Song of the Dark Wood began with great promise, drawing me in with its lush, eerie descriptions of the Dark Woods. The atmosphere was captivating, and I was excited to see where the story would go. Unfortunately, the characters felt underdeveloped, and the romance progressed too quickly to feel believable. The lack of meaningful character growth made it hard to stay invested, even in the parts I initially enjoyed. To top it off, the ending felt rushed, with a resolution that didn’t quite earn its conclusion.

She leads souls into the beyond, he's the god of death. This is a little red riding hood retelling with dark themes. I was somewhat disappointed by the time I finished this, though, because certain characters and plotlines felt underdeveloped. I liked the music/song magic and atmospheric setting, but I do feel the romance aspect was lacking. The FMC, Rowan, is very naive, which makes sense considering the life she's been forced to live. There really is no feminine rage to be found, except in the very last few chapters, and even that is minimal. The MMC is dark and broody which was expected, but he's also kind of immature in the way he repeatedly pushes Rowan away. It felt very hot and cold. Their actions make sense considering the context, but it made for a frustrating read at times. This didn't fully win me over but I still enjoyed many parts of it. I also really liked the narrators and think they did a great job. Thank you Netgalley for the audio ARC!

Picture this: a Red Riding Hood retelling... if Red was an enchanted soul-ferrying maiden trained to seduce death, the Wolf was literally a god, and the woods? They bite back.

Welcome to Ballybrine, where offerings are blood, tradition is trauma, and the best way to survive your destiny is by rewriting it. Preferably while looking the deity of death directly in the eye and asking if he’s single.

🎧 The Audio Experience:
Let’s start with the voices. Aoife McMahon gives us Rowan Cleary, our flame-haired heroine with a voice so powerful it enchants souls and listeners. Aoife brings a soft but stormy energy to Rowan’s growing rage and inner fire. Her narration flows like a river that’s about to break its banks.
And then there’s Dermot Magennis as the Wolf, aka your new favourite brooding immortal grump with emotional repression and a tragic backstory. Magennis gives the Wolf a voice like thunder after midnight, low, threatening, weirdly sexy. It’s like being read to by death himself, but, like... the hot kind.

As for the vibes?

Think:
* 🔥 Gothic forest drenched in magic and moss
* 🌑 Mythic lore and moonlit pacts
* 🥀 Spice meets spirit-work with a slow-burn heat
* 👭 Found family of fierce, magical women
* 🐺 Grumpy god x “I-will-burn-this-down” heroine

Rowan is a breath of fire in a suffocating world. Trained her whole life to please a cruel system, she begins to question everything, especially when the mysterious blight kills the acting Red Maiden and no one seems eager to ask why. Cue Rowan stepping out of the shadows and into the Wolf’s lair, voice-first and rules-be-damned.

This is a coming-of-rage story, but also a tale of courage, consent, and the slow collapse of a very attractive death god’s emotional walls. Think Hades and Persephone meets The VVitch with a splash of The Bear and the Nightingale.

Rowan and the Wolf’s chemistry builds like storm clouds, low, lingering, inevitable. There’s tension. There’s mutual respect. There’s that delicious "should-we-be-doing-this?" energy paired with, "we're definitely doing this anyway." Their relationship is built on power, vulnerability, and actual conversations (gasp!). It’s sexy, sure, but it’s also smart and seething with emotional stakes.

Masterson’s world building is thick with folklore and feminine fury. The magic is original, the gods are mysterious, and the stakes feel epic but deeply personal. There’s something deliciously eerie about the Dark Wood, it’s both setting and character, and you’ll want to wander through it (with a torch, maybe. And snacks).

Also, the female friendships? 10/10 no notes. Think less catty competition and more “I will hex the moon for you, babe” solidarity.

If you’re looking for an audiobook that feels like wrapping yourself in velvet and stepping barefoot into a haunted forest, Song of the Dark Wood is it. It’s witchy, lyrical, romantic, and just the right amount of unsettling. Bonus points for a heroine who doesn’t just want to survive….she wants to change the rules entirely.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️5/5 🌶️3/5
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁: 3rd Person Dual POV, Gothic Fairytale Retelling, Dark Red Riding Hood x Hades & Persephone, Feminine Rage, He Falls First, Music based Magic, Grumpy God of Death, Touch Her & Die, FMC sees ghosts, Standalone
𝗧𝗪𝘀: Violence, Death, Death of a Child, lack of bodily autonomy, sexual harassment, religious trauma

Wow! This was such a dark and hauntingly beautiful retelling. Sheila just has a way with words that is so melodic that it sucks you in. I loved everything about this! One thing about Sheila is she is a master at creating strong FMCs that are very relatable and empowering. Add that to going against a strong oppressive religious system that is dominated by men. This story had depth, lovable characters, and betrayals that would leave you shook.

Ladies, Connor Grey is 😮‍💨🫠. I love me a morally grey MMC. The God of Death and our big bad wolf was infuriating but at the same time drew you in helplessly. We get a “fuck it” moment and ohhh man was it delicious that it would leave you wanting more. There was so much push and pull between Connor and our FMC Rowan that it was impossible not to squeal every time their relationship progressed and took it a step further and their restraint slowly unraveled. Such beautiful chemistry ❤️‍🔥 Rowan is strong, fierce, a force to be reckoned with. She fought for those she loved without restraint. I love that she wasn’t perfect, she had her doubts and indecisions, but when it was most crucial, she came into power that was unstoppable.

The characters will tug at your heartstrings especially little Aeoife. The protectiveness Rowan and Orla had over her was heartwarming. 🥹 We get great banter between Rowan and Cade, and I was surprised by how his character turned out. I selfishly wish there was a little bit more to their story.

The magic system was unique and sooo beautiful. It drew me in instantly with the both Rowan’s singing and Connor playing the piano. I will say that the scenes where Connor played was described so elegantly, I could imagine and feel it in my bones. Stunning!!!

This was absolutely enchanting and a perfect read for the season. Highly recommended. 💕

♾️⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌— 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓.

Drop literally everything you're doing and read this book. I cannot overstate how good this book is and you need to read it. Right now.

Song of the Dark Wood is a STANDALONE gothic fairytale romance. It is Little Red Riding Hood meets Hades and Persephone with some Beauty and the Beast vibes. It has music based magic, a haunted forest, a grumpy God of death, and a feisty maiden. It is truly Feminine Rage: The Fairytale. It has the perfect vibes for Spooky Season.

Rowan Cleary is everything I want from an FMC. She has so much capacity for love and caring despite the way she's been raised and treated her whole life. She truly wants a better world for not just herself but all women. She's freaking inspirational and her journey through this book changed my brain chemistry.

I don't want to be dramatic, but I was obsessed with the God of Death from the moment he appeared. Honestly maybe before. Conor is everything. He's also just an absolute charmer with banger lines such as "I hate kissing you" and "Don't be desperate, Conor." 🤣

These two characters have absolutely phenomenal chemistry from there first interaction. I loved everything about them together. I screamed, I kicked my feet, I gasped out loud.

Sheila writes perfectly flawed main characters so well, but she also writes the most hateable villains to ever exist and this book is no different. It will spark the rage in you and you may never recover. I haven't.

This book immediately went on my list of books I wish I could read again for the first time and it is one I will read over and over. I read it as slow as I could manage because I didn't want it to be over.

Thank you for considering me for this ARC audiobook.

Sheila’s writing keeps getting better and better. The narration and production quality of this book is just as good as her Lost Gods series.

I listened to the audiobook of this. The experience was solid. The narrator did a good job capturing the tone of this story. I think this was a decent story, but it felt a bit uneven. If you enjoy slow-burns, and want a moody immersive listen, this would be a good one for you.

THE ACCENT! THE VIBE! THE STORY!!! Everything about this was DELICIOUS.

Not only is the story fun and fresh, with song-based magic, sentient forests, and soul-ferrying maidens in red cloaks, the narrators did an impeccable job in nailing the vibe of the story, bringing it to life in fun (AND SEXY!) new ways.

The story here focuses on Rowan — a red maiden, one of many throughout time — as she's plucked from her childhood of poverty to be raised as a town sacrifice to the wolf of the dark wood. That wolf? The hot god of death. Her responsibilities? Ferrying departed souls to his keep for processing, and being devoured by him in every way imaginable. Sign me up. Respectfully.

There’s also a beautiful story told here about societal expectations of women, about no longer whittling parts of yourself down to appease the masses, and about stepping into who you are unapologetically and filled with righteous rage over years of being looked at as an object.

This is spicy, romantic, spooky, twisty, and beautifully narrated, adding a fun new dimension to one of my all time favorite books.

Pick this audiobook up if you’re looking for a standalone romantasy that hits all the best trope boxes while also fueling the pyre of your feminist rage in a painfully allegorical way.

Hmmm.... I finished this book weeks ago, but I've put off reviewing it because I'm not sure what I want to say about it. Actual rating is probably about 3.25 stars.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it.

Apologies in advance because this review is going to be very much "stream of consciousness" style.

First and foremost, this is obviously supposed to be an adult retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. And at its barest bones, it is. There's a "Wolf" and a girl in a red cloak.

However, in truth, the story/plot is far more Beauty and the Beast than Little Red Riding Hood. (i.e. - Girl willingly sacrifices herself for brutish guy to save others and then finds out he's not nearly as bad as she thought he'd be.)

It's definitely adult-oriented, and the sexy scenes are relatively well done. However, the characters themselves were somewhat flat and one-dimensional. And their actions were predictably stupid at times.

I think one of the biggest problems I had with the book, though, was the narration. (I did audio format.) The female narrator's voice was completely wrong for the sexy scenes. It was prim and soft and ... yeah. It just DID NOT work for me, especially during the naughty bits. The male's voice was fine.

I don't know, guys. This one just fell a bit flat to me. I think maybe because it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. A fairy tale retelling? A romance? Erotica? A female takes back her power feminist tale?

It was a little all over the place, and I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to. Still, if you like fairy tale retellings with a bit of smut thrown in for good measure, you'll probably appreciate it.

Little Red Riding Hood meets Handmaid’s Tale meets Beauty and the Beast in “Song of the Dark Wood”. I wanted to like this and kept expecting it would take a turn for the better but I felt like ultimately it never fulfilled its potential. The relationship between Rowan and the Wolf fell flat and even the female friendships that at first seemed promising, ended up surface level and unexplored.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing access to this audiobook for review purposes.

I had the pleasure of ARC reading this book when it debuted, and listening to the audio of this was like a whole new experience! I really enjoyed the depth and emotion the narrators brought to this book. It was so well done, the accents were amazing. The feminine rage hit so hard and the heartbreak was brought to life. I had a great time listening to this ALC! Thanks to Sheila and Dreamscape for the opportunity to listen!

Song of the Dark Wood offers an atmospheric journey through a world of folklore and quiet magic. Sheila Masterson’s prose is lyrical and immersive, with a strong focus on mood and introspection. While the pacing may be slower for some readers, those who enjoy character-driven stories with a touch of the mystical will find much to appreciate here.

2.5⭐ rounded up to 3. I hate giving unfavourable reviews, but then I have to remind myself that this is a review account---rather than a recs account---and that I said I’d always be honest. So, unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. The blurb piqued my interest, but there were too many irritants for me to enjoy it. If it wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNF’ed.

Don’t let the cutesy cover fool you! This is not a children’s fairytale: there are difficult themes and lots of sexual content. That being said, if you enjoy standalones (this one is part of a series, but can be read on its own), dark fairytale retellings (think the Little Red Riding Hood meets Hades and Persephone, plus some Handmaid Tale’s vibes), and books that are “more slow burn than plot,” you might enjoy this one. I enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the worldbuilding and lore, and liked how the forest felt like a sentient being. The male voice actor also had a pretty swoonworthy voice. But unfortunately, the flat characters and lack of chemistry / development coupled with the faux-feminist narrative ruined this book for me. It’s marketed as a coming-of-age story that’s full of female rage, and yet there’s… no strong female character. I said this before, and I’ll say it again: being confrontational does not make a female character strong. Nor does dropping a few women’s empowerment quotes or being angry at the patriarchy but not doing anything about it. Basically, the FMC is meek and vulnerable for most of the book, and always saved by an external agency (i.e. a man/male or some magical power) rather than her own wit or courage or strength. This makes me sad, because it only proves how strong the influence of men is.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Pace: Medium
Focus: Romance
Tropes to expect: virgin sacrifices, not evil just misunderstood, not like the other girls, miscommunication, The Ingenue, hate to lust, sentient forest.

❤️ Male narrator
❤️ Some of the side characters
❤️ Atmosphere
❤️ Worldbuilding and lore
❌ Overdramatic female narrator
❌ Flat and inconsistent characters
❌ Hard-to-ship main couple
❌ Faux-feminist narrative
❌ Predictable plot twists

Trigger warnings: sexual harassment and assault, attempted rape, murder and death (including of a child), abandonment, sexism and misogyny, physical and emotional abuse, grief, injury and injury detail, torture, confinement, homophobia, blood and gore.

⭐️3 Stars⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Song Of The Dark Wood! I really enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook, but if I could change one thing it would be I wish they had the same accent. One moment the characters were Irish (I think that’s the accent I was hearing) and then the next they would have an American accent because the two narrators they chose to play the love interests both had different accents. I really liked the concept of this story but I think what made me give this book 3 stars was because it didn’t make sense on why everyone was so fixated on the maiden needing to have sex with the wolf to “please” the wolf when the wolf didn’t want to have sex with the maiden. Eventually they start to catching feelings for each other and the wolf decides he does want to take that next step with her but was worried he would kill her like he’s done to the other maiden’s before her when he has had sex with them but she ends up living because she did something the other maidens didn’t which was giving consent. This book kinda felt like a lesson on what happens when you give consent but didn’t really explain why there was such a fixation throughout this whole book on sex and having sex specifically with the wolf. I enjoyed the main characters friends in the book and the beginning of the book had me really interested but as the story went on it was just kinda confusing. If you’re into romantasy, clever retellings and magic then maybe you’ll like this book! Thank you again to NetGalley📚💕

3.5 ⭐️

I loved the audio of this! The narrators were fantastic and the accents made the story more authentic and made it easier to picture the setting.

As far as fairytale retellings go, this was good! I loved the differences and the way it felt like Red Riding Hood without being too similar. This also gave Handmaid's Tale vibes and the feminine rage was raging by the end.

Some points were a bit slow, but I really enjoyed Connor and Rowan's relationship. The burn was medium as there was insta-attraction, but Connor denying his very obvious feelings was DELICIOUS. He's pure "touch her and die" vibes manifested and had me giddy at so many spots.

While I did enjoy this, I didn't love it. Something was off for me and I can't put my finger on it. I would still recommend this to lovers of darker fantasy retellings though because it is GOOD!

🐺𝔸𝕃ℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🐺

🎧: Song of the Dark Wood by @sheilareadsandwrites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{5}
🌶️🌶️🫑{2.5}
KU ✅ (not audio)

This is a standalone, red riding hood meets Hades x Persephone, retelling! It is fullll of feminine rage and morally grey character and you will fall in love with them!! Plus, I can guarantee Conor will be your next book bf 🫡😮‍💨🐺 and his voice on this audio?! SHEESH!! 😮‍💨🥵 I love love loved this audio and the way the narrators brought these characters to life! This was one of my favorites from last year and I was so excited to do a reread and this audio did not disappoint in the slightest!

This one follows Rowan (the Red Maiden) and Conor (aka The Wolf aka the God of Death). Since Rowan was young, she’s known she would be a sacrifice to the Wolf to be devoured once her time came as the acting Red Maiden. Now, her time has come and there is a blight in Dark Wood that her town and the Elders are pressuring her to fix. Will she survive her 5 year service to the Wolf? Not many do..

While this 𝙄𝙎 a standalone, I will for sure recommend reading Sheila’s Lost God series first! PLUS, it is a completed series.. and all of the audiobooks are also now available!!

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🐺He falls first
🩸He can make me worse > I can fix him
🐺Girls who see ghosts
🩸Feminine Rage: The Fairy Tale
🐺Haunted Forest
🩸Wound Tending
🐺Touch her and ☠️
🩸Music based magic system
🐺A grumpy god of death

𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:

“𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦.”

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!”

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵”

Song of the Dark Wood follows the newest Red Maiden, Rowan, as she begins her time shuttling souls from her world through the Dark Wood and tending to the Wolf. Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, this is a dark fantasy romance with corrupt elders and dueling gods.

This was a really interesting concept, but I really struggled with how frequently sexual assault and the threats of rape infused the character arcs throughout. I understood that this was designed as criticism of the power associated with organized religion, and I am definitely on that train. All that being said, it made it tough for me to get into the story and especially the love story side when the FMC was being consistently threatened with assault if she didn't follow through on her duties to the Wolf.

This is a dual narration audiobook - and while I thought the male narrator did a good job, I struggled with the female narrator and felt her narration in intimate scenes just lacked the right tone and almost felt too chipper rather than more seductive.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy.

Ick!

I kept reading the book thinking this would get better but it's all about a corrupt religion taking young girls from their families and grooming them to be sexy virgins and sacrificing them to a death god. Would not recommend!

The narrators were good, but story was gross!

This is, perhaps, the best Little Red Riding Hood retelling I have ever read.

For fans of:
- After the Forest
- From Blood and Ash

Rowan is one of the cursed chosen. Groomed from childhood, it is her duty to serve the death god - known as "the Wolf" - in order to help protect the delicate balance between life and death. Her life is suffocating, stifling. She is imprisoned by her duty and complete inability to control anything in her life.

This book includes:
- sacrificial virgins
- Little Red Riding Hood retelling
- dark woods
- invisible bffs
- ferrying the soul of departed
- the God of Death
- conversations on coercion
- forced proximity

I really enjoyed this book. Rowan is stifled in her life, but she is still strong willed and has a strong sense of justice that I can relate to. I enjoyed the clashing of good and evil, and the drama with Finn. The plot was a bit predictable, but I am okay with that because I felt that it was well written. I suppose my only complaint then is that I wish we had a little more time to watch the relationship develop between Rowan and [redacted]. All in all, I recommend this book and felt that the audiobook was well produced and added a bit of razzle dazzle to the story.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Sheila Masterson and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

The narrator did a good job bringing life to the characters, and the story itself was interesting in its own way. I did not get to a point where there was any spice so I cannot comment on that.

I ended up DNFing the book because I just wasn’t vibing with the story, as a mood reader sometimes the book is just not what you’re in the mood for.

I would recommend the story though from the part that I did read, there was pretty decent world building and the characters were pretty interesting.