The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline - her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.
But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, the two have no choice but to rely on each other. Except the captain is no ordinary Woodsman - he’s the disgraced price, Bárány Gáspár, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.
As their missions takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.
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This book is absolutely steeped in lore and fairytale. Rooted in Hungarian history, Jewish mythology, and pagan folklore, it is the perfect read for the long winter nights. I am really enjoying Ava Reid’s writing and this is my second book of hers I’ve read this month alone, her other being the glorious Juniper & Thorn. The Wolf and the Woodsmen was mysterious and thought provoking. Our two main characters, Évike and Gáspár, are two sides of the same coin and such strong characters that they really carried this entire book. The plot was a bit wandering at times but there was no shortage of excitement and the setting of this fantasy world was superb. It really has the feeling of a dark wintery story, almost folklore itself. It has such a dreamy quality to it that it made it a unique read. If you were ever a fan of The Winternight Trilogy, you’ll be a fan of this one too!
Characterization
The characterization and character development throughout this novel was great. I loved how vicious and morally grey that Évike was. She was a wild child who grew into a tougher woman and didn’t let adversity dampen her spark. Even with her tragic past and the betrayal of her people, she still yearns to live yet isn’t afraid of death. She was such a strong character that everyone else seemed to pale in comparison, except for her counterpart, Gáspár. Gáspár was such a contradiction which I think made him a great representation of his faith (and a reflection of some similar religions in real life). He started off as somewhat cold and angry but right from the start there was this caring to him. His growth was slower and less dramatic than that of Évike but I still think his character development was strong, especially in relation to other characters growth. As those around him changed and learned, so too did his actions reflect that growth impacting him. It was such a neat way of having two opposite characters develop throughout the novel without being dependant on each other for that growth.
The setting made this such an intriguing read. We’re in a world where all manner of myths and monsters are real and it feels as if every fairytale character you’ve ever known has a darker version of themselves somewhere in this same world. I loved seeing the far north, the more pagan villages as well as the totally different aesthetic of the Castle and the capital. It worked really well with the plot as each new destination had it’s own story-telling (working in great with the different mythologies throughout the book) and it felt like a quest to get these characters to their destination. I do, however, feel that the plot meandered a bit. I couldn’t put this book down for the first half of the novel but midway through it felt like it dragged a bit. I think because our characters went back and forth a bit from place to place and it felt at times that they accomplished nothing so, what was the point of reading those 6 chapters? However, I do concede that even in the meandering, there was some fantastic storytelling happening. So even though it felt like a slow moving plot at times, I still enjoyed it.
Overall, I gave this book 3.75 stars (4 on goodreads) because it still had the beautiful writing I so enjoy from Ava Reid and I loved the characters and the mythology. The reflection of religious hypocrisy is something I found extremely fascinating. The mirroring of real life antisemitism in this book was jarring as well and it was a very thought provoking novel. If you liked The Bear and the Nightingale or you’re a fan of dark folklore, this is definitely a great read for you.