The Wolf and the Woodsman
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- Create Date：2021-09-03 08:51:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ava Reid
- ISBN：1529100739
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Summary
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， 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。
In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale， this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant。
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。
In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale， this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant。
Reviews
Matt
，
There is some truly excellent character writing in this fairytale about fairytales。 At some point， the narrative felt like a decision was never made between social commentary， engagement with tropes， and refusal to stick to expected norms of the previous two。 As such， the direction of the story pivots multiple times to a conclusion that ties up all the various branchings but doesn't satisfy。 As debut novels go - this is a very solid entry and I will definitely look forward to future efforts from There is some truly excellent character writing in this fairytale about fairytales。 At some point， the narrative felt like a decision was never made between social commentary， engagement with tropes， and refusal to stick to expected norms of the previous two。 As such， the direction of the story pivots multiple times to a conclusion that ties up all the various branchings but doesn't satisfy。 As debut novels go - this is a very solid entry and I will definitely look forward to future efforts from a promising fantasist。 。。。more
redlouder
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2。9Un bon premier roman mais il y a beaucoup de péripéties je dirais。。。attendu dommage :（En revanche， le livre est très bien écrit au niveau du style et des légendes （ au niveau des chasseurs）。Autrement， je ne me suis pas attaché avec les différents personnages et j'ai trouvé que la romance faisait perdre du temps à l'intrigue principale。 2。9Un bon premier roman mais il y a beaucoup de péripéties je dirais。。。attendu dommage :（En revanche， le livre est très bien écrit au niveau du style et des légendes （ au niveau des chasseurs）。Autrement， je ne me suis pas attaché avec les différents personnages et j'ai trouvé que la romance faisait perdre du temps à l'intrigue principale。 。。。more
Sophie - biblisophagist
，
Gorgeous， dark， blood-drenched perfection。 I'll have actual thoughts later， but for now this is all that's in my brain。 Gorgeous， dark， blood-drenched perfection。 I'll have actual thoughts later， but for now this is all that's in my brain。 。。。more
John Dudley
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Would've been 5 stars， but I can't get over the author's obsession with eye lashes。 After a while， every time I saw the word lashes I laughed and it took me out of the story。 Would've been 5 stars， but I can't get over the author's obsession with eye lashes。 After a while， every time I saw the word lashes I laughed and it took me out of the story。 。。。more
Jooke
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This story truly has the same vibe as The Bear and the Nightingale。 It is filled with all kind of stories， legends， myths， traditions and variations of them， one more intriguing than the other， some containing more "magic" than others。 Évike's journey with Gáspár is not only one of survival or chasing myths， but also one of finding themselves， their inner strength， truth and what they believe in。I really enjoyed this story with all the different believes and people inhabiting this rough lands wi This story truly has the same vibe as The Bear and the Nightingale。 It is filled with all kind of stories， legends， myths， traditions and variations of them， one more intriguing than the other， some containing more "magic" than others。 Évike's journey with Gáspár is not only one of survival or chasing myths， but also one of finding themselves， their inner strength， truth and what they believe in。I really enjoyed this story with all the different believes and people inhabiting this rough lands with all its dangers。 So why only 4* rating？ Well I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't connect as much with Évike's character as I'd like and it diminished a bit the experience as a whole and also the end。 It was a very suitable ending， no discussion about that。 But the romantic in me hoped for a little bit more。 。。。more
Digne
，
Maybe 4。5。I loved this book。 This is a much more nuanced looked people from opposite sides trying to find common ground and work through their differences than you usually see in a fantasy。
Laine
，
Never have I felt so conflicted rating a book。 It has recently taken me less than a week to finish a ~350-400 page book。 This one took me two weeks。 It wasn't necessarily because it's BAD。 I actually felt the writing itself was quite nice。 The characters themselves weren't bad and I liked their development through the story。 I found the integration of folklore enchanting and hated the villain（s） just as I should。 I just found the first half so。。。 Well， to put it nicely， I found it very unengagin Never have I felt so conflicted rating a book。 It has recently taken me less than a week to finish a ~350-400 page book。 This one took me two weeks。 It wasn't necessarily because it's BAD。 I actually felt the writing itself was quite nice。 The characters themselves weren't bad and I liked their development through the story。 I found the integration of folklore enchanting and hated the villain（s） just as I should。 I just found the first half so。。。 Well， to put it nicely， I found it very unengaging。 I get it- it's all set up for the second half of the book that I actually quite enjoyed。 I don't really feel like it was worth it， though。 The ending didn't satisfy me and for how long the first half took me to get through， the second half flew by。 I was also caught off guard by how gruesome it could get。 I tend to not be very squeamish but I suppose I wasn't expecting it to be as dark as it was。 I just find myself dissatisfied with a book that I really believe might actually be good。 Maybe I'll reread it some time and have a change of heart。Those looking for a darker take on folklore that's told with a slower pacing would likely enjoy this。 。。。more
rebecca
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4。5 starsLoved this。 Évike was a great main character - I loved how angry she was at the world。 This book was deeply Jewish which really moved me as someone who feels quite separated from her heritage。 The writing was very rich and there was a bittersweet tone underlying everything。 My only quibbles are that certain sections of the book feel a bit slow and I thought at first）that the romance should have been more slow-burn （my favourite kind） but I really liked how it developed in the latter hal 4。5 starsLoved this。 Évike was a great main character - I loved how angry she was at the world。 This book was deeply Jewish which really moved me as someone who feels quite separated from her heritage。 The writing was very rich and there was a bittersweet tone underlying everything。 My only quibbles are that certain sections of the book feel a bit slow and I thought at first）that the romance should have been more slow-burn （my favourite kind） but I really liked how it developed in the latter half of the book。Despite it being compared during the marketing to Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale the writing styles are very different to me （though both good）。 Aside from the fact they're based on mythology I don't see why these books are being compared。 And to be a total hypocrite for a moment and compare it to another book lol this was the woodsy romantic tale I longed for For the Wolf to be。This book was just very meaningful to me and was such a thoughtfully written tale on love， culture and family。 And the main character， Evike， is an all time favourite for me。 。。。more
Michelle
，
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid is a very detailed but rich story that involves Slavic and Jewish mythology。 Pagan， non-magic Evike finds herself teaming with her worst enemy， only to discover the enemy is someone else。 Enter intrigue， danger， torn desires， obligations， found family， and one woman who has to discover who she is to protect the ones she loves。
Savannah Compton
，
"The Wolf and the Woodsman" by Ava Reid is compelling in its prose， rich world-building， unusual mythology， and retelling of a familiar story （fairytale-esque romance）。 Overall， I enjoyed reading it （I finished it in about a month， which is fats for me）。 I may even reread it， since I enjoyed some of its more complex elements （listed previously）。 At its core， this is a coming of age story for Evike。 She is a young woman who， unlike most of the "Wolves" in her native village， does not have a super "The Wolf and the Woodsman" by Ava Reid is compelling in its prose， rich world-building， unusual mythology， and retelling of a familiar story （fairytale-esque romance）。 Overall， I enjoyed reading it （I finished it in about a month， which is fats for me）。 I may even reread it， since I enjoyed some of its more complex elements （listed previously）。 At its core， this is a coming of age story for Evike。 She is a young woman who， unlike most of the "Wolves" in her native village， does not have a supernatural ability bestowed upon her by the gods。 She is an outlier， an outcast， a question mark， a threat。 When the "Woodsman" come for their yearly demand for tribute （in the form of one of the "Wolf Girls" for a human sacrifice）， Evike is given under false pretenses。 Out of the troop sent to fetch the sacrifice， she is left with only none other than the crown prince of the land， Gaspar， both of them united in a goal of survival。 What follows is a classic at-odds， "I love you， I hate you，" "we must overcome our differences to survive" kind of story。 What struck me the most was the complex land Ms。 Reid has built。 Its gods， its monster （particularly its monsters and their horror elements）， the descriptions of the landscape， and its stories; all of these things built a very rich first third to half of a book。 I was drawn in， eager to see what Evike and Gaspar would next overcome on their travels。 The author seems to have some background ethnographical and religious studies， which is clear in her attention to detail。 Reason for the lower stars is the repetitive language/descriptions used by the author。 The plot is repeated back to us （as if we did not just read the book）， the same descriptions are used over and over， and Evike's character as a narrator lies flat。 She seems very reactive vs active， consumed by thoughts of love/hate with Gaspar and her "woe is me" story。 Granted， this is partially a romance novel。 Things do not need to be laid on so thick though。 For someone who is in， many ways， a strong woman， to have her narrative so heavily centered on one thing was very offsetting。 It took away my enjoyment of the first part of the book。 I think Ms。 Reid possesses a lot of a writer， and I will look at what she writes in the future。 I just hope she can hone the areas she excels and fine-tune these areas of opportunity。 。。。more
Naz
，
3，5-4
Mollie
，
This was very up and down。 Some bits were enjoyable， some bits were boring。 Also， it annoyed me how often a character was described in detail to be on the verge of death and then 2 sentences later they’re running around fighting？？
Caitlin
，
This was so boring。 I think 2 stars in generous
Cozy Ginger
，
I can count how many books I DNF on one hand and this one almost made me want to chuck it across the room for eternity。 This had a lot of promise and truly could have been wrapped up in 250 pages。 Too many similes， purple prose galore， an author using every high point scrabble word， ugh it was too much。 Hungarian folklore， hyped for it， Jewish Mythology， hyped。 This book sapped every ounce of excitement over those topics for me。 The action was rushed which saddened me since the author doesn’t sh I can count how many books I DNF on one hand and this one almost made me want to chuck it across the room for eternity。 This had a lot of promise and truly could have been wrapped up in 250 pages。 Too many similes， purple prose galore， an author using every high point scrabble word， ugh it was too much。 Hungarian folklore， hyped for it， Jewish Mythology， hyped。 This book sapped every ounce of excitement over those topics for me。 The action was rushed which saddened me since the author doesn’t shy away from gore but it was a quick whirlwind and then resolved。 Same encounters over and over with basically the same resolution。 The constant berating of the MC love interests piety， morals， etc was maddening。 Again， same argument， different word salad， little to no resolution。 I sadly couldn’t wait for the book to be over with。 The first person POV wouldn’t have been my first choice， I feel like it was a hinderance to the book。 Author has a lot of great ideas， wild imagination but it was just too much of everything with very little substance。 You could skip the first half of the book and still rehash everything in the second part， you wouldn’t be lost。 Sadly this author may not be for me！ 。。。more
Abby Gratzer-Owens
，
As much as I love magic and magical realism， I’m not a great fan of fantasy。 Good adventures
Sonja
，
3。5⭐️ I loved the folklore and tales woven throughout this book and how they helped shape the main characters’ journey。 But there were many times where the detailed descriptions of harm turned my stomach。 This debut had a good blend of court politics， rivaling beliefs， adventure， magic and a romance I could root for。
Haley
，
ehh。 this is a tricky one to rate。 from a prose standpoint， this would've been a four star read。 i liked the dark folktale atmosphere， found the two leads likeable， and did enjoy the hungarian and jewish cultural aspects very much （though i have it on good authority that the brief line of turkish in this book is some mild bullshit lol）the frequent weaving in of storytelling drew a lot of focus from the book's plot and politics and the pacing really suffered for it， especially in the latter third ehh。 this is a tricky one to rate。 from a prose standpoint， this would've been a four star read。 i liked the dark folktale atmosphere， found the two leads likeable， and did enjoy the hungarian and jewish cultural aspects very much （though i have it on good authority that the brief line of turkish in this book is some mild bullshit lol）the frequent weaving in of storytelling drew a lot of focus from the book's plot and politics and the pacing really suffered for it， especially in the latter third。 i also really wished there'd been more establishing of how various sorts of power and magic worked within this world and found the relationships difficult to believe （view spoiler）[particularly how évike seemed hardly to think of boróka （her one apparent friend） after leaving， the evolution of her relationship with gáspár which at once seemed to have a lot of forced tension and very little real development before they loved each other， and the relationship with her father and the other yehuli that felt thoroughly under-explored （hide spoiler）] overall， a promising debut novel but not quite all i'd been hoping for p。s。 gáspár is like a soft boi matthias helvar meets prince zuko and i'm not mad about ittw: （view spoiler）[gore， violence， death， ritualistic self harm， antisemitism， racism， ethnic cleansing， child abuse， physical abuse， animal cruelty and death （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Tammy （PeachGirl13）
，
Um， I made it 42% through and I can’t anymore。 This book definitely has some really poetic and beautiful descriptions， but the dialogue and the characters are just blah。 I got so bored by this point I found it hard to want to pick it up so I decided to just call it quits。 I had high expectations going into this because of the comparisons that this novel was put against but it just fell flat for me。 The best part was the pagan folklore。 I enjoyed those stories very much。 But it just wasn’t enough Um， I made it 42% through and I can’t anymore。 This book definitely has some really poetic and beautiful descriptions， but the dialogue and the characters are just blah。 I got so bored by this point I found it hard to want to pick it up so I decided to just call it quits。 I had high expectations going into this because of the comparisons that this novel was put against but it just fell flat for me。 The best part was the pagan folklore。 I enjoyed those stories very much。 But it just wasn’t enough to carry me through the rest of the novel。 There were a lot of interesting environmental elements of the world but something about the story itself felt disconnected。 A lot of the dialogue and scenarios felt repetitive and I just could not connect with the story because it felt predictable and like something， at its core， I’d already read before。 。。。more
Kathy ★birdsong。books★
，
3。5 / 5*I loved the mix of Hungarian and Jewish mythology。 The world building was rich， but I felt like sometimes it got in the way of plot and its flow， especially in the beginning when it felt like the characters were only sharing myths and legends。 Overall， it was an enjoyable read。
Annelies
，
I actually intended to finish this tomorrow， but given the time I'm not wrong。 Technically。 But yeah， if I remember I'll write an actual review tomorrow :） I actually intended to finish this tomorrow， but given the time I'm not wrong。 Technically。 But yeah， if I remember I'll write an actual review tomorrow :） 。。。more
Samantha Fenstemaker
，
I thought this was hard to get into at first， but I also don’t normally read fantasy。 So glad I stuck it out with this story though。 It was very well written， I got hooked a few chapters in。 The plot is strong and has some twists that I didn’t see coming。 I give this book 5 stars because it was well written， great story line & I enjoyed the ending。
Cass ♡
，
I really loved this one。 It was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up and I'm so glad I did！ I really loved this one。 It was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up and I'm so glad I did！ 。。。more
Raquel Flockhart
，
1 or 2 stars， I’m not sure yet。 This has a lush writing and explores some important and relevant themes， but I couldn’t connect to either the story or the characters。 Review to come！
Carolina Carriço
，
3。5 starsRounded down because of the open ending。
Lucy！
，
I was really looking forward to this one—Alix E Harrow loved it！ But I think my expectations were too high。 The balance of plot to character development felt lopsided， especially towards the beginning， and I wasn’t a huge fan of the central romance。 While I did appreciate the intertwining of Jewish and Hungarian folklore， there was just so much of it that it felt overwhelming。 The imagery was vivid and beautiful and parts of it were good， but it just wasn’t great。
Bente
，
“If it is a choice between drowning in the same river that has dragged me down a thousand times or walking into a pit of fire that had never burned me once， I will choose the flames and learn to bear it。”What a great debut novel。 This book was such a pleasant surprise， I was instantly captivated from chapter one。 The characters were deeply complex and felt so real。 The world was so beautiful and detailed and full of magic。 Reading this felt like reading a fairytale。 Just magical！
Brittany Bowman
，
I was in-between 3 stars and 4。 But there was quite a bit I enjoyed about this book。 The romance was a bit under developed in my opinion- I honestly felt like it came out of no where and then the constant conversation of that ‘attraction’ in Evike’s head was… a bit much。 But the magic in this is really cool & I love the world。 I’m gonna need to read some more Pagan books soon。
Karen Cohn
，
I was fascinated by this novel - Ms。 Reid has created a stunning story！Évike is a cast-out in her own village， the only woman without at least some rudimentary magic， an orphan， and the daughter of a foreigner。 As such， when the kings' soldiers， the Woodsmen， come to Keszi for a seer， Évike is the logical sacrifice。 Sent away with her peoples' oppressors， reluctantly cooperating to survive， Évike is constantly looking for a way to escape without bringing the Woodsmen down on her village， despite I was fascinated by this novel - Ms。 Reid has created a stunning story！Évike is a cast-out in her own village， the only woman without at least some rudimentary magic， an orphan， and the daughter of a foreigner。 As such， when the kings' soldiers， the Woodsmen， come to Keszi for a seer， Évike is the logical sacrifice。 Sent away with her peoples' oppressors， reluctantly cooperating to survive， Évike is constantly looking for a way to escape without bringing the Woodsmen down on her village， despite their sacrifice of fher。 When all of the other Woodsmen are killed by the beasts and witches of the plains， the only remaining Woodsman， Gáspár， is forced to come to an agreement with Évike for mutual protection， because neither can survive the journey without the other。 As they cross the country， each slowly begins to learn about the other， and grudging alliance becomes reluctant cooperation and， eventually， active assistance。Based on Hungarian history - which I am now very curious about based on this novel - and Jewish mythology， The Wolf and the Woodsman is a complex and intriguing story， about expectations， culture， and the growth than comes from learning about people and ideas outside one's comfort zone。 Novels based on mythology are a current trend， and this one rises well above its genre。 Unfamiliarity with the underlying history， and only passing familiarity with the mythology， is not only not a problem， it may enhance the story， as I had no expectations for the characters based on their mythological or historical representations。 。。。more
Amanda
，
2。5 stars
Kristina Stone thomas
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