The Will and the Wilds by Charlie Holmberg
Release Date: Jan 21st 2020
Genre: Young Adult > Fantasy
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Summary:
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.
Ironically Charlie’s book Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet has been on my TBR for… way too long. And somehow I jumped to this read instead. I don’t… I don’t know why. But the cover absolutely caught my attention.
I wasn’t in love with this read, but for some reason I could not stop reading it! It’s like I needed to know what happens to Maekallus. Who’s memories is he seeing? What’s the deal with Enna and her dad? We get the answer to some of these questions I had, but not all of them. As far as I know this isn’t part of a series. But I feel like it definitely should be!
This author definitely has a talent for making you feel like you’re in the forest with them; despite this being a stand alone read the descriptions and time spent with the creatures make it feel like you have a good understanding of who they are and what they are. It was full of curiosities and stories within stories.
There is something strange about both Enna and Maekallus which is what I think makes them a very interesting pair. I do wish they went more into Maekallus life as well as Enna’s grandmother considering she sort of plays a big part of Enna’s story without actually being there. The theory behind Enna’s dad’s condition also triggered my interest. Towards the end Maekallus experiences a pretty significant shift and that made his interaction about Tennith so much more entertaining!
Tennith shifts his weight to his back foot. “What I mean is . . . I never approached you—”
Maekallus barks a laugh, but there’s a sharpness to it that seems to echo against my ribs.
“This is intriguing.”
“—but I noticed you. Of course I did, though you didn’t go to school with the other girls—” I feel like my very bones are curling in on themselves.
“Tennith—”
“No, no.” Maekallus folds his arms. “Let him continue. Please.”
It’s so hard to talk about this without spoiling any part of the story but omg. I really just want to lol! I spend most of the book not knowing how I felt about Maekallus and by the end of the book I completely adored him!
If you’re into fantasy paranormal books rich with lore I highly suggest this one!
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Sounds like I need to put this one on my TBR!