The Will and the Wilds

By: Charlie N. Holmberg

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

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.

©2020 Charlie N. Holmberg (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy

“...an immersive, dangerous fantasy world. Holmberg draws readers in with a fast-moving plot, rich details, and a surprisingly sweet human-monster romance. This is a lovely, memorable fairy tale.” --Publishers Weekly

“Holmberg ably builds her latest fantasy world, and her brisk narrative and the romance at its heart will please fans of her previous magical tales.” --Booklist

a bit slow

I was a little disappointed in this book. I enjoyed his others much more. For me the plot seemed to plot along. It was quite imaginative, though.

Incredible story and beautifully performed

I did not know what to expect with this book, it was a recommendation based on other purchases but I was hooked from the start! It’s different & unexpected - I just wanted to keep listening to find out what happens next. The story was also enhanced by the incredible performance - it made the whole thing come alive. I am so glad I found this book, I know I will listen to it many more times! Just wow!

Wonderful.

This book was absolutely beautiful. I loved it from the beginning to the end. I will definitely be listening to it again.

Amazing new fantasy romance

I loved the development of the relationship between the main characters. I could feel their emotions and struggles throughout the book. The author has a terrific voice and the narration is great. You’ll need tissues for happy and sad tears. No cliff hanger.

My favorite author

This is the 6th or 7th book I have read of Charlie N. Holmberg. I love the worlds that are created and how I feel like I’m the main character. Regardless of the sex of the character I feel all of their emotions. I also appreciate that the author touches on desire, but doesn’t make it the focus of the novel.

Unforgetable

This story was masterfully written. A telling of the wishes of heart and the passion of soul. I will think on this story often.

Another gem from Charlie

This is a completely stand alone story, built from an imaginative mind! She forged her own mythos for this one and I was delighted.

One of my favorites

Read/listened to this book more than once and it stands as one of my favorites every time! The writing is so poetic and immersive, and the character development is top tier. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartfelt standalone.
The narrator (of the audiobook) is terrific and really added to the voice of the story. She added dramatic inflection when needed and does both male & female voices well.

Solid until it makes an abrupt 180 for no reason.

I'm a little mystified by this book. It starts out really well, with a really interesting and different magic system, then fizzles for a while as the heroine fruitlessy tries to solve her problem. Then, literally out of nowhere, the characters' abilities change and the entire plot changes. I actually had to go back and re-listen to the part to make sure I hadn't skipped anything. The heroine then dissolves into a puddle of emotions as random things keep happening. The plot then just goes really stale as it didn't make sense anymore. I was very confused and not too impressed. Narrator did a great job though.

A True Love story

I was so taken with the magic and creatures .
Despite differences love wins always.