Friday Friyay: 'The Wolf and the Woodsman' by Ava Reid

 It's July and I have no idea how that happened... what it does mean is that my summer holiday has started! Admittedly, it is as grey and grim outside as could be, but it means I'm getting plenty of chances to curl up with a book, my cat and a cup of coffee. I also got my first vaccine this week and it honestly felt like such a weight off my shoulders! I can go into the summer a little bit more prepared and protected. But back to the books! Today I'm sharing excerpts from a book I can't wait to read. I meant to get to it last month but June flew past me so it's due this weekend instead!

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.

Book Beginnings is at home on Rose City Reader, hosted by Gilion Dumas, and Friday 56 at Freda's Voice, hosted by Freda. I'll also be joining the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Charlie over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. My quotes are from the ARC and may differ in the published book.

BB:

'The trees have to be tied down by the sunset. When the Woodsmen come, they always try to run.' p.1

Okay, this is a beginning I can get on board with because I'm immediately in there, wondering what kind of world this is, why and how the trees are sentient, who the Woodsmen are, all the questions!

F56:

'My mother rarely spoke of him, and when she did, it was only in a hushed, shameful whisper.' p.56

No idea what is going on here but it sounds intriguing! I am always a sucker for digging into family secrets, or finding out why your parents did certain things, so I can't wait to reach this point in the book.

BBH:

This week's question was submitted by Julie over at Stepping Stones Book Reviews:

Have you ever searched out theme songs for your favourite books?

Lovely question! I don't think I actually pick out specific songs for specific books but I do have playlists of soundtracks that I love to accompany my reading. Especially if I am reading Fantasy I like having something epic and beautiful playing in the background. I do occasionally like looking up the book in Spotify to see if someone else has created a playlist, but of course everyone's interpretation is different so the songs don't always vibe with me.

That's my Friday! What are you reading? And do you create playlists for books?