetGalley

I’m not usually a big reader of romance, but seeing that this was written by Charlie N. Holmberg (author of The Paper Magician series) and considering that the blurb gave me mad Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, I had to give it a go.

And you know what? If I keep rating romance books at five stars, I’m going to have to start changing my spiel. I raced through this book, because I was so invested in the characters and the world, and I was so sad to leave it behind when I inevitably finished.

The Will and the Wilds is set in a whimsical, but brutal, world where humans live in fear, and where a shared kiss, given willingly, threatens to destroy both the human and mysting involved.

I went in expecting to enjoy this (duh), but not as much as I did, I don’t think. Again, it’s the romance. I always have such reservations. The plot drags in some places, but I enjoyed the characters so much and the blend of whimsy and darkness that I didn’t care. This is a world that I’d love to see more of.

My Thoughts:

- The story is written in a light, whimsical way that’s easy to get sucked into, but which has some pretty sinister undertones. It’s a wonderful blend that I thoroughly enjoyed. As I read, I pictured a Studio Ghibli film, something along the lines of Howl’s Moving Castle, complete with that light, colorful sort of animation and charming little quirks built into the world. Maybe that’s just me. Okay, probably that’s just me. I thought it was lovely. Make no mistake, though, this world is freaking dark. It’s a really neat juxtaposition, because the prose is so light and colorful that the darker parts of the story sort of slap you in the face and make you take notice. Oh, what a quaint town and such charming woods. Sounds like a lovely place. Monsters in them that tore your mother apart, you say? Well, then. You have my attention.

- This romance set my poor old enemies-to-lovers-adoring heart a-beating. Because it’s romantic when a guy threatens your life and then chooses not to kill you, right?! No? … just me? Enemies-to-lovers will forever be my chosen trope. This is a slow-burn, forbidden type of romance with high stakes, as it threatens to destroy both party. I thoroughly enjoy impossible romances, and this one has aaaaall the things stacked against it, which makes it all the more thrilling. Because love is hard. You should have to work for it, dang it.

- There’s a whole world of mystings out there, and the variety of types and personalities was delightful. The mystings really ran the gamut here, between good and bad and indifferent, and all sorts of body types. I don’t want to say too much about this, because discovering them is half the fun. But there are some helpful mystings that Enna meets, some that are more on the indifferent side, and some that are downright terrifying. All of which were absolutely fascinating.

- I felt Enna’s struggle deep in my soul, and I couldn’t help but root for her. Okay, sure, at times her character is a bit boring, but you know what? So am I. She was so stinking relatable, though. I can see why someone reading this may not connect with Enna’s character, but I definitely related to the things she’s chasing through the book. . Her desire for learning and the way she went out in search of knowledge rather than waiting for it to come to her was so admirable. I mean, yeah, okay, she's potentially in mortal danger, but it's not like they could do anything at that very moment, so why not gather more information? That's what I would do.

- This is a very character-driven book, which means there are times when the plot is little more than a shadow looming in the corner of the room. How much this impacts your enjoyment is going to be entirely up to you. And maybe a little with how much you connect to the characters. For me, I enjoyed the characters, and I was perfectly okay with slowing down to deal with their drama. Drama’s fun. You know, when it’s not happening to you. Since the story was so character driven, there were definitely times that felt repetitive or like the story was going a little in circles. Not to say that this wasn't believable. It's humans, really. We're such indecisive, stubborn creatures. I thought it was more apparent because of the lack of a plot in between, but there were definitely things the characters kept harping on. It wasn’t a huge thing and didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story, but I can see this being a sticking point if you’re not enamored with the characters as it is.

Sticking Points:

- The world-building was a little vague. It felt sort of fuzzy around the edges. I got a good feel for the mystings and Enna’s home and small town where they lived. But the world? Ehhh. There’s obviously a bigger world outside the town, and I don’t really know anything at all about it. There’s also the world of The Deep, where the mystings are from, and I still don’t really know about that. I suppose what I would say is that the world-building here is mostly convenient.
You know what you need to know in order for the story to make sense and that’s about it. I still think the world we’re introduced to is magical and charming, but it had the potential to be so much more.

- There were quite a few things that happened before this story took place that were mentioned in the story and really needed to be expounded on for everything to fully make sense, I thought. Enna’s mother and grandmother are very important figures in this book, and so much mystery surrounds both of them, yet it’s never actually cleared up. I kept thinking there would be a big reveal of something that would shore up their role in things, and it just … never happened. Same with Enna’s father. We’re told in passing what he was like before losing his mind, but there’s never any detail. He supposedly did this big, heroic thing once, but … how? I want to freaking hear that story because it sounds thrilling and nigh on impossible. In fact, there were several plot lines that I felt were opened and not fully explored, so that by the end of the book, it seemed like they were dropped rather than fully wrapped up. There was a lot going on in this book, and I enjoyed that, but it was also quite disappointing that this seems to be a standalone and felt like too many things were left open-ended. There were a lot of plot points that I was so sure were foreshadowing for big reveals that just never panned out, which made me wonder why it was even brought up in the first place.

"A spellbinding story of truce and trickery from the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician series.

Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.

Maekallus's help isn't free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna's kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It's a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.

Enna shares Maekallus's suffering, but her small sacrifice won't last long. If she and Maekallus can't break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely - and Enna's soul with him."

I love me a good trickster tale.

The Will and The Wilds was fantastic. I won't lie it's strange but fantastic. It's a forbidden romance with a Beauty and the Beast vibe. I loved it. I also loved the world, it's interesting and intriguing as are the characters. I loved them and their journey which was not easy. I recommend it.

The greatest positive: rich atmosphere building. I felt as if I were standing alongside our main character. The romance also felt "real". My heart broke at the appropriate times, and I may have squealed at the end because I was invested in the characters and their mutual (albeit unwilling) attraction.

One thing that disappointed me: sounds silly, but the "demon" element was entirely unnecessary. I go out of my way to not read books with demons, but missed that they played a part. How? Couldn't tell you! I persevered through it, and you know what? The author could have written the entire book without those references. This could have been a story of a girl on the edge of an enchanted wood, with monsters who cross over from their realm to ours. Because, in the end, this is what it felt like. The story wasn't at all evil - just a bit dark. The word "demon" was only used a handful of times.

The tone felt very distant, and I'm not sure I'd classify that as a positive or negative -- just ... different. You know how someone speaks when they've gone through a trial, and they intentionally strip all emotion from their account to protect themselves? That's the vibe I got from Enna.

If you're looking for a fast-paced read, this isn't it. This story moves very slowly, which absolutely works with the plot. You feel Maekallus' agony in the length of those days.

Thank you, publisher, for sharing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Sigh.

I love this author. I have loved every book I have read by her and was truly excited to see this on NetGalley and then to receive it as an ARC. And then I started reading it and that is when my excitement ended. From almost the beginning, I knew this book was not really for me, but I kept reading because as I said before, I LOVE this author. And as I read, the more it became apparent I was not going to love this book.

This book was boring. B O R I N G. I didn't feel anything for Enna at all - she was a foolish girl who kept doing foolish things and then sat around wondering just HOW she got into this mess and how was she going to get out of it ALL while getting the very thing that is lying to her and stealing her soul. Yeah, no. And while Maekallus is an interesting character, his arc is also boring. It just all fell so flat for me. And then to read 33 chapters of this and get THAT ending? R E A L L Y?

Sigh.

I still love this author and I will still read her books. But I certainly hope that this book was a fluke and that she will get back her stride. She is an awesome writer and can write so much better than this and her fans deserve a better book than this ultimately was.

Thank you to NetGalley and 47North Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a girl who mother was killed by monsters called mystings. Who Farther went into the demon realm and stole something valuable and gave it to his daughter as a from of protection. This the tale of a tender kiss which could change one soul and pushed characters toward a life or death situation when a sudden bargain is made between them. This is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet that really came to life as you follow the story along. Their heart ache, betrayal and at the heart of it two people different realms who are desperate to love each other. I love everything i read by this author and this novel is no exception. It wrapped me up and i easily devoured this novel in just a couple days. You won't be disappointed with this novel.

The Will And The Wilds, written by Charlie N. Holberg, is a delightful fantasy story and a kissing book. Enna’s father has given her a charm she calls the telling stone to warn her when the Mystings that frequent the Wildwood are nearby, it turns cold and whispers to her which of the Mystings are close. When a Gobler breaks through her wards and attacks her, she decides to fight fire with fire and summons a Mysting to vanquish the other Gobler that is tracking her. Maekallus is a Narvel, and when Enna bargains with him to eliminate the Gobler, he accepts, but there were two Goblers, and he is stabbed and then cursed to remain in the Wildwood unable to return to the Deep where the Mystings dwell. Mystings cannot survive in the world and in order to keep him alive until the curse can be broken, Enna must voluntarily kiss him, but each time she does, he receives a part of her soul. This was a fun story to read, Enna makes a most excellent heroine and watching Maekallus grow from villain to hero will keep you turning pages way past your bedtime. I received an ARC of this book to read through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publishing Date January 21, 2020. #NetGalley #TheWillAndTheWilds #CharlieNHoberg #47North #SciFiandFantasyNovel #KissingBook #FairyTale #bookstagram

I loved this book! The main characters were wonderful and the world they lived in was so interesting. The story had a great ending, but I honestly hope this is not the last we hear of Enna and Maekallus. This is my favorite book by Charlie and I have read almost everything she had written.

Charlie Holmberg’s new novel was as adorable and charming as I expected, having loved The Paper Magician. It was, however, as Holmberg herself admits in the acknowledgments, very much ‘a kissing book’. Nothing wrong with kissing books! I happen to love a good kissing book. What that means for the story, however, is that the romance very much took central stage, occasionally compared to plot and character. Furthermore, despite being billed as an adult (possibly New Adult) novel, it also had a distinctly YA feel to it, at least in my opinion. The novel very narrowly skated a love triangle, which almost exclusively kills my interest in books, and while the romance was sweet I did engage in some eye-rolling over the antics of Enna and the mysterious Maekallus. Their love felt somewhat sudden, perhaps in part due to the rapid pacing of the novel.

I was torn on the character of Enna herself. At time I admired her frankness and wisdom and love of science and research, but there were certain times were it felt like all of that was chucked out the window in favor of furthering the romantic plotline. I was disappointed when Enna began to take on a bit of a damsel in distress role as the novel progressed, forgoing her cautious nature in favor of her feelings.

Maekallus also felt somewhat predictable. The beauty and the beast vibes were heavy in this one, with the soul-sucking trickster slowly getting in touch with his humanity. The parts of him that I was more interested, such as his memories of a past life and the conflict he felt about that, were not nearly as developed as I would have liked. Also, while technically his somewhat instalove made sense in the context of his gaining pieces of a human soul, it felt like a bit of a cop out.

Speaking of cop outs, while the Will Stone was a clever mechanic, it also allowed Holmberg to get away with certain story elements that didn’t quite make sense and felt a little far-fetched. Enna’s father, for example, could be left and forgotten about for long periods of time until his existence became relevant again. Tennnith, easily the most one dimensional character in the novel, could also be made to do things convenient to the plot that didn’t exactly make sense in context. In general it simplified a lot of plot points and conflicts that could have been interesting to see played out in a more layered way.

Still, I found the novel’s concepts to be enjoyable. Mystings, the sometimes fae-like, sometimes Witcher-esque monster-like inhabitants of the world bordering the human one, were fascinating in their descriptions and function. Holmberg spared no gruesome detail in describing their existence, and for people who like a bit of a horror edge to their fantasy romance, the mystings provided. Enna’s little herb garden and quaint forest existence (mushroom farmers!) made me feel at home in the novel and the made the contrast to the oft frightening, occasionally charming wildwood all the more stark.

Overall, while this novel was rather predictable and suffered from some narrative corner-cutting, I still found it a charming and sweet, thought not mind-blowing or transformative, read.

Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for providing this ARC.

I loved this! This is my first Charlie Holmberg book and I'll definitely be reading more.

This book follows Enna who lives on the outskirts of her village next to the Wildwood where deadly mystings roam. She owns a mysterious telling stone, which tells her when mystings are near. She lives with her father who had gone into the demon realm to obtain this safety charm for her but in doing so lost part of his mind. She is attacked by mystings and draws a summoning circle to call for aid. She ends up getting Maekallus, who is more than she bargained for.

I enjoyed the world building with all of the different demon creatures. I thought the romance arc was well done and not insta-love-y (thankfully!). I did find the beginning few chapters a bit of a slow start but once I got to Maekallus and their interactions I was hooked and read through the rest in a day. A really fun read with vibes of a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

4.5/5 rounded up. Good for people who like : fairy tale retellings, demons, romance stories, magic, strong female protagonists

I really liked the idea of this book but the execution was really disappointing. The characters were one-dimensional, the world wasn't explained well and it felt like everything happened too quickly but it was still somehow boring. It was also told in duel perspective and it shouldn't have been. I felt like knowing what was going on from Maekallus's perspective gave too much away. Overall, it felt like a poorly written debut and it shouldn't have with as many books as this author has written.

I think this book just wasn't for me. The plot was very interesting and unlike anything I've read beforebut somehow I was never truly invested in it. The writing was also unique and fit the story very well. It also made for a very atmospheric read. The world and lore of this book was the most interesting part. For the first half of the book the plot was pretty weak. Luckily it picks up more in the second half. The characters were a bit blant to me and didn't go through a lot of developement. It was also a pretty quick read. But yeah, it never really captured me or really intrigue me. Some solutions felt a little bit easy. So yeah, I would still recommend this book but it didn't really do much for me. Oh yeah, this book mostly focusses on the romance and I feel like it was a bit lackluster for it being the focus. It just felt pretty generic, which is a dissapointment as the setting is so unique and unlike anything Ive ever read.

I’m a fan of the author so I was surprised at the lack of darkness in The Will and the Wilds. I’d comfortably call this book YA, though it doesn’t condescend to its readers.
This book started off slow for me, Enna wasn’t fleshed out as much as I’d like and while I liked Maekallus (of course), he also lacked a backstory for the majority of the book. The world created is enjoyable but limited, but I still found myself intrigued by the nuances of this world. The folklorish protections and attitudes intrigued me, as did the mentions of a previously averted war.
Enna’s father was a good source of motivation and conflict, though he did seem conveniently absent for a majority of the book. If the series or world were to be expanded, I’d appreciate learning more of Enna’s backstory and that of her family to give context to her character and choices.
The central conflict of the book begins quite early on, with clear motivating factors from that point onwards. Problems are introduced and resolved quite abruptly, and I almost wish problems lingered for a little to seem appropriately heavy—not to the point of angst, but just to make threats seem more ‘real’.
Tennith and his interactions with Enna were good to read, and though I don’t like every part of them, I appreciate the role he played in the novel. Maekallus’s reaction to him (without giving too much away) was also one of the highlights of the book to me, and really got me on board with the storyline. The plot of The Will and the Wilds, while a little simpler than I’m used to, was solid and well-paced, with some amazing imagery and great poetic language.
As far as I know, this book is a standalone, but I think there are plenty of threads that could be explored in future books. That’s not to say that the ending is inconclusive, it isn’t, but I’d appreciate learning more about the world and certain events and characters.
Oddly enough this book reminds me a little of the Disney movie Tangled, for whatever reason Maekallus and Flynn Rider just seem similar. The fairy-tale parallels and intense emotions are also vaguely similar to Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, though the content is nowhere near as dark or explicit. Fans of VE Schwab’s Shades of Magic series may also enjoy this book, and I think it could also be a good fit for those who enjoy Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children novels.

A fairytale at heart, reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast with some delightful twists. I loved the mysting creatures and how many different ones there were. The world-building was intriguing in regards to the mystings and humans.

Though I did feel I enjoyed this, quite a lot of the story was filler which was unfortunate. There wasn't a lot of progress with the storyline and it felt stagnant because of that. The MC was likeable but there was something missing from her, she felt not quite fleshed out, as the story felt like a filler, so did a lot of her actions. I wish we would have spent more time in 'The Deep and that we could have gotten to know our MC more.

All in all, an enjoyable story but with slow pacing and not quite fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't think is deliberately a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast but I can certainly understand that some readers would consider it so because it's a book about a girl of good heart entangled in the life of a rather unattractive male. I personally thought it reminded me more of the infamous Loki because I as a reader was tricked as much as the heroine Enna was but then again that's entirely my own fault because Maekallus never tried to hide his true nature.
Instead we follow this journey and as much as it felt like a traditional dark fairy tale it also completely enamoured me with twists and revelations along the way. This is a romance of sorts, it does feature magic and curses and there is a villain although sadly I thought him underused. I think for me this world the author has created was imaginative and interesting with an unlikely hero who whilst not completely monstrous was capable of being a monster and yet the power of a young woman's soul taught him that with love anything is possible.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair