Deep in the wood lives a witch queen and her eight tree siren daughters. For centuries they have harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow their ever-reaching kingdom of ash, birch, and oak.
Owen Merrick lives at the edge of the forest, mapping the stars for the king in his father's observatory. For years, he has resisted venturing over the garden wall, until one day he must enter the woods to find his missing sister. But one of the witch's tree siren daughters, Seren, decides to save his life instead of end it. Now, no matter how hard he tries, he can't stop thinking about her--the birch-bright hue of her skin and the way violets bloom in her hair. Every night, he goes into the wood to meet her, and their love for each other grows. But when the constellations shift, the stars foretell an inevitable war between the witch queen and the king. With Seren compelled to fight for her mother, and Owen forced to join the king's army, they are plunged into the heart of a conflict that seemingly no one can win and that might destroy both their kingdoms forever. The prose is EVERYTHING! That's the first (and almost only) intelligent thing I have to say about this novel. Every line was beautiful. I loved the switch between verse and prose as Seren works towards humanity. Her chapters alternate with Owen's as he describes life on the edge of the woods and she narrates being her "mother's youngest monster." This is the most poetic horror story/romance tale I've possibly ever read. Every sentence is a masterpiece, and I can appreciate all of it on a craft level. I especially loved what I labeled the "recall moments," where Owen would repeat lines of text from his observations about Seren or other powerful phrases. We also get a gorgeous monster girl & scientist boy dynamic that I am living for. Seren is a very specific brand of nature horror--if you loved the body horror of Wilder Girls but wanted that book to be set in a fantasy world, then Heartless Wood is for you. Again, the magic of Meyer's writing only adds to this. Seren is so beautiful but so monstrous, and all intimately connected to the forest in such a visceral way. She's made of bark and sap, birch and violets. I was fascinated by all of her, just like Owen. Think Wicked Saints Nadya/Malachiasz but with less religion and more forest. Into the Heartless Wood is an introspective book. There's just as much dedication to showing Seren and Owen growing together as the war between the witch queen and the king. I'd liken this to an enemies-to-lovers romance, but the problem those two face is that they recognize each other as kindred even when they should be enemies. I loved this pull against destiny as a plot device--I really rooted for them to be together and overcome the violence in their circumstances. Maybe this wasn't the direct intention, but I also think the novel did a great job of portraying abuse. Seren and the Gwydden (her mother) have a twisted relationship based on the Gwydden's immense power and control over her tree siren daughters. Seren works so hard to overcome the doubt her mother sows, and to be more than she was born for. I have deep admiration for how Meyer tackled this narrative. I'm giving Into the Heartless Wood 5/5 stars. It's an absolutely gorgeous novel that you'll want to crawl into forever.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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