What do you think?
Rate this book
Wolfstongue #3
Little Island Books The Forest Yet to Come (The Wolfstongue Saga).
The Forest is endless and filled with savage wolves. The human settlement stays safe inside its walls – but two children, Sally and Faolan, long to know what lies beyond.
One day a stranger arrives. His name is trickster, storyteller, secret-keeper. He can show the children the way through the Forest, but the journey will be more dangerous than they imagine.
There are worse things in the world than wolves, and the fox has one final trick to play.
One day a stranger arrives. His name is trickster, storyteller, secret-keeper. He can show the children the way through the Forest, but the journey will be more dangerous than they imagine.
There are worse things in the world than wolves, and the fox has one final trick to play.
Paperback
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 30, 2025
Sally and her brother Faolon don't know where they came from. They were found as orphans and raised in The Land, a settlement enclosed in walls where mysterious "shapes" assist in healing and growing food. When the fox trickster Reynard arrives in The Land, he is curious about the "shapes" and tricks Sally into helping him by promising to lead her to answers about her past.
This story has a very dream-like quality. Nothing is ever quite explained. It's all sort of mystical and unreal. The prose is really beautiful and haunting, and the story takes these lovely philosophical paths that we get to explore along with the characters.
I liked Sally's character because she is a solid kind of person. She wants answers. She wants to know the facts. She is determined and strong and intelligent. But in the end, she has to come to terms with the truth that you can't always know the facts. Some things are meant to be unknown and mysterious.
I did not like Faolon's character. He is evidently on the spectrum, since he has some trouble conforming to social situations. I felt sorry for him, because no one but his sister takes the time to understand him or provide a more nurturing environment for him. But he's incredibly selfish. He either doesn't realize how he is hurting his sister or just doesn't care. And he has this psychotic break where he goes wild and lives like an animal for a few weeks, and that was really disturbing. I think it was meant to be liberating for his character, like he becomes one with nature or something, but I thought the way it was described was gross. It's violent in many ways, and I found that upsetting.
This book can be read as a stand alone, but you will get what I think were minor spoilers for the previous books in the series. It briefly mentions some characters from the previous books, but I haven't read the previous books, so I don't know how much of that would count as spoilers.
To see the details of minor violence in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website: https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-fo...
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
This story has a very dream-like quality. Nothing is ever quite explained. It's all sort of mystical and unreal. The prose is really beautiful and haunting, and the story takes these lovely philosophical paths that we get to explore along with the characters.
I liked Sally's character because she is a solid kind of person. She wants answers. She wants to know the facts. She is determined and strong and intelligent. But in the end, she has to come to terms with the truth that you can't always know the facts. Some things are meant to be unknown and mysterious.
I did not like Faolon's character. He is evidently on the spectrum, since he has some trouble conforming to social situations. I felt sorry for him, because no one but his sister takes the time to understand him or provide a more nurturing environment for him. But he's incredibly selfish. He either doesn't realize how he is hurting his sister or just doesn't care. And he has this psychotic break where he goes wild and lives like an animal for a few weeks, and that was really disturbing. I think it was meant to be liberating for his character, like he becomes one with nature or something, but I thought the way it was described was gross. It's violent in many ways, and I found that upsetting.
This book can be read as a stand alone, but you will get what I think were minor spoilers for the previous books in the series. It briefly mentions some characters from the previous books, but I haven't read the previous books, so I don't know how much of that would count as spoilers.
To see the details of minor violence in this book, check it out on the Screen It First website: https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-fo...
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
June 22, 2025
What worked:
The book is reminiscent of folktales, as Reynard is a trickster, fooling villagers with his silver tongue. He’s actually a fox in disguise and an expert at manipulating others with his words. He entertains young ones with tales that are embedded with truth. Listeners think they’re amusing stories without knowing he’s revealing hints about his personality and intentions. One story talks of a lazy fox conning the other animals into building a huge house, while another tells of a lion trying to challenge the fox’s control over the animals. The plot evolves into a blend of reflection, exploration, and discovery.
Sally and her brother Faolan emerged from the forest ten years earlier without remembering their pasts. Villagers call Faolan wolf-boy, and Sally becomes wolf-boy’s sister. Sally is troubled by not knowing of her past, which makes her desperate enough to be tricked by Reynard. Shadow people are summoned when the villagers need help, and Reynard wants to know how they do it. This decision results in problems for Sally and Faolan, as they’re exiled from the village. However, their paths will not be what readers expect, and surprise revelations are to come.
Reynard is the most intriguing character, as readers won’t know what to expect. He can be described as devious in the previous two books, so can readers trust that he’s looking out for the children’s best interests? He seems sincere and curious around the villagers, but it’s clear he has untold plans on his mind. He often responds to Sally’s questions with questions of his own or ambiguous answers. Readers are aware of his past trickery, so it’s almost impossible not to expect the same this time around.
What didn’t work as well:
The story evokes deep thoughts, and young readers may not be ready for this type of thinking. The children reach a cave of dreams, which will cause readers to interpret and rationalize the events they see. Some young readers may not be prepared for this type of critical thinking.
The final verdict:
Readers loyal to the series may be surprised by the tone of this book. The plots in earlier books were easier to understand, but this one is still interesting and thought-provoking. I recommend you check this book out for yourself.
The book is reminiscent of folktales, as Reynard is a trickster, fooling villagers with his silver tongue. He’s actually a fox in disguise and an expert at manipulating others with his words. He entertains young ones with tales that are embedded with truth. Listeners think they’re amusing stories without knowing he’s revealing hints about his personality and intentions. One story talks of a lazy fox conning the other animals into building a huge house, while another tells of a lion trying to challenge the fox’s control over the animals. The plot evolves into a blend of reflection, exploration, and discovery.
Sally and her brother Faolan emerged from the forest ten years earlier without remembering their pasts. Villagers call Faolan wolf-boy, and Sally becomes wolf-boy’s sister. Sally is troubled by not knowing of her past, which makes her desperate enough to be tricked by Reynard. Shadow people are summoned when the villagers need help, and Reynard wants to know how they do it. This decision results in problems for Sally and Faolan, as they’re exiled from the village. However, their paths will not be what readers expect, and surprise revelations are to come.
Reynard is the most intriguing character, as readers won’t know what to expect. He can be described as devious in the previous two books, so can readers trust that he’s looking out for the children’s best interests? He seems sincere and curious around the villagers, but it’s clear he has untold plans on his mind. He often responds to Sally’s questions with questions of his own or ambiguous answers. Readers are aware of his past trickery, so it’s almost impossible not to expect the same this time around.
What didn’t work as well:
The story evokes deep thoughts, and young readers may not be ready for this type of thinking. The children reach a cave of dreams, which will cause readers to interpret and rationalize the events they see. Some young readers may not be prepared for this type of critical thinking.
The final verdict:
Readers loyal to the series may be surprised by the tone of this book. The plots in earlier books were easier to understand, but this one is still interesting and thought-provoking. I recommend you check this book out for yourself.
April 30, 2025
The Forest Yet to Come is the stunning third book following from the superb Wolfstongue by Sam Thompson, beautifully illustrated by Anna Tromop. Delving into young fantasy and fairytale realms, this is an extra animal adventure tale. Set deep in the forest, there is a cave, and deep in the cave, there is a chamber; a chamber of dreams. Two children yearn to see what life is like beyond the confines of the human settlement. However, the forest is filled with wolves and dangers beyond their imagination. Reynard, a travelling trickster, arrives to lure the children into the world beyond. Simply brilliant. #theforestyettocome #samthompson #annatromop #littleislandbooks @little_island_books
Read
November 9, 2024This is a really compelling, very well-written children’s fantasy. I was particularly intrigued by the brilliant, enigmatic character, Reynard, and this interest continued throughout. Full of allegorical references to real world human supremacy over nature and climate change. I raced through it as a stand alone but would have loved to have read the first two novels in the series first.
November 9, 2024
A beautifully penned story with a classic fairytale feel, there is an eerie-ness that starts immediately in this tale, and runs throughout, daring the reader to come further, delve deeper. We have, of course met Reynard before in the other books of the saga, so when he appears, it is no surprise that he is there to create chaos and dissent. He is truly the quintessential trickster; there to shake us out of our complacency and consider who we really are. And he is there for Sally and Faolan. Of course, you can’t expect Reynard to stick around. He will happily make an almighty mess, but he’s not going to clean it up. As Faolan runs off with Reynard, released into the wild to run with the wolves, Sally has Reynard take her to find him. Sally is filled with trepidation, while Faolan has become a free, wild thing. The forest is filled with everything she fears, but mostly she fears losing her brother. It is this that drives her…and she embarks on a journey that brings out all her resilience, her ability to learn and adapt and bring Faolan back to her. But it also changes her and brings her back to herself. The depiction of the animals is superb, giving the reader a view of them as well-rounded, feeling, thinking creatures…creatures with lives and purpose. The Forest is not just a setting or a symbol, but a character of depth in and of itself. It guides and leads and closes in when you get to close. You must think to get through it; you must observe and learn its’ lessons. And the ending? I will not give away any spoilers…but it is perfect. Very satisfying, indeed.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews