I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

I loved this unique take on Arthurian lore. I liked the characters, but it felt the story was more about their journey and the world they traveled in than about themselves. I enjoyed learning about the different cultures and customs of the people in the story, but it did feel at times that there were so many different ones that the reader really only gets a quick sample of each before moving on to another.

Even with the focus on the setting, I still felt attachments for the characters and could feel their pain and joy through all their struggles, but I didn't really worry about anyone's safety because everyone in the book was so kind, even to total strangers. Each time the main party met new people, they would tell them all their personal business instead of keeping their missions private. At first that surprised me, but it quickly became the norm. Everyone was so trusting, and, somehow, it always worked out and won them friends. Even the "villain" of the book seemed like not much of a threat, but someone to be respected even if there were disagreements. It was a different sort of story to read.

The locations and cultures in the book were the real standout features for me. I especially loved the different factions (the Quicks, the Butcher Bards, the Drakes), the way affection comes so easily between friends, and the way there never seemed to be any real danger so you could just relax while reading without feeling anxious or tense. I do think a couple of the major climaxes could use some fleshing out because these epic showdowns were really built up but then resolved very quickly with ease.

The writing was beautiful and atmospheric. I'm glad the book ended with the implication that there's more to come, because I definitely want to read more about this world and the people in it, and I want to see the unresolved plot elements through to the end. I would even love to read a prequel involving the same characters that were in this book! But for now I'm going to check out The Boneless Mercies.

This book is like a multitude of sagas within a larger, very epic saga. The references made to The Boneless Mercies were a fun addition, though you don't have to read that to read this book. I loves the trials these characters went through and the overarching messages of hope, perseverance, friendship, and adventure.

Like The Boneless Mercies I didn't really feel that close to the characters, but for once I'm okay with this. This really feels (as is intended, I believe) more like an oral tale of an adventure than a presently-occuring story. This writing style really works with the book as it aligns with the subject matter.

I enjoyed the depictions if family and friendship and how fludid each of those terms can be. This book definitely made me want to go questing!

Let me start off by saying, I have not read The Boneless Mercies. I didn’t feel as if I missed anything really. The author did an amazing job at world building, character back stories, and making this a stand alone that I wasn’t lost and didn’t feel like I needed to read the other before this one.
I love all things King Author and I love how Tucholke wrote this book with her own spin on it. She did such a wonderful job on creating intriguing character and invented this wonderful plot! I kept wanting more and am honestly sad that it’s over.
Highly recommend!!!

I really enjoyed Seven Endless Forests. I loved that it was a companion to The Boneless Mercies, but it’s not necessary to read either one to enjoy the other. They take place in the same universe with different characters in a different time period. The Boneless Mercies felt more Norse/Viking, whereas Seven Endless Forests had more King Arthur/Sword in the Stone vibe going on.

I loved the characters and their adventures. We got to see so many different bands of people and, like The Boneless Mercies, there was a girl power thing going on as more women were finding their magic, embracing adventures, and trying for the glory of pulling the sword out of the stone.

I think the author has definitely found her style and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

This is a companion books to The Boneless Mercies. Not a series, per se, but you kind of need to read that book first. It has all of the things that draw me back constantly to Tucholke's books: heart-breakingly lush prose, expansive casts of unique characters, and the most atmospheric settings. It was wonderful to revisit the world of the Boneless Mercies again, and I loved all of the little references to how Frey and her mercies had impacted the world. Love Tucholke!

When I saw there was going to be a companion to The Boneless Mercies, I knew I needed it! And this cover alone is golden!

Torvi was the perfect MC with an emotional backstory. On her journey, she doesn’t forget about what had happened to her in her past, but instead, let it make her new path stronger. Madoc was probably my favorite side character, but I loved them all, especially the Pig Witch, too!

I always love Tucholke’s writing so much! This book was beautiful and strong and I never wanted it to end! I loved the characters, the world building, the myth. Perfection!

If you would like an updated YA version of the old Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone then this book may be for you.

Set in a magical land called Vorseland a young woman named Torvi and her sister Morgunn must deal with the new realities in a world without their mother and Torvi’s boyfriend, Viggo. While they are alone on their farm Torvi discovers that her sister has gone missing. Torvi must leave the farm to search for her sister in the Seven Endless Forests.

The reader follows Torvi’s first person perspective as she goes on her quest and meets all sorts of characters. Vorseland is full of humans, artists, druids, witches, wizards, mercenaries, and people who take drugs and think they are wolves. There are a lot of different types of characters to keep up with, but the characters keep the plot moving along.

I especially enjoyed the quest part of the book, because it reminded me of The Hobbit. There are some tense, even violent moments between characters, but there are a lot of light-hearted scenes. Even though Torvi does grieve for her family, she also meets many characters who laugh and who seem down to party all the time. There is a lot of drinking and smoking.

“We sang baudy songs at the top of our lungs and danced arm in arm, down the length of the hall. Morgunn built up the fire, and we stripped to our shifts. We sweated and drank and laughed.”

“ ‘How did you sleep?’ She let out a low laugh and shrugged.”

Torvi also has a keen nose, because she often describes how things smell.

“I picked up the tunic, and felt warm, as if he’d just taken it off. It smelled of grass and rain and wool and boy.”

“The air smelled fresh and soft and verdant.”

I’m not well-versed in King Arthur legends, but this book does have a spin on King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur.

I'm rating the book 4-stars. I liked the book and I would recommend it for those who already enjoy the YA genre. I'm glad I read it, but there are a few items in the plot that I didn't like . Also, I did not know this was a companion book.

If you like going on quests and enjoy YA retellings then this book may be for you.

I would like to thank Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started strong, full of adventure, mystery and action. The characters you meet have a strong loyalty and companionship and it’s heart warming to read the trials they endure for each other and the devotion they share.
I then found myself feeling lost in who additional characters were and what part of the story they played? I forgot names and backgrounds and couldn’t figure out relevance. What started as an amazing quest turned disappointing. The story just hummed along with very little going on for a while.
While I didn’t love the story, I can see how others will get lost in it and enjoy what they read. It has the potential to be great, but it just never quite grabbed me.

The content has a lot of drinking and smoking, with some drugs and getting drunk. There is intimacy, but no real details are given. There is some violence with blood and fighting.
This is a retelling of King Arthur legend that I recommend for fantasy lovers and King Arthur fans.
Thank you #netgalley and Farrer, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
This book is out April 28, 2020

I went into this book thinking 1) gorgeous cover and 2) Arthurian legends: cool. I didn't know it was a companion novel, and might not have requested it if I did.

I read half of it before ultimately deciding to dnf. Mostly it was a personal preference thing. There is plenty of plot, and the pacing is good and there's definitely that sense of quest/adventure, but I felt absolutely no connection to any character and therefore didn't have any desire to continue reading. Stuff happens, mostly bad some good, blah blah, some characters join the party and some leave, but they're kinda just names to me at this point... By 50% I expect to care about the characters even if I'm not invested in the story yet, and that just wasn't the case here.

Also, though the writing isn't bad by any means, it hovers at the border between my personal meh, slightly dislike and cannot read categories. Much of this is due to the ancient viking/celt/medieval vibe, which for some reason always comes with super gritty and gory writing. I just don't want my writing to be heavy on the sweat, blood, sex, gore side. *shrug* If I'd realized ahead of time that it was like that I'd have skipped it.

I think a lot of people will really love this one - especially if they're into viking novels - but it just ultimately wasn't for me.

This book was full of unique, interesting mythology, fierce characters, and hauntingly beautiful depictions of grief. Above all, I think this book is really a story about grief: Torvi's grief over Viggo's death, her sister's kidnapping, the death of her parents, and the loss of her old life. I really admired the way the author portrayed Torvi's grief throughout the book, as well as the way she portrayed Torvi in general. She was fierce, idealistic, and loyal above all else.
However, I did have some trouble getting into the book, since there wasn't very much world-building at all. I found the same to be true of the first companion novel, The Boneless Mercies.

After dealing with the aftermath of a plague with no known cure Torvi's sister Morgunn, disappears under the cover of night. She has been kidnapped by a wolf-priest bishop named Uther to join her army of gaunt girls. Torvi is forced to leave her ancestral home to join forces with a druid to gain assistance from roving Butcher Bards. Once they finish their quest of finding and rescuing Torvi's sister from the ruthless bishop they plan to add another quest to their list - finding a legendary sword that hasn't been seen in ages.

More facets than originally perceived are added to their original quest - Torvi and her companions visit Night Wilds and banter with other patrons in a tree-town tavern. They'll meet mysterious Drakes whose payment is young men, rediscover an ancient black tower and fight a common enemy with legendary Vorseland archers. Towards the conclusion of their quest the companions will trade unusual payment to a Fremish wizard, revel in food and drink with rebellious Jade Fell children underneath the Skal Mountains and be granted an audience with a Pig Witch.

Torvi's quest to find her sister may have cause her to wander into unknowingly accepting her own fate even though it is awash with wilderness, wandering, misfortune and death.

"Is there anything better in life than having brave, true friends?"

Seven Endless Forests revolves around a large portion of Norse mythology although I am not certain as to why the author chose to change at least two references - Obin for Odin and Holhalla instead of Valhalla. I would prefer outright references personally - as I believe it would make the lore and the references themselves more concrete to younger readers. It's been a while since I've immersed myself in Norse mythology so there could have been references that I missed but there are several obvious ones that do stand out. I'll admit it put me off for a bit in the beginning but it faded more into casual mentions as the book progressed. There are some references to King Arthur folklore throughout the novel as well - mostly character names.

This book about the quests themselves than the events after the tasks are completed - it glosses over the deeds accomplished afterward like they're really not that big of a deal or were just expected to happen. Somehow the writing style makes it feel equally rushed and then suddenly the opposite - mainly some events seem like they're on fast forward while others are described at length. The world building and descriptions though are beautifully worded, described and also extends to characters. I do feel that the ending does leave this book open for a series if the author chooses to continue the story of Torvi and her companions.

"I was no different from all who walked the earth, searching for something larger than themselves."

Seven Endless Forests is another standalone novel like The Boneless Mercies but I believe there might be some background information acquired from the first book written. From what I gathered from stories in Seven Endless Forests I believe that The Boneless Mercies took place quite some time prior to the adventures of the current book. There really aren't many sensitive subjects in this book - drug and alcohol usage (fictional names), hinted at romance and fairly tame violence. I would like to thank Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was interestingly written, and the story felt original despite it being labeled a retelling. It did not lean heavily on the old story for support, similarly to Boneless Mercies. I absolutely adored the characters in this book, and pacing was tremendous.

April Genevieve Tucholke is probably my favorite author of all time. I have read all her released works and loved every single one of them. This was no exception. She just has such a beautiful writing style, I can’t get enough of it. Along with that, her stories are always so layered and atmospheric. Revisiting the world in The Boneless Mercies was great and seeing Tucholke’s take on Arthurian legends was imaginative. All the different characters, even the side ones, brought so much to the story. I don’t think I’ll ever give any of her books less than a 4 stars.

“It’s no easy thing to meet your dreams head-on”

Torvi, a young Vorse woman born of an Elsh mother and a roaming, never present father, wakes to find that the snow sickness has taken everyone in her Hall, leaving only her and her sister alive. After burying her mother and her loved, despite traditions begging for burning the bodies, they keep moving on, just the two of them. A pig-witch Druid by the name of Gyda appears and they take her in, developing a sisterly bond between the three until the wolf-priests take Morgunn, her sister and Torvi’s quest begins. Her mother repeated the same message growing up: that Torvi was only destined for marriage, but Torvi took another message her mother said to heart instead: “Fortune favors brave women.” This sets the tone for the rest of her quest and the actions she takes.

I can see how this story is based on Arthurian legends and, truly, the entire novel reads much like a bard’s tale. While reading it, I felt that all I needed was a tavern with a roaring fire, unlimited mead, and a great storyteller singing out this novel. The novel spoke so much to the power of great stories and believing in the story you tell and the ones you help create. Interwoven inside the novel are so many additional tales. Tales of the Boneless Mercies (the author’s other novel), tales of Fremish, Vorse, and other such quests, and just tales of people, doing the unthinkable and the just.

What stands out is that the novel doesn’t feel like other novels. Other novels are caught up in emotions, deep narration, and relying on normal plot structures and story conventions. Seven Endless Forests feels exactly like I stated before: a great bard’s tale. If you aren’t willing to be immersed in the story it weaves, you will not get what this novel is about. It’s worth it to be a part of Torvi’s great quest. I truly felt like I was participating in some Skyrim side story and playing through it.

April Genevieve Tucholke is one of my favorite authors and she NEVER disappoints. Seven Endless Forests is a wonderful and incredibly rich novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I would recommend this to everyone!

I was really disappointed in this book as I've read other books by April Genevieve Tucholke that I really liked. "Seven Endless Forests" didn't live up to my expectations.

I didn't have a strong emotional connection to any of the characters, and didn't get a good sense of the relationships between them through their interactions.

The story felt to me more of an accounting of events, rather than a masterful story that fills you with the anticipation of "what happens next". Honestly I didn't care all that much. A lot of the story was mundane descriptions of things that didn't seem to have purpose towards furthering the story, and didn't accomplish fleshing out the characters. A lot of the action scenes were glossed over and it didn't give a sense of danger or of energy.

The last 20% of the book really picked up, and I enjoyed that greatly. I didn't hate this book, but I really wish all of it was as good as the last fifth.

3.5 Stars. I have to agree with other reviews, this did not need to be a retelling these characters had story enough on their own. I do enjoy Vorse type tale but in this book, I got a bit bogged down by all of the different players. The writing was well done, but the plot dragged in a few places. In general I enjoyed the read but could see a few areas that would have made it a 5 star if they were simplified a bit.

I almost wish that this was not labeled as a retelling of King Arthur. Yes, it has a quest for a sword and a few other similarities, but it is also quite another story with its own world, religions, cultures, and traditions.

The tale begins with a plague, snow sickness, that decimates the land and causes Torvi and her younger sister, Morgunn, to leave their home. After a series of events, Torvi meets up with a new group of friends and goes on a quest to rescue her sister....among a myriad of other things.

The plot of this story has almost constant movement from one place/event to another. There are good and bad items within this context. Some of the scenes I really enjoyed but they zoomed by too fast, others seemed thrown in and unimportant, there was slow movement through a few parts, and the next moment was too quick because the characters were suddenly on to a new quest. But, the plot definitely moved quickly through the book, and I couldn’t stop reading because I was so curious what conflict was going to appear next.

Torvi is a fun and unique heroine who is deeply caring. While she makes some questionable choices, she sticks to who she is and, based on the ending, I hope we see her adventuring again soon!

3.5/5

3.5 stars
Set in the same world as the author's previous book, The Boneless Mercies, it reimagines the tale of King Arhur. I love the big Norse influences and the mythical Forests. It's a typical quest fantasy story but the characters and the writing made it unique.

This lived up to the Boneless Mercies, whew!

Set in the same world, apparently many years later, we have a version of the King Arthur story that adds some interesting, vaguely Norse bits. There's also a quest that has Tolkein-esque overtones - disparate friends or acquaintances forming a band to make the trek towards revenge and a sword. For me, there were times I wanted to spend more time at a location or with a people and others when I wanted us to move along faster, sometimes at the same time. For example, more about the tree towns but less about the songs the Bards sing while in the tavern. I also wasn't sure that all the Arthur references needed to be there, while we needed a bit more about the wolves to make them truly believable. The ending wrapped things up a little too quickly, perhaps to forestall the need for a sequel.

My sense is that that the author is setting this up in the same way that Cashore did the Graceling world, and I can't wait to see what's next.

eARC provided by publisher.