This is a delightful, dark fairytale that explores the question: “What happens if you meet the monster lurking in the dark corners of your nightmares, and the interaction goes on a lot longer than you’d expected?”

Enna meets Maekallus, a Mysting, which are beings from the monster realm beneath our world. They both find themselves in a bit of a bind, and when Maekallus tries to save himself by eating Enna’s soul, but she’s not entirely willing, it leaves them in a bit of an awkward ‘deal-unsealed’ situation. The story follows their attempts to get themselves out of the mess they’ve created.

This is a highly character-driven story. Not a lot happens aside from the ongoing interaction between Enna and Maekallus, but it works well here. The writing is solid and the character development is fantastic. I enjoyed Enna’s perspective but would’ve loved to hear a bit more of Maekallus’ POV. I’m a full-on ‘Sympathy For the Devil’ sucker for seeing through the monster’s eyes.

Enna’s relationships with her father and with Tennith did nothing for me, and the plot wandered a bit, getting off-topic occasionally. I would’ve loved to exchange all of that for a bit more Enna/Maekallus face-time.

The entire time I was reading I was positive I knew the ending, and I was surprised when it didn’t pan out the way I’d expected. And that’s a good thing. While I’m not a fan of getting sucker-punched in my day to day life, I love when it happens in a book

I have read several books by Charlie N. Holmberg previously and really liked them so was excited to read this one. And while I liked it once I finished it, I wished there was more information Maekallus (in my head he's basically the Beast from Beauty and the Beast with a horn which doesn't work at all with how he's written) and it may be because she wrote him so well, He had this personality and warmness develop like the Beast did. I did like it and will probably read any other book Holmberg writes that captures my attention. I loved how ballsy Enna was and how caring. She's basically a book and garden nerd living near an enchanted/mystical forest.

I also would love the cover image on a poster because it's really pretty!

Enna is a young girl who is the village outcast that lives at the edge of town with her father. Her father was once a renowned swordsman who now suffers from memory loss. She is an herbalist that protects her home form the demons called mystings. After an attack in her home, Enna does the only thing she can think of and summons a demon Maekllus to eliminate the demons attacking her home. However, things don't go as planned for the two. Maekillus is cursed, but through the bond of their original bargain, Enna is affected by the curse with Maekillus. The pair must break the curse before they both die. This novel slow-burn has everything you can want in a romance with demons.

The WIll and the Wilds by Charlie N Holmberg is an atmospheric fantasy, set in a dark forest where monsters are never too far away. Enna is a very ordinary girl who lives on the edge of the forest with her father , but she becomes the target of the monstrous Mystings who are hunting for a magical stone her father stole from one of their leaders. When she tries to fight back by summoning a monster of her own she ends up almost losing her soul to the trickster Makellus, but the bond that binds them also binds him to the mortal realm , and so they must work together to save themselves.
I really struggled to get into this book at first, it never really hooked my attention the way other books by this author have, but as the story unfolded I found myself being drawn in and by the end I was really invested in Enna as a character. I loved the fact that she was more scholarly than kick ass, reaching for a book to solve her problems and determined not just to learn as much as possible about the Mystings and their realm , but to record that knowledge so that it could be passed on.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

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

The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

Publisher's description:

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.

My thoughts:

This was atmospheric tale that has a Beauty and the Beast feel to it. There was no gallivanting across countries and continents and I find myself okay with that. By keeping the setting limited to a few mile radius, with a brief visit to another realm, I feel the author was able to really develop Enna's world and her place in it. There was a certain familiarity to it that I think stems from that as well.

Enna is likeable heroine whose quiet strength is a sharp contrast to many of the butt-kicking heroines you find in fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I like a heroine who is kick-butt but I also like variety. Enna is a self-taught researcher of all things mysting. She wishes to get a higher education but finds herself constrained by the social expectations of the time. She is innocent but not naive. She is self-sacrificing and giving, evidenced by the loving care she shows her father and by doling out pieces of her soul to save Maekallus. One quote that illustrates her giving nature:

"I devote myself to his care, body and fractured soul, even read to him while he slumbers, pausing every other page to watch his chest rise and fall. Night comes. I make up a pallet at my father’s bedside and lie down, my weary limbs heavy."

Maekallus is a mysting, which is similar to a fae. He is predatory and menacing without falling into the whole annoying "alpha male who doesn't take no for an answer, is possessive, and aggressive" trope. That type of thing drive me up a wall, to be honest. I find Maekallus refreshing as a male MC and love interest. As he gains more humanity, he shows more affection and consideration to Enna. It makes for a very sweet love story. Also, it is fairly clean so I think it's appropriate for YA.

One absolute standout aspect of this book is Enna's father. He was a skilled swordsman madly in love with his wife. One day, she was attacked and killed by mystings and he was too late to save her. He crossed into the mysting's realm at the height of their conflicts and brought back a charm to keep his baby daughter safe from the same fate as her mother. His mind was adled by the very nature of the mysting's realm and remains a shadow of himself to this day. Talk about sacrificial love... He knew he was risking himself and did it anyway. He didn't risk it all to save the world. He risked it all to save his world, his baby girl. Enna describes it best:

"I imagine his grief emboldened him, as did his fear for me, for he succeeded in stealing the stone that now hangs from my wrist . For that, I name him a hero. For me, he gave up much. Too much."

I truly enjoyed this book. Out of all the characters in The Will and the Wild, I'd say Enna's father stirred my emotions the most but our MCs weren't too far behind. This book made me feel cozy, like I was sipping coffee and reading by a big bay window while rain trickles down the glass. Yes, there were sad moments but it makes the reader cherish the happy moments even more.

"The ability to feel is a strength, not a weakness."

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

I was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was enjoyable, but forgettable. When in truly in love with a boo, I dwell on the characters and story even when I'm not reading them. This book, however, did not grip me like that. When I was reading the story, I enjoyed the experience...I just wish it had been a little more gripping.

That being said, I will give the book 3.7 stars. If it had been more "forceful" on my mind, I'd say it would have been a solid 4 star book.

The mark from the creature reminded me of "Treasure Island" just the tiniest bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC and the chance to review a new Charlie N. Holmberg book. I've never had an ARC by this author before.

P.S I loved the Paper Magician series.

What an enthralling forbidden romance! The Will and the Wilds is perfect for lovers of fantasy romance. If you aren't typically a romance reader, don't let that scare you away from this story. The fantasy elements add danger and tension to the romance and a world of unique monsters to fear. The father daughter relationship in this also added a sweet non-romantic element that explored how far a father is willing to go to protect his daughter. I think this is my new favorite book by Holmberg.

What a great story! I was transported into an enchanting world in which I observed a story about a girl and a monster who become one, piece by piece. The girl must find a way to save them both before they run out of time and end up meeting their demise.

This book has a lot of suspense and romance. It captivated me from the beginning to the end. I rarely reread books but I could read this one again and again.

I was eager when the ARC of The Will and the Wilds hit my email. I became less eager the more I heard the author talk about the book. She kept calling it a kissing book. And I do NOT like kissing books. So--I put off reading this for a month. (I did honestly have other ARCs that were publishing earlier so I didn't feel like I was abandoning it if I read everything in publishing order.)

Once it was Holmberg's turn to be at the top of my reading list, I hesitantly picked it up and nervously started the first chapter.

This is a standalone novel by one of my favorite authors. She has written some seriously fantastic series and one of my all time favorite standalone novels. I did not like going into this book with such hesitations, but I forged through because Holmberg has yet to write anything that has absolutely angered me. I came out of the Numina series hoping for a return to the excellent soul stirring novels I am accustomed to with Holmberg, and The Will and the Wilds delivered.

Yes, there is kissing in this book. The stealing a piece of your soul kind of kissing, because there are soulless demons sharing the world with humans. (I honestly felt they were more akin to Old World fae creatures than demons, but oh well.) Which then all prompts, how much of your soul can you live without? How much of it makes you you? If you have no soul to start with, how much soul does it take to make you human?

All these questions burned through me as I read this book. And I loved every minute that it prompted me to think about the questions of existence. It even gave good provocation to my husband--who, as an engineer, almost entirely avoids fiction like it's a plague--to discuss a book with me.

The writing was simple and lightweight making this a fast read. But what really makes Holmberg's works stand out for me are all the ways her stories ask questions and prompt reflection. This hasn't taken over favorite book from Followed by Frost, but it is now second.

Completely addicted to each page and thrilled by the story all the way to the end. Such a magical universe of fantasy. I loved it.

This book was....... different. But not bad different. Refreshing different.

We have a lot of the usual elements, 'fantasy' creatures, love, danger, adventure. But Charlie does a great job at taking us new places while making us feel at home.

I wouldn't say this book sucked me in wholly, which honestly isn't a bad thing for me since this book is a standalone. By the time it is over I'm ok with that. I don't feel like I'm missing any information I needed, or like I'm not done with the characters and wish the author had turned the story in a longer read. But I also never felt like I just wanted it to end. It was nice balance of book peace though.

What a pleasurable read. This book is a cozy fantasy rich in monstruous folklore and the value of the soul.

Set in the deep of the woods, against a backdrop of superstition and bigotry, two opposing worlds collide in the form of a bright girl and a wild creature.

I loved it all. I took a liking to Enna right away because she is smart, brave yet cautious, sweet and caring yet driven and hungry for knowledge. She dabbles in herbs, craves to find out the secrets of the monsters lurking in the dangerous forest, and is assertive in the face of threat. Unfortunately for her, that attitude leads her to make a devious pact with a hooved creature intent on trickery and violence. And so the exciting race to live or die begins.

I was mesmerized to learn along with her how to get free from the mess magic had created. And Maekallus is so fascinating with his dark-fairy nature and his netherworld powers. I loved their predicament, how it evolved as well as their complex relationship. It has so much mystery doused in fear, but also tiny seeds of sensuality. I enjoyed learning about the different monsters, the workings of the two worlds.

This paranormal Faustian pact is atmospheric, intimate and metaphysical.

A battle of wills ensues, of faith and trust and forlorn love that left me staggering and breathless. The forest with its primitive beat becomes as much a character as the trapped, red-haired mysting and the valiant girl who never relents in her mission.

This tale may not encompass epic battles, yet it feels trascendental and powerful in its life-or-death pursuit. And the mortal kisses, too!

Enna's despair and broken heart jumps out of the page, the threat from the monster underworld pulses between realms, and the impossible qualities of a soul bring on unforseen consequences.

For a story about stealing and losing souls, this book is soulful. I loved the sacrifices that were made. They cut the characters deep and my heart went out to them. And I loved how hopeless it seemed to be that they would succeed in liberating the tethered mysting or saving the stolen soul, yet I loved even more the painful, poetic ending that brought a different kind of tears to my eyes.

I'm in love with this fabled fairytale touched by Labyrinth and fae folklore in such enticing ways. I wholly recommend it to the curious and the romantic.

Favourite quotes :
Monsters are only ever fascinating from a far.
I'm too tired to cry, so the rain weeps for me.

Enna lives on the outskirts of a small town with her ailing father amongst the woods. The wildwood with the monsters and the mystings. On one casual day, a monster attacks for something in Enna’s possession. Feeling vulnerable, she seeks the assistance of Maekallus, paying a price of her soul in exchange.

I’ve read Charlie Holmberg’s Paper Magician series and absolutely loved it. Her writing is raw and I adore the mysterious and whimsical settings she's able to capture in her books. I really enjoyed both Enna and Maekallus characters; the dynamic between the two worked well and I loved that Charlie was able to bring such a human side to a monster. It was a quick read, the book certainly hits the ground running. The only thing I wish the book had more of was The Deep. I craved to know more of the mysterious realm and the monsters within.

Thank you to 47 North for providing a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

GAH! This book was so much fun!

First off, thanks to Netgalley and 47North for my ARC in exchange for a review. Charlie just jumps RIGHT into this story from page 1. I could feel the danger Enna was up against the entire time. Anytime I’m reading a stand-alone fantasy, one of my biggest judgements is world-building. It takes a great writer to instill the kind of nuance you need to get a bigger picture of the world of the story while also moving the story forward. Needless to say, I thought she was successful in The Will and the Wilds. We are greeted with so many different types of characters, so many new aspects of this version of the “mortal realm”, but the story never lags.

I was also struck when I realized that most of the story takes place inside of one glade in the forest, yet I was riveted the entire time. Enna is determined, yet fragile. Living in a world that is constantly at risk of dangerous creatures of another realm. As the primary caretaker for what’s left of her family, Enna is just doing the best she can. But her entire state of normalcy is changed in a flash.

Maekallus as a character was so interesting to me. The question of a soul and how a soulless creature would act in comparison to a soul-filled creature is what really drove the character development. We slowly see Maekallus gain humanity as he is trapped in a place that he cannot survive. We see his motivations for his actions change with each day and that is what was most endearing to me.

The scope of the story lends itself to a simple completion of Enna and Maekallus’s arc, and I think keeping it to this was wise. If the author had attempted to draw out the story of this fictional world, I think it would have become muddled and slow.

All in all, this was such a treat to read! Stories like this are why I love fantasy. They are a true getaway into a new world where the reader can dwell, even for a short time.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing was very easy to read and the fantasy world has a lot of potential for further exploration. I'm a sucker for fairytale-like settings.

But there are a few things that could've been a bit better:
- The MC seems too naive and needy, especially for someone who's been taking care of her father and herself for so long. You'd think she'd have 'street smarts' or something.
- Even though there are dual (1st person) perspectives, the motivations and pasts for these characters are pretty vague. If it's to keep it ~mysterious~ then it'd make more sense to have it in third person.
- I couldn't get into the romance. Maekallus is hot, Enna is 'nice to look at', they lie about things to one another, then magically fall in love after sharing a soul? Ehhh.
- The plot wasn't that exciting. One might almost call it repetitive.
- I did say there was potential for exploration, mostly cause it wasn't very detailed. The world building was minimal. Then again, the scope of this book seemed restricted to a small area.

I have enjoyed other books by this author, just didn't find this one to be at the same level. Maybe my expectations were too high for a YA novel, idk. Still going to read more from her if there's a sequel.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was refreshing and captivating to read a new novel filled with types of creative fantasy creatures you’ve never heard of!
I look forward to reading other novels written by, Charlie N. Holmberg and I highly recommend this book.

This ebook was given as an advanced reader copy, and all views expressed, are of mine own.

Opening line:
"A chill wind snakes its way through the wildwood, whispering of misfortunes to come."

Charlie Holmberg has written another stirring, imaginative, intriguing fantasy story with a world and creatures yet seen in another fantasy world.

Enna and Maekallus's story is an unlikely story, let alone a romantic one, since they are from two different worlds. Enna is from the mortal realm and Maekallus is from The Deep, where creatures with no soul live. The leader, Scroud, wants to dominate humans and make them into slaves. He tried once, but Enna's papa was part of the army that drove them back once. He stole a 'charm' that would forewarn mortals when 'mystings' crossover worlds.

When Enna's home is invaded by a 'gobler' she realizes she has to be proactive in protecting her dad and her home. She makes a bargain with a narval that doesn't go as planned. When the bargain goes wrong, Enna and the narval, Maekallus have to race against death to save each other.

I loved the new creatures holmberg has created. PLEASE KEEP MAKING STORIES IN THIS WORLD! I WANT MORE WILDWOOD STORIES!

Now that I got that out of my soul, I loved the fantasy, world and characters in this newest story by Charlie Holmberg. Keep them coming!

Thanks to netgalley and 47thnorth for the early read!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and 47 North!

The Will and the Wilds is kind of a Beauty and the Beast type of story without the kidnapping and Stockholm Syndrome. It’s about a girl, Enna, who’s haunted by mystings, the strange creatures who come from a different world called The Deep. She has something that they want so her and her disabled father’s life are in pretty constant danger since they live in the wildwoods where apparently a lot of mystings appear. To combat this, Enna summons a mysting named Maekallus to dispose of the mysting trying to kill her. His price? A kiss which can steal her soul.

The Will and the Wilds has a lot of interesting ideas. It’s a standalone book which has a smaller scope, which I think worked in some ways but really could have been expanded further. It has sparse world-building, which I guess does makes sense considering the scope, but I did wish it was expanded further.

While the world- as in the world which Enna lives in- wasn’t described in detail, The Deep kind of is. The world-building in this book was very focused on the mystings, the creatures who cross The Deep into the mortal world. It did make sense for the world-building to be more focused on that aspect because of the plot, I still wish we got a better sense of the world Enna lived in. I wanted to know more about it, especially in light of her desire to be a scholar.

Speaking of which, I thought that her dreams and ambitions got a little sidelined. Like, why did she want to be a scholar? Please give me more besides her consulting her grandmother’s notebook. Sometimes, there would be some passing reference to her wanting to go to the library or talking about scholars, but the narrative kept its focus on the romance. I also wanted more on the concept of souls. Like, what is the nature of souls in this world? Why don’t mystings have souls?

The villain was also practically a non-entity in this book. They get mentioned but don’t really appear until like, the last moment so it wasn’t as strong as it could have been. I didn’t feel the urgency in defeating the villain- the only urgency I felt was regarding Enna’s soul and Maekallus’ stay in the mortal realm. The conflict felt like it took a backseat to the romance.

As for the romance, I did like it. It was very Beauty and the Beast, only the one “captured” would be Maekallus who needs Enna to survive. The romance was a bit of a slow-burn and developed throughout the course of the book. There’s a subplot involving a village boy which kind of went nowhere and I wish was better executed, but it’s okay. I consider this more of a fantasy romance so I’m glad to see that the book does have a Happy Ever After.

Overall, I thought The Will and the Wilds was good. A bit of a mixed bag, yes, but still good overall. I can recommend it if you like smaller-scope fantasy with romance.

Bottom Line Up Front

THE WILL AND THE WILDS is an excellent, claustrophobic fantasy that takes place in a small town on the edge of the woods that lead to a demon (mysting) realm. When Enna gets marked for death by a minor demon that wants to steal from her, she summons a stronger demon to do the fighting for her. But it all goes wrong and Maekallus gets trapped in her world, which is deadly to him. They have to find a way to break the spell keeping in the human world, all while he can't leave one tiny glen and Enna can't leave because...you know. Ye Olden Times. Walking places takes a while. Overall it's a wonderful, focused novel that really makes you care about the two main characters and their troubles, and the magic and worldbuilding is delightful. I had a lot of fun with it.
First Off

Yes I know there's plenty of fantasy that doesn't focus on royalty, but I ain't seen it in a minute so just let me be excited, okay?
Anyone out there looking for some low-stakes fantasy (which I have seen asks for) then...okay, this is more mid-stakes, but seriously.
Ain't no worlds or countries about to end, it's just two knuckleheads that did an oops with magic and now they have to fix it or they die. Not everyone. Just them dying. But that's plenty!

Teh Problems

Not the book's problems. The character's problems.
They had so many!
Every time you think 'okay, they'll figure out the spell this time' NOPE.
Okay, the page count should have given it away, I mean they can't solve the main problem at 65% Whitley, get it together.
But in keeping with the scale of the book they had such personal problems that all stacked on top of each other and made shit so complicated.
It wound up being very tense, which I loved in something that was also so narrowly focused on a small cast.

Oh, there was a romance

Kinda.
Okay, no, for realsy, and it was present throughout the book.
No lie, I wanted her to hook up with the other guy, though.
IDK, I'm either too ace or not ace enough because I wasn't feeling the main pair. Too much tension and magic conundrum and cool demon stuff, you guys basically only kissed you didn't have any of the shmoopy part of a romance line.
Don't get me wrong, I liked that he cared about her and how that came about, but...HEA? Okay, if you say so.


Will I read this author again? Her Paper Magician series is totally on my TBR and might have moved up a few slots after this. (Metaphorically. We all know I'm not organized enough to number my TBR.)

Will I continue this series? Pretty sure it's a one-shot, alas.

(to be published 12/18/2019)

I wish I could say I loved this book, but that wasn't the case. I was very intrigued by the premise of the book, but sadly I didn't feel the author made the story live up to it. The writing was boring, the characters flat. There wasn't much liveness to the main character, she just described things as if they weren't happening to herself. I couldn't care less about the mysting romantic love interest. This book just wasn't for me, I hope other people will like it, but I'm sad I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would when I requested the arc.