THE WILL AND THE WILDS by Charlie n. Holmberg BOOK BIRTHDAY!

 A spellbinding 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.





Opening line:
"A chill wind snakes its way through the wildwood, whispering of misfortunes to come."

Charlie Holmberg has written another stirring, imaginative, intriguing fantasy story with a world and creatures yet seen in another fantasy world.

Enna and Maekallus's story is an unlikely story, let alone a romantic one, since they are from two different worlds. Enna is from the mortal realm and Maekallus is from The Deep, where creatures with no soul live. The leader, Scroud, wants to dominate humans and make them into slaves. He tried once, but Enna's papa was part of the army that drove them back once. He stole a 'charm' that would forewarn mortals when 'mystings' crossover worlds.

When Enna's home is invaded by a 'gobler' she realizes she has to be proactive in protecting her dad and her home. She makes a bargain with a narval that doesn't go as planned. When the bargain goes wrong, Enna and the narval, Maekallus have to race against death to save each other.

I loved the new creatures holmberg has created. PLEASE KEEP MAKING STORIES IN THIS WORLD! I WANT MORE WILDWOOD STORIES!

Now that I got that out of my soul, I loved the fantasy, world and characters in this newest story by Charlie Holmberg.  Keep them coming!

Thanks to netgalley and 47thnorth for the early read!