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.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 3.75 Stars
First of all, this cover is stunning, and that tagline? It was honestly what grabbed my interest in the first place. I love a dark fairytale retelling and this book definitely delivered. The world was lush with an immaculate aesthetic, the magic was unique and the book was certainly dark.
I think my favorite thing about For the Wolf was the way that it slowly led me to the big reveal. I pieced things together eventually, and had figured out who the true villain was by the time it was unveiled, but it took me some time. I had theories but there was just enough held back to keep me guessing and intrigued. Even the magic and the way that it worked was a source of mystery until about 70% through the book.
The romance was also so well done and gave me all of the Beauty and the Best vibes. Honestly, the entire plot felt like a dark mix of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. The Wolf was a bit gruff and rough around the edges, but he grew on me quickly, and I loved the way that his relationship with Red developed. Much like in Beauty and the Beast, I also grew to care for the other inhabitants of the castle and look forward to seeing more of them and their story.
I’ll admit, I did have a difficult time with the middle portion of the book. The beginning gripped me immediately, but the middle was a bit slow and the interludes kept pulling me out of the story in a way that made this book very easy to put down. That being said, I did see the importance of the interludes later in the plot and can admit that they were needed, I just wish that they had felt more relevant in the first half of the book. Thankfully, once I passed the halfway point of the book, I couldn’t put it down, and finished quickly.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT ENDING? I am so excited for the next book already (Coming July 2022). I’m getting Sleeping Beauty vibes and will be anxiously awaiting it’s release. I think that this will be a good series for fans of dark and lyrical stories, similar to Spinning Silver and Uprooted.
As The Book Ends 