Name: sophie's review of For the Throne by Hannah Whitten
Item: For the Throne
Rating: 4
Author: sophie

Hannah Whitten

Read the breathtaking sequel to FOR THE WOLF, the instant NYT and USA Today fantasy bestseller. Red's sister Neve is trapped in a mysterious land of twisted roots, lost gods, and mountains made of bone, and the only clues to her rescue are a magic mirror and a dark prince who wants to bring the whole thing crumbling down. The First Daughter is for the Throne The Second Daughter is for the Wolf... Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red's beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally--though it's one she'd rather never have to speak to again--the rogue king Solmir. Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods' dark, twisted powers for themselves.

The Wilderwood #2

For the Throne

Hannah F. Whitten

The First Daughter is for the Throne.
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.

Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red's beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally--though it's one she'd rather never have to speak to again--the rogue king Solmir.

Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods' dark, twisted powers for themselves.

Wilderwood, #2

Joana

I crawled from the sea to the land with the intention of ending worlds. Sometimes, I did. A city is a world, to some. A village. 

"I have two eyes, for one thing. And you, Raffe, walk around like a man carrying the weight of the whole world. Who else would you carry it for?" 

The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods.

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.

Wilderwood, #1

For the Wolf

Sandra 

"I don't think I can mourn her. I mourn the idea of her"

"Sometimes you don't mourn people so much as you mourn who they could've been"

Mỹ Phượng

White, for piety. Black, for absence. Scarlet, for sacrifice.

Emma Steinbrecher

“I warned you before. None of the stories here have happy endings.”

“I don’t care about happy endings. I care about you.”

She wanted to live, and damn the things that said she shouldn’t.

But goodbyes were reserved for people who knew each other, and Isla had never bothered to know Red.

Liz Griffin

Thev all knew that love made monstrous things necessary sometimes. They all knew their own capacity to burn worlds down.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf. For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark, sweeping debut fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn't the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood. As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose—to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood—and her world—whole. "A brilliant dark fantasy debut!" —Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author

Cassandra 

Isabel Menchón Martínez

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

sophie

the emotional attachments i have formed to these characters really better watch themselves because i know something is right around the corner to make me cry again in the next book 

samantha lias

Mae Erceg

Thank goodness I’m finished. Liked the ending, wasn’t a fan of the rest of the book :/

The world building part was to extensive for me to enjoy it. But I’m craving more about Neverah and Raffe so yes I’m reading book 2

Lizeth Garcia

A tale of two sisters and their love for one another is a refreshing tale in the fantasy genre. The plot is intriguing, the setting is very atmospheric and eerie in the perfect “dangerous ancient magic” way, and the characters are a delight. This retelling is exactly the spin “Little Red Riding Hood” needed. It’s a darker, creepier, and wonderfully written version of one of my favorite folktales/fairytales. 

Ami Is Dreaming Again

Katrina Meyers

Beatrice

For the Wolf was one of my most highly anticipated reads for the year and, boy, did it deliver! I loved this book from its first page right up to its last and it easily earned its rightful spot as one of my favourite reads this year so far.

Redarys is a Second Daughter and all her life she's known what that means: her only purpose is to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wilderwood so that he will return their old kings-turned-gods to her world.

The First Daughter is for the throne.
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf.
And the Wolves are for the Wilderwood.

But Red soon discovers that not things aren't always what they seem, and old myths and legends sometimes lie. The Wolf is in fact a man struggling to hold together the now crumbling Wood, the last remaining barrier between Red's world and an evil beyond imagination.

For the Wolf brings together familiar fairy tales and original mythology to create a complex and rich world. I could definitely see elements of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast, and even spotted a little Snow White in there! This book takes well-known tropes and elements and gives them an original twist, creating a highly entertaining and engaging read that had me gripped throughout.

I personally loved the characters and the way they changed throughout the book as more and more is revealed about the Wilderwood and its purpose, the kings, and the mysterious shadows slowly creeping into the world. 

Red is definitely the centre of the book, whether we're following her POV or looking at her sister Neve's attempts to find a way to bring Red back. I really enjoyed seeing Red grow and accept her role in the wood... and at the Wolf's side. While at first she seems passively resigned to her fate, her full strength quickly comes through as she works hard to find her own place in the world. Red is headstrong, witty, independent and fiercely loyal to the people she loves: basically, everything I love in an MC. The romance is definitely a slow burn and Eammon, the Wolf, is the perfect tall, dark and brooding gentleman. 

I also really liked Neve's interludes. I found her to be a very interesting character, and in some ways even more complex and intriguing than Red. I'm so curious to see what Neve'll get up to in the next book! The entire cast is fantastic, and I loved all the secondary characters. I wish we'd gotten to see a bit more of some of them, but maybe I'll get my wish in the second book.

The world building was also perfectly on point! The Wilderwood gave me definite Uprooted vibes, as did some of the writing. I'm in love with the author's writing style and the way she crafts gorgeous and deliciously creepy descriptions. The pace did slow a fair bit around the middle mark, which made it feel as though certain sections were dragging on with not much happening. It picked up again though and the ending was incredibly fast-paced and gave me ALL the feelings at once.

For the Wolf is one of those books that reminded me why I love fantasy so much. Magic, an eerie wood, legends and traditions, and an incredible cast of characters come together in this beautiful and unforgettable tale. Can't wait for the second book!

Find my reviews on Book for Thought.

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

For the Wolf was one of my favourite reads last year, so I was really looking forward to the second book in this duology. In fact, For the Throne was probably one of my most anticipated reads this year.

This second book picks up right where the first one ended. I didn't re-read For the Wolf before starting this one, but it might be worth doing if you have the time as, outside of the main characters, I had a hard time remembering who was who for a few chapters.

The book mostly follows Neve, Red's sister, while she is stuck in the Shadowlands with Solmir, but there are also some chapters in Red's POV as she struggles to find a way to save her sister and even some showing Raffe's POV. Neve was by far the most interesting character, and I loved getting to know her more deeply than before, exploring her complexities and witnessing both her incredible strength and her touching vulnerability.

The author does an amazing job with the atmosphere. It was dark and chilling and just absolutely perfect. I could almost feel the Shadowlands as Neve and Solmir made their way through them to try and destroy them and the Old Kings. I also really liked the original way in which some classic folklore tropes and elements were woven through the story, and the addition of the gods was a very welcome one for me.

Action on the surface wasn't quite as captivating as that in the Shadowlands for me, and I did find that rather a lot of it was too slow-moving to really hold my interest. I still love Red and Eamonn, but some of the other characters failed to really grow on me and, by the end, there were a few too many couples going around. Some of the surprising twists were also not so surprising after all, which was disappointing as I love being surprised!

Still, I really liked the ending and was very satisfied with it as a conclusion to this duology even if this second book didn't quite live up to the first one for me. Hannah Whitten was a fantastic discovery and I look forward to reading many, many more of her books in the future.

For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

momo-reads

I wanted to love this more than I actually loved it.  It was mostly entertaining but but became entirely too predictable and I lost interest at about 70%.  I skimmed the last chapters and wont pick up the next book.

This book brought me out of my reading funk! It is so magical and beautifully written. It takes inspiration from several fairytales without being childish or gimmicky. I absolutely loved Red and Eammon and the world around them! Written almost in prose in some parts and yet very easily digestible. I was not a huge fan of Neve’s point of view and thought her voice could have been better differentiated from Red’s. I always trudged through her chapters waiting to get back to Red’s. Otherwise, I loved everything about it and would recommend to anyone!!

Audrey Chaffin

I struggled trying to finish the book. The plot looked convincing at the beginning but almost anything happens in the first half of the book and the characters are... Well, pretty simple. I won't continue the series.

bella <3

would have been better if they fucked while everyone still thought she was dead

Sarah Eliz

this was a bit disappointing. i really had to TRY to get invested into the characters and story, it didn’t come easily — however once things did start getting more interesting in the last quarter of the book when the storylines started converging, I found it to be enjoyable. the chapters in neve’s pov were so much more fun to read about than all the chapters in red’s pov even though she’s the MC (mainly because there were so many repetitive action scenes that I did not care for). the romance in the book had potential but i felt it was never really delivered on. all that being said, i will be picking up the sequel at some point because I heard some good things about it and I am curious where the story will go!

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just meh. Interesting concept, but just kinda one-sided characters. Won't be continuing the series, cuz well, I don't care. Ending was dumb. 

Sandi King

Sasha angell

"A forest in your bones, a graveyard beneath your feet. There are no heroes here."- for the wolf 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
⭐ 1/5

I am so disappointed, I was really looking forward to reading For The Wolf. I was expecting a interesting, dark fantasy retelling of red riding hood. What I got was repetition and shallow characters who were unwilling adapt and had little to no development. It honestly felt like the characters where monologueing at each other rather than conversing, there was no meaningful communication for most of the book. 

Not to mention the magic system was a nightmare with no real rules, it felt like it was being made up as the story went. When you think you understand it something that complete contradicts the rules happens. They kept using their blood to fix things quickly rather than properly use magic and it felt like the author threw in blood magic at an attempt to make it a dark fantasy. Instead it trivialised self harm and glorified self sacrifice. Especially as there were other options to fix the issue like using magic, apparently bleeding out was better than getting a bit taller (literally 1 inch). 

To top it of nothing about red made sense. She had magic but no roots (which you need to use the magic). she refused to return because she might hurt people with magic, but when offered a chance to learn to control it she says NO! Surely if she wanted to keep people safe from her magic she would try to master it! she was more powerful than the wolf before she had a y really connection to the wilderwood and its not explained why she could do these things other then saying 'shes the second daughter' or because 'she is for the wolf'. Like she could literally right after she walked in if she had wanted.
Also the kissing scene where kinda off putting 😒 the way they were written were a little blunt in a way that made them uncomfortable rather than enticing.

I will admit I enjoyed the final battle and there is some well written paragraphs to qoute but I'm don't think it convinced me to read more of this series.

Amina Madadi (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ)

Definitely a DNF, I pushed as much as I could but, enough is enough, the red cloak, the sister helping to get dressed, the scarred wolf's hands, the dangerous magic that needs to be shut down, we get it!! One chapter would have done the trick, not 24% of the book, come on! 

Some compared this book to "The Bear and The Nightingale" by Katherine Arden 😱 this is what I call madness.

Absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel! Loved the spin on Little Red Riding Hood -- and while there is romance, it is still very much a story about love between sisters. For the Wolves!

(Bre)anne✨

TW to be added later

Absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel! Loved the spin on Little Red Riding Hood -- and while there is romance, it is still very much a story about love between sisters. For the Wolves!

Rachel Minton

Overall I really enjoyed this book but I wish it had a map so that I could follow along more with the world building that was going on. Also it seemed like the other cities that were discussed didn’t get a lot of detail so I’m hoping in the next book we get to see more of the world

anxiouspixie

** spoiler alert **
           SPOILER

I really enjoyed this book and would have given it four stars if she hadn't been willing to tie herself forever to a man who wouldn't even admit his feelings for her. Imagine if she had done that and he was like fuck I don't feel the same way.

** spoiler alert **
           SPOILERS

Honestly so disappointed in this book. The first one was fun, definitely had a few issues with the world building, but this one was just all over the place. It felt like every piece of world building was just convenient to whatever was happening. The ending was even weirder. Not a fan.

Ilona Labská 

Imagine the Red Riding Hood from the royal family, being born to be sacrificed to the big bad Wolf. Except the Wolf is not an animal but a man, defending the Wildwood and her world. 

The incredible fantasy tale from beyond the trees, full of love and secrets.

** spoiler alert **
           Rating: 4.5 

Thank you so much to Orbit Books UK for sending me an early copy! 

I love retellings, this one was beautifully written! With a mix of Beauty and the Beast and little red riding hood, this story took life. First let’s talk about the cover of the book, it’s absolutely stunning. The details in the world building were spectacular, I am a huge sucker for dark eerie worlds with a mysterious twist. The characters were interesting…The sisterhood between Neve and Red flowed perfectly. I really enjoyed learning about them both and how magic pulled one more than the other. The sisters traits were interesting, the good and evil all tied together, keeping us on the edge of our seats with the magic, the plot twists, and the romance! There were times I felt like the book slowed down a bit, but nothing too intense that made me want to put down the book.. I look forward to reading more by this author, this was a great mix of two amazing fairytales!

After loving For the Wolf, I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy this book much sense I wasn't overly compelled by Neve but I was wrong! I think I loved this book more than For the Wolf. I fell in love with Solmir quickly and be relationship formed with Neve. The ending was satisfying for this duology

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
For the Throne by Hannah Whitten

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
For the Throne by Hannah Whitten