#the wilderwood duology

[belovedstars]

ive been reading the w.ilderwood d.uology by h.annah w.hitten and while im not atm planning on writing anyone from it i do have a curse where while im reading i'm thinking of faceclaims for if i did (all i'd thought of was i.mogen w.aterhouse for red only to realize red has dark eyes and imogen does not. but s.uki w.aterhouse does)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - September 10th - Slow Read

the Wilderwood duology by Hannah Whitten were slow, atmospheric reads that I enjoyed very much ❤️

[eggcatsreads]

My review is posted to GR, and I'll post it here in about a week, but as of now -

EVERYONE READ ONE DARK WINDOW AND PREORDER TWO TWISTED CROWNS RIGHT THIS SECOND!!!

If you loved Hannah Whitten's the Wilderwood duology, you'll LOVE this duology. If you didnt...well...what's wrong with you?

Anyway, read One Dark Window right now, for fall. It's perfect and I love it and Two Twisted Crowns made this one of my favorite and most perfect duologies to date.

[con-alas-de-angeles]

Book 2 of the Wilderwood duology

[victoriousfidelity]

PEOPLE I'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER!

ALIAS / NAME: nelle. BIRTHDAY: december 6th. ZODIAC SIGN: sagittarius sun / virgo moon / leo rising / sagittarius venus - and my chinese zodiac is the water rooster! HEIGHT: 5'8". HOBBIES: reading, writing, going to the theatre, photography, binge-watching tv shows, travelling, hanging out with my cats, baking. FAVOURITE COLOUR: green. FAVOURITE BOOKS: the berlin novels by christopher isherwood, jonathan strange & mr norrell by susanna clarke, and the wilderwood duology by hannah whitten. LAST FILM / TV SHOW: the last film i watched was dune, and tv wise i'm currently watching ripley, renegade nell, my name is earl, and the resident. RECENT READS: i'm currently reading the goddess of nothing at all by cat rector as an ebook (and having what are probably pretty unpopular opinions about it), song of the huntress by lucy holland as an audiobook, and stone blind by natalie haynes as a paperback. INSPIRATION: sooooo many things - starting with the mcu and the worldbuilding i wish we'd got. music is a big inspiration too, and there's so many other characters and stories that i see little bits of sigyn in - éowyn from the lord of the rings and lady sybil from downton abbey are two that come to mind. STORY BEHIND URL: sigyn is most widely believed to have been the goddess of victory, as her name is partly formed from the Old Norse word for victory, 'sigr'. she's also known as the goddess of fidelity. i wanted a url that incorporated both those sides of her. FUN FACT ABOUT ME: i used to work at disneyland paris.

TAGGED BY: @emeraldxphoenix 🧡 TAGGING: @othunderous, @shldmaidns, @starwrittenfates, @denydefeat, and anyone else who'd like to do it!

[turquoisebooks]

This dark adult fantasy duology follows two sisters, princesses Neverah (Neve) and Redarys, known as Red. It picks up right after the end of the first book, with Neve waking up in the Underworld with Solmir by her side. Together, they take a journey through the upside-down realm full of shadows and monsters. 

The First Daughter is for the throne.

The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.

And the Wolves are for the Wilderwood.

By the way, It's got two points of view with the occasional third POV of Raffe. There is one observation about the POVs I would like to share with you. Interestingly, while I was reading the first book of the duology, I was more interested in Red´s point of you which changed in this sequel, where I enjoyed Neve´s parts more. I think Hannah Whitten truly knows how to work this concept to the story's advantage.

Very rarely can the entirety of fault be held by one person.

If you ask me, For the Throne is dark, so very dark - definitely darker than the first book - but still a very beautiful and indeed heart touching story. It is a journey through dark and deep woods with eldritch forest monsters lurking behind the upside down trees and I could not love it more. I've seen it described as part folklore, part fairytale, and part horror story, and I absolutely agree with that. Hannah Whitten is a master at creating a wonderfully gloomy and eerie atmosphere sprinkled with folklore. It is in fact drenched in it. The prose is gorgeous, and I was tremendously happy to sink into the Underworld realm and all its danger, shadows and darkness. It is truly a captivating story. Overall, this duology is highly atmospheric fantasy with a classic fairytale feel -  a must read for all the fans of dark fantasy books.  

It was impossible to know all the corners of the world. There was always some wrinkle left unironed, something tripping you up in your understanding of how things went and your place in them.

What makes it truly special are the themes hidden behind the layers of thorns, piles of bones, and gore. Both For the Wolf and For the Throne are books full of interesting and thought-provoking ideas. Like how destructing and self-destructing can be to blindly follow a notion that somebody else needs your help despite the person telling you to leave it be. Sometimes - as we've seen at the end of the first book - it has truly dire consequences. Listening to the people you love and letting them make the decisions for themselves is important, maybe the most important thing of all. I believe that the idea the book explores is that you can offer them a helping hand but then it is up to them if they choose to reach out and get it. Neve learns this the hard way. Now she is forced to face it and question her true nature, asking herself if she did the right thing or if she's actually the villain here. And she's not the only one to do so. Both Neve and Solmir are plagued by their previous actions and the question if they can become the heroes of the story and save Neve´s kingdom and its people.

Saving someone else was a wall you couldn’t scale unless they threw you a rope.

Plus is also that while there are a few romantic relationships throughout the duology, it shows that romantic love does not actually solve everything. Plus, as already mentioned, loving somebody does not mean that you get to make decisions for that said person, it means to offer a helping hand and let the other person still go their own way if they chose so. All in all, while feeling love for each other, all of those characters are still their own people, making their own choices. They keep their individuality and learn to respect each other. Opposite to what you can often read in books, sharing trauma with somebody does not immediately mean that you two are true soulmates (or whatever) and the book explores this idea so well. When you take a good look at the duology, you'll find that it is actually not a tale of romantic love but of a strong and deep sisterly bond. And while both of the main romances intrigued me, I love that.

Heroes and villains and the spaces between, a prism that changed reflections depending on the angle you turned it.

Another captivating thing about this duology as a whole is the way it works with religion and religious beliefs. Red, Neve and everybody else in their world grow up with the conviction that the Kings were good and sacrificed themselves to save the people. The message here is not to trust everything you are told, as this religious narrative that everyone lives by is a total lie. In Valleyda, religion serves as this tremendous tool of power and means of control and I am all here for it. I love how the book turns the religious narrative upside down, making the bad guys actually the force of good and the supposed good guys a menace to be dealt with.

For the Throne is a truly captivating book with an incredible atmosphere, well rounded and believably flawed characters, intriguing plot and many deep thoughts. Safely said, I cannot wait to read another book by Hannah Whitten. I cannot wait for what she comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[elles-books]

The Wilderwood Duology

I freaking LOVED these books. Dark fantasy vibes, fairytale vibes, two badass heroines, and two brooding heroes. What more could you want?

[please-consider-me-a-dream]

Those born of darkness will carry it in their nature: Reviewing The Foxglove King (Book 1 of The Nightshade Crown series) by Hannah Whitten

Hey everyone! I’m still around and still reading diligently. Adjusting to a new sleep schedule is never easy at first. I’m also back with a fantasy novel for the first time in (what feels like) forever. Feel free to read my review of Hannah Whitten’s The Wilderwood Duology if you are so inclined. I don’t want to ramble on too much more so let’s talk about The Foxglove King. Content Warning:…

[bmacreadz]

"For the Wolf" by Hannah F. Whitten

"For the Wolf" - if you didn't know - is a dark fantasy romance novel that is the first of two books in the "Wilderwood" duology.

This book follows Redarys - aka Red - as she is sent into the Wilderwood to be ravaged by the Wolf in an effort to keep her kingdom - and her world - from the wrath of the wolf. Once Red enters the Wilderwood, however, things are not as they have always been perceived. The wolf is not a monster, in fact, he's a man. An ornery man that, at first, wants nothing to do with her and would actually rather her leave the forest altogether.

Despite his disinterest in her presence, "The Wolf" - aka Eammon - begins his coexistence with Red at the Keep and mysteries begin to unfold. Red finds herself a part of a much larger world with a much more complex problem than she ever realized. All the while, her sister and friends back home are fighting for ways to save her from the Wilderwood and the Wolf and bring her back home.

"For the Wolf" is an incredibly complex story - one that is a little bit hard to follow, if I'm honest. The magic of the Wilderwood and how it worked didn't really make that much sense to me as I was reading it. I found myself having to go back in the story, trying to piece things together to get a better understanding. And even that didn't fully help me.

I can reconcile not fully understanding the mystery of something when the novel is part of a series, so I'm holding out total judgement for after I've read the second - and final - book, "For the Throne." I'm hoping it will answer some lingering questions, and really get into the mystery of the Shadowlands.

This book has been compared to "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Beauty and the Beast," but I can't seem to find correlations to those fairy tales anywhere. Besides the obvious of course, which is that there is a "wolf" who is actually a man, and a lady whose name is Red.

I liked this book mostly for the romantical element. I understood Eammon's fear at letting Red into his world and not wanting her to be involved. He was wracked with the centuries of guilt from his past failures with the other "Second Daughters," and he wanted to keep her clear of any harm. Though, it was a relief when Red finally started to understand her power and Eammon let her work with him to try and save the Wilderwood. Their connection flowed brilliantly, and I loved reading how Eammon slowly softened around Red.

I also really enjoyed watching Red's growth throughout the book. She had lived twenty years with a single purpose - to die for the wolf. When she found out that her life could be something more, she wanted to do everything she could to make it as meaningful as possible, and help solve an essentially unsolvable problem.

Overall, this story was good - not great. Despite the twists and turns of events, some things were still pretty predictable. Though, the ending was surprising and I'm excited to see where the story goes next.

[freckles-and-books]

Current read (in front of my new wallpaper ☺️)

[belovedstars]

★ — PERMANENT STARTER/MEME CALL ↪ REDARYS VALEDREN (THE WILDERWOOD DUOLOGY BY HANNAH WHITTEN)

hit the heart for a starter or some memes, please reply with which you would like, and, if you’re a fellow multi, for who.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

🌼 Spring of the Series 🌼

September Update

well, I attempted 9 different series this month and I’m happy to say I completed most of them! the ones I tried were:

Into the Crooked Place duology by Alexandra Christo - 0/2

The Mirror Visitor series by Christelle Dabos - 0/4

The Rosewood Chronicles by Connie Glynn - 2/2 *

Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris - 1/4

Daughter of the Pirate King duology by Tricia Levenseller - 2/2

Liars series by E Lockhart - 2/2

Crown of Coral and Pearl duology by Mara Rutherford - 2/2

Wilderwood duology by Hannah Whitten - 2/2

Sky in the Deep duology by Adrienne Young - 1/2

I have 24 complete series still on my TBR to choose from so hopefully I can get that number under 20 in October. I’ve also decided not to buy anymore series while I’m doing this challenge - I can’t get the number down if I keep buying more series, y’know?

here’s to many more wonderful series in October!

* I read the last 2 books, having read the previous 3 as they released

[eggcatsreads]

𝕋𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕥 by Skyla Arndt

🖤🌿🖤🌿🖤/5

Pub Date: August 29th, 2023

There’s so many different aspects of this book that I’m just a sucker for - spooky forests, town cults, romance with a monster - all combined in a horror/romance novel? Sign me up.

If you liked Hannah Whitten's The Wilderwood duology, I believe you’ll like this story. The romance while becoming a monster connected to a (potentially) sinister woods between Wil and Elwood reminded me (if only in vibes, which is always the most important aspect, obviously) of Red and Eammon. If you wanted a little more horror in your romance, then this is the novel for you.

The implicit horror of the town and the explicit horror of the monster that Elwood is transforming into, combined with the romance was fantastic. I LOVE "horromance" and I will eat up “they're becoming more of a monster, and can you love them when they’re more monster than person” EVERY TIME. That is my jam. And boy does this book deliver!

The tension building is great, and you can really feel the slowly tightening of the noose on all the characters as the danger rises and their ability to escape dries up. They’re trapped in this town, and surrounded by a forest that may or may not be sinister (and filled with people who absolutely are), and you can absolutely feel it.

Also the bittersweet ending made me cry. I don’t know how the author would be able to create a full second book to this, as it ends almost perfectly - but I would NOT be against a bonus chapter or novella of Wil and Elwood.

I cannot wait to get my hands on my signed physical copy!

(Also there’s a preorder campaign, so if you were thinking At All about snagging this book don’t hesitate to purchase it! Believe me, it’s worth it!)

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking Books for Young Readers for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Also posted on Goodreads and Instagram.]

[ohgoodshesreading]

If you think you can control me by making me think I’m powerless, you’ll have to try a different angle. I haven’t been powerless a day in my life, and I won’t start now.

For the Throne, Hannah Whitten

[jariarambaran]

Diptych done for Hannah Whitten's sequel For the Throne in the Wilderwood duology!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb: In this breathtaking sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller For the Wolf, Red's sister Neve struggles to escape a mysterious land of twisted roots, lost gods, and mountains made of bone—and the only clues to her rescue are a magic mirror and a dark prince who wants to bring the whole thing crumbling down.

The First Daughter is for the Throne

The Second Daughter is for the Wolf...

Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red's beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally, though it's one she'd rather never have to speak to again: the rogue king Solmir. Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods' dark, twisted powers for themselves.

Review:

Kings to kill, gods to fight, and being stranded with the one person who has broken your trust is not the way Queen Neve thought her day would be going. The sequel to For the Wolf picks up where the first book ended, Red has become one with the Wilderwood and is living as part of it with her husband and Neve has fallen into the Shadowlands with Solmir, a ex-king who had tricked her... while also strangely has been taking care of her. Solmir has a different agenda, his entire goal is to kill the Five kings before they come back and will do everything to achieve his goals because if they are released they will destroy the entire world. Neve is now stranded in the Shadowlands with the one person she didn’t want to be, the one person who she had trusted and had found herself feeling something for, only to have the mask ripped off.. and yet despite his monstrousness, his cruelty, there is something more in the way he looks at her, the way he protects her. The only way to get out of the Shadowlands and stop the kings is if they both work together. But can they trust one another despite all their lies and deeds? Can they be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice as the more the go on this journey the more they discover they have in common... and that there is something there between them. While this is all happening Red and co are all trying to find a way to save Neve while dealing with the consequences of the first book, being that Red and Eammon are now magical immortal beings that are part Wilderwood and that there is also a mysterious new person in their group who has her own agenda. This was a great way to wrap up the story and get to know both Neve and Solmir more. I absolutely adored them, their romance is tragic, angsty, and beautiful. They are both willing to do whatever it takes for the ones they care about and are willing to get their hands dirty in order for the greater good. All in all, I have had a blast reading this duology and would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books, Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*