The Wolf and the Woodsman: A Novel

"I have a soft spot for fantasy inspired by Hungarian history, but there’s little softness in Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman, which takes Hungarian history and Jewish mythology and braids them into a complex, often brutal story. Unlikely allies, questions of identity, betrayal, nuanced exploration of identity and what it is to be a conquered people, what it is to inherit a dark legacy, survival in the face of erasure, deeply flawed protagonists, and body horror – the woods are dark and deep, my friends! And make for a compelling read. Although the ending is abrupt, this is a solid debut. Ava Reid’s on my radar now."