Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved this one! The pacing seemed a bit off in spots, but I think that had a lot to do with the nature of the plot. I enjoyed how fleshed out all of the characters were - not a single one of them felt like a placeholder. They all served a purpose.

This unfortunately just wasn't for me and I ended up DNFing it. I can see the appeal but at the end of the day, I just wasn't connecting with the characters or the story. I think at the end of the day, this type of story just isn't for me.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the mythology and folklore that inspired this book shine through beautifully. You can tell the author respects the stories that built the basis for this one. But this felt so dense at times. The hardcore world-building did make me very intrigued where the world itself was concerned, but I think it made it hard to connect to the characters. I forgot almost everything about them within a week of reading this one. I'll be reading other books by this author probably, but this wasn't a favorite.

The hype around this book is well deserved. I was hooked from the very first page and fell so in love with this entire book that Ava Reid has written. I can't wait to read everything that she writes in the future!

I had a really hard time getting into this book. While the premise was really creative, and I enjoyed reading about the socio-economic and religious politics that were happening, I felt the ending was very rushed and kind of tied up with a neat bow. I don't know if, when it comes to entire countries changing their opinions of long held beliefs, that change is that quick to happen.

MEAT AND BONES:
Evike does not have the power her fellow village girls do. She is not the typical Wolf-Girl that must be sacrificed to the fanatical King in order to keep her pagan village alive. Her own mother was sacrificed when she was young, and her father, a Yehuli man from the capitol, has not been back to the village since. Left defenseless, she experienced abuse at the hands of her fellow villagers. However, it still comes as a surprise when a wolf fur cloak is wrapped around her shoulders and she is made to look like one of the village seers that the King has requested of them. When an envoy of the Holy Order of the Woodsmen come to collect their wolf girl, she is the one thrusted into their arms to be carried to the capitol to serve the King, whatever fate that may bring. 
As she travels through the dangerous and monster infested wood, all of the woodsmen are killed with the exception of Evike and the enigmatic one-eyed captain, who is revealed to be Gáspár Bárány, the first born son of the King himself and heir to the patriarch. They realize that they must rely on one another in order to stay alive. As they face danger after danger, they grow closer and realize that there is a common enemy they both have. Gaspar’s own brother, already deemed a saint, has gained a following that may upend the right of succession. If he were to get his hands on that kind of power, it could potentially damn half of the country, pagans and Yehuli alike, wiping them from the world in great, bloody swaths along with the magic that protects the secret places of the world. 
Although both have been long been outcasts in their own rights, Gaspar and Evike realize that they must do what they can to stop the destruction that would kill so many innocent people. It won’t be easy. Their journey takes them through forests filled with danger to the frozen tundras of the north, and to the bustling, dirty streets of the capitol, where Eviké is reunited with her father and finds not only community among the Yehuli there, but also a secret power she never knew she had. But will that power be enough to protect the ones she loves and save the kingdom from the evil hands wrapping themselves around its throat?
MIND AND SOUL:

This book is amazing. It’s brutal, vicious, bloody, and filled with magic. Evike is a brutal heroine made tough and full of teeth by her past. She secret longs for the community and inclusion that she never had the chance at. Gaspar is all shadowy toughness on the outside, with a spicy and sweet gooey center. I loved taking this journey with them. It is not a journey for the faint of heart. There is absolute cruelty in the pages of this book as well as some very descriptive, violent scenes. But there are also moments of absolute beauty. When Evike reunites with her father and gets the chance to spend time with him, it is heartwarming and gives Evike something tangible to fight for beyond just her growing relationship with Gaspar and the village that she quickly lost fondness for. Not only that, but she finds something hidden inside of herself that she never knew was there, something powerful and tangible. 
Beyond its lush descriptions and bloody depictions is a story of growth and change, of learning to love yourself even in the rough parts, and finding acceptance in the most unlikely of places and situations. I absolutely loved it and I am so excited for Ava Reid’s next book. I hope it’s just as bloody, brutal, and beautiful as this one.  

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Harper for the copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

To me this read like Nina & Matthias fan fiction. (This is not at all a criticism - I love Nina & Matthias! IYKYK) I was very invested in the blooming relationship and the bumps that come with the territory of enemies to lovers. While I personally gritted my teeth at some of the gore, I wouldn't call this a horror book like I've seen others call it. It's a dark war fantasy, definitely, but not horror. There is blood magic and graphic scenes, but nothing like what Game of Thrones has, which isn't considered a horror novel. I didn't find myself wrapped up in the story like I had hoped - I wasn't compelled to keep reading into the night - but I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I think my sky-high expectations tempered my enjoyment of this book. The synopsis sounded so good, and the comparisons to "The Bear and the Nightingale" and "Spinning Silver" - two of my favorite books by two of my favorite authors - made me positive I'd enjoy this one.

I did not. I couldn't even finish it.

Perhaps I wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy this tale, and I'll likely go back to try to finish it someday, but for right now I need a break.

I expected a well-written, deep, dark, rich fantasy - I got a well-written, shallow, blah fantasy that reads much more like YA than Adult. So disappointing, especially because it's based on some super interesting mythology but alas. Not for me right now.

I mean, if you want to read Game of Thrones based fan-fic with a bratty protagonist who is actually a grown woman, this is for you.  But it should not be compared to Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik.  I'm pretty sure "wolf-girl" is in her twenties so there is no reason for her to be so ridiculously childish.  This book had promise but did not deliver.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

The Wolf and the Woodsman reminds me of tales I have read regarding the exploits of the Teutonic knights and their crusades against the Lithuanians with a mix of Russian/Ukrainian themed folklore and Jewish myths for spice. The wolf is Evike, a pagan mix raised in a village who lacks the magic of her peers. The woodsman is Barnay Gaspar, the mixed blood prince trying to serve his father the only way he knows how and also trying to save his country. The two team-up out of necessity, but proximity and other urges come into play. The book is quest for many things. A fantastic bird, a place in society, and finding someone who accepts you for who you are. The fun is in the plotting and changing circumstances the characters encounter. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel. An interesting read.

There were a lot of red riding hood/wolf/woodsman books this year! While I enjoyed the fantasy stuff, the romance seemed kind of half baked and far too much of a young adult dramafest for an adult book.

A wildly inventive and achingly beautiful debut! Ava Reid is a fantasy writer to watch out for! I adored this book!

This was a mostly enjoyable fantasy read. It was pretty predictable though and the world doesn't feel all that unique (do we really need more fantasy antisemitism??). It was an engaging read though, even if I wasn't enjoying it the whole time, and I did really connect with the main characters. I thought there was some nuance in the world building which does help it stand out a bit from the many, many Eastern European/Russian analog fantasy worlds that are out there, but overall I don't think it really brings anything new or interesting to the table. Also, just a pet peeve in the writing, but holy hell there are a lot of flushed cheeks in this book!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

"The Wolf and the Woodsman" is a beautifully written tale blending history and mythology in a way that is both entertaining as well as rich with details. Reid masterfully crafted this unique tale.

Combining the magic and worldbuilding of the works of Naomi Novik and the folkloric storytelling of THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, debut author Ava Reid’s THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is a luscious, vivid fantasy rooted in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology with searing connections to our own time.

In the pagan village of Keszi, Évike is the only woman born without any magical powers. While the other females --- wolf-girls, nicknamed for their cloaks made of wolf skin --- in her matriarchal village call upon the magic blood within them to make fire, heal wounds, forge metal and even see the future, Évike alone is cast aside, despite her abilities to hunt and keep her community fed through the long, harsh winters. When we meet Évike, Keszi is gearing up for Woodsman Day, when soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of the Woodsmen to take a pagan girl as a sacrifice to the King of Régország, a Patrician who has made it his mission to cast pagan gods and practitioners from his kingdom. Shielded from the rest of the kingdom by Ezer Szem, a magical forest full of walking trees and vicious animals, Keszi is one of the last remaining pagan villages. For the sheer insolence of existing, they must sacrifice one woman to the king each year.

Keszi cannot survive without its magic. When the village seer foresees that the Woodsmen will take their training seer, Katalin, she disguises Évike and sends her in Katalin’s place --- like a lamb to the slaughter. Raised her entire life with the knowledge that her kingdom’s capital views her and her loved ones as abhorrent, savage monsters, Évike is shocked at how utterly human her captors are, even as she remains filled with justified hatred for them. The Woodsmen are, like their king, Patricians who worship the Prinkepatrios, a flawless being who demands blood as a means of justice and mercy. Discord among the soldiers reveals to Évike that the kingdom is failing, at war with neighboring Merzan and losing soldiers and blood daily. Unsurprisingly, it seems that the majority of the kingdom blames pagans like Évike for the bloodshed. When one soldier attacks her in the night, screaming that he must do what the king will not by “[ridding] the country of pagan scourge,” she realizes that there’s far more hate and vitriolic propaganda behind the religious divide in Régország than she realized.

Régország is full of dark magic, vicious animals and the aforementioned clashes of religion and culture. On their journey to the kingdom, the soldiers and Évike are attacked, leaving her alone with the one-eyed, broody captain, Bárány Gáspár, who soon reveals himself to be not a soldier at all, but the only legitimate son of the king and heir to the throne. The product of a mixed marriage, Gáspár has become disgraced within his kingdom and has lost his citizens’ faith to his more bombastic brother, Nándor. Nándor is a religious fanatic with a gift for charming the masses, using pre-existing prejudices against pagans and the Yehuli (a religious group resembling Judaism) to fuel his journey to the top by blaming any issues in the kingdom on the people who suffer the most and take the least.

As Gáspár explains, his father is a hypocrite, a man who decries pagan worship yet still requires its magic to win his war and preserve his kingdom. Gáspár is a true believer --- as his many self-inflicted scars demonstrate --- but he knows that his father and brother have gone too far, and he will need Évike’s help to travel north to track down the turul, a mythical bird who granted the pagans the gift of sight. With the turul, he can win back his kingdom and keep Évike and her people safe. Like his scars, Gáspár’s missing eye is a testament to his faith. Although Évike knows that his faith likely means that he hates her more than he loves his kingdom, the fact remains that they are alone in a world full of blood and gore with a common enemy, and they will have to band together to find the turul and make it to the capital alive.

Dark, romantic and unforgettable, THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is as steeped in real, traumatic history and gore as it is luscious worldbuilding, captivating magic and a slowburn love story to rival any classic romance. Ava Reid writes magic, myth and folklore so well that you almost forget how poignant the themes of nation-building, propaganda and religious persecution are until they smack you right in the face. Through the eyes of Évike, a mixed-race, mixed-magic wolf-girl at the bottom of her kingdom’s hierarchy, we see the rampant effects of cultural genocide, and the ways that generations of trauma seep into your heart and mind. Her journey to find herself --- including reuniting with her estranged father, a Yehuli tax collector --- forces readers to confront themes of anti-Semitism, ethnic cleansing and the sheer pain of being “other” in a world that demands homogeny. And yet, somehow, the magic system is so vivid, full of imagination, beauty and horror, that you cannot put the book down even for an instant.

Reid captures everything that makes fantasy great by laying bare these complex, difficult-to-discuss themes against her magic backdrop and giving readers no choice but to pay attention and engage. Her magic system is based in body horror and gore, and the forests of Régország are full of ghastly, wicked creatures. I worry that some may classify the novel as “grimdark” and turn away, but to do so would be a mistake. Reid’s imagination is endless, and though the pages are full of violence and blood, they are equally full of centuries of Jewish mythology and history, epic breakdowns of religious and ethnic genocide, and, most haunting of all, Évike, a young woman desperate to define herself and to live.

Written with a timelessness of spirit, a magical world that knows no bounds, and characters who will make your heart pound and your eyes well up, THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is an intricate, gut-wrenching fantasy that will set the bar for dark historical fantasy for years to come.

A perfect debut by a marvellous author. The Wolf and The Woodsman is good book that everyone who likes a good story. Ava Reid is a author to be watched

I adored this lush fantasy with all my heart.

It took me all of three months to read it. This has nothing to do with the content of the book, and everything to do with the fact that I wanted to take my time and savor the prose. Reid is a gripping wordsmith; she knows how to weave stories out of printer's ink and conjure settings out of thin air -- THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN is tangible proof of her skill. 

I also loved the work done on each character. Even minor ones that served only for a couple pages were fleshed out and given a life of their own. I would like to take note of the work done on worldbuilding as well: I understand that a lot of the worldbuilding was based on history and existing geopolitical relations juxtaposed with some fantasy. Nonetheless, I want to take note of how *astounding* the worldbuilding was. THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN builds its own myth, its own history, its own culture from ground up. It is truly expansive.

Needless to say: highly recommended! [4.5 stars]