Review: 'The Wolf and the Woodsman' by Ava Reid

 Oh how I adore the fantasy books that have come out this year! It has honestly been almost overwhelming how many good books made their appearance, which is why I took longer to get to The Wolf and the Woodsman than I intended to. But oh how my patience was rewarded. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more during the one cold, dark winternight in which I read this book. Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 06/08/2021
Publisher: Random House UK; Cornerstone; Del Rey

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.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is a novel about differences and whether they can be bridged. Religion plays a major role in this book, both in the organized and in the personal sense. We get aspects of nation-building, extremism, and the propaganda required to keep those two going. While this novel depicts these things, it is in no way an endorsement or understanding participant in these. Reid unflinchingly shows the dark side of these undertakings, the way in which it not just victimizes minorities but actively persecutes them. These are heavy themes, but they are important to address in fiction, specifically in a genre like Fantasy which has so often, at times unconsciously, peddled in racist caricatures and positive representations of imperialism. The Wolf and the Woodsman is a great example of how fiction can help readers consider and address these themes, without overwhelming them. 

Évike is a wolf-girl, except... not really. She has no powers to speak of and her father was an outsider to the village, a Yehuli taxman. After her mother is taken by the Woodsmen, she grows up under the begrudging tutelage of Virag, ignored or bullied by the rest of the village. So when someone has to be handed over to the Woodsmen as tribute no one blinks an eye when Évike is offered up. So begins an adventure in which Évike is forced to confront her own concepts of herself, her origin, religion, and her role in the larger scheme of things. The Wolf and the Woodsman is a novel full of powerful questions and themes which are always at play under the surface yet never entirely overwhelm the plot. While the stark differences between Évike and Gáspár consistently cause angst and confusion, they also contirbute to the delicious tension that runs throughout the novel. I adored Évike, with her stubbornness, her aching desire to fit in, and her blazing passion. Gáspár is a great foil for her, with a more quiet, if no less fiery, passion and an awareness that strength must sometimes be hidden until the right moment. The wider set of characters each brought something vital to the story and felt like fully realized people, with their own thoughts, emotions and histories. A slight exception may what we could call the "main villain", but as we don't get a real perspective into their mind that may be expected.

I absolutely adored Ava Reid's writing. The way she incorporates tales into her story, as well as the focus on understanding one's self through the tales we tell. It is how I read books, in an attempt to put my own feelings and thoughts and ideas into words. Seeing this reflected on the page is beautiful. As someone who grew up religious and steeped in mythology and fairy tales, I found much to connect with. What really stood out to me in The Wolf and the Woodsman is the beautiful world-building. Reid mixed Hungarian, Scandinavian and Jewish mythology to create a world that feels lived in, but also a world of stark differences. I loved the extensive and loving portrayal of the Yehuli, who represent the Jewish people, and the care taken in showing their traditions and beliefs. The marketing compared this novel to The Bear and the Nightingale and they do share a similar tone, in that folklore and mystique hums throughout the entire novel. A mild warning, this novel does contain scenes of violence and abuse, physical and emotional, both by others and by people to themselves. Ava Reid herself described it as a "magic system based on body horror" (Source). I do believe this is well-explained and worked into the story, in the sense that there is a reason for it and it is contextualized well, but it may be triggering to people nonetheless. I can't wait to read more by Ava Reid, I am utterly in love. 

I give this novel...

5 Universes!

The Wolf and the Woodsman was absolutely worth me waiting for the right time to read it. I devoured it in less than 24 hours, utterly bewitched and enchanted, but also wiser after reading. Treat yourself this Christmas, while the nights are still dark.