Title: For the Wolf

Author: Hannah F. Whitten

Pub. Date: June 1, 2021

Pages: 448

Pub: Orbit Books

Genre: YA Fantasy Retellings

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

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The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.

For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn’t the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he’ll return the world’s captured gods.

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can’t control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can’t hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn’t learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.

Content Warnings can be found here.

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This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I fucking loved this.

I’ll be honest, I was the tinniest bit wary going in, because I was seeing a lot of hype surround this book. And if you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know how I feel about hype.

My apprehension was completely unfounded because this book was fucking excellent.

I’m still reeling from it, so I apologize if this review is short and sweet.

For the Wolf is atmospheric, lush, dark and gritty. It completely enraptures you and keeps you turning the page. I binged half of it instead of sleeping. Work is going to suck in the morning. I’m going to need a massive dose of caffeine to get me through my day.

But it was so worth it.

I fucking loved this book.

The characters.

The world.

The plot.

The stakes.

It left me in near tears towards the end.

I’m so damn excited for the next one.

Hannah makes you fall for her characters so quickly. I was enamored with Eammon after Red’s first encounter with him. And I loved Red. She’s brave, fiercely loyal, and when she loves you, she loves with everything she has. She’s also stubborn as hell. The two of them together just bring out all the emotions. They have such fiery explosive moments, but also these incredibly touching ones. Eammon has been alone for so long, but so has Red – the two of them finding their way towards each other is such a good journey.

This book had me wanting to walk into a dark magical forest and find my own Wolf. Jfc, why can’t that actually happen? Reality sucks.

I’m still not over this book – granted it’s only been about an hour, but the wait for book 2 is going to kill me. Hannah seriously knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s brilliant, captivating and will leave you desperate for more. Red and Eammon stole my heart. I’m sunk. I’m trash. I need book 2 – I need For the Throne. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I’m telling you to go buy this book. It’s fucking great and definitely not one to miss. It’s out today, so make sure you pick it up!