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The wildwood is a dangerous place, full of monstrous, demonic creatures called mystings that like to roam the human world. With her home so close to the edge of the wood, Enna knows to fear the mystings. Her mother died because of them, and ever since that day, her father has fought hard to keep her safe. But when one tries to kill her to obtain the enchanted stone she wears around her wrist, Enna forms a risky plan to summon her own mysting — one of the less volatile kinds — and pay him to find and kill the mystings who still hunt her.
But Maekallus’ help will come at a cost. His price? A kiss with the power to steal her soul. Enna refuses, determined to find another payment, but when their deal leaves Maekallus bound to her world, he begins to die slowly, eaten alive, the longer he stays away from the monster realm. Only Enna’s kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. Even then, it’s only temporary salvation.
The fragment of Enna’s soul burns inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time, but her small sacrifice won’t last long. Unless they can find a way to break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed — and Enna will be doomed with him.
The Will and the Wilds is a slow-paced, small-scale fantasy reminiscent of An Enchantment of Ravens with a romance-driven plot and the intimate feel of a dark, romantic fairy tale. At under 300 pages, it’s easily a guilty-pleasure book you could read in one sitting (and I nearly did). The characters were interesting and compelling, and while I felt the ending wrapped up too quickly, it still left me satisfied.
The Will and the Wilds is considered an adult fantasy, but I also felt it bordered on being young adult (though it might be considered to have a moderate rating for a younger audience).
Rated: Mild. There are a few uses of mild language. Violence is relatively tame, with more tension and danger featured, though the story of the main character’s mother’s death, while not descriptive, is still horrific. Maekallus’ slow melting death may also border on gory to some. Sexual content is higher, but reserved mainly to innuendos. There is talk between mystings of a getting a girl pregnant to get the child’s magical mixed blood (it never happens), a story of someone falling for a woman in a brothel who eventually welcomes him into her bed, a metaphor is made of freedom being like sex after months of solitude, and a character stares at a woman’s breasts. Some mystings feature humanoid bodies and are referred to as naked or topless, though they are often covered in fur and the character is unable to guess the gender. At times, characters share heated kisses, but they never go further. A summoning circle and blood offering also make an appearance several times throughout the book.
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