The Wolf and the Woodsman

On the face of it this is an interesting mix of reference points - eastern European folklore, paganism vs christianity, imperialism and cultural suppression. We follow the story of Evike, a pagan who is betrayed by her village and given as tribute to an imperialistic conqueror. But following betrayals and borderline civil war in that conquering nation she finds herself allied with a disgraced prince who has been betrayed.

The underlying themes are fascinating. The brutality of cultural suppression and cultural appropriation are taken on in an unflinching manner. Where I struggle is more in the character relationships, and the journey undertaken. Evike and Gaspar Barany relationship feels flat for much of the book to me. I struggle with some of the motivations in the characters. The marching up and down the country is exhausting to read and it feels repetitive. The themes are fascinating, the execution was not quite what I hoped for. It is still an interesting read, but unfortunately the characters ended up being a bit forgettable.

3.5/5 Stars

So I'm gonna sleep on my star rating and perhaps change it in the morning. I rounded down because I found there to be a lack of chemistry between the two main characters (the love story was not the knock-off Nina&Matthias romance I was lead into believing it would be) and I was confused about a lot of things that happened in this book (I still don't know how the main character lost her pinky

don't hate me but i laughed at the ending like YEAH that's how u defeat that particular bad guy... anyway

i ADORED this book and how beautiful and lyrical it was. following evike and gaspar on this journey that was deeply entrenched in world-building made it so hard to put this book down. the beginning of the book was a little rough, but after about 15% of the way through i really got hooked (but of course... life got in the way)

i echo all the praises being sung for this book!

This was a bit of a slow burn to start but once I got about 1/4 in, I was pretty hooked. Some of the other reviewers have mentioned that they felt the narrative was interrupted too often by the digressions into storytelling and folklore but I think that is what made this book so special. The stories the characters grew up with are more similar than not, though they are used to justify a wide range of behaviors. I loved the substitution of the Yehuli for the Jewish community - I saw myself in them. They were not defined by their trauma but rather by their joy.

I understand the comparisons to Spinning Silver and agree that the narratives are similar. The writing is a little bit different but I think if you liked Spinning Silver this is a great next book for you!

“The trees have to be tied down by sunset. When the Woodsmen come, they always try to run.”

In het begin genoot ik echt van dit boek (wat een pareltje van een openingszin ook), ondanks de onuitstaanbare hoofdpersoon Évike.
Het had een zeer betoverende, gezellige folkloristische sfeer, maar was tegelijkertijd wreed en grimmig.
Maar gaandeweg werd het gedrag van de hoofdpersoon gewoon te ergerlijk om nog iets aan het verhaal te kunnen waarderen.

“You've not an ounce of good sense”

Évike is zogezegd midden de twintig, maar de helft van de tijd gedraagt ze zich als een nukkig kind, terwijl ze zich de andere helft gedraagt als een geile tiener.
Ik kan begrijpen dat ze opgroeide in barre omstandigheden, waar ze werd gehekeld en gepest, om uiteindelijk verraden en uitverkocht te worden. Ik kan zeer zeker begrijpen dat ze verbitterd is, maar doorheen gans het boek gedraagt ze zich als slachtoffer, terwijl ze tegelijkertijd koppig, eigenwijs en gemeen is. Ze handelt in alles ondoordacht, overhaast en onvolwassen, vastberaden om net het tegenovergestelde te doen wat haar met de beste bedoelingen wordt aangeraden. Er zit niks van evolutie in haar personage en op den duur begon het me zo erg te irriteren, dat het me deed twijfelen of ik dit boek wel moest uitlezen.

“I suppose a coward is anyone who acts with forethought, who doesn't hurl themselves into the jaws of the beast only to prove their heroism?”

Haar motivaties, en eigenlijk ook die van andere personages, sloegen helemaal nergens op, of veranderden om de paar hoofdstukken, waardoor ze erg wispelturig en ongeloofwaardig over kwamen. Veel aspecten in het boek worden gewoon niet voldoende uitgelegd of uitgewerkt om enige impact op de lezer te hebben. Ook het romantische aspect was totaal niet aantrekkelijk.

Dus ja, toch wel heel teleurgesteld in deze. Ik had moeten stoppen met lezen toen ik daar eerst over twijfelde, gezien de ontknoping belange na niet voldoende was om het boek in mijn ogen enigszins te redden.

In this world based on Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, we follow Évike, a wolf girl from a small village, who hasn't been blessed with magic like everyone else in the village. When the woodsmen come to take one of them, the village easily agrees to send Évike along with them as their sacrifice, making the woodsmen believe she is a Seer. What follows is a dark, sad story full of love, acceptance, and violence.

The premise of this story is a good one. It is full of rich lore, with magical creatures, dark forests, and political intrigue. However, I think this story fell short in a few ways. There was so much lore that had to be told to the reader, that there would be an intense scene that was interrupted by a story. It would pull me out of the story and ruin suspense. There was also so much lore that there was no way I would've been able to keep track of all of it. I also feel like besides Évike, most of the characters felt relatively 2 dimensional. The love interest, while having some character development, didn't seem to have much personality. The romance reminded me a lot of a darker telling of Nina and Matthias, but I didn't like these characters as much. The plot was fine, but because it kept getting interrupted by the stories, it felt disjointed. The ending was exciting and suspenseful, but because I didn't feel much attachment to the characters, it didn't feel like the stakes were that high.

I will definitely try out more by this author. There is definitely potential in this story, there were just some short comings. I am still excited to see more from this author.

TW: ableism, amputation, animal death, antisemitism, blood, body horror, bullying, cannibalism, child death, death, death of a parent, dismemberment, domestic abuse, emesis, emotional abuse, genocide, gore, homophobia, immolation, murder, physical abuse, racism, religious bigotry, self-harm, sex, torture

Honestly, I'd give 3.5 stars if possible. The book is well-written, but not for me. I picked it up because I was interested in a possible spin on Red Riding Hood, but the folklore played a smaller role than I hoped. It felt like seasoning for a dark, violent, painful outcasts-journey-and-become-rebels story. And that is fine! It's just not my cup of tea. I miss fantasy worlds that I actually might want to go to, you know? :) In any case, if you liked The Merciful Crow, chances are good you'll enjoy this one!

A decent love story and a well constructed world. However, the complete ignorance, stupidity, and entitled behaviour of the main character are great turn-offs.
There never was a purpose to the book; the story unfolded like happenstance. The main character could have had some motives, something other than just a bitchy behaviour.
It's not a recommended read from me. There are better books to spend your time with.