Fantasy

Into the Heartless Wood

Into the Heartless Wood

  • Downloads：1638
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-17 11:52:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joanna Ruth Meyer
  • ISBN：1645671704
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The forest is a dangerous place， where siren song lures men and women to their deaths。 For centuries， a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree， using its power to grow her domain。

When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood， one of her tree-siren daughters， Seren， saves his life instead of ending it。 Every night， he climbs over the garden wall to see her， and every night her longing to become human deepens。 But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse， and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her。

Download

Reviews

GavRix ，

Such a treasure each one of these books is :） I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these :） If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top Such a treasure each one of these books is :） I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these :） If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top 。。。more

Etta ，

I have been recommended both this author and this novel for quite some times， even before this book was published， so it is about time that I experienced Into the Heartless Wood。 This book was a delight as it was a fantastic re-telling that used elements of the known tale of Beauty and the Beast and makes it a completely original story。 This time the “beauty” is an astronomer’s son and the “beast” is a tree-siren who has grown up to believe she is a monster。Owen Merrick is the caregiver for I have been recommended both this author and this novel for quite some times， even before this book was published， so it is about time that I experienced Into the Heartless Wood。 This book was a delight as it was a fantastic re-telling that used elements of the known tale of Beauty and the Beast and makes it a completely original story。 This time the “beauty” is an astronomer’s son and the “beast” is a tree-siren who has grown up to believe she is a monster。Owen Merrick is the caregiver for his two-year-old sister while his father works。 He is very close with his father and it is incredibly heart-warming how much they each care for the other。 His father is an astronomer and Owen is an astronomy apprentice， although he is incredibly skilled like his father。 I loved how the stars play a huge role in this story with both magic and science。 His family lives near the dangerous woods， but Owen makes it his job to keep his family safe， considering this same wood took the life of his mother。 He is a fairly self-less character when it comes to his family and he will do anything to protect them。Owen enters the woods after his sister gets lost。 It is here that he meets the tree sirens。 By a stroke of luck， one of the tree sirens decides to spare his sister。 The tree-sirens are not given names， so Owen gives her the name Seren。 She is drawn to Owen， like with many tales of isolated characters， as he is different than the others she has previously come across。 She is the youngest daughter and sees the destruction of those around her and decides that maybe that is not the only way。 Owen and her have an emotional journey where it is not the typical love story as the obstacles that they face would create barriers for any potential couple。 They go through a lot with the two worlds that they come from and they have to work to even think about where the other is coming from every time a new complication appears。 This novel is both heart-breaking and heart-warming as it does run the reader through many emotions， especially once you get closer to the end （a little over half-way is where there is a lot of elements that give the reader all the feels at one point or another）。 As I did the audiobook， both narrators voice the story very well with the right emotions and tones that fit the story and the characters。 I loved how the voices especially fit Seren and her different circumstances。 The author did a fantastic job of creating a beautiful setting as a reader can easily picture every scene in perfect detail。 The pacing of the story starts stronger with the prologue。 It slows down a bit in the beginning and a little more in the middle， but overall， it went at a fairly decent pace。Seren and Owen each had their own journey with a lot of intertwining paths。 I liked how the characters stayed true to themselves and they each made decisions that fit their initial descriptions。 Owen sometimes acted without thinking as his goal was just to save everyone around him， while Seren would be more methodical and take a little more time before jumping in。 The two of them do interact several times throughout the story and their relationship progresses naturally as they become closer。 However， they also have their separate portions and I liked that the two of them did not have to be together the entire time as the reader could care about each of them separately and not as a central unit。Overall， I did not go into this story with super high expectations as I thought it would be more of a straight retelling with a gender bend。 I was definitely pleasantly surprised as it was a very interesting dark tale with elements of the original tale。 There were times where the writing featured more verse/prose style。 This was used more for Seren’s portions， but it was not consistently used， so it was difficult to find the meaning for its use。 I could have missed it though as I did the audio， so maybe it was only something that is apparent in print。 It takes a bit to get fully immersed into the story， but once you are there， you are captivated until the end。 The story does do some telling rather than showing for some pieces of the story， but I found that it did not bother me as much as I thought it would。 Although I loved Owen， Seren shined as a character， where you want to root for her to have every happiness in the world。 A great fantasy novel featuring two lovable main characters and multiple delightful love them or hate them side characters that will leave you feeling satisfied！ 。。。more

Erin ，

This book told a really interesting story asking what it means to be human and wrapped that up in a woodsy fairy tale with a tragic love story at its center。 It gave me similar vibes to Spinning Silver or Uprooted and was very much written to evoke the same style as a classic fairy tale， which was quite well done。I really loved reading about Owen and his relationship with his sister especially。 I found it to be quite heartwarming and touching the lengths he would go to protect her。 While I did f This book told a really interesting story asking what it means to be human and wrapped that up in a woodsy fairy tale with a tragic love story at its center。 It gave me similar vibes to Spinning Silver or Uprooted and was very much written to evoke the same style as a classic fairy tale， which was quite well done。I really loved reading about Owen and his relationship with his sister especially。 I found it to be quite heartwarming and touching the lengths he would go to protect her。 While I did find the chapters that were written "in verse" （in quotes because I'm not sure that was the right term） and the evolution of the choppier thoughts to the fully fleshed out paragraphs of thought to be quite effective at communicating the change within Seren from wood creature to a more human character， that "in verse" style of writing just isn't my preference and so I didn't love reading a lot of her chapters because of that 。。。more

Tasha Noble ，

Owen lives at the edge of the woods ruled by a witch with 8 tree siren daughters。 One day trying to rescue his sister who has wandered into the wood he meets Seren， a tree siren who protects them instead of taking their lives。 After this， we see Owen and Seren slowly fall into love and learn the truth of the fight between the king and the witch， and what it will take to end their war。 The writing in this book is just gorgeous。 I loved watching Owen and Seren struggle with their nature as well as Owen lives at the edge of the woods ruled by a witch with 8 tree siren daughters。 One day trying to rescue his sister who has wandered into the wood he meets Seren， a tree siren who protects them instead of taking their lives。 After this， we see Owen and Seren slowly fall into love and learn the truth of the fight between the king and the witch， and what it will take to end their war。 The writing in this book is just gorgeous。 I loved watching Owen and Seren struggle with their nature as well as the true nature of each other。 Although it felt slow at the start of the story， once things started going wrong the pace was quick and I could not put the story down！ Understanding the truth behind the war between the witch and the king， and seeing how hard Owen and Seren were fighting just for freedom and peace was heart wrenching and so， so beautiful。 I absolutely loved this book。 。。。more

Bridget ，

I was really ready to love this but I just couldn’t connect with the characters。 I found myself reading out of a mild interest in the events but didn’t feel much for the people themselves？ I’m not sure what the problem was， I just felt like I didn’t really know who the characters were beyond a two dimensional portrayal。 I loved Echo North though so I’ll keep reading new books from the author！

Kat ，

The second half was much better than the first half。 I skipped through the declarations of love， they felt rushed and insincere。 The premise of the book does follow as the author intended- a gender swapped Beauty and the Beast。 The characters were dynamic although the certain parts of the plot line made them at times too predictable。 Not sure if the imagery could be considered good or just too graphic。 The scenes of violence and pain were too descriptive for me and left me feeling uncomfortable。 The second half was much better than the first half。 I skipped through the declarations of love， they felt rushed and insincere。 The premise of the book does follow as the author intended- a gender swapped Beauty and the Beast。 The characters were dynamic although the certain parts of the plot line made them at times too predictable。 Not sure if the imagery could be considered good or just too graphic。 The scenes of violence and pain were too descriptive for me and left me feeling uncomfortable。 That said， this is the first book I have finished in months！ 。。。more

Cianne ，

What a good book。 I was crying by the end and the story was so beautiful。 At some parts it got a little confusing but it was awesome！

Trisha ，

first impressions review: full review to come！Will I EVER recover from this book？ probably not。 What a journey this was。 Anything mythological based will always capture me and I need to read more by the author because wowie。 4。5 heart stars。plot: We have here a tree who just wants to be human and a human who just wants to have some roots。 I couldn't help myself。 But really this is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast with roles reversed。 The 'beast' is a tree siren with the name of Sere first impressions review: full review to come！Will I EVER recover from this book？ probably not。 What a journey this was。 Anything mythological based will always capture me and I need to read more by the author because wowie。 4。5 heart stars。plot: We have here a tree who just wants to be human and a human who just wants to have some roots。 I couldn't help myself。 But really this is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast with roles reversed。 The 'beast' is a tree siren with the name of Seren and she isn't like the other monsters in the woods。 There is something more to her。 Owen lives on the edge of the woods with his family and a chance encounter brings the two together。 It changes EVERYTHING。 world-building: Let me tell you what， I loved the blending of fairy tales， sirens， nature and the cosmos。 It was a chefs kiss and I wish there were more books set in the world。 I have a great love of sirens and find them so interesting。 This was a great take to slide them into the woods rather than the sea， giving them a dryad kind of feel in a way。 characters: Seren and Owen are going to linger in my heart and I loved the journey both of them took throughout the novel。 I enjoyed quite a few of the side characters but I wish they were developed just a bit more。 In the very least， had more to do than what they were given！pacing: I'll be real， there were a few points this dragged on but then things would pick up again。 Regardless， the characters and the overall story kept me invested even in the slower moments of the book。 keep in mind: tons of violence and some disturbing imagery。 also， kidnapping and abuse。 。。。more

Simona Stoica ，

3。5

Rosemary ，

If you like your fantasy grim and bloody， with nary a happy ending in sight， this one should be just your cup of hemlock。 Tree sirens are a fantastic concept。 The woods are indeed heartless， largely because the trees have been ripping out people's hearts and eating their souls。 And， by the end of the book， you realize that the trees have justification。 Moral of the tale: do not anger a dryad。 If you must have a glimmer of joy， do read the epilogue to the very last page。 If you like your fantasy grim and bloody， with nary a happy ending in sight， this one should be just your cup of hemlock。 Tree sirens are a fantastic concept。 The woods are indeed heartless， largely because the trees have been ripping out people's hearts and eating their souls。 And， by the end of the book， you realize that the trees have justification。 Moral of the tale: do not anger a dryad。 If you must have a glimmer of joy， do read the epilogue to the very last page。 。。。more

Jamie Dacyczyn ，

DNFed around page 30。 So many things were bugging me this early on that I knew I'd feel biased for the rest of the book， subconsciously looking for more issues。For starters， something about the writing seemed off to me， not sure why。 Oh wait， I know， it was that goddamn First-Person/Present-Tense！ Uggghhhhhhhh。 Why do authors keep using this？ It rarely works！ And this was not one of those rare instances。 It makes the writing feel so stilted when most paragraphs start with "I"。 I nod。 I shrug。 I DNFed around page 30。 So many things were bugging me this early on that I knew I'd feel biased for the rest of the book， subconsciously looking for more issues。For starters， something about the writing seemed off to me， not sure why。 Oh wait， I know， it was that goddamn First-Person/Present-Tense！ Uggghhhhhhhh。 Why do authors keep using this？ It rarely works！ And this was not one of those rare instances。 It makes the writing feel so stilted when most paragraphs start with "I"。 I nod。 I shrug。 I stare。 I scowl。 I cry。 I shake。 I weep。 I blink。 I sigh in aggravation。Second， the book started of in kind of a weird place， with the main character giving his toddler little sister a bath。 Not exactly riveting。 Plus， that's a great way to turn off readers who don't find "slimy kisses" from grubby children endearing。 Gotta lead with something a little more exciting， and THEN introduce us to the germ bucket。 The first chapter was an uneven mix of mundane chores and exposition。 Meh。But the primary event that made me close the covers of this book was a train crash。 So。 Poorly。 Written。 Ok， so Owen is on a train heading for a city （despite just learning that an enchanted forest has been attacking the train tracks）。 The train crashes！ Oh my god！ It's such a horrific crash that the train "has been torn off it's tracks， the cars scattered on the ground like discarded toys。" Passengers drag themselves from the wreckage with broken arms and legs。 "Bodies。 So many bodies。"Right， so this must have been a pretty violent crash， yes？ Well， here's how the impact was described。 Owen had fallen asleep on the train， and then:A horrific SCREEEEEECH of metal jolts me awake。 The train car wrenches sideways and I'm thrown hard into the seat across the aisle。。。[insert description of other passenger， now dead from the impact。]。。。The train car shudders as it settles on its side。。。And that's it。 The train car wrenching sideways enough to toss Owen a little and then it "settles" on it's side。 Not really all that violent from Owen's perspective。 I don't know if "settle" is the right word to use if you want to describe train cars scattering across the ground like discarded toys with bodies all of the place。 How about a little more crash， bang， boom？Ok， so that was a silly train crash， but what got me was the description of Owen's fellow passenger during the crash。 。。。。I'm thrown hard into the seat across the aisle， inches from the old passenger who lies limp against the shut window（Apparently this crash doesn't break windows）。 His neck is bent at an odd angle， and there's a smear of red on his temple。。。。。He is stiff and cold， and a scream tears from my throat。。。。"Wait wait wait， WHAT？ This old man is "dead on impact" and is ALREADY stiff AND cold？ Is this some kind of instant rigor mortis （as opposed to the usual 2-4 hour timeline）？ And did something instantly sap the old man of his body heat， considering it usually takes about 12 hours for a body to become cool to the touch？ Even if Owen was mistaken and the man hadn't died from the impact， but instead expired naturally while Owen was napping and he just mistook the old man's death as crash related。。。。。12 hours would be a super long nap。 Of course， maybe we learn that there's some supernatural reason for rigor mortis and body heat dissipation to happen instantly， so this complaint could be entirely unfounded。 But I suspect it's more likely a case of thirty seconds of research that didn't happen。But， at this point I was already Not Feeling It because of the FP/PT writing style and a few other instances of scratchy writing， so。。。。。。。。。Moving on！ 。。。more

Kiele McKinney ，

Review to come！

Casey （ish-i-ness） ，

If you ever wished the stories from the Grimms， Andersen， and Lang were a bit longer， you’ll find that fulfilled here。 My advice for reading: don’t rush。 Let the story unfold at its own pace。 A tree that is almost a girl and a boy whose head is always lost in the stars meet just as the forces of their two realms collide in a battle which could lead to the end of everything either has known。 Neither is sure that would be a bad thing， as their friendship grows and leads them to doubt everything th If you ever wished the stories from the Grimms， Andersen， and Lang were a bit longer， you’ll find that fulfilled here。 My advice for reading: don’t rush。 Let the story unfold at its own pace。 A tree that is almost a girl and a boy whose head is always lost in the stars meet just as the forces of their two realms collide in a battle which could lead to the end of everything either has known。 Neither is sure that would be a bad thing， as their friendship grows and leads them to doubt everything they thought they knew。 My only complaint is the story feels a little repetitive。 That does lend to the fairy tale quality， making it feel like an extended bedtime story， but it reads as if it was padded with filler。 Still， it is an absolutely lovely reading experience。 。。。more

Katrina ，

Poetic and brutal 😭

Iza ，

Review coming soon。

Cayla ，

Thanks to Page Street Publishing for sending me this gifted copy of Into the Heartless Wood。 I have never read anything by this author before so it was a new to me author。 This one was a very powerful， strong， emotional book。 Felt like a fairytale book for sure！ It had a lot of adventure and those kind of books are always exciting to read and feel like you are on the journey too！Great job！

Riley ，

Sirens？ Check。 Mystical woods with a dark secret？ Check。Forbidden romance？ Double check。 ”Her gold and silver hair whips about her face; her honey-colored eyes shine in the darkness。 Even monsters can be beautiful。”This was a relatively quick read， but it was enchanting and memorable nonetheless。 I loved the fairytale-like， mythical feel。 I’m a sucker for these don’t-go-into-the-woods fantasy novels。 Add in a dash of romance and a beautiful but dangerous siren？ I’m in。 I do think the romance Sirens？ Check。 Mystical woods with a dark secret？ Check。Forbidden romance？ Double check。 ”Her gold and silver hair whips about her face; her honey-colored eyes shine in the darkness。 Even monsters can be beautiful。”This was a relatively quick read， but it was enchanting and memorable nonetheless。 I loved the fairytale-like， mythical feel。 I’m a sucker for these don’t-go-into-the-woods fantasy novels。 Add in a dash of romance and a beautiful but dangerous siren？ I’m in。 I do think the romance could have used a little more development， but like I said， it’s a quick read， centered more on the fantasy than the romance。 It’s sweet and entertaining - definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of Megan Spooner’s Hunted or The Hazel Wood by by Melissa Albert。 。。。more

Holly Hughes ，

Thank you to the Canadian Manda Group for providing me with a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review。 ”The wood is different in the daylight。。。 It still teems with power， but it is beautiful， too。 Perhaps the beauty makes it more dangerous， because there are long moments when I begin to feel safe。” everyone， myself included， is looking away from the “started reading” dateFirst and foremost， with as much eloquence as I can muster: I fucked with these aesthetics。 I loved how we were given Thank you to the Canadian Manda Group for providing me with a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review。 ”The wood is different in the daylight。。。 It still teems with power， but it is beautiful， too。 Perhaps the beauty makes it more dangerous， because there are long moments when I begin to feel safe。” everyone， myself included， is looking away from the “started reading” dateFirst and foremost， with as much eloquence as I can muster: I fucked with these aesthetics。 I loved how we were given a soft boy and a monster girl instead of the far more common inverse of that， and Joanna Ruth Meyer’s whimsical writing perfectly set and fit the tone。I loved the first half more than the second， but it still solidly stuck the landing in the end。 I always love a story that makes me want to make art。Full review to come。 。。。more

Abigail （acoldwintersread） ，

This was an odd one。 I didn’t hate it， but I really didn’t care about it for like 95% of the book。 I didn’t connect to any of the characters， and it was quite repetitive for most of the book。 The ending was ok， I guess？ At least there was a bit of an epilogue to fix it。 If it had been left open ended， I probably would have rated lower。

jessica ，

i will admit i was hesitant to pick this up。 ive read so many ‘witches of the wood’ kind of stories that i wasnt sure this would be anything new or exciting。 and i was kind of right。 this is your classic fairytale/folklore story of a dangerous magical wood and the monsters that lurk inside it。 it has your sweet village boy and the siren who longs for a different life。 you have your ruling kingdoms， the natural beings， and the war between them。 and while i did like the lovely writing， the dryad a i will admit i was hesitant to pick this up。 ive read so many ‘witches of the wood’ kind of stories that i wasnt sure this would be anything new or exciting。 and i was kind of right。 this is your classic fairytale/folklore story of a dangerous magical wood and the monsters that lurk inside it。 it has your sweet village boy and the siren who longs for a different life。 you have your ruling kingdoms， the natural beings， and the war between them。 and while i did like the lovely writing， the dryad aspect and the obvious welsh undertones （these are what gave the story any sense of uniqueness for me）， everything else is all pretty standard。 which will be a delight for readers who love the quaint feel of fairytales。 but for me， personally， i need something a bit more for me to fall in love with this kind of story。 ↠ 3。5 stars 。。。more

Sandy Lowe ，

A fairy tale type of vibe， with some serious violence。 I loved the tree siren part of this book - so creative and imaginative。 A fun read！

❤️My Dog is my Best Friend❤️ ，

First of all the writing in this book was so beautiful and lyrical that I wanted to give it five stars for that。 It was a book that flowed like poetry and I adored it。 The premise was unique too with an interesting plot and following a tree nymph girl person named Seren。 （I can’t think of the name right now） It is more of a love story than anything and the story between her and Owen was so beautiful。However the back half of the book while still well written just fell flat for me and the story as First of all the writing in this book was so beautiful and lyrical that I wanted to give it five stars for that。 It was a book that flowed like poetry and I adored it。 The premise was unique too with an interesting plot and following a tree nymph girl person named Seren。 （I can’t think of the name right now） It is more of a love story than anything and the story between her and Owen was so beautiful。However the back half of the book while still well written just fell flat for me and the story as a whole was missing that extra depth so when things would happen to the characters that I was supposed to feel sad about I didn’t care。 This didn’t make it a bad book but definitely one I won’t be picking up again。 But it WILL be one I will recommend to others。 Content: some violence 。。。more

Torwyn James ，

This is beautiful！ We warned I would consider it a bit dark but it is DELIGHTFULLY Welsh and that gives it all the points。 CW: physical abuse by a parental figure， （referenced） torture。

Rachel ，

4 stars。 Loved the incorporation of Welsh words！

Desirée Niccoli ，

Did I devour this book or did it devour me？ Sooo good and INSPIRING。 A new favorite。 I am so weak for lady monsters + human love interests。 Obsessed， wrecked， and restored。

Ariel ，

Halfway through this book seasonal depression decided that I needed to be thrown into a reading slump。 Well with the weather turning and the earth turning green again I finally began reading this book again。 Into the heartless wood is a beautifully tragic dark fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens， and Among the Beasts and Briars。Really I don’t have much to say， this wonderful stand alone was brilliantly written。 The romance was strangely pure， and lovely。 While the world was anyt Halfway through this book seasonal depression decided that I needed to be thrown into a reading slump。 Well with the weather turning and the earth turning green again I finally began reading this book again。 Into the heartless wood is a beautifully tragic dark fantasy perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens， and Among the Beasts and Briars。Really I don’t have much to say， this wonderful stand alone was brilliantly written。 The romance was strangely pure， and lovely。 While the world was anything but。 The characters were loveable， and well written， with a lot of depth to each one。 I highly recommend this book。 I honestly don’t know what to say it was just fantastic。 。。。more

Jennifer MacMullin ，

This was enchanting and beautiful and I had tears in my eyes at the end！ Forbidden love between a boy who just wants to chase the stars and a tree siren who doesn’t want to be a monster anymore。 I definitely recommend this one， guys， I loved it 😍

Cassandra ，

2。75 or so？ I DNF at around 40%。 There was nothing wrong with the book， but I didn't feel compelled to keep reading either。 A lot of the same information was being repeated and that nothing new was really happening。 Maybe this comes along further in the book than where I stopped reading， but I also felt that it was a bit weak that Owen apparently had a 'bright soul' and that is what made Seren start to change。I'm also not a fan or chapters written a poetry when they aren't actually poetic。 2。75 or so？ I DNF at around 40%。 There was nothing wrong with the book， but I didn't feel compelled to keep reading either。 A lot of the same information was being repeated and that nothing new was really happening。 Maybe this comes along further in the book than where I stopped reading， but I also felt that it was a bit weak that Owen apparently had a 'bright soul' and that is what made Seren start to change。I'm also not a fan or chapters written a poetry when they aren't actually poetic。 。。。more

Jessie ，

I。 Loved。 This。 Book。And wildly？ I almost convinced myself not to read it and just return it to the library！ What a miss that would have been。 This is far and away my favourite release of 2021 so far。If you liked The Bone Houses I would definitely give this one a go。 It feels similarly Welsh， focuses on a boy and a girl （vacillating between their POVs）， includes monsters + myths， and feels at once familiar and fresh。Owen and his family live on the edge of a magical forest that houses siren tree I。 Loved。 This。 Book。And wildly？ I almost convinced myself not to read it and just return it to the library！ What a miss that would have been。 This is far and away my favourite release of 2021 so far。If you liked The Bone Houses I would definitely give this one a go。 It feels similarly Welsh， focuses on a boy and a girl （vacillating between their POVs）， includes monsters + myths， and feels at once familiar and fresh。Owen and his family live on the edge of a magical forest that houses siren tree nymphs who lure people to their death。 They were created by the witch of the wood to aid in her battle with the king of the land。 Owen cares for his 2yo sister and his father after the loss of their mother。 His life is largely domestic but every evening he uses his father's telescope to track the stars。 Until one day when a siren spares his life and his world is changed。The romance is very tender and while much more present than in The Bone Houses， it wasn't overwhelming-- I was worried this would be a lot more of a romance than it truly was。 When the book shifts settings midway I was wary that I wouldn't like the new direction， but I still absolutely loved it。 Great plot， great characters， great world， great magic。 I wish I had someone to just gush about this with because I utterly loved it。 。。。and that ending？ I'm not crying; you're crying！ 。。。more

Haley Campbell ，

I read this one a few months back and I honestly don’t know why it hasn’t blown up。 Why am I not seeing this all over when I scroll through bookstagram？！ IT’S SO GOOD。 A girl of music and a boy of stars， magical creatures and a beautifully developed magical system – it’s lyrical and haunting and one of my favorite books of the year。 If this isn’t on your radar， put it on your radar。 If you already have a copy – read it！ The story is told from two perspectives – Owen， an astronomy apprentice and I read this one a few months back and I honestly don’t know why it hasn’t blown up。 Why am I not seeing this all over when I scroll through bookstagram？！ IT’S SO GOOD。 A girl of music and a boy of stars， magical creatures and a beautifully developed magical system – it’s lyrical and haunting and one of my favorite books of the year。 If this isn’t on your radar， put it on your radar。 If you already have a copy – read it！ The story is told from two perspectives – Owen， an astronomy apprentice and Seren， a tree siren。 Owen has grown up on the border of the magic forest， a forest which took his mother when he was young。 Since then， the forest has seemed to grow in size and the king is desperate to cut it back。 When Owen’s little sister wanders into the forest， he meets Seren and from there an epic adventure begins… The thing I loved most about this book is that it is overflowing with love。 It is probably one of my favorite instances of familial love I’ve ever read。 And the romance is just *so dang precious。* The journey our characters are on isn’t easy and they really have to lean on each other to make it through。 It felt like a more realistic depiction of human （or not so human） interaction and that is what makes this book special。 It sticks with you。 There is battle， and sacrifice， hurt， and anger – but through it all， the bonds that were developed were unbreakable。 If you’re looking for a truly beautiful， atmospheric， poetic read – add this to your list NOW。 Pleaseeee。 I need people to talk about it with。 Thank youuuu！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Into the Heartless Wood

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Into the Heartless Wood&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Into the Heartless Wood&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0