For the throne by Hannah Whitten

Name of Book: For the throne

Author: Hannah Whitten 

ISBN: 9780356516370

Publisher: Orbit

Part of a Series: Wilderwood 2 ( FOR THE WOLF is prequel) 

Type of book: Fantasy, forest, travel, underworld, mirror, inverse, prophecy, hints, God and goddess, taking in power 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

The First Daughter is for the Throne

The Second Daughter is for the Wolf...

Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red's beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally--though it's one she'd rather never have to speak to again--the rogue king Solmir.

Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods' dark, twisted powers for themselves.

Characters:

Main characters include Red and Neve as well as Eamon ( Wolf) and Solmir ( formerly Arick) Red is a Second Daughter who was destined for the WOLF and had to enter the mysterious Wildwood forest. However she overcame challenges and finally gained agency over her life to decide what she wanted. In this book she desires to have her beloved sister back and will do whatever she can to get her back. Neve is a very complex character for she is prickly and takes responsibility very seriously. At the same time she is tied by responsibility and has little free agency. She is also loyal to Red but desires to finish a job fully before allowing herself freedom she craves. Eamon is Reds husband and is known as WOLF. In this book he plays role of a supporter and partner and reader also learns he doesn't take kindly to water. In previous book Solmir inhabited Arricks body, and there were hints of attraction between Neve and Arrick/ Solmir. This time, we learn more of Solmir who has a shell of a porcupine and a soft tender heart towards Neve. 

Theme:

There is a bigger purpose to life 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Reds and Neves points of view. In FOR THE WOLF, I did wish we could have been more with Neve and it wasn't until the end did I understand what had happened. However in this one, Red had a lot bigger role than about eight chapters Neve played in her book. Reading a prequel is necessary, although the author will remind readers of what happened to characters briefly. The story begins few years earlier when Neve discovers a mysterious book, and then jumps forward to when she gets dragged into Shadowlands. The purpose of Neve and Red is often hinted at, but not directly revealed, and there are twists and turns to keep a reader interested in seeing how it will go. 

Author Information:

(From goodreads)

Hannah Whitten has been writing to amuse herself since she could hold a pen, and sometime in high school, figured out that what amused her might also amuse others. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, making music, or attempting to bake. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children in a house ruled by a temperamental cat.

Opinion:

In truth, I found FOR THE THRONE a lot more enjoyable than it's wonderful prequel, FOR THE WOLF. I really have to give props to the cover designers because the covers reflect the sequel perfectly, the inverse relationship. I also love the focus on sisterhood relationship between Red and Neve as well as how romantic love isn't all and be all of life. While FOR THE WOLF just gives hints of the world the twins inhabit, FOR THE THRONE goes all in, exposing the beautiful and wicked world of shadows that are hidden underneath the trees as well as the mysterious kings and more about Old Gods. It will definitely keep a reader turning page after page. I actually do desire that there should be a map of the world so one could get an idea of where different nations are located. 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)