What I Loved: the strong, independent female characters at the center of Tucbolke’s novels are amazing and very reminiscent of other favorite novels like Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrabd and Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. There is some thing so cozy and warm about the female freindships, even as their band of misfits is splintered by tragedy and opposition.

What I Didn’t Love: My complaints about this book are the same complaints I had about Boneless Mercies, which is funny because in theory I should love these books. On paper, they tick all my boxes: strong female leads, atmospheric, strong sense of place where the setting is very much its own character. But ultimately my struggle with this book deals with the fact that the plot is as meandering and slow as the journey the characters take. It kind of feels like playing an epic open world video game and spending hours going on side quests. It’s fun , but it’s not as interesting as the overall storyline.

As a spinoff of April Genevieve Tucholke's already established universe, Seven Endless Forests is an Arthurian-inspired tale, complete with quests and curses. While the pacing doesn't quite seem to give enough time for readers to especially bond with characters, I very much appreciated the small bits of lore that Tucholke included -- details that carved out believability in a fantastical world. While I don't have much context about the World (having not read the previous books), I had fun reading this one and am definitely excited to read them!

More like 3.5 stars! The overall story was good and interesting but the writing tripped me up at times. I also found myself a bit bored at times too which kinda sucked.

Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke; Farrar Straus Giroux, 352 pages ($18.99) Ages 14 to 18.

This beautifully crafted fantasy offers a thrilling feminist reimagining of the King Arthur legend and is a stand-alone companion to April Genevieve Tucholke's 2018 novel, "The Boneless Mercies."

18-year-old narrator Torvi and her 14-year-old sister Morgunn are the only survivors of a "snow sickness" plague that killed everyone on their 1,000-acre steading including their mother and Torvi's love, a young shepherd named Viggo.

Fremish wolf priests are traveling the land, burning villages and slaughtering villagers, and when Morgunn disappears, Torvi sets out with a druid named Gyda and traveling entertainers the Butcher Bards to rescue her. Along the way, Torvi and Gyda find a new quest: the search for a long-lost sword that will grant a jarldom, or kingdom, to the one able to pull it from the stone tree.

Her mother always told Torvi she was too softhearted (she hesitated to wring a hen's neck or slit a lamb's throat) and that her fate was to marry and watch over her sister's quest for greatness. Torvi finds a strength she didn't know she had along the journey and in the novel's thrilling conclusion. The author offers an exquisitely detailed world, with evocative names (the Vorse, the Elsh, the Truscan people) and geography (endless forests, the Skal mountains, the "stretch" main road, Lake Le Fay, Finnmark, the Faroe Glaciers, the Wild Ice Plains, Imp's Ear Peak ), a land with its own myths and magic and gods and traditions such as "skin fights," or Vorse duels fought naked. The author peoples her novel with richly drawn characters. Even the smallest details are beautifully done: in Vorseland one might drink nettle tea, spiced walnut milk, moongold cider, sweet butter ale or an alcoholic brew called "Vite."

The author dedicated her novel: "To all those who seek a quest."

I've tried to read this one on two separate occasions now, and I just could not get into the story, I really enjoyed her previous works, but this one ended up falling short leading to a DNF. Nothing in the plot, characters, or world stuck out to me.

There has to be more to this story so much left even after the epilogue. Having the Boneless Mercies be a historical tale that Torvi talks about was a pretty interesting take. The novel though short is fast paced and full of friendships that can last a lifetime. Sacrifices are made for the greater good even if the good doesn't seem worth it.

I enjoyed The Boneless Mercies when I read it last year, and I enjoyed this story that was set in the same world, but with different characters just as much! It was amazingly written, and highly entertaining. I look forward to seeing what else this author writes, for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC to review!

Tucholke’s previous book the Boneless Mercies has haunted me for the last two years. It was beautifully written and the story was so unlike anything I have read. Seven Endless Forests the companion, stand alone book. It mentions the Boneless Mercies, but it is not necessary to have previously read it. It is an imaginative retelling of King Arthur, it has action, romance and strong female heroines. It is the ultimate in escapism and I can hardly wait to go back to the lands Tucholke creates.

'Seven Endless Forests' by April Genevieve Tucholke is a standalone companion to a 2018 title called 'The Boneless Mercies.' It's an interesting retelling of the legend of King Arthur.. melded with distinctly Norse influences, though here they're called the Vorse, and featuring a strong female lead instead of Arthur.

A destructive plague wipes out most of Torvi's family. Only she and her sister Morgunn survive. When Morgunn is stolen away by a Fremish wolf-priest who bears the name Uther, our main character begins her quest to save the only family she has left.

Joined by a magic wielding, shaven-skulled druid named Gyda who seeks a mythical sword lodged in a cursed tree, the two quickly stumble across a group roaming artists called the Butcher Bards. The group already on a quest of their own, accompanies the two girls.

Along their path, they meet many more unique groups. Sea witches, mystical Drakes who trade in magic readings and young men, a mysterious black tower in a forest corrupted by dark spells, a pack of bold Vorseland Quicks.. archers that hunt the wolves, Fremish wizards who deal only in trades that may be too costly, rogue Jade Fell children, and even a Pig Witch converge with them here and there. There's much more that I haven't mentioned, plenty of difficult trials and unexpected turns.

Each magic system is relatively distinctive, though the author doesn't go into them too deeply. The scenes of conflict are vividly described and memorable. There is love and loss, joy and tragedy, and Tucholke is not afraid to kill a character.. so be prepared. The adventure is grand.. they travel for weeks, there's extensive character and story development, and a lot to experience before you reach the end.

The writer is gifted. In the early pages when the plague kills those around Torvi, while we never really meet the boy she's in love with.. as he's already dead, she does such a good job of conveying the longing and sense of loss the Vorse girl feels for him, I found myself saddened at his passing too. In the small ways she remembers him.. honors him.. it feels like we've met him.. and I could feel the hole in her life he left behind.

While not everything I hoped for happened in the novel, the decisions the author made still felt right. My hopes were based on the emotions she created in me during the read and she's a bit fearless in not always giving into those hopes she must know we have.

I loved the way she wove the Norse legends and mythologies together with the King Arthur tales. It felt original and elegant. The female characters were strong, but not overdone to the point they felt more like caricatures of strength. Their doubts and weaknesses.. their missteps.. felt natural.

If you enjoy medieval tales, Norse mythology, Vikings, Druids, and classic magic.. this book is for you. I enjoyed it so much, I'll be seeking out other titles from Tucholke in future.

Seven Endless Forests is the story of a journey. In some ways, it's a journey of self-discovery, beginning with Torvi losing everyone she loved and forcing her to go on an adventure, something her mother said she would never do. In other ways, it's a journey of friendship, the people Torvi meets along the way, those she will learn from, travel with, fight, or simply encounter along the way. It's also a journey of quests, as each of the companions seek something, though none seek the same thing. And the story is the journey, as more time is spent on the journey and in conversation than doing anything else. As such, the story works. It's slow. It's straightforward. It's simple and to the point, while introducing myriads of new factions and peoples. Unfortunately, there is not enough action to keep the story moving along, which made it easy to put the book down and forget it. The characters were mostly all fascinating. It's too bad the story didn't measure up to them.

Content warning: There is brutal violence (slitting throats, etc.) and Torvi has sex with three different men in the story (this is tastefully written, rather than described in detail).

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and have reviewed it willingly.

The only issue I had with this book was the pacing. It went by too fast! I wanted so much more detail! But, overall I loved the storyline and character development. Im seriously hoping there will be a sequel!

4 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/seven-endless-forests-by-april-genevieve-tucholke-review/

Torvi has seen little in her eighteen summers, as she’s rarely been out of sight of her family farm. Daughter of an Elsh farmer and a Merrows’ sailor, she spent her entire childhood being told that her lot in life would be to tend the animals, steal glory from her sister, and only provide worth to her family through a dowry. Though her nan would often tell her tales of adventure and glory, Torvi’s mother would dismiss these as too fanciful for her eldest daughter, instead using every opportunity to focus on the talents of her second daughter, Morgunn.

The story opens in the aftermath of a plague, one that has devastated farms in the Middlelands. Everyone Torvi has ever known or cared for died in that plague, excepting two: her father—who broke his promise and returned to the sea some years before—and her sister, Morgunn. But their mother, nan, and all farmhands and servants perished, all to be burned or buried by Torvi’s own hand. Even Viggo—her lover—passed, leaving her all alone. Except for Morgunn. Morgunn, the daughter her mother doted on. The daughter that Torvi never could be. The daughter that would inherit the world, that would win glory, the daughter likely to retrieve the mythical sword of Esca, thus commanding a Jarldom.

The daughter that gets kidnapped in the opening chapters.

A roving band of wolf-priestesses, disciples of flesh, blood and flame, descend upon the farm, taking Morgunn off for sacrifice after razing the steading to the ground. And it’s up to Torvi, her only family left, to rescue her sister and kill the wolves holding her. Something she’ll never hope to do alone.

And so Torvi sets out upon a quest: to find and gain allies in her fight, to save her sister, to rebuild her life, and even—maybe—to liberate a magical sword from a certain stone, thus winning glory. Though on her journey Torvi shall face death, tragedy, danger, and deceit, she may yet find adventure, love, glory, and the acceptance that’s eluded her all her life. But will she reach her sister in time?

Well, she certainly doesn’t reach her sister IN TIME. This is NOT a spoiler, just a note on just how long it takes her to get going. A few chapters in, she (and Morgunn, before her capture) meet Gyda, a druid, and gain their first companion. Then a little after her sister is taken, they collect some Butcher Bards—and are off on a magical adventure! Just, not a time-sensitive one. Honestly, the first part of the story is so random and wandery that by the 1/3 mark I fully expected them to reach the wolves only to find that the raiders had sacrificed Morgunn a month past. And then I realized this probably wouldn’t be very Arthurian. Nevertheless, there’s no real sense of urgency to the plot—as if they’d a gentleman’s (or ladies) agreement from the wolves to stay any executing of anyone until there could be a showdown. Torvi and her band just kick around the world having exciting adventures and telling mystical tales while at the same time casually keeping an eye out for anyone they could use to help free her sister.

The most surprising revelation wasn’t actually that they were wasting waaay too much time. It was that—despite the lack of urgency, despite the impending death of Torvi’s sister—I was actually enjoying the story. Torvi and her band travel to exotic and fanciful locales, face unknown horrors, meet exceptional people, and explore breathtaking forests. And despite the lack of any urgency—or maybe because of it—I really enjoyed it. I mean, the fact that they take their sweet damn time is entirely irksome, something that can’t be understated. It bothered me when I picked up Seven Endless Forests every evening. But by the time I set the book aside each night I was over it, already lost in the aftermath of the adventures they’d undertaken. It is a magical and wondrous world Tucholke created, one that overwhelmed all the issues that came with it. Not that there are many. Other than the sense of urgency, I had one other issue—that of the plot that is Morgunn. Without spoiling as much as possible… the kidnapping of Morgunn doesn’t extend through to the end. At about the 3/4 mark, we clear that up and take on the next adventure: that of the sword of Esca. Now, the two tales are loosely connected, but Tucholke doesn’t really take any pains try and tie them closer. And as much as I adored the story—and I did—this disconnect was annoying, and stupid.

The world-building of Seven Endless Forests is impressive. The myths and stories that appear in the text are so varied and unique that I’d be interested to go back and read Tucholke’s other stuff to see if they weren’t established earlier. Now some of the legends within are retelling of Norse faery tales, like how the story is a retelling of Arthurian legend. But others I didn’t recognize. Now, I don’t pretend to know everything about either topic, but I have dived pretty deep before, into each, so I’m aware of a decent amount. But the various characters that Torvi and her band meet are so wondrous and colorful; the Butcher Bards, the Quicks, the wolf priestesses, the Pig witches, the Merrowsfolk, the monks and witches and wizards and more. And the places they visit are no less amazing—tree villages, night markets, endless forests—that it was easy to lose myself in the world for a few hours or more and then go to bed, forgetting that the plot had basically wandered around aimlessly during that time.

Magic is different depending on who you are. Instead of one universal magical system, there are many. Pig witches read the entrails of beasts to decode the future. Drakes read the stars to accomplish the same. Flemmish Wizards do a bit of both, but command the more traditional magicks besides, making them a class all their own. Wolves (priestesses) rely on yew-berry poison to see the world as it truly is, and to manipulate it to their own ends. Additionally, there are Sea witches, Druids, Bone monks, and more. Each with their own abilities and styles.

TL;DR

A retelling of Arthurian legend with an emphasis on ancient Norse culture and a map that very much resembles Finland, Seven Endless Forests is the wondrous, meandering adventure that I didn’t know I needed. While it wastes too much time to be considered an urgent rescue mission, and while that whole plot thread ends at the 3/4 mark, the resulting tale that this book tells are worth their weight in gold for their adventure, questing, myths and legends, and its fabulous world. Though possessive of a strange blend of wandering and urgency at first, the story settles down to tell the tale of Torvi, a farm-girl out to seize control of her destiny. It’s not without fault, but succeeds much more than it fails—at least, in my opinion. It reminded me of a novelized Quest for Glory game, if you remember those. Magic, fun, adventure—what more could you ask for? Definitely worth a read.

I really enjoyed this companion to the Boneless Mercies! It has everything I love about Tucholke's books: beautiful prose, atmospheric settings, and unique characters to get to know.

So I did not realize that this was a companion novel when I requested it. However, I did like it. This is a retelling of King Arthur and has amazing imagery and writing. However, when it came to the story and worldbuilding it did feel like I was missing something since I hadn't read the original trilogy.

Seven Endless Forests (3.5 stars) aims at being a feminist retelling of the Arthurian Excalibur legend. And it’s fairly successful in this goal.

I loved how this book pushes the expectations of gender norms, challenges the idea of what it means to be brave, and explores the notion of family, both biological and found. There’s a quiet strength that remains constant in this read that really works.

There are some things that could be better: tighter editing and smoother pacing, especially in the middle section; deeper character development; less Insta-love/Insta-family; and less stilted dialogue.

Overall, an interesting retake on the Arthurian mythology that will please many.

After reading any of Tucholke's books you have to sit a minute and soak in everything you just experienced. Because that's what reading her books are like. An experience. They feel like some forgotten folklore that has been uncovered and is now being told for the first time in a hundred or more years. You are sucked in with the magical feel of the writing and the characters that come to life right before your eyes. There are times when I wonder to myself what the heck did I just read, but in the best way possible.

Seven Endless Forests was magical and held true to all of Tucholke's standard of other works. This being set in the same world as The Boneless Mercies had a lot of little easter eggs from the first book hidden within its pages. I kind of wish I had reread The Boneless Mercies before jumping into this book just so all the stories and references would have been fresh on the brain. But even so, it was still a really amazing read.

I love how even though you feel a connection to the characters, you still stand apart and read this as more of a story being told rather than a part of the story as it happens. Its hard to explain how Tucholke's writing makes you feel. I feel connected but separate from the characters all at once. I am interested but still feel like I'm reading a bedtime story that has been passed down for generations. Its such a unique way of writing that I find I fall in love with a little more with each book I read of hers.

Seven Endless Forests while being a standalone leaves the readers ready for more of this world by the end. Its like we were introduced to so many amazing characters with the potential for so much adventure and story to be had. I'm hoping that there will be more set in this world because its just so intriguing! I love how there is magic but its so common that its not set apart from the rest of the world building. There is an ease to the way the world within these books works and it seems every bit as natural as breathing. I love that the female characters are so strong and independent as well. There aren't the fair maidens you are used to reading about, but instead strong willed and powerful women who come into their own on the pages right before your eyes.

The touch of romance was also perfect considering I'm a sucker for any type of love story, you get a sense for the chemistry between characters, but its such a small part of the bigger story. These books are not based on the love story but more so the journey that the characters take and how they grow as individuals. And if there happens to be a little kiss here or there, then so be it, but it will not in any way take away from the story you are devouring at the time.

I can't wait to see what Tucholke comes up with next, hopefully another set in this magical world she has created because I will snatch it up in a heartbeat. 100% would recommend this book and all her others!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Seven Endless Forests" by April Genevieve Tucholke. This book was more of a 3.5, but I like to round up for generosity. I loved the premise of a gender-swapped Arthurian legend and the writing was beautiful and atmospheric. I would even say that the beginning and ending were relatively gripping and heart-wrenching, and would have been even more so if the middle hadn't dragged SO MUCH. The characters just wandered around from place to place on their little quest and none of it was all the important to the over-arching plot and no matter how pretty and lovely the world-building was I just wasn't pulled into it because it didn't feel like it mattered. So, I was pretty disappointed and I feel like this book could have been a lot more than it was, but it definitely had its merits too.

Seven Endless Forests

I typically enjoy retellings and while I can connect this to the King Arthur legend I struggled with the story. I did enjoy the descriptions of Torvi’s World. I really felt as if I could see, smell and hear what the characters did. The author did put a lot into the World she created.

There were a lot of characters which was hard to keep up with. The story did seem to focus on the journey itself . I was disappointed in the action which fell short to me. Just when fights were starting they were suddenly over. I found the relationship between Torvi and her sister a bit odd. It was as if they were close and do anything for each other but then things changed. There were then snippets of that close relationship but like the action parts, as soon as it started it was over.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The cover and world-building were lovely, but that's really all this book has going for it. The characters were flat and frustrating, and the plot was nearly nonexistent. We spend most of the book walking from one place to the next, and very few exciting things happen along the way. However, the descriptions of the world were stellar and provided a clear view into Tucholke's world. (Although, I would have liked to learn more about the giant trolls.)

Torvi was like a piece a bread. It's useful and can provide sustenance, but there's nothing really remarkable about it. Where was her passion? Her drive? What did she love? I felt as if I barely knew her, and we essentially traveled together for months. The author drops crumbs about her family and their history, but it's never really expanded on. (I wanted to know more about her father and his side of the family, and why her mother favored Morgunn.)

Honestly, Seven Endless Forests felt more like an outline than an actual book. If something exciting happened, it was over after a page. The conflicts were brief and they were resolved with little-to-no struggle or hardship. There was a really interesting tower in one of the forests that required them to "fly" to the top and enter through a window (think Rapunzel, but with trippy mushrooms), which sounded promising. I was looking forward to what would happen once they were inside, but it was over before it could really start (don't even get me started on how they figured out how to access the tower). The ghost of a witch forms from the dust and grime, and then they jump out of the tower to safety. Boom. Over. There was no battle, no plan to fight the witch and rid the tower of her evil presence, just them taking what they wanted and leaving.

It was also weird how quickly they became friends and lovers. They'll meet someone, and suddenly they're BFFs or kissing in a corner. It was equally hard to believe that people were always so incredibly welcoming and easygoing. Taverns are notoriously boisterous places, yet the ones they visited were uneventful. Were they lively and merry? Yes. However, there were no brawls, and no shady dealings transpired under dirty tables. They were ran by pretty men and women, groups of siblings, and everyone was happy. I'm not saying it's impossible, but there was just something lacking from all of their adventures. I didn't feel like they were on a quest, merely walking around in an eerily beautiful world. They talk about the dangers, and tell stories about past atrocities, but never experience them for themselves.

Most of what they did was simply unbelievable. I doubt Torvi and Gyda would have picked up on the Butcher Bards' knife fighting as quickly as they did. I also rolled my eyes whenever something conveniently happened, or information fell into their laps. They never had to work for anything. They sang their songs, told their stories, and moved on. Even when they are given specific instructions, and warned what would happen if they veered from the path, no one listened. Torvi went into the one tent she was supposed to avoid, and they left the tunnel when they heard children's laughter behind fallen rocks. Both events proved beneficial to the group, so why were they given ominous warnings? It didn't make sense. If they were told bad things would happen, then I feel like something bad should've happened.

When Torvi and team finally reach Esca's Hall, they talk about being the first people to set foot inside since the sagas (I think that's supposed to translate into centuries). However, I found that hard to believe. If Uther knew about it, surely others did too. From what I could tell, there were plenty of Vorse who would've loved the jarldom. It seemed unrealistic for their journey to have been so easy. Long, but ultimately not difficult. People died, but no one we knew or cared about (sounds harsh, but it's true). To be honest, I didn't really care for any of the characters𑁋main or secondary𑁋they were simply there.

My favorite part? Torvi tells a wizard she'll never have children when he asks for her firstborn, but then she seeks him out in the middle of the night for sex. She then goes on and on about how magical it was. Duh? He's a wizard? But also... what the hell is wrong with you? Then she wants to know if Madoc is upset (someone she's grown close to), but he's not. He understands, and she thinks he's great for it. Wonderful!

Everything that happened between Torvi and her sister was just too much. It was too unbelievable. It was sad at first, but then finding Morgunn became less important to her, because the journey was suddenly what mattered. She was REALLY LIVING with her found family, and having a meaningful quest is what life's all about! Right? Right! Then Torvi finds her sister, doesn't like what she sees, and simply stops wanting to help her. She's just lost now? I hated that aspect of the story, and how the sword was eventually pulled from the tree. What the hell is up with that anyways? What purpose did it serve?

Basically, if they needed help or an answer to a question, one would present itself. There was hardly any fighting, the grief was minimal and short-lived, and the bad guys were almost always helpful. It was all very frustrating. I kept reading because I thought there would be some sort of satisfying conclusion at the end, but it just made me angry. I wish it had been a physical copy so I could have tossed it across the room. In the end, the story was simply too convenient and lacked substance, and the characters were too dull to warrant any emotion or concern on my part. (★★⋆☆☆)

I’m usually not a fan of retellings because they always read a bit trite. But Tucholke’s “Seven Endless Forests” has a unique narrative voice that is engaging. And it doesn’t hurt that there are so many badass ladies involved!

Torvi has lost everyone she knows and cares about — her mother and lover were killed by the plague, her father left years ago, and her sister was captured by the wolf-priest, Uther. She sets out with the druid, Gyda, and a group of Butcher Bards to find her sister. This ragtag group has truly interesting characters, despite the quick speed of events throughout the book. I truly enjoyed Torvi’s quest and the people she meets along the way.

My biggest issue with this novel is the pacing. Tucholke introduces many characters who are each on their own journey. Rather than create a series, she attempts to wrap all of these journeys up in one book in less than 400 pages, which is simply not possible. As a result, the last chapter of the book is more like one of those montages at the end of a Netflix documentary where they tell the audience all the things that happened after the events of the last two hours. It didn’t translate well for me in the written medium. I would have much rather have had this be a two-book series.

While not perfect in the least, this book was a fun and quick read!