Review – The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

Title The Will and the Wilds

Author Charlie N. Holmberg

Release Date January 21, 2020

Description from Amazon

Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.

Maekallus’s help isn’t free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna’s kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It’s a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.

Enna shares Maekallus’s suffering, but her small sacrifice won’t last long. If she and Maekallus can’t break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna’s soul with him.

Initial Thoughts

This book sounded really interesting when I first discovered it on Amazon. I hadn’t read anything by Charlie N. Holmberg before but her Paper Magician series has been on my TBR for a while. When this book was delivered to me on Tuesday, it looked pretty short and I thought it would be a quick, one-day read.

Some Things I Liked

• Enna as the narrator. I liked that this was a single character POV story. Normally, I love multiple POVs, but because of the length of this book (under 300 pages), I felt that a single POV was more suitable.
• Length. I liked that this was a shorter book. I’ve been reading some pretty chunky books lately and I liked that this was a quicker read.
• World building. I thought the world created here was well defined and not overly-complicated. The author was working with a shorter novel so the world building could not overpower the length and I think everything worked really well in this book.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• The ending. It felt a bit rushed. I wish there was a little more explanation around what happened because I was a little lost.

Series Value

I can easily see this being a standalone book. Enna and Maekallus’s story is only beginning but I feel like the main plot is complete. I would enjoy reading more but I don’t know if I’d do so right away. Let’s just say, I won’t be checking for updates on this series the way I do with certain other series.

Final Thoughts

I thought this book would be a quick read. It actually took me a few days. I will be honest, I knocked a star off my review because the book wasn’t as gripping as I expected it to be. However, overall, I enjoyed the story, characters, and setting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones – if you liked the mysterious elements and a strong, independent main character, give this standalone a try.
• Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw – if you enjoyed the woodsy setting as well as the world building and magic, try Shea Ernshaw’s writing.
• Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill – if you liked the setting and the father-daughter relationship in The Will and the Wilds, try this series by Erin Summerill.