Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, I dipped my toes into the Green Rider series with "Spirit of the Woods" by Kristen Britain, and I gotta say, it left me wanting more—in a good way! This novella is like a sneak peek into a larger fantasy world that I'm now itching to explore.

What's cool about this story is that it focuses on a side character, Tavin Bankside, who's so well-written that I thought he'd be a series regular. Turns out, he's not, and that realization hit me right in the feels. But hey, that's part of what makes this novella so bittersweetly good.

Then there's Laren Mapstone, the main character. This book paints her as this cool, tragic figure who's bound to shake things up in both the heroine's life and the world at large. She's the kind of character you can't help but find interesting and keep an eye on them.

But let's talk about the Hermit. What a character! He's like the ultimate sage/hermit, doling out advice in that slightly cryptic way that keeps you hanging onto his every word. It's rare to come across such a well-done portrayal of this archetype, and it definitely adds to the novella's charm.

All in all, "Spirit of the Woods" gives you an enticing taste of what the Green Rider series has to offer, and I'm definitely on board for the ride. Kristen Britain has me hooked, and I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series.

4.25 stars out of 5.

A novella in the Green Rider world, the back story of Laren Mapstone as seen through the eyes and mind of Tavin Bankside. We find out why Mapstone is the way she is and we see Bankside come into his own as a Rider. Heart-wrenching at times, with moments of light, this is a must read for fans of the Green Rider series.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the ARC to read and review. My review is in my own words and voluntary.

I really loved this story! As a long time fan of the series, I enjoyed getting to see a look back into a beloved character's past. I love Laren, but I actually think that the choice to have another character narrate the story worked really well. It had the typical forest-y imagery and appreciation that I know and love from the main series. I was constantly searching for little clues that may be relevant to the ending of the series! My one downside is that I don't know if this story was strictly necessary, and even though I enjoyed it, I'm not sure if it really added anything to the overall series.

This was a delightful novella from Kristen Britain. I have loved the Green Rider series since I was a teen and am happy to finally see some backstory on the beloved Laren Mapstone. I thought this was a wonderful little story, however at times it feels like the reader is being narrated to rather than being engaged in the story. I also wish we had a little more backstory on the other characters as I feel they were fleshed out. I know it is a short story, but I think it is possible to develop more depth to the characters. Still an absolutely wonderful installment in the Green Rider series, I will read anything Kristen Britain publishes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

This was such a cute and fun story in the Green Rider world! I loved the writing style and the plot. I highly recommend this one for fans of The Green Rider series!!

I love reading this series. Getting the backstory on one of the characters was great. It has made me decide to listen to the bookks on audio as I don't have time to do rereads.. I look forward to more.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

'Spirit of the Wood' is a new entry in the 'Green Rider' series, but it is also a great way to discover the series for newcomers. Indeed, on the one hand it is a prequel, but more than that, it is from the perspective of Tavin, a beginning Green Rider, who discovers the woods and the stakes of this fantasy world for the first time, which makes the story very easy to follow.
This new volume thickens the lore surrounding some key-characters in the series, especially Mapstone, whose ordeals she faces make for a suspensful adventure. It perfectly fits in a world that already exists, while still being interesting on its own. I would recommend it and could bet easily that if read by a beginner, it would suck him into the saga.

Always a delight to return to this world. Beautifully written, and I loved getting to know Laren Mapstone during her younger years. Still holding out hope for another installation in the Green Rider series!

Kristen Britain has a short prequel to her Green Rider world in which Laren Mapstone is mentoring Tavin Bankside on his first run outside Sacor City. Brigands attack them and she is wounded. At a rider waystation, the queen's forester tells Tavin that the only way to save her is to find an unusual person, the Spirit of the Wood (hard from DAW). Along the way Lauren heals her soul and Tavin learns how to use his empathic gift as the brigands keep attacking. Wonderful. It left tears in my eyes

Thank you to Kristen Britain, Astra Publishing House, DAW, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader copy of "Spirit of the Wood" (a Green Rider Series prequel novella) for an honest review.

I have been a long-term fan of Kristen Britain's Green Rider series since the first book came out back in 1999, so I absolutely had to snatch up this beauty as fast as possible when I saw it her in the anals of the Netgalley Library archive. I loved this book, and it's deep dive into Lieutenant-Rider Laren Mapstone back in the heyday of her original calling, service, the loss of her love, and her subsequent healing from carrying around the trauma of those circumstances.

This was beauty, cozy, and it felt like settling in to catch up with an old, familiar friend, hearing them tell the intimate tale of important times in their life. I loved the inclusion of even more magical figures and creatures in this world, as well as more on how to train rider abilities. I can't wait to see what comes out next in this series!

Ahoy there mateys! The first book of the Green Rider series is one of me comfort reads even if I dumped the series in the middle of book five and never went back. But Laren Mapstone is one of me favorite characters so I was excited to get a short novel (around 200 pgs) about her.  Too bad she was injured and unconscious for most of it.  The story is really about Tavin Bankside finding out about his gift and how to control it.  Laren Mapstone is a MacGuffin.  This was extremely disappointing.  The story was pleasant enough and a quick read.  But having finished it, the book felt unnecessary.  I will continue to love the first book of the series and acknowledge, once again, that each subsequent book in the series has had diminishing returns.  Only Green Rider super fans should read this one.  Arrr!

It was a pleasant journey back into the Green Rider world, which I always appreciate. I'm not super into Mapstone the way that I think a lot of other fans are, so it wasn't as captivating as I'd hoped for. But still - a nice little sojourn.

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This was such a lovely story. Can I tell you how relieved I am to pick up an adult fantasy and it feel like a real epic fantasy, even as a novella? Spirit of the Wood follows Tavin as he struggles to heal and help his mentor after a brutal attack while on patrol. He is dealing not only with a cold, and seemingly distant mentor but his own unique empathic ability to feel what others feel.

I’m going to try not to spoil this, so instead let me say that I adored this return to the world of Green Rider. I haven’t read one of these books in easily 10 years, so this felt like a fresh jump in. In fact, though one of the characters is a strong one in the series I had completely forgotten as much and didn’t remember till much later on. By that time I was very much in love with them, so it was a job well done on the author’s part to reintroduce me and make me love them again.

The magic in this is vague, but that’s on purpose. Tavin’s ability is greatly explored but as to where and why, that is up in the air. Where is magic, what is it in this world? For me, while this wasn’t the point of the novella it definitely rewet my appetite for it. I’m excited to return to this world and find out more.

There is a lot in this one about grief, a lot of hard imagery of a woman who has lost her love, and the horrible way that happened. So be wary going in if those are difficult topics or scenes for you to process but I really recommend this for new and old readers. Give this a try if you love adult fantasy, I think you’ll enjoy it.

4 out 5 sassy squirrels (so many squirrels, I was so happy about the squirrels)

Spirit of the Wood is a wonderful addition to the Green Rider series. It tells the story of Laren Mapstone and Tavin Bankside that is mentioned in Green Rider when Karigan sees an entry in the logbook at the North Way Station. This is the book that tells the story of that entry.

I found this short story highly enjoyable it definitely made me feel I have a better understanding of Mapstone in the current storyline as this is a snapshot into what has happened in the past. I really loved the character of Tavin and I am now a bit sad that he is not in the main books of the series. I think he and Karigan could have had a lot to talk about together.

If you love the Green Rider series and want to see a different side to the world, I highly recommend this book.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for
review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title
nor the content of this review.

Entertaining and engaging. A recommended purchase for collections where the series or fantasy in general is popular.

I'm always happy when I see a new book by an author that has been writing fantasy for a long time. I didn't read the GReen Rider series even if I heard about the author.
This is a well plotted epic fantasy and it's a prequel to the main series.
A good way to be introduced to a new world.
Great world building and storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a prequel story for the character Laren Mapstone from the Green Rider series, and I enjoyed it very much. It ended up being from the perspective of another character, Tavin Bankside, something I wasn't expecting, but I liked his point of view and his character. Laren can be abrasive at times, but I feel like we got to know her a little better and what makes her who she is. It was nice to see the mutual respect grow between these two characters, and how they were able to help each other.

I think my favorite character had to be the hermit. He reminded me enough of Radagast from Lord of the Rings, that I wondered if his character was inspired by him. The addition of the delightful woodland animals, namely the squirrels, was also a highlight of the book for me. This is an aspect of Kristen Britain's writing that I really enjoy and it felt similar to the parts with Miss Bunch and Miss Bay in the Green Rider books. I also loved the drawings the author included in the book depicting several of the scenes. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that has made me eager for the next full length novel in the series.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that I wish it was the same height as The Dream Gatherer, the book of short stories set in the world. It would have put the extra books in the series the same size and it would have looked nicer on my bookshelf than to have them two different heights. I guess I'm nit-picking, but to a book collector, it does matter how things look on the shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley and Daw for providing me with an ARC and a beautiful hardcover copy of this book.

Anytime I am given the opportunity to return to Sacoridia and the world of Green Riders, I always take it. Spirit of the Wood took me into Captain Mapstone's past, but it was not quite the journey I expected. The synopsis and the story are somewhat mismatched, or at least it felt that way to me. Of course, it was still a compelling story accompanied by plenty of action and magic, all things I've come to expect from Britain.

Tavin Bankside, a Green Rider accompanying Mapstone, is the narrator. As he discovers what lies waiting in the forest, we also see glimpses into Mapstone's past through him. I hoped it would be Mapstone narrating, and there would be more of her than Tavin, but this is more his story than hers. Despite this, fans will still find much to be pleased about, especially when they realize which particular event Britain has chosen to regale us with. I was super excited when I realized who Tavin was.

With the exception of the synopsis setting up different expectations, this was an excellent adventure to tie me over until the next book. In fact, it sent me down a Green Rider spiral as I embarked on a reread of the series this weekend.
It would have been 4 stars if the synopsis had been more representative of the story and set up different expectations. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

The Green Rider series has been one of my favourites for years. It was really nice to see Laren's earlier Rider days and to learn about Tavin, and the role he played in helping Sacoridia in his time as a Rider.

As with all of these books, it had its emotional moments, which were stunningly navigated.

My only complaint is that I'm always left wanting more.

Captain Laren Mapstone recalls Rider history!

A trainee rider, an undetected empath Tavin Bankside, is accompanying Lieutenan Laren to the North through the Green Forest via a town notorious for where bandits and worse gather. Mapstone is a target for the brigands, some of whom are what’s left of the Darrow Raiders, those vicious thugs who’d butchered her beloved Sam.
Unknown to the Green Rider’s administration, Trainee Tavin doesn’t know how to handle his particular gift. To him it is a curse.
As Tavin and Laren journey they are surprised by a group of marauders and Mapstone is severely injured. Somehow Tavin manages to get her to the protected Waystation within the Forest.
Forester Abram Rust has noted a disturbance and after battling more bandits reaches them. He immediately sends Tavin off to find a mysterious hermit who lives in the Forest. The hermit terms himself a Wanderer, and might be able to heal Mapstone.
The Hermit is a strange, otherworldly fellow who recognises Tavin’s gift and teaches him to shield and ground himself. (Mapstone has been leaking her inner memories strongly and Tavin has been unable to avoid them. It has been pure hell for Tavin as Laren’s terrors and traumas have overwhelmed him.) Eventually Tavin’s able to help Mapstone who’s been struggling in a cycle of grief and anger, so frozen by all she’s experienced and seen that she’s psychologically locked herself away. Tavin helps her go from the withdrawn Ice Lady to a Lieutenant who is able to acknowledge her memories, freeing her to have the more normal relationships of fellowship with the Green Riders, rather than avoiding them.
An interesting addition to the Green Rider’s history. Unique, unusual and enduring.

A DAW ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)