The moment I started reading this book, I knew I was done for. I could not put it down! It started off innocently enough -- Enna and her father live at the edge of the wildwood. One day, circumstances force Enna to strike a deal with a handsome, mysterious mysting named Maekallus. Their lives become intertwined and they find themselves on a breathless race to put things right before it's too late. Long story short, I finished the book some 3 hours later! Fast-paced YA fantasy with a romantic HEA ❤️

This book was more a comment on the question of morality than a typical fairy tale retelling. There were some tie ins to Fae folklore and a possible nod to Little Red Riding Hood, however, the story was original and carried itself independently. The narrative was told primarily from Enna's perspective in first person, but I personally enjoyed the moments the narrative switched to Maekallus. Although briefer and written in third person, I found myself more interested in Maekallus's story unfolding and his struggle coping as Enna's soul begins affecting his emotions and moral compass.
The additional characters in the story fell flat for me - it would have been nice to have more of a back story on Enna's father (a prequel, perhaps??) and Tennith seemed nothing more than an obligatory hunk with no purpose other than being available for Enna to compare her feelings between him and Maekallus.
For those familiar with this author's work, the book reads more like Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet and Fifth Doll than The Paper Magician or Followed By Frost.
It was a solid read and I enjoyed it. Four stars.

God, fantasy romance is rapidly turning into my new favourite genre, and I don't think there are many people that do it better than Charlie N. Holmberg. I had already enjoyed her fantasy work Smoke & Summons and how organically it manages to build up emotion, but in this new publication the romance is clearly at the center of the events.

The WIll and the Wilds is the story of Enna who, with her father, a retired swordsman suffering from a form of dementia after venturing into the world of demon-like mystings, lives near the edge oft he woods. Looking after him, but also taking care of their home and keeping it safe from the occasional supernatural intruder with the help of a magical artifact her father brought home from his last adventure, Enna is busy enough. But once she’s marked by a particularly dangerous mysting, her day-to-day life becomes even more complicated – and to save her own life, she summons a trickster mysting, Maekallus, who agrees to get rid of her pursuer, in exchange for her soul.

You guessed it. That's where it gets romantic.

I enjoy a well-written, complicated romance, especially when questionable morals and screwed-up co-dependency are included. Even more so when it's monster romance! The pact between Enna and Maekallus involves kissing as well as body horror, and... that's just something I can't resist. This author is amazing at inner monologues and emotional development. Holmberg keeps TWATW sfw, but sprinkles it with a few moments of sexual tension, and does so successfully. It also gives me the domestic cottage life tingles – I tend to fantasize about owning a little house in the woods as a social drop-out, and these descriptions of herb gardens and domestic work get me all excited about it, especially with autumn arriving fast.

And guys - there's a happy end! The Will and the Wilds was once more a quick, yet satisfying read, at this point I'd buy anything by Holmberg, as long as her name is written on it. More, please!

As a fan of Holmberg's writing overall, was very excited to receive an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Immediately the world that is set before me in this story is quite fascinating. I'm presented with words and plants that I'm unfamiliar with, but weave in me a sort of familiarity that comes with getting comfortable in the setting. The young heroine of the story tells of her ailing father, who lost a good deal of his senses when travelling through the monster realm in order to retrieve a trinket that would protect his infant daughter from the same sorts of monsters who killed her mother - as well as other monsters, or mystings as they're called in the story.

The best that I can surmise is that they're all sorts of monsters or demons to varying degrees. Some more intelligent than others as is proven when Enna, our heroine, summons a creature who says his name is Maekallus, and he is a sort of trickster demon. More keen on tricking and teasing humans than devouring their flesh as a lot of other mystings tend to be. They'd much rather devour a human soul, instead. He is fairly human in appearance, save for hooves, a spaded tale, and a long unicorn-like horn that denote him a mysting. This is also what leads me to believe he is quite demon-like, as well. Demon is even used somewhat interchangeably with Mysting.

During my reading of the book, I took <i>extensive</i> notes on what happens in the story. However, in order to not spoil the tale in its entirety to those interested in reading it, I will try to avoid spoilers as a whole.

This is, more than anything else, an emotional story rather than an action-packed one. Certainly there are moments of action and tension, but because the story deals with the soul and having one versus not having one, and the effects that has on a human or a mysting, it is definitely more of an emotional journey.

As always, Charlie Holmberg's writing is absolutely captivating. Her stories just seem to get better and better the more she writes, and I find that I always enjoy them for varying reasons. Her female leads are strong without being devoid of emotion or being heartless - they still have the capacity to feel and emote and be very <i>human</i>. Her gentleman are often aloof and witty, but also caring and feeling as well without being misogynistic as the rest of the men in the world of the tale can often be. This sets them apart, certainly, but in a likeable way.

Unlike previous tales that Holmberg has written, this one feels a little different. The villain of the story isn't as looming as he might be in a standard story of this nature. The true villain of the tale isn't the leader of an evil army of monsters, but separation between two people. The rift between two hearts - and this is something that I think a <i>lot</i> of people can relate to. The pain of heartache and worry and love. It allows us to identify with Enna and her plight, regardless to the existence of monsters within the tale. Being able to identify with the characters in a story is what makes it all the more compelling for us as humans.

I think that if you enjoy romance, with a bit of action and tension, you'll certainly enjoy <i>The Will of the Wilds</i> - especially if you enjoy any of Charlie Holmberg's other works.
My personal opinion of this novel is that it is fantastic, and I certainly recommend buying and reading through it.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a little at the end. Such a unique fantasy book with the most satisfying ending. I really like the concept and it's easy to grasp what the author has dreamed up unlike other books I've read. I'm positive it's a standalone, but I wouldn't be against a sequel.

I have read the "Paper Magician Series" from this author and adored it. So I was very excited when I heard that a new book of her was being released.

And the moment I saw that I could request it here I did just that. So thank you to netgalley for this arc.

This was heavy on romance (with I love and I'm sure as he'll not complaining) with a gorgeous fantasy that had a "dark" twist to it that left me breathless.

The writing is good, the story never went out of focus and the characters were really likeable with good development (even the secondary characters).

This was a blend of fairy tale with fantasy. And I loved the combination.

Overall, this was a fun, engaging, romantic read that I recommend if you liked this sort of thing.

4.5 stars ✨

This was such a cool world! I liked the idea of this book and the world has so much possibility. The magic and mystic creatures and half bloods are so interesting and I'm really hoping for more in this universe. I enjoyed Enna and Maekallus as characters and their relationship was slow and beautiful and well written. I also liked seeing Enna with her father and how much she loved him. I can't wait for the world to see this!

The Will and the Wilds was such a delightful book to read! The world-building was fantastical, and I loved, loved, loved how complex the relationships, especially two of them, were in this book.

First, there was the relationship with Enna and Maekallus. It was a true slow build of a romance, enough so that I wouldn’t consider this book to be heavy on the romance in general. But I will say that there was more than one kiss between them, and the importance of each kiss they shared was something that I loved about this book!

Each kiss mattered so they couldn’t be wasted. There was also the big question of how could a mortal like Enna and a mysting like Maekallus possibly be together? This book answered not just that question, but also much more.

Second, there was the relationship between Enna and her father. This one I enjoyed even more than Enna and Maekallus because I always enjoy seeing good relationships between parents and their children. As the caretaker of her father, Enna did almost everything for him, from cooking for him to taking care of him when he was sick.

Enna’s father’s mind was… shall we say, not all there, but it was for very good reasons. It made me tear up at how much Enna loved her father and didn’t resent him for his past, which was a past that explained why her father’s mind was the way it was. I don’t believe Enna even had one complaint about taking care of her father in the book.

The plot itself was more focused on Enna and Maekallus’s relationship and situation, and less on the antagonist and most of the other mystings. Their roles were rather small, and although I do wonder how different the book could’ve been if their roles, especially the antagonist’s, had been bigger, it wasn't something that truly bothered me.

The romance had all of my attention, and Enna and Maekallus were two main characters that I completely fell in love with!

This is only the second book I’ve read from author Charlie N. Holmberg, and it’s now a favorite of mine for this year. Holmberg’s writing style here is gorgeous, never letting you out of the world she’s built with characters that are easy to love.

The Will and the Wilds reads like some of my favorite dreams - adventure, romance, fantasy, and a little bit of mystery all rolled into one. This book pulled me in immediately and never let me go. I stayed up way too late reading it!

I loved both Enna and Maekallus. They were both very well written and it was fascinating to me to watch them develop and play off each other, exploring the idea of what it is to be human and what it is to have a soul. The contrast between them throughout the whole book was wonderfully deep and interesting. I also really enjoyed that this was a book about them. Yes, there were many events that drive the story forward, and they all tied together very well. However, these two characters and their ties to each other still existed as the center of all of it.

I also really loved that this book gave just enough information on events of the past that I was never confused, but didn’t feel like I was slogging through a lot of backstory, trying to get to the good parts. It was all a good part. Overall, I found it to be a quick-paced, well-written book in a world I would explore again and again.

To think that a kiss, a small and brief kiss, could change one's soul and pushed the characters towards a life or death predicament when a sudden bargain is made. The author was able to graced us with a whimsical fantasy novel that she was able to bring to life with her easy going writing style, unique and diverse characters and intriguing plot. From page one, the reader is brought into this fantasy world filled with mortals and mysting, and the stone that alters the lives of Maekallus and Enna forever. Despite how much I adore this read I will notate that I wished the author would have touch more base on the Deep (a supernatural realm so to speak) and the creatures that lurked around Wildwood. That was an element of the story that initially drew me in and I was slightly disappointed she deferred from providing more details in regards to that aspect when it was obvious the romance portion was the main focus of the plot, causing that to be pushed aside. Which wasn't bad mind you but I was left wanting to learn more about the mythical creatures that lurked through the woods, their history and horrid behavior. Nevertheless, it was an enthralling supernatural and fantasy read that ended on a high note (finally an ending I can stand by) in which case I would recommend to just about anyone to pick this up and give it a go. You won't be disappointed.

A whimsical and heartpounding tale, The Will and the Wilds reads like a classic fairy tale. Enna, a young woman taking care of her ailing father, is attacked by a monster in the woods surrounding her village. Desperate, she summons another monster to destroy the ones attacking her in exchange for a kiss - one that will slowly steal her soul. The author excels at a subtle type of world-building that did enough to paint the world without overtaking the story (especially since this is a stand alone book). The romance was well paced and believable and every time Enna had to sacrifice more of her humanity in order to keep Maekallus alive was very much a Romantic Moment™. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in subtle fantasy with a heavy romantic tilt!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Enna and her father live in a cottage near the Wildwood, a place where magical and dangerous creatures known as mystings roam. An enchanted stone, stolen from the monsters realm and now worn my Enna, warns her of approaching mystings in hopes of protecting her against the same fate that befell her mother. When Enna and her father are attacked in their home she makes a deal with a less threating mysting known as Maekallus for protection. A problem with the deal binds Maekallus to the mortal world where he cannot survive for long. Enna must willingly give him a kiss, a fraction of her soul, to keep him alive until they can break the bond but the exchange results in changing both parties unexpectedly.

The Will and the Wilds is wonderful fantasy novel filled with magical creatures and a young woman who is fascinated by them. I really enjoyed this novel and it was so entertaining I didn't want to put it down. Although it may appear to resemble a Beauty and the Beast tale, it does have its own unique qualities. I loved Maekallus's character and may have fallen a little in love with him myself as the novel progressed. One thing that I feel would have improved the novel was including more main villain. The story introduces him early but we don't really get to see much of his character throughout the novel and the end battle is more of fizzle than a bang. I felt this novel would be very appropriate for the younger YA audience as the romance between characters was sweet, mostly kissing with a few discussions about "sex", and it included a lot of charming banter. This is definitely a must read for fantasy lovers and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Could not put this book down.An absolute treat for a fantasy lover. Enna and Maekallus meet early on in the book and slowly fall in love.They are bound together with a piece of her soul that he gets when he kisses her but it also binds him to the human world
Sometimes fantasy authors get carried away with the creatures they create and it’s very confusing to keep track.Charlie Holmberg did a great job not overwhelming the reader with too many characters.
Magical world building,you can literally picture it in your mind as you read.
Absolute must read for fantasy lovers. #netgalley #thewillandthewilds #charlienholmberg

Huge fan of the Paper Magician series and was anxious to read this as well. This was very different from that series and ventured into a more fantastical genre than I usually enjoy. I did, though, enjoy this. It was darker than her previous work but still had that whimsy I associate with Holmberg. The romance was not as subtle as it was in Paper Magician's which did surprise me. Overall I enjoyed this very much.

brief summary
A scholar of fey creatures makes an ill-advised bargain with one such and finds herself trading her humanity to preserve her ally's life when things go awry.

full review
Enna lives in a world where fey creatures exist on a parallel-but-connected plane of existence, and can cross over. When they do so, havoc usually ensues, and often seems to take the form of grisly death. A generation ago there was almost a war between the humans and the fey creatures ("mystings," as the book names them), and her father returned from it something of a hero, but now his mind is nearly gone and she must care for him and herself by selling mushrooms and minding the protective charms and plants around their home intended to ward away mystings. It is, perhaps, not the happiest of existences, but she is content with her lot, and even finds time to pursue some natural science by continuing her grandmother's observations of mystings. Things go badly wrong when a mysting attack on her home forces her to enter into a bargain with a mysting trickster or die with him. It is not a good bargain, for to preserve her life she must trade away her soul in pieces.

Holmberg demonstrated a talent for world building with her Paper Mage series, but The Will and the Wilds lacked that, likely because this world absolutely was not our own, whereas the Paper Mage books take place in a magical version of ours. Small portions of information on the world are doled out each chapter in the form of mysting facts, but they are hardly enough to give readers any real insight into the setting beyond Generic Medieval Fantasyland. (And the mystings' home realm seems to align pretty closely with the standard Christian definition of Hell, right up to everything being red-tinted.) It's not really a big deal, though, because the scope of this story is much smaller. TWatW (sort of an unfortunate acronym, really) is drama on a personal scale, even when major events like an invading army of mystings occur, they are treated with only insofar as they affect the main characters. I am still unsure whether this is the mark of a storyteller with a good grasp of how the human mind prioritizes personal events over general ones or the mark of a storyteller who doesn't wish to introduce further complications to their story (or is unable to do so in a manner pleasing to readers).

The story's other protagonist is one of the mystings, a narval called Maekallus. Narvals are a completely made-up mythological creature, from what I can discern, best described as a soul-feeding satyr with a bladed tail, a removable horn, and a penchant for mischief. He is, of course, inhumanly beautiful, and somehow even when he's literally rotting away he's not too off-putting to kiss. Kissing him not only heals and sustains him by allowing him to consume portions of his partner's soul, but also seems to turn him more human. He is not an especially likable character, even after he becomes more human. Part of the reason for this may be that Enna's portions are narrated in the first person whereas Maekallus's sections are written in a more alienating third person, even though they treat no less with his thoughts and feelings than Enna's chapters do with hers. I am going to give Holmberg the benefit of the doubt and say that this was, in fact, her intention in writing her book this way, rather than an irritating bit of narrative indecision.

The story and romance are predictable enough, though not badly told. In essence, this is a fairly bloodless version of La Belle et la Bête. Readers even learn that Maekallus was once an honorable human being who got caught up in Bad Things by Bad People, and thus transformed into a soul devouring mysting. There's violence and rotting bodies and such, and there is a great deal of characters being described as feeling "[feeling]" and then doing things which correspond with that sort of feeling. Nevertheless, Holmberg's writing lacks pathos, for it fails to bring readers into the characters' emotions, or produce much investment in their actions or fates.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and 47North Publishing for letting me read and review this awesome eARC. I discovered Charlie N. Holmberg through Deep Magic e-zine a few years or so back now and I love her writing. This book reminded me of how much I love her writing and the story here in The Will and the Wilds also reminded me a bit of her earlier book, Followed by Frost. I also feel like there are some similarities to Beauty and the Beast as well, but it's also its very own unique, amazing and magical story.
This story is heartbreaking, beautiful and soul-wrenching and I love it so much. I think it's a definite must-read especially if you like kissing books and romance although it's not only for that part that it is awesome, it's also for the adventure, the magic and the journey from within each of these two characters.
This story is about a girl who lives with her father, just the two of them by the edge of the wildwood and one day she's outside and a mysting from within the wildwood comes after her to get the magic stone she has on her wrist. Enna decides when this mysting comes after her to fight back so she gets another mysting to help her and his name is Maekallus. He wants her to pay him for his help with a kiss, which gives him the power to steal her soul, but the kiss has to be given willingly by Enna. The deal ends up getting Maekallus stuck in the mortal realm where he starts to get eaten alive. They become bound together through the bargain and share in each other's suffering because Maekallus feels for the first time with part of Enna's soul in him.
Enna is the only thing saving him by having kissed him and given him part of her soul to save him from dying so they have to break the deal that has bound him to the mortal realm to save them both.
It's a wonderful and moving story that I would give more than 5 stars if I could because of what you take away from it. If you don't have this one on your list, then put it on your list, preorder it and get ready for an amazing and beautiful magical mystical tale to sweep you away.

Enna loves strolling through the forest near her home. She knows that there are otherworldly creatures known as the mystique that roam the forest. However, her love for the forest is deeper than her fear of the creatures. One day, a mystique tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone. Enna then makes a bargain with the mystique. Soon, the two are bound together in order to save each other.

I really loved this story. It is a sweet, light fantasy. The characters are really fun! I especially loved Enna. She seemed to be a person that is in love with nature. I also loved Maekallus and had a wonderful time getting to know him.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable and sweet story. This novel had many fairy tale elements that reminded me of Beaty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, and even Sleeping Beauty! I recommend this fans of The Princess of Thorns, Stray, and Wildwood Dancing!

this was a great fantasy novel, the world building was great and really added to the story. I liked the characters and enjoyed going on the journey.

There were many things I loved about The Will and the Wilds, most notably the relationship between Enna and Maekallus. I enjoyed the fact it wasn't instalove but developed slowly. I was quite in love with Maekallus myself, which was a definite draw to keep me reading. On the negative side, I felt the 'opposing forces' were a little underdeveloped. The main bad guy, Scroud, barely appeared, and since he was the principal opponent, I would have liked to have spent more time with him, to get to know him and to add more menace to their encounters. As things stood, he felt more like a vague side plot set against the tale of Enna and Maekallus, and with a couple of subtle tweaks, the story could have worked without him. But the Enna and Maekallus tale was captivating enough that I could get past the cons and still enjoy the story. Therefore, I am giving this book 3.5 stars, which I will round up to four.

Charlie Holmberg slays me each and every time.
Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review.

So, in all honesty, I'd rate this a 4.5 out of 5. It was *just* shy of being a 5/5. I think it was either the pacing of the timing in the book, or the character development in the first half that fell short, but I'm nit picking. The Will and the Wilds (& I absolutely adore how the titles of Charlie's books make perfect sense after you've finished the story) was such a magical adventure. I was hooked in the first chapter. I got some Bitter Magic, Bitter Sweet feels from the plot, with a dash of the romance I adored in Followed by Frost.


Don't be spoiled! Stop here. & Please excuse my ramblings it's been a long week.
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I really loved the subtle world building. Charlie gives the reader just enough information without being overwhelming for such a short stand alone. There were some moments as well, when you get a glimpse into a larger world beyond the confines of the story - which is something I've noticed in many of Charlie's books. To that point, I wish there was a little more world building in this book? We learn about the war that almost was, Maekallus's old life and years after his creation, and some information about the history of magic in this world. I think that more content would have helped make this world more concrete.

The first half of the story was a little rocky to start - I was a little confused by some of the smaller details, but the second half was strong and clarified many things I didn't understand. I wanted a little more character development between our two main characters in the first half. I almost knew too much about some of the secondary characters, but, like I said, the second half really pulled it all together. I liked the progression of the conflict, the different moving plot lines and how the conclusion relied on the strength of Enna. I was thinking that Maekallus would come and save the day, but instead Enna's will held out in the end. And then the true conclusion after the time jump - ugh my heart melted. I liked how it all came together.

I am a fan of the type of narration. I enjoy the style Charlie creates when switching from Enna's first person to Maekallus's third person. Smoke and Summons did two first person narratives that also did a great job of distinguishing the voices.

All in all, I am thrilled I was able to read this ARC. Despite any issues that I had while reading this critically, this was an amazing book that I highly recommend.