Good one, but didn't get to be a great one because of its execution. It has a bit of pacing issue, things didn't come together perfectly, and I didn't fly through it.

But, a solid companion and a good read.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

While I did enjoy this, the Arthurian nods I found very fun it also felt a little disjointed. The characters very quickly decided to become friends and band together and it all felt a little forced sometimes. Also the end felt incredibly rushed and like we were being told a lot of happenings rather then experiencing them.

I liked Torvi, she was an interesting character but again the writing didn't really allow the reader to get to know her personality very well. It definitely felt like we were being told the story rather than being immersed in it.

3.5 stars, enjoyable but perhaps just not quite enough for me.

When you love a series and discover there is a spin off in the same world you get excited and so when I got this E- ARC I was over the moon. But Seven Endless Forests left me disappointed and wanting, it was not how I wanted to be and felt a little cheaper by it.

Don't get my wrong the author writing is amazing and the story was good. But I just felt disappointed by it. By I built it up to much in my head.

Seven Endless Forests is set in the same world as Tucholke's previous book, The Boneless Mercies. It does make reference to that book, but it's as a legend or story from the past, so you can read Seven Endless Forests as a standalone. I haven't read The Boneless Mercies and I don't think it mattered.

Seven Endless Forests is a loose inspired King Arthur story set in a world that feels based in Norse or Viking culture. It's not a retelling as such, so I wouldn't go into it expecting that, but you can get a feel of who some of the characters are inspired by and there are little references in place names, etc throughout.

This was the first book I've read by Tucholke and the two things I was most impressed by were the world-building and the writing. The writing has a really beautiful 'classic' folklore feeling to it without becoming overdone or dull. The world-building is incredible. There are various types of witches, bandits, and storytellers for Torvi and her allies to come across. I liked that it felt like a story about the power of stories, it's a world where bards and storytellers have as much power and respect as warriors.

I loved Torvi as a character and protagonist. Right from the start, she knows that her mother thinks she's too weak, too kind, to amount to much in their world. She's not meant for greatness and should support her sister instead. I really loved Torvi's quiet, stalwart intensity. She's quiet and has an inner strength that I think often gets overlooked in YA for more boisterous, outgoing protagonists.

My biggest problem with Seven Endless Forests was that I felt the abundance of world-building and characters became a double-edged sword. It almost felt that Torvi met one person or group after another as if ticking off a list. I felt there needed to be a stronger plot and more character introspection. I felt that some of the sections came across as a sort of encyclopedia of the universe rather than having any real impact on the characters or connection to the plot. Then the most exciting and dramatic moments for the plotline, and the most impactful for the characters, all seemed crammed into the last couple of chapters.

Overall, Seven Endless Forests was beautifully written and definitely memorable, but it's very much about the atmosphere and the seeping yourself in Tucholke's world. If you enjoy slowly built pacing and detailed cultures you'll enjoy it, but if you're more into plot-driven stories this might not be for you.

Things I probably should have realised/processed before I started reading:

This is a King Arthur retelling
This is in the same 'universe' as The Boneless Mercies

Those two things, when you know them, make quite a big difference to how you read this book. I am the first to admit my own failings and I probably should have twigged the King Arthur thing sooner - I would probably have spent less time thinking 'but this is just King Arthur'. But hey, we live and we learn to pay more attention to blurbs before we start reading and not when we start writing the review.

I wasn't the biggest fan of The Boneless Mercies so once I realised this was set in the same world I got a little trepidatious. That being said, I think this book is much stronger and I definitely felt as though I got more out of it than the 'first book'. I also like the idea of writing at a time where the events of the first book have passed into legend, it means you can make callbacks and references but there's also room for things to have been forgotten or changed over time - I think it would be an interesting thing to explore further and, in a world where I was paid to read books, I might re-read them both to see how it feels. Alas I am not, and must spend my reading time elsewhere.

Torvi - now Torvi I was on the fence about. On the one hand, I do like a character with some vulnerability, and I've often seen myself in the kind of YA characters who don't believe in themselves and have to find their own strength. Unfortunately - and this is a personal preference thing - I find it really hard to read books where younger siblings become the entire reason another character does something, particularly when that sibling is old enough to claim responsibility for their own actions. There is never a point in this book where it feels like Morgunn is making good choices, so it's hard to root for her, and subsequently, I got frustrated when Torvi was so hellbent on sorting her out. I think that probably says more about my own patience for people who are making poor choices than it does the book itself - but it coloured my reading of it somewhat. When Torvi started making choices for herself, and for other people who weren't consciously destroying things, then I really found myself enjoying the story.

It is a bit of a weird story, as I said at the start I didn't twig the King Arthur thing at first, so perhaps there were more references that I didn't catch, but it didn't feel like this book went all in - so I wasn't sure quite what the purpose of that retelling element was. There was an interesting world, some different magic types, some characters who seemed to have interesting things going on - and then there was this sword in the stone/tree business that, while it strung everything together, didn't quite have the impact I felt it could have had. Perhaps on a re-read, it would feel different but in the first reading, the plot felt a tad confused and convoluted.

This is a quick read, and I think that's probably a good thing. Though I might have liked to go a little deeper on some elements, I'm not sure there was enough meat there to fill a whole other book. I thought the ending came...abruptly? Even though there was a good amount of epilogue afterwards. I was expecting them to try and find a different way to solve things than the obvious way and that...didn't happen. I can't go into the ending or it'll spoil things, but let's just say I felt there were missed opportunities.

Overall this was a solid YA fantasy read, though I am so done with retellings I may need a year off. I'd recommend it if you loved The Boneless Mercies but if, like me, you were fairly meh about it then there are other books to read - maybe pick this up from the library if you get curious?

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

The Seven Endless Forests is out June 1st (at the time of writing)

Unfortunately my enjoyment of the story was undermined by the formatting of the ebook, which kept pulling me out of the story.

The writing in this novel is beautiful. Every word is pondered, and I found the main character Torvi to be complex and compelling. Her relationship with mother and sister were very interesting, and I enjoyed how this story did not shy away from difficult topics, like violence, abuse, prejudice and racism.

On the other hand, I thought the pace of the story was a little too slow for me. However this does fit with the overall tone of the novel. Overall, this was an average read for me.

DNF at 45%

While I didn't hate this book it just wasn't able to capture my attention.
This book started off quite promising I was intrigued by the characters and the world being built up seemed pretty interesting however for some reason the more I read the more I felt myself disengaging from the story and the less ! cared about what was actually happening which ultimately led me to giving up on it.

This story read like a fairy-tale, enriched with storytelling and vast magical lands. Snippets of Arthurian Legend were peppered throughout, and I thought the way that the author re-invented them was masterful, putting her own spin on the events and characters. The world-building in here was seriously mesmerising, and I could keep reading about the different groups of people, the wars, the politics and the lively taverns.
I adored the little quirks within this world, such as the tree sage that makes a person feel peaceful when breathed in, and the variety of food and drinks.

I do think the way in which the story was executed fell short. It started off by throwing you straight into the bleak scenes of darkness and death, but then the pacing and characters didn't really live up to this. Nothing really happens in here until around the halfway mark, and everything we know about the world is just told to us by the MC, or told to her by her companions. There wasn't a great deal of showing, which made it less special. We spend far too long travelling, and it felt very much like The Lord of the Rings in this sense, but in a Norse inspired setting. Once we do get to the action scenes, they are over in a heartbeat, leaving it very anti-climactic.

The small quirks within this world are definitely what made this story for me. Although i disliked the way we found out information, it was fascinating to read of the wars, the Pig Witches, the Quicks, the Wolves etc.

Overall, its an okay read. The story itself didn't excite me, but the unique elements of the world and the stories within made it enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent fantasy, inspired by the King Arthur saga.
I loved the style of writing and I loved the storytelling. This story is engrossing, atmospheric and entertaining even if it was a bit confusing at times.
The characters are well thought, the world building interesting and the plot flows.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I didn't want this book to end! Perfect for fans of Kiersten White & Claire Le Grand. I loved the Boneless Mercies but I might love this more!!

Seven Endless Forests is advertised as a retelling of the King Arthur legend. After the deaths of her mother and lover, Torvi’s sister Morgunn is kidnapped by a wolf-priest called Uther. Torvi unites with a druid and a group called the Butcher Bards in order to track down her sister and rescue her, as well as seeking out a mystical sword buried within a tree. Whoever pulls the sword will inherit the jarldom.

This is less a retelling of the Arthur legend, and more inspired by. The main links come through some of the names (Morgunn, Uther) and the idea of a sword buried in part of nature (in this instance, a tree instead of a stone). To a point, it works, but don’t pick this up expecting an actual Arthurian retelling. (And one place is randomly referred to as Avalon at points)

This had the potential to be a really good book. There are some lovely ideas wrapped up in here, and the way the relationships are established is lovely to read, with the sort of closeness and affection among all the characters that sometimes isn’t touched upon in books. The problem is it doesn’t feel like we’re given enough time with the characters to actually get to know them. We’re told a lot about them, but we’re not really shown much. And for the most part, it feels like a lot was skimmed over when it came to the characters. One of the Bards has a sad past, but it’s almost forced out of him in such a way and told in so few lines it felt uncomfortable.

There’s a piece of advice often told to fantasy writers; know everything about your world, but don’t let the reader know everything about your world. Worldbuilding, when done well, can completely and utterly transport you into the novel. Unfortunately, in Seven Endless Forests there was way too much. Every single location, every single mention of a random place, or thing, or potion or whatever had a legend behind it. It got really tedious, with a character butting in on every page to say “Oh, there’s a story…” and another one going, “Yes, I know that one…” And proceeding to tell it. Even if it’s apparently a common story all the characters know?

These tales felt too distracting, taking the reader away from the actual plot. And the plot was hidden among a lot of faff. It felt like playing a video game, maybe Skyrim, and spending so long on sidequests you forget what’s part of the main storyline and what isn’t.

The other problem with the book, something which made it very difficult to slog through, was the formatting. I’m relatively new to ARCs in general, and I’m assuming these issues will be cleared up prior to publication, but because of the formatting it was hard to see which errors might lie with formatting, or editing, neither of which would really be the author’s fault. Still, I had to go back a fair few times to check who was speaking or what was happening.

The writer has clear talent, but the story felt a little all over the place and, at times, hard to follow. There were too many characters coming in and out, and some parts felt rushed to get to the next point, with the story veering off into this or that legend and losing the main thread at others.

I would definitely give Tucholke another chance, but in this instance, Seven Endless Forests just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to publishers Simon & Schuster for providing this arc via NetGalley.

Unfortunately, I was unable to review and read this story due to t formatting issues, I have seen this is also the case with other reviews on this book.
I will withhold my opinions on the writing, characters, and plot until I have a readable copy. I am still excited about this book's publication and will hold back my final review until I have read a readable copy.

This book feels like it's part of a greater story, just one episode in a massive saga - very much like THE BONELESS MERCIES. There are lots of references to other characters and quests that each feel like they could easily become another book. And yet, it's likely they won't (because this is exactly what THE BONELESS MERCIES felt like, and yet this companion doesn't follow any of the stories from that book).

It means the reader gets to imagine all these other adventures that populate the world, following Torvi through a world that just drips rich adventure and cultures. It feels like a Trobadour's world, rich in stories - shown off so wonderfully by the fact that Torvi travels with bards - and with a deep, savage magic lurking behind every tree.

While there are elements of Arthurian mythology that I could see, it's a very lose adaptation - much more a few key ideas bound up into something new. Maybe someone with a deep knowledge of the body of Arthurian lore would say it was a close adaptation, but I just know the common beats and had to stretch my imagination to place them in this book.

I didn't mind that - I liked how new and different it made this book feel. Honestly, I preferred not knowing where this story was going to go and just enjoyed journeying through the rich world.

There are quite a few flashbacks early on, that took a bit of getting used to as they were just slipped in without much signalling. Once I got used to the style, it was easy enough to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing and eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so disappointed I didn't enjoy this. Seven Endless Forests is described as a "bold and blood-hungry retelling of King Arthur" and I literally don't agree with any of it whatsoever.

I was super excited to read it, even though I haven't read The Boneless Mercies, because I'm not a fan of Beowulf and a King Arthur retelling sounded so much more appealing. I assumed since it's a companion novel and not a direct sequel, I didn't have to read it in order. I still don't think I did, but I'm stating this fact in case I'm wrong and some of my complaints are my own fault, because I skipped that other book.

By no means was this book horrible. The idea behind the story was interesting and had a potential, I just didn't feel the way it was executed.

For starters, the book was just very very slow. The pacing put me off completely - I kept waiting for it to pick up and it just never did. Some stories can have a slow beginning, others might be slow in general, but filled with lots of beautiful prose and descriptions and great characters and those kind of make up for the lack of action. Not this one, though.

A good chunk of this book was made up of legends and myths, yet none of them felt fully fleshed out and I found the world... lacking. The author clearly tried to make the world building lush and magical, but she focused on all the wrong aspects, giving a lot of pointless info about legends (though always incomplete) and not enough about the magic system or the world itself and its rules and politics. Maybe those were explained in The Boneless Mercies and I just missed it. So much of it was based off Norse mythology, or so it seemes, but it just felt off. Obin? Holhalla? Vorse?

Since the plot was so slow, I expected there to be a lot to the characters and a lot of development, but again, everything was on the surface level and not any deeper. I wish the author developed the sisterly relationship between Torvi and Morgunn more, as it would definitely help the plot get more dynamic. Because I didn't feel like the sisters were particularly close, it was hard for me to care about Morgunn and what happened to her. Other relationships were underdeveloped, too, with a group of friends who became friends for no reason, with no chemistry.

I got Naomi Novik vibes from the writing, which for many might be a selling point. I couldn't get through Uprooted and Spinning Silver, not for the lack of trying, so I can't say I enjoyed tye writing in this much. Onxe again, it was by no means bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

And lastly... there's a mention of Avalon, and a sword, but other than that, how is it a King Arthur retelling? I don't think this book is marketed right - I picked it up purely BECAUSE I thought it'd be a King Arthur retelling, and I think that's the main reason why I didn't enjoy it. I'd view the story differently had I known it was very loosely based off some aspects of the legend.

2.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded so interesting and I am big into retellings this year but this wasn't a hit for me. Personally I wouldn't have said this was a retelling but yet another story of a sister that had been kidnapped with little mention of the Arthurian legend.

The story was really slow and I feel that there wasn't much of a plot. I really did try to like it as the world-building was great but unfortunately, this story wasn’t for me.

An imaginative, engaging fantasy novel, with some memorable characters. Very few female-led fantasy stories manage to break out of the usual heteropatriarchal lens of looking at the world, but (even though I don't recall any gay characters) this one did in a refreshing way. The focus on female relationships was refeshing.

I have no idea if the author plans to spin this into a series, but either way, The Seven Endless Forests was a complete, satisfying read. I was particularly impressed with the world building. There was a point where the number of legends (there were stories behind EVERYthing!) was starting to get tedious, but that eventually grew on me. I started seeing the world as one where myths and legends are central to the culture. I hope there are more books in the series -- I suspect there will be, because Torvi still has a big quest to complete.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Seven Endless forests is a standalone and companion novel for the acclaimed first book in this world: The Boneless Mercies. This book was action packed and a fast paced read. I loved reading about the main characters and protagonists because they were just a delight. The writing style was very atmospheric and that is why I love reading this author's writing. I really enjoyed the Athur-esque retelling.

I haven't read The Boneless Mercies, but I will be after finishing this story.

The best thing about it was, without doubt, the world building, which has the richness that only a novel set in an already well-fleshed out fantasy world can achieve. There were so many places, people, customs and types of magic. It read like a classic fairytale, which was reflected in the prevalence of bards and storytellers in the story. Songs of old sagas and heroes were woven throughout Torvi's quest, which was epic in scope and full of adventure.

Tucholke's writing rivals her world building. It was as lyrical as one of the fairytales within Seven Endless Forests. I loved her descriptions (especially the Night Wild).

At times it felt as though this novel could have been split into a series, with more time taken over each individual quest. The ending felt rushed, more like a summary epilogue than part of the story. I would have liked even more about Torvi's world and her adventures as she passes through it.

I was provided with a copy of this novel for review through NetGalley.

I’m afraid this one didn’t quite work for me. I loved the world building and it started strong, but the ideas couldn’t balance out a predictable plot and the ending felt more like a summary rather than a successful finale.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded so interesting and I am a sucker for a King Arthur retelling but sadly I was disappointed. This wasn’t so much of a retelling as it was about a young girl going in search of her sister who was kidnapped.

The story was really slow and I honestly felt like giving up on it a couple times. While the writing is beautiful there wasn’t much plot and I didn’t really feel connected to the characters. So I wasn’t invested in the story or really cared about what happened to them.

Unfortunately this story wasn’t for me.