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minhiriath's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
r_happe's review against another edition
3.0
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me a while to get into, but once I did I was hooked. I really liked the book's atmosphere and setting. I loved the idea of the woods coming to life and teeming with magic that is used for both good and evil. There were quite a few emotional scenes that I loved as well. The characters were interesting and I admired the overall theme of choosing your fate in the face of so many obstacles. The pacing didn't really vibe with me; the beginning felt very slow and the ending wrapped up very quickly. Overall though this book was magical, dark, and emotional. This isn't a direct retelling of Beauty and the Beast but I definitely see the inspiration and like how the author spun her own tale from that foundation. Not everything clicked with my reading preferences but I liked the story a lot.
Full review to come.
This book took me a while to get into, but once I did I was hooked. I really liked the book's atmosphere and setting. I loved the idea of the woods coming to life and teeming with magic that is used for both good and evil. There were quite a few emotional scenes that I loved as well. The characters were interesting and I admired the overall theme of choosing your fate in the face of so many obstacles. The pacing didn't really vibe with me; the beginning felt very slow and the ending wrapped up very quickly. Overall though this book was magical, dark, and emotional. This isn't a direct retelling of Beauty and the Beast but I definitely see the inspiration and like how the author spun her own tale from that foundation. Not everything clicked with my reading preferences but I liked the story a lot.
Full review to come.
vesie's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think my rating would be a 3.5 or 3.75, possibly a 4, if I had read the book instead of listened to the audio book. I really struggled with the over dramatization of the actors, especialy the one reading the female voice.
The first part of the book I really thought I'd rate it a 5 I was enjoying it so much. However, the writing became a bit repetitive, overly dramatic, and dull. I also became annoyed at how whiney the main female character was, but that may have just been the way is was read.
The first part of the book I really thought I'd rate it a 5 I was enjoying it so much. However, the writing became a bit repetitive, overly dramatic, and dull. I also became annoyed at how whiney the main female character was, but that may have just been the way is was read.
dalessireads's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this fairytale and the darkness and sadness and longing that intertwined the characters. Beautifully done.
thebookishmutant's review against another edition
4.0
TW/CW: blood, gore, child endangerment, suicide, torture, vehicle crash/derailment, war themes
Into the Heartless Wood was just something I picked up because I was in an extended fantasy mood for most of last week, but it blew me away at how emotional and heartbreakingly tender it was. I thought I’d given up on Beauty and the Beast retellings, but to be honest, I had no idea that this was a retelling until after I’d finished the whole thing, and maybe that’s what made it so memorable. All it stuck to was the central theme of the story—everything else was Joanna Ruth Meyer, and that everything else was beautiful.
This is more of a general statement on fantasy/supernatural romances in general, but it feels like every pairing in it ends up where the woman is human, and the man is the non-human creature or monster. It’s on most of the shirtless dude (but this time he’s a werewolf/vampire/etc.) romances that I see advertised, and it’s in a lot of popular YA fantasies. It’s always the king or prince of the fae that the otherwise practical human girl falls for. And even though it’s my favorite movie, The Shape of Water fits too. You get the idea. We hardly ever let women be monsters. Not to get real College with it, but there’s something to be said for the fact that we can’t stand to make women monsters—and therefore unattractive in some way—because otherwise, they wouldn’t be tidy little sex objects anymore. Women are hardly ever in the position of the monstrous character because a lot of writers can’t stand the thought of a woman’s characteristics or redemption arc not being tied to her beauty.
That’s part of why Into the Heartless Wood stood out to me so much. Something as simple as a gender-swap has done this novel an immense service. Seren, the tree-siren love interest, is monstrous in the basic sense, but her inner conflict and the history that led up to who she is was written in such a painfully tender way. Even if she wasn’t meant to be the love interest, you would still feel so deeply for her. The way that her POV chapters switched from verse to prose depending on her circumstances was so artfully subtle, and Meyer had no trouble navigating between the two, even as Seren herself struggled to separate herself from the woods. The conflict between Seren and her sisters, as well as the inner conflicts of her place in the world and the struggle to become something more than a pawn of her mother, made her not just fleshed-out, but a character I was rooting for from page one. (I always feel sympathetic towards the monsters, but the point still stands.) Owen was the perfect match for her—his sensitivity and fearful yearning for something beyond the ordinary fit Seren’s search for meaning beyond the wood perfectly.
The Kingdom of Tarian was also fleshed out just right! I’m assuming most of it was Welsh-inspired, judging from the names of places and characters, but I liked the integration of the industrial aspect of Tarian, and not automatically opting for a medieval setting, as most fantasies tend to do. (It’s all well and good, but it gets tiring once 95% of the high fantasy books you’ve read end up with the same setting with minor tweaks.) The industrialization enhanced the nature/mankind conflict that the novel sets up; from the beginning, there’s a stark contrast between the human world of steam trains and semi-modern warfare and the wood, with its wild, man-eating tree witches, and it made the central, generational conflict between the Witch of the Wood and the king of Tarian seem even more grave, even if the lives of both protagonists and their families weren’t at stake.
What wrapped all of this together was both the prose and verse of Joanna Ruth Meyer. Both ways, her writing was truly lyrical, achingly poetic in even the most fleeting of scenes. The emotion that was baked into the fiber of this story made the almost Romeo & Juliet-like romance of Owen and Seren feel all the more revolutionary—teenagers always feel like their love stories are what make the world go ’round, but Meyer made you believe every word of it and root for the lovers every step of the way. Every bit of both love and heartbreak was heartstring-tugging—there’s nothing like a story of lovers giving each other the courage to break away from the mold set by the world(s) around them. Works like a charm.
All in all, an achingly romantic and heartbreaking fantasy that had me hanging on every word. 4.5 stars!
Into the Heartless Wood was just something I picked up because I was in an extended fantasy mood for most of last week, but it blew me away at how emotional and heartbreakingly tender it was. I thought I’d given up on Beauty and the Beast retellings, but to be honest, I had no idea that this was a retelling until after I’d finished the whole thing, and maybe that’s what made it so memorable. All it stuck to was the central theme of the story—everything else was Joanna Ruth Meyer, and that everything else was beautiful.
This is more of a general statement on fantasy/supernatural romances in general, but it feels like every pairing in it ends up where the woman is human, and the man is the non-human creature or monster. It’s on most of the shirtless dude (but this time he’s a werewolf/vampire/etc.) romances that I see advertised, and it’s in a lot of popular YA fantasies. It’s always the king or prince of the fae that the otherwise practical human girl falls for. And even though it’s my favorite movie, The Shape of Water fits too. You get the idea. We hardly ever let women be monsters. Not to get real College with it, but there’s something to be said for the fact that we can’t stand to make women monsters—and therefore unattractive in some way—because otherwise, they wouldn’t be tidy little sex objects anymore. Women are hardly ever in the position of the monstrous character because a lot of writers can’t stand the thought of a woman’s characteristics or redemption arc not being tied to her beauty.
That’s part of why Into the Heartless Wood stood out to me so much. Something as simple as a gender-swap has done this novel an immense service. Seren, the tree-siren love interest, is monstrous in the basic sense, but her inner conflict and the history that led up to who she is was written in such a painfully tender way. Even if she wasn’t meant to be the love interest, you would still feel so deeply for her. The way that her POV chapters switched from verse to prose depending on her circumstances was so artfully subtle, and Meyer had no trouble navigating between the two, even as Seren herself struggled to separate herself from the woods. The conflict between Seren and her sisters, as well as the inner conflicts of her place in the world and the struggle to become something more than a pawn of her mother, made her not just fleshed-out, but a character I was rooting for from page one. (I always feel sympathetic towards the monsters, but the point still stands.) Owen was the perfect match for her—his sensitivity and fearful yearning for something beyond the ordinary fit Seren’s search for meaning beyond the wood perfectly.
The Kingdom of Tarian was also fleshed out just right! I’m assuming most of it was Welsh-inspired, judging from the names of places and characters, but I liked the integration of the industrial aspect of Tarian, and not automatically opting for a medieval setting, as most fantasies tend to do. (It’s all well and good, but it gets tiring once 95% of the high fantasy books you’ve read end up with the same setting with minor tweaks.) The industrialization enhanced the nature/mankind conflict that the novel sets up; from the beginning, there’s a stark contrast between the human world of steam trains and semi-modern warfare and the wood, with its wild, man-eating tree witches, and it made the central, generational conflict between the Witch of the Wood and the king of Tarian seem even more grave, even if the lives of both protagonists and their families weren’t at stake.
What wrapped all of this together was both the prose and verse of Joanna Ruth Meyer. Both ways, her writing was truly lyrical, achingly poetic in even the most fleeting of scenes. The emotion that was baked into the fiber of this story made the almost Romeo & Juliet-like romance of Owen and Seren feel all the more revolutionary—teenagers always feel like their love stories are what make the world go ’round, but Meyer made you believe every word of it and root for the lovers every step of the way. Every bit of both love and heartbreak was heartstring-tugging—there’s nothing like a story of lovers giving each other the courage to break away from the mold set by the world(s) around them. Works like a charm.
All in all, an achingly romantic and heartbreaking fantasy that had me hanging on every word. 4.5 stars!
ewinga93's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
A “The Little Mermaid” retelling, but instead of a mermaid, it is a siren of the wood.
I thought this story was cute, but the love between Seren and Owen is pretty instant, so if that’s not your thing, you may not care for this book. I liked how it kind of read like a classic fairy tale.
I did listen to this book, and I think it would have been better if I just read this story instead. The narrators are talented, but the way they portrayed Seren and Owen individually just didn’t mesh well for me when they put their parts together. Ethan James Lynch reads the parts for Owen and when he portrays Soren in his parts, they make Soren come off as much more detached and unfeeling than when Tara Novie reads the chapters for Soren. In my opinion, I wasn’t a huge fan of their narrator styles being put together- but that could just be me.
I thought this story was cute, but the love between Seren and Owen is pretty instant, so if that’s not your thing, you may not care for this book. I liked how it kind of read like a classic fairy tale.
I did listen to this book, and I think it would have been better if I just read this story instead. The narrators are talented, but the way they portrayed Seren and Owen individually just didn’t mesh well for me when they put their parts together. Ethan James Lynch reads the parts for Owen and when he portrays Soren in his parts, they make Soren come off as much more detached and unfeeling than when Tara Novie reads the chapters for Soren. In my opinion, I wasn’t a huge fan of their narrator styles being put together- but that could just be me.
rin_sith's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It appears as though my prayers for a book with a floof girl pining have been answered after all ... And to think that no one recommended this book to me; I just found it, I think. Sitting there, unsuspectingly.
Anyway, all cryptic talk aside—this was genuinely phenomenal. Was it perfect? No. But it was such a freaking breath of fresh air and exactly what I needed.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5
SPICE: 🌶️/4
VIOLENCE: 🩸🩸🩸/4
✅ Writing
✅ Plot
✅🥺 Romance
✅🆗Characters
✅🆗 World
***
This book may be the perfect standalone. The ending was pretty much perfect, and so was the pacing—which is rare to come by, honestly. The world was not really that fleshed out, but it didn't need to be. I admit that I got a bit confused by the magic system because it was kind of unclear how magic functions and what the limits of it are, but it overall didn't detract from my reading experience. Honestly, more world building might have made this book significantly more boring, so I'm not even really complaining about it.
Not going to lie, besides the romance and the floof, the writing style was probably what made this book. It was descriptive and vivid, and I adore the clear tonal distinction between Seren's and Owen's povs, as well as the way that Seren's changed and became more fluent as she grew to be more human. This has some decently heavy gore too, and I loved every second of it.
The plot was a refreshing mix between predictable (in a satisfying way) and entirely unpredictable (also in a satisfying way.) I saw the ending coming miles away, and I love that it turned out exactly as I wanted it to. As mentioned, the pacing is almost perfect; the midpoint change of setting and element caught me entirely off guard but in a good way—I took one look at it and thought to myself, "That's actually exactly what this story needed." And every part of this book was great: from the beginning buildup of the main characters and the romance to the final battle ... Although, I admit, the finale dragged a tiny bit. It wasn't so much that it genuinely bothered me (especially because I read the last 35% in one stretch; I actually could not put it down), but it did become a little repetitive toward the end. But I think I should mention it anyway because it's tiny things like this that make me subtract half a star.
Well, that and the fact that the lore of the conflict between the king and the witch was not fleshed out enough.On one hand, I love their backstory and how they've both been so consumed by their thirst for power and revenge that they became equally horrible evils in the end. On the other hand, we never actually learn why the king stole her soul in the first place. They fell in love, then he betrayed her ... but why? I was hoping this entire time that the book would tell us. That it was actually all some kind of big misunderstanding, and that we'd learn they almost destroyed the world to destroy each other over nothing.
I'm just going to pretend that this was the case because if that had been revealed, I might have given this book 5 stars regardless of everything else. That would have made this one of the most genuinely mold-breaking, un-stereotypical stories I've ever read (it was anyway in a lot of ways, but not quite enough.)
On that note, one reason why I'm rating this so highly is how un-stereotypical, deep, and genuinely well-crafted this was. There were so many parallels between the characters, so much symbolism, and so much depth woven into pretty much every element—down to the chapter title art.
Some elements that stood out to me as special in particular:
Anyway, all cryptic talk aside—this was genuinely phenomenal. Was it perfect? No. But it was such a freaking breath of fresh air and exactly what I needed.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5
SPICE: 🌶️/4
VIOLENCE: 🩸🩸🩸/4
✅ Writing
✅ Plot
✅🥺 Romance
✅🆗Characters
✅🆗 World
***
This book may be the perfect standalone. The ending was pretty much perfect, and so was the pacing—which is rare to come by, honestly. The world was not really that fleshed out, but it didn't need to be. I admit that I got a bit confused by the magic system because it was kind of unclear how magic functions and what the limits of it are, but it overall didn't detract from my reading experience. Honestly, more world building might have made this book significantly more boring, so I'm not even really complaining about it.
Not going to lie, besides the romance and the floof, the writing style was probably what made this book. It was descriptive and vivid, and I adore the clear tonal distinction between Seren's and Owen's povs, as well as the way that Seren's changed and became more fluent as she grew to be more human. This has some decently heavy gore too, and I loved every second of it.
The plot was a refreshing mix between predictable (in a satisfying way) and entirely unpredictable (also in a satisfying way.) I saw the ending coming miles away, and I love that it turned out exactly as I wanted it to. As mentioned, the pacing is almost perfect; the midpoint change of setting and element caught me entirely off guard but in a good way—I took one look at it and thought to myself, "That's actually exactly what this story needed." And every part of this book was great: from the beginning buildup of the main characters and the romance to the final battle ... Although, I admit, the finale dragged a tiny bit. It wasn't so much that it genuinely bothered me (especially because I read the last 35% in one stretch; I actually could not put it down), but it did become a little repetitive toward the end. But I think I should mention it anyway because it's tiny things like this that make me subtract half a star.
Well, that and the fact that the lore of the conflict between the king and the witch was not fleshed out enough.
I'm just going to pretend that this was the case because if that had been revealed, I might have given this book 5 stars regardless of everything else. That would have made this one of the most genuinely mold-breaking, un-stereotypical stories I've ever read (it was anyway in a lot of ways, but not quite enough.)
On that note, one reason why I'm rating this so highly is how un-stereotypical, deep, and genuinely well-crafted this was. There were so many parallels between the characters, so much symbolism, and so much depth woven into pretty much every element—down to the chapter title art.
Some elements that stood out to me as special in particular:
- The girl's a supernatural creature, and the boy's a human, and it's NOT cringey at all because she is a through-and-through floof girl and he's—while kind and overall heroic—definitely not floofy.
- There is no "one big villain"; I could say more here, but I won't spoil this.
- — It's not a typical happily ever after ending;
while the happy ending is implied, it's appropriately somber and we don't get to see much of it. - It doesn't demonize or glorify anyone—even though some characters commit horrific acts, there is no moral judgment woven into the writing. The reader is given the characters' actions and left to make their own judgment, which is so incredibly refreshing compared to the heaps of aggravating moral superiority to be found in other books, usually.
- No, this is not a "good nature vs bad machines" story (I was scared for a hot minute but thankfully, it did not do this.)
- GIRL PINING. Lots of it. I was smiling happily :))
Alright, let's finally talk about the characters and the romance. This might actually be the best instant-attraction execution that I have ever seen ... It makes 100% sense for who these characters are that they'd find each other fascinating, and the development of care, albeit fast, was very believable. By the end, they'd gone through so much together—and the
Unfortunately, while I loved them both subjectively, the characters could have definitely been better (one more of my minor gripes that prevents me from rating this 5 stars.) There was also the thing with the power imbalance between the main characters (Seren was just so much more powerful than Owen for quite a long part of the book and it bothered me, but luckily this does disappear later and doesn't really ever cause any true issues.)
Then there was one bit of really unnecessary drama in the middle that made me dislike Owen momentarily, but overall, I really loved him. He is an ESFP with a tinge too much hot-headed Fi to be my type (I get that you're a teenager in a hard spot, but geez man, learn to be a little less rash, please T-T) but I loved him anyway. For a hot-headed ESFP, he was admirably responsible and brave. I enjoyed how much he cared for his family and how tenacious he was. He was kind without being soft, and that alone sold me on him.
The power imbalance issue (that was never really even an objective issue, considering she never uses her power to manipulate him) aside—Seren was just amazing. I've been waiting to read a genuinely kind floof girl with genuinely no malicious intent, who is remarkably strong-willed and brave as well, for SO long. Although I do wish we got more distinctive traits out of her ... I am pretty certain that she is an ExFJ, but I can't say which one. I suppose it is fair, since she pretty much just learns to live during the story, but still. She lacked in complexity a bit, but the fact that I didn't even notice until I finished the book and wondered what her MBTI type was says a lot about how engaging and sympathetic she is, regardless. Please, give me more girls like her ... Who will fight undauntedly and bravely for those they love, who have no manipulative or malicious bone in them, who will choose goodness and rather die than go back to being monstrous. Who will cling to their hope and love, even when all seems lost. Please, I wanted to hug her the entire time; she deserves the world.
The one bit of petty drama aside, I really adored this romance. It was both fairytale-esque and innocent and felt really believable at the same time, which is impressive. You could tell that the two of them were young and that this was a first-love kind of situation. But at the same time, their feelings were also not shallow or something that makes you go, "yeah, I give them two years tops" (the ending proved this, if nothing else.)
While you could definitely feel the innocence, it was written so endearingly and with such a subtle yet stunning hint of impending star-crossed tragedy that I gushed the whole first part through. Now that I think about it, you could actually feel their bond mature over the course of the story, which is really impressive. The way this ENDED though, sent me (in a good way). I don't think I've ever seen a more satisfying conclusion to a forced (view spoiler) Just the way that both of them acted in the end made me love them infinitely more (this may have been what made me rate this 4,5 instead of 4 stars ...)
Both of them have actually grown so much more than you realize, because it did happen very gradually and appropriately. But the way they acted in the end proves this, and I adore it.
***
Suffice to say, I adored this book and I am so, so happy that I randomly clicked on it in my e-reader library when I just wanted something to read, without even checking what it was about or why I initially added it to my TBR (maybe I should do this more ...)
I'm going to be thinking about this book for a while, and I'll definitely be recommending it. If you're looking for something that could almost be the gender-inverse of the typical romantasy set-up but better, mixed with dark fairytale vibes, some delicious gore, unclear moralities, and the strife for revenge actually being punished—this is the book for you.
So far, this is definitely the book of the year for me.
angelg321's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0