The will and the wilds

Charlie N. Holmberg, 1988-

Book - 2020

"A story of truce and trickery from the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician series. 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."--POublisher.

Saved in:

1st Floor Show me where

SCIENCE FICTION/Holmberg Charlie
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor SCIENCE FICTION/Holmberg Charlie Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Science fiction
Published
Seattle, WA : 47North [2020]
Language
English
Main Author
Charlie N. Holmberg, 1988- (author)
Physical Description
251 pages : music ; 21 cm
ISBN
9781542005005
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Holmberg (Siege & Sacrifice) remixes elements of "Beauty and the Beast," "Little Red Riding Hood," and other familiar tales to create an immersive, dangerous fantasy world. Enna lives at the border of the town of Fendell and the wildwood, caring for her ill father. Though Enna is terrified of the mystings and monsters that roam the forest, she's devoted to continuing her late grandmother's study of the creatures. When a monster called a gobler attacks Enna and her father, Enna knows she's not strong enough to fight back on her own and takes the risk of summoning Maekallus, a mysting trickster, to hunt down the attacker. Maekallus agrees for the price of a single kiss, but with that kiss he steals part of Enna's soul. When the gobler binds Maekallus to the forest during a confrontation, Enna and Maekallus work together to free him from the curse. Holmberg draws readers in with a fast-moving plot, rich details, and a surprisingly sweet human-monster romance. This is a lovely, memorable fairy tale. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary. (Jan.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

When she was a baby, Enna's father traveled beyond the wildwood to the realm of mystings (monstrous creatures) and stole a precious stone to protect his daughter. The Telling Stone warns whoever possesses it when mystings are near. Twenty years later, inquisitive Enna wears the stone daily to protect herself but also to study the deadly creatures it warns of. After being stalked by several mystings, all attempting to retrieve the stone, Enna summons a large humanoid mysting, Maekallus, complete with razor sharp tail and a massive horn protruding from his forehead. She strikes up a bargain with him, but such bargains are never as simple as they seem. Trickster Maekallus ends up trapped in the human world, slowly dying and tied to Enna. Enna can save Maekallus with a reenergizing kiss, giving up part of her soul in the process. Inextricably linked, Enna and Maekallus demonstrate that they both are more than they initially seemed. In this variation on Beauty and the Beast themes, Holmberg ("Paper Magician" series) zeroes in on two isolated heroes, allowing their relationship to gradually progress while they explore their feelings and seek information about the stone. VERDICT This slow-burn fantasy romance with one-of-a-kind worldbuilding is recommended for patient fans of fairy-tale retellings.--Katie Lawrence, Grand Rapids, MI

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.