Bumpy Oak Books

4 stars

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Charlie Holmberg’s The Will and the Wilds is part fairytale, part love story, and all adventure. Readers follow Enna, a budding herbalist who has learned about the creatures of the wildwood (mystings) from her grandmother. When Enna strikes a bargain with mysting Maekallus, she becomes bound to him, and he to the mortal world. They then must aim to sever the binding before it is too late.

I very much enjoyed the concepts Holmberg presented in the mystings. They came across as fae/monster blends, and the lore she introduced surrounding them was very interesting and refreshing. I honestly could have just read the encyclopedia of mystings and would have been happy with that.

I wasn’t super fond of Enna as a main character, as she seemed to personify the YA female MC trope sort of situation. That being said, I did like her devotion to her father, even if she bailed on him whenever was convenient for her and regularly used his memory loss to her advantage. I liked Maekallus, but he kind of personified the roguish sort of lad that I’m prone to liking anyhow.

Holmberg’s strength, therefore, was in the world-building glimpses that she provided and in the whimsical writing style that lent itself well to the setting she created.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would read more from Holmberg in the future.