The Wolf and the Woodsman
- Author Ava Reid
- Narrator Saskia Maarleveld
- Publisher Random House
- Publish Date 8 June 2021
- Run Time 13 hours and 9 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Folklore, myths and legends, Historical fantasy.
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
A dark, evocative and unforgettable fantasy debut steeped in Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden.
Stories don't have to be true to be real...
In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. 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, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he's no ordinary Woodsman - he's the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, 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 mission 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.
'Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut . . . It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.' Samantha Shannon, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
'Gorgeously written and grimly real, The Wolf and the Woodsman quite literally took my breath away. It has the unsettling-but-compelling gore of Henderson's The Year of the Witching, the folkloric lilt of The Bear and the Nightingale, and the moral complexity of Seeing Like a State. I'm obsessed.' Alex E. Harrow, Hugo-award winning author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
'Assured and compelling throughout, and the worldbuilding is richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful.' Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor
'Reid has crafted a story that is not only relevant for our times, but has timelessness about it that truly makes it shine. The Wolf and the Woodsman is not a book I will soon forget.' Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart
'Combining religion, magic, and evocative language, Ava Reid has created a daring fantasy world full of imagination and fierce heroics' Luanne G. Smith, bestselling author of The Vine Witch
'The Wolf and The Woodsman is one hell of a ride. I couldn't put it down.' Greta Kelly, author of The Frozen Crown
'One of those transportative, delicious books that completely engrossed me for a full day.' Samantha Rajaram, Author of The Company Daughters
© Ava Reid 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Critics Review
Rooted in history and myth, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a stunning debut – a powerful and haunting tale of a young woman’s will to live, of love flowering in defiance of tyranny. It will twine like a dark forest around your heart.
Written with a timelessness of spirit, a magical world that knows no bounds, and characters who will make your heart pound and your eyes well up, The Wolf and the Woodsman is an intricate, gut-wrenching fantasy that will set the bar for dark historical fantasy for years to come.
A thought-provoking, thrilling magical twist on the history of religion and politics that I couldn’t put down . . . stunningly rendered
A striking debut . . . Entertaining, appealing, and strikingly imagined
Gorgeously written and grimly real, The Wolf and the Woodsman is a bloody fable about two people caught in the jaws of history. It quite literally took my breath away.
A seriously impressive debut novel . . . grown-up, complicated, angsty, sexy, dark book – and one that I will be recommending far and wide
Beautiful and gut wrenching . . . It’s a fundamentally Jewish tale that gripped me from beginning to end. A riveting debut that will keep you up all night, desperately chasing the heart-pounding conclusion.
A richly imagined exploration of faith and folklore . . . lushly written and thoroughly evocative
The Wolf and the Woodsman, beautifully written and expertly told, is a darkly magical tale from beginning to end. I was equal parts terrified and delighted, somehow swept away and grounded in a world as beautiful as it is deadly.
Compelling, complicated, and worthwhile
Évike may be the only one in her village without ‘powers,’ but that doesn’t stop her from being an in-your-face heroine who stands up for the things she believes in and never backs down. Reid has crafted a story that is not only relevant for our times, but has timelessness about it that truly makes it shine. The Wolf and the Woodsman is not a book I will soon forget.
Examines religious freedom through the lens of myth and magic . . . The convincing enemies-to-lovers romance, fascinating religion-based magic system, and thoughtful examination of zealotry make this a notable debut.
Combining religion, magic, and evocative language, Ava Reid has created a daring fantasy world full of imagination and fierce heroics.
Rich with vivid description, fantastical monsters, and magic unmatched by most other books for its pure physicality, this story may be strongly influenced by Jewish folklore, but the voice is original, perhaps as it’s refreshingly female.
I enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman very much. Évike is a memorable protagonist, deeply flawed but trying, almost despite herself, to do the right thing. The writing is assured and compelling throughout, and the worldbuilding is richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful.
Ava Reid has boldly announced herself as a literary force with The Wolf and the Woodsman. The novel is impressive in its beauty, characters, and uncompromising nature and is all the more impressive for being Reid’s debut novel.
The Wolf and The Woodsman is one hell of a ride. Évike is an unlikely heroine, torn by warring duties and identities but despite it all, she discovers a power that could save a nation from itself. But only if she lives. I couldn’t put it down.
A powerful feminist story about acceptance, The Wolf and the Woodsman is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and John Gwynne’s The Shadow of the Gods.
One of the best books I’ve read this year. From page one, I could tell that I was in expert hands . . . Juniper & Thorn is out there waiting for you to read it and be seen in a way you’ve been aching for. Please go and read it.
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