I was really disappointed by this one. Had high hopes from the cover and the description; it was compared to
the "Bear and the Nightingale" is a must-not-miss trilogy if you haven't read it. But--ugh. Sadly, this book is not that. I found the world-building to be difficult to follow; a lot of blood was spilled for reasons I could not fathom. Being a twin myself, I was eager to find parallels between Red and her sister she left behind when she entered the Wilderwood, but alas; that relationship fell flat to me. The Wolf (spoiler alert) is actually not much of a wolf at all, and the magic from the wood was difficult for me to understand. They want blood? Why? Mostly, the world-building and information dumps on every other page made this story hard to get into for me. Maybe it'll be someone else's cup of tea.

"The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf."

For the Wolf tells the story of Red who is the second born daughter to the current queen. Raised at a distance, Red has always known that she is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood. Without a sacrifice, monsters could be unleashed on her kingdom. She goes willingly, not only in the name of duty, but for fear of a hidden power within her. Her arrival within the forest quickly reveals that the stories she was raised on were not entirely true. The Wolf is not a monster and her sacrifice does nothing to keep the monsters contained.

The story alternates POV between Red, in the forest, and Neve (her twin sister), outside of the forest. At first, this made the story drag for me. I was far more interested in Red and the dealings of the forest. However, it didn't take long for both stories to hold the same pacing and intrigue. I loved the relationship between Red and Neve. There is such a strong sense of love and devotion that amplified the tone of the story. The added political and religious subplot aids in growing the world further for a sequel. I have a feeling this is going to be a duology, but you won't see me complaining if it transforms into a trilogy.

The romance between Red and Eammon was a little less than satisfying. I love the marriage of convenience trope, but even more, I love enemies to lovers. This book has both, however, it wasn't as intense as I would have preferred.. Eammon was determined to protect Red at all costs. Red was determined to help Eammon at all costs. It all felt a little too repetitive. Or maybe I read too much smut and have a hard time with slow burn romance? Either way, it didn't detract from the story for me.

Whitten's writing style is lyrical and beyond descriptive. It's crazy to think that this is a debut novel. Clearly, she was born with fairytale in her blood. The forest, a main character in it's own right, was truly a dark and unique atmosphere. Even though For the Wolf is a re-telling, there are just enough original elements to set this story apart from Rid Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. I don't usually include content warnings in my reviews, but I do feel it's worth mentioning that this story deals with a lot of self inflicted harm. Cutting for the sole purpose of extracting blood is used heavily throughout the story. Keep that in mind when picking up this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in immediately. I never wanted to put it down. I adored Eammon and Red. It was a darker story than I was anticipating, but it made it all the better. I definitely plan on getting myself a copy.

full review to come: this was absolutely wonderful and i feel like it definitely lived up to the hype. the pacing was good and it was nice to see the stakes in the plot rise slowly while also learning about red and eammons backstory. the atmosphere was also written very well i loved the legends and the myths that build the world and the truth that lies beneath them. the writing and prose was very poetic i highlighted a large portion of the book. be aware of the tw’s because there is a lot of blood being described

*Thank you to Orbit, Hannah Whitten, and Netgalley for a E-ARC of "For The Wolf" in exchange for an honest review.*

This was one of my most-anticipated books of 2021. I started following Hannah on Twitter, where she was posting one sentence snippets of For The Wolf and I fell in love. This is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but more then that as well. I loved Red and Eammon, along with Fife and Lyra. Poor Alrick. I can't wait for everyone to read this.

Going into For the Wolf I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I love dark fantasy and fairytales, but I didn't love Uprooted. I am thrilled to say that this was absolutely a ME book! While I do think it is a dark fantasy in the same way that Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale are, I wouldn't really compare them. To me, this is closer to Joanna Ruth Meyer's Echo North or Rosamund Hodge's Cruel Beauty, and those happen to be some of my all-time favorites.

For the Wolf is told in alternating POVs. The first is Red, the second daughter who has terrifying magic and is meant to be a sacrifice for the Wolf who keeps the monsters of the Wilderwood at bay. The second is her sister, Neve, who is trying to save Red from her fate. At first the split POV slowed the book down for me, but by the end I was totally on board with both sisters' stories.

This book grabbed me within the first couple chapters once Red entered the Wilderwood. I absolutely adore all of the lore present within this story. The town Red and her sister are from is full of sinister religion and superstition that Red comes to realize is far from the truth. The Wolf is actually a man named Eammon and is nothing like what she has been taught. The relationship between Red and Eammon was EVERYTHING. If enemies to lovers is your trope, you are going to love this.

As I already mentioned, the lore of For the Wolf is incredible and so is the rest of the world building. While I can't wait to see a map of this world, I felt like I could easily envision the Wilderwood and the lands it surrounds and separates. The magic system is unique and well explained with small reveals throughout the book to keep you guessing. The cult-like religion that rules this world, along with its villain, is multifaceted and believable and I cannot wait to see where this goes in book two.

One thing that I did notice is that this story seems to be closer to Beauty and the Beast than Little Red Riding Hood. I don't know if there's a deeper original tale that I'm unfamiliar with but, other than Red's and the Wolf's names, I didn't see the similarities to Red Riding Hood. Luckily, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. That being said, For the Wolf may have touches of these tales, but it's utterly unique and doesn't rely too heavily on any of them.

For the Wolf is an absolutely incredible dark fairy tale that had me immediately in a slump after it ended because honestly nothing can compare. I was hyping this book to my friends before it ended and I plan to shout from the rooftops for the foreseeable future. The wait for For the Throne is going to be long and I'll certainly be re-reading this in the meantime.

A great book that I wished was long the characters and the romance was my favorite aspects of the book but the plot wasn't as interesting nevertheless a great book.

“The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.” As the Second Daughter, Red’s purpose is to be sacrificed to the Wolf for the sake of her kingdom. She doesn’t want to leave her twin sister Neve but she can’t keep her dangerous powers hidden any longer, so she willingly enters the menacing Wilderwood never to return—or so she thinks. But she soon learns the stories she’s been raised on aren’t entirely true, and that there’s more to the Wolf—and to her own magic—than she was ever told. Furthermore, her role in her kingdom’s struggle is more complex—and more exciting—than she ever dreamed. This loose (and decidedly dark) retelling of Little Red Riding Hood isn’t what I typically pick up, but the pages practically turned themselves. Heads up for triggers surrounding blood magic—as a sensitive reader, I skimmed through A LOT of scenes involving blood.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked how it was a bit of Red Riding Hood/ Beauty & the Beast reimagined. I really liked Red and Neve and their relationship and I liked how we got to see both of their sides of the story. I found this to be really intriguing how there is plant magic mixed in. The imagery is intense but amazing. It's hard to put into words how it made me feel. Visually it might be too much for some people, because the plants embody the humans in a way, but I thought it was twisty and different and added another element to the story. I liked how Red and Eammon's relationship developed too. I was hooked from the very beginning of this one! I think it is so different from other retellings that many will really like it.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was so looking forward to Hannah Whitten's debut--the aesthetics alone sold me--so I might have gone into For the Wolf with high expectations.

Red is a Second Daughter, and therefore has been marked for the wolf--a sacrifice sent to a magical Wilderwood intending to bring back five kings who legend says are trapped inside, held hostage by the forest's wolf, who is actually a hot dude--centuries-old Eammon. Red is eager to go, wanting to hide herself and her unusual power in a place where she can no longer hurt anyone (the old my-unusual-power-hurts-people-and-I-must-master/destroy-it trope). Once she's in the woods she finds that all the legends are wrong, and the only way to save herself might be accepting the magic in her. Meanwhile, her sister, Neve, will stop at nothing to get Red back, even if that means destroying the Wilderwood and opening the gates to the dangerous Shadowlands so the kings can finally walk free.

A lot is going on in this book. Red and Eammon do a slow-burn dance around each other and how best to protect the Wilderwood, while Red learns what happened to the previous Second Daughters and how she can avoid their fate. Meanwhile, Neve is drowning in political intrigue in interlude chapters that shove the plot past Red's muddled magic. The end result is a bit lurching until the two plotlines finally meet. I felt like Red was a rather typical MC given her motivations--self-sacrificing, stubborn, the whole bit. Her story in the Wilderwood felt a bit slow as she pushed Eammon to give her the truth. Neve's story, alternatively, moves and shakes the book far more, but is given less screen time, which is why it felt hard to settle in. Ultimately, the story is more invested in being a slow-burn romantic fantasy than it is a political intrigue, so fair enough.

Speaking of slow-burn romantic fantasy, yes, Eammon is a wonderful romantic lead. Top-notch. 10/10 would recommend.

In the end, For the Wolf didn't quite live up to the hype I'd built around it, but it's an inventive take on the Red Riding Hood fairytale, and I'll pick up For the Throne.

For the Wolf was a very aesthetic story. The descriptions and world-building were unique and beautiful. I could really picture the horrors and magic that were described by Whitten.

The writing style did not hold your hand, and felt that I was learning the magic system with the main character. However, I did find times that the magic system felt vague or just too out of my grasp. As I continued reading the world and system started to make more sense.

This book puts a twist on some beloved fairytales. The main character, Red, is strong and curious. I really enjoyed her character and her growth throughout the book and the romance was perfect. I really look forward to the next book to see where this story goes.

A more detailed review will be posted closer to the publication date on Goodreads and other book retail websites. I will update the review here.

2021 must be my year because woodsy, fantasy, wolfy books are coming at me left and right. I loved For the Wolf! Hannah Whitten filled all the weird, monster boyfriend shaped holes in my heart and I can't wait to see what else she has in store (hopefully more monster boyfriends). Captivating, haunting, bloody, and oh so lovely, this one is going on my favorites shelf.

As the second daughter of the royal family, Red has always known that she is destined to be sacrificed to the Wilderwood and the Wolf who lives within - and her own dark secret leads her to go willingly. But what she finds in the Wilderwood is nothing like what she was raised to expect.

This story is not so much a Red Riding Hood retelling as a dark fantasy inspired by that fairy tale and others (most notably Beauty and the Beast). And as you might expect from a hybrid Red Riding Hood/Beauty and the Beast tale, there is a romance between Red and the Wolf at the core of the story. The characters are compelling, and both the plot and the relationships between characters work to keep the reader invested in finding out what happens next. I also found the dual narratives (between Red and her sister Neve, back in their home kingdom) interesting.

There’s something about the magic system that I can’t quite wrap my brain around, and to be honest I’m not sure if that’s the book’s fault or mine. I mostly felt like I got it by the end, but something about it just doesn’t totally click together for me, and I feel like if it had been a little more cohesive, I would have found the book and the worldbuilding a lot more immersive.

If you’re into the dark fairy tale subgenre at all, definitely give this one a read.

This was good! Gothic and brooding for sure. The slow burn romance was exquisite. Red was extremely well written. My only complaint was that it felt a bit repetitive at times.

A dark and magical wood, a red cape, a sacrifice, a Wolf in a castle: let Hannah Whitten weave a fairytale that is more sinister than you expect. Recommended for fans of Melissa Albert's "The Hazel Wood."

“She was going to the Wilderwood to save everyone she loved from herself.” High-fantasy is not something I read often and this was a refreshing reminder of how much I love it! The world-building is brilliant, giving you enough to know the basic lore and traditions, without overbearing you on every minor detail. At its core, this dark fantasy is a love story. A love story between sisters, first and foremost.

An angsty, dark fairytale-inspired fantasy with epic romance with a brilliant ensemble of characters. You instantly root for all the characters in this book, the mysterious Wolf, and the determined Red whose fate is tried to old superstitions. Myth and legend become woven into the story twisting over time until the truth is hidden. It was a refreshing but familiar read with unexpected twists that made it impossible to put down.

“If she became something horrific and beautiful, could she take it back?” Every chapter is thrilling and an unraveling of choice and determination, women saving themselves. A beautiful, atmospheric dark fantasy with subtle retellings, full of magic and monsters and unexpected love. If this is not an anticipated 2021 read for you, it should be.

'The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.'

This was an enjoyable read and will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik. The writing felt a little bit on the basic side, but as a debut novel holds up. The plot and world building were interesting but don’t bring a lot of newness to the Fantasy genre.

Though this personally wasn't my cup of tea, I can see how this Red Riding Hood retelling can appeal to our YA readers. One can see the efforts of the author at the world building, but I found most of writing repetitive and in need of editing. There's clearly a lot going on in the story, and some parts almost feel like a slog to get through. However, the relationship between Red and the Wolf is interesting enough and readers will want to know what's in store for them in the sequel.

This was so good! I loved the way this book used both Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood to make this super eerie, magical fantasy!

I loved the characters, especially Red and Eammon. Red was such a great character, and I found myself highlighting a lot of sections where she surprised me. I thought for sure she would be angry about her situation and would lash out and try to escape, but time and time again she showed great understanding and compassion. Even though she’s a little scared of her new life, she takes everything in stride and adapts. She had come to terms with how her life would play out, and wasn’t trying to fight it but rather carve out a new space for herself.

“Well, damn the myths. She was just as much a part of those stories as he was, and if her destruction was imminent, she’d rather be the architect than a bystander.”

Eammon was so mysterious at first, but as we learned more about him I ended up really liking him! He was so selfless, to the point where he would not accept help from anyone. I enjoyed how his character developed. I also liked the relationship that Red and Eammon had, although at times it did feel a little lackluster. That being said, there is a huge emphasis on consent in this book, not just between Red and Eammon. I also need more of the whole monster boyfriend trope thing, because this was fantastic. The romance was really slow burn, and it also included the “there’s only one bed” trope which I always enjoy.

The writing was beautiful, and I think I’ve made more highlights in my ARC than I’ve made in the last few books I’ve read combined! It was beautiful without being overly flowery, and was able to really bring out the atmosphere and emotions. What makes this even more impressive to me is that this is a debut. If this is what Hannah Whitten writes for her first book, I can’t WAIT to see what she does next!

“He surged over her, a tide that swept them both away. The roots of the Wilderwood pulsed, growing deeper, twining together like the Wolves on the floor.”

Speaking of atmosphere, it was so good! I loved the eerie forest and the way that it was a sentient being. There is a ton of what I would consider body horror in this. Lots of plants doing violent things, or growing within someone. That isn’t something that will be for everyone, but I enjoyed it! At times the body horror element reminded me of Wilder Girls, if only because of the nature aspect of the body horror.

I also loved how there were so many myths and legends woven into the story, and how those myths and legends can get twisted over time until the truth is hidden. It will be interesting seeing where these aspects go in the second book, which I am very much looking forward to!

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and will be getting a physical copy so that I can reread this! I’m really looking forward to the second book in the series, and I’ll be reading anything else that this author writes!

Review will go live on my blog on April 7th.

I loved this! I was drawn to it because I love everything by Naomi Novak and also Katherine Arden. This did not disappoint in terms of recommendations. I loved the way the author crafted the atmosphere, the history and the myths of this new realm. I do really wish there had been a map and glossary though! Overall, I would recommend this book to patrons I knew who loved richly done fantasy, and I can’t wait for the sequel!