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Wolfskin
‘If you want adventure, you have to march right up to it and kick it in the shins...’
At fourteen, barefoot and running wild, Rose is delighted to be apprenticed to Akiva, the witch of the forest. She thinks it will be all enchantment and excitement, and not so much fuss about baths. The reality is much more sober and practical- that is, until she meets a mysterious wolf in the forest and is tricked into stepping off the path...
In young, naive Rose, Bastian sees a way of escape. Cursed to remain in the shape of a wolf after running afoul of a powerful enchantress, he has lived many decades under a spell, and now he is both desperate and ruthless. But by breaking part of Bastian’s curse, Rose has caught the attention of Cassandra, the enchantress who cursed him: and Cassandra is by no means ready to forgive and forget.
Meanwhile, wardens have been disappearing from the forest, one by one. Rose is certain that Cassandra is behind the disappearances, but can she and Bastian get to the bottom of the matter before Akiva disappears as well? And are Bastian’s motives entirely to be trusted?
Sometimes the girl in the red hood doesn’t get eaten, and sometimes the wolf isn’t the most frightening thing in the forest...
At fourteen, barefoot and running wild, Rose is delighted to be apprenticed to Akiva, the witch of the forest. She thinks it will be all enchantment and excitement, and not so much fuss about baths. The reality is much more sober and practical- that is, until she meets a mysterious wolf in the forest and is tricked into stepping off the path...
In young, naive Rose, Bastian sees a way of escape. Cursed to remain in the shape of a wolf after running afoul of a powerful enchantress, he has lived many decades under a spell, and now he is both desperate and ruthless. But by breaking part of Bastian’s curse, Rose has caught the attention of Cassandra, the enchantress who cursed him: and Cassandra is by no means ready to forgive and forget.
Meanwhile, wardens have been disappearing from the forest, one by one. Rose is certain that Cassandra is behind the disappearances, but can she and Bastian get to the bottom of the matter before Akiva disappears as well? And are Bastian’s motives entirely to be trusted?
Sometimes the girl in the red hood doesn’t get eaten, and sometimes the wolf isn’t the most frightening thing in the forest...
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First published May 1, 2015
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About the author
W.R. Gingell
46 books1,080 followersW.R. Gingell is a Tasmanian author of urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and madcap science fiction who doesn’t seem to be able to write a book without a body suddenly turning up. She solemnly swears that all such bodies are strictly fictional in nature.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.
W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
September 19, 2023
Another fun story by Gingell, though I felt the main villain was pretty one dimensional (but then, that's true in many books). The romance developed very gradually and sweetly, which was hilarious to read considering how hard one of the characters was trying to move things along. There was also the possibility of a love triangle, also done fabulously as our heroine is so wonderfully oblivious to such nonsense. Overall, while not one of my absolute favorite reads by Gingell, I stayed up late reading it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended!
Actual rating 4.5
Actual rating 4.5
July 30, 2019
I basically love ANYTHING W.R. Gingell writes. Seriously. So I knew I would love this book.
I wasn't expecting it to be my FAVORITE Gingell book ever. But it was.
It's a bit of Diana Wynne Jones whimsy and romance mixed up with Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series. Which, anyone who knows my particular reading tastes, will know is a PERFECT fit for me. Gingell has her own unique voice, however, which sets her apart from both Jones and Pratchett. For one thing, she's always got more romance in her stories . . . and I'm totally here for that!
I can't believe it took me so long to pick up and read this fascinating and delightful tale! I've devoured everything else by this author, and her new books are insta-buys for me. I guess I'd been saving this one, knowing it would be a special treat.
It was. I adored it. I will read it again. I will probably need to own it in paperback. My ONLY complaint is that I don't love the cover, and I wish it matched the look of her other Two Monarchies novels.
I wasn't expecting it to be my FAVORITE Gingell book ever. But it was.
It's a bit of Diana Wynne Jones whimsy and romance mixed up with Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series. Which, anyone who knows my particular reading tastes, will know is a PERFECT fit for me. Gingell has her own unique voice, however, which sets her apart from both Jones and Pratchett. For one thing, she's always got more romance in her stories . . . and I'm totally here for that!
I can't believe it took me so long to pick up and read this fascinating and delightful tale! I've devoured everything else by this author, and her new books are insta-buys for me. I guess I'd been saving this one, knowing it would be a special treat.
It was. I adored it. I will read it again. I will probably need to own it in paperback. My ONLY complaint is that I don't love the cover, and I wish it matched the look of her other Two Monarchies novels.
August 22, 2023
*3.5 stars
I say that if you want adventure, you have to march right up to it and kick it in the shins. It makes life more interesting.
Let me start by saying that I love the way Gingell writes a story, I really do. Reading this right after a City Between binge was great, I needed the help through the hangover, lol!
I adored Rose as a protagonist. She's sassy and stubborn and really fun to follow; she reminded me (in the best ways) of Pet from City Between and Flavia de Luce, precocious and capable and ready for anything. In general the beginning of this story reminded me of Flavia de Luce meets Septimus Heap meets Have Sword, Will Travel meets the works of Anne Ursu. It was quick and witty and loveable all at once. The magic system was perfectly fantastical, and described just enough to be understandable, but with enough kept back to keep it mysterious. I love magic forest stories. The supporting cast of Akiva and Rose's family were lovely, and I almost wanted to spend more time with them.
Unfortunately, the book started to lose me in the second half. The love triangle developed, and I'll be honest, I didn't like the romance at all, and I probably would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't been involved. There was a super interesting magical political intrigue story going on, and Rose was spending most of her time being oblivious to the flirtation of the men in her life. (all of whom take a lot of liberties with Rose's personal space, but that's a different conversation) Bastian gave me the ick so bad, y'all, I did not like him at all. (like, bro, she's just not into you, stop being possessive and get over yourself) I wasn't rooting for that relationship by the end, which is disappointing, but totally on me, not necessarily the book.
But yeah, overall, I'm still excited to check out more of this story world and read more from Gingell. And I did really love the first half of this book! I just kinda wish it had kept up that momentum. So it gets 3.5 stars from me. (Oh, and the audiobook narration was fantastic. So that's good.)
I say that if you want adventure, you have to march right up to it and kick it in the shins. It makes life more interesting.
Let me start by saying that I love the way Gingell writes a story, I really do. Reading this right after a City Between binge was great, I needed the help through the hangover, lol!
I adored Rose as a protagonist. She's sassy and stubborn and really fun to follow; she reminded me (in the best ways) of Pet from City Between and Flavia de Luce, precocious and capable and ready for anything. In general the beginning of this story reminded me of Flavia de Luce meets Septimus Heap meets Have Sword, Will Travel meets the works of Anne Ursu. It was quick and witty and loveable all at once. The magic system was perfectly fantastical, and described just enough to be understandable, but with enough kept back to keep it mysterious. I love magic forest stories. The supporting cast of Akiva and Rose's family were lovely, and I almost wanted to spend more time with them.
Unfortunately, the book started to lose me in the second half. The love triangle developed, and I'll be honest, I didn't like the romance at all, and I probably would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't been involved. There was a super interesting magical political intrigue story going on, and Rose was spending most of her time being oblivious to the flirtation of the men in her life. (all of whom take a lot of liberties with Rose's personal space, but that's a different conversation) Bastian gave me the ick so bad, y'all, I did not like him at all. (like, bro, she's just not into you, stop being possessive and get over yourself) I wasn't rooting for that relationship by the end, which is disappointing, but totally on me, not necessarily the book.
But yeah, overall, I'm still excited to check out more of this story world and read more from Gingell. And I did really love the first half of this book! I just kinda wish it had kept up that momentum. So it gets 3.5 stars from me. (Oh, and the audiobook narration was fantastic. So that's good.)
May 18, 2017
Rose grows into a great woods-Warden in this fun [fairy]tale
When the book starts, Rose is very much a child, young even for her thirteen years, and at first I wasn't sure that Gingell would convince me that the girl was ready for a serious romance (HEA) by the time it happened, but the relationship between Rose and her dangerous wolf develops gradually while Rose herself develops knowledge and responsibility as Akiva's apprentice. She remains convinced for a long time, though, that the idea of anyone having a genuine romantic interest in her (instead of her flirtatious village-belle sister) is ridiculous; in a way, this conviction gives her an ease that crushes the wolf's pretensions and manipulations.
There's an unusual interval where Rose's experiences have little to do with physically growing up, but exploring the magical nature of her forest-bound world (sorry to be cryptic, but this is the best I can do); Gingell's world-building feels rich enough to allow plenty of further discoveries. When the forest becomes a more dangerous and less contented place, straining under the shocking disappearances of several Wardens, Rose naturally refuses to simply sit back and stay safe, especially since she suspects the same powerful woman who cursed the wolf of being involved in this wide-scale wickedness. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll stop with that.
Not every move Rose makes is wise, but I can happily say that she's NOT one of those TSTL heroines that make me groan, "She's not seriously going to ... She is!" As usual with Gingell's fantasies, I enjoyed spending time with her cast of characters, from Rose herself and the wolf/man called Bastian (who becomes less self-serving despite his desperation to break his curse), to the crusty Akiva (whose idea of teaching is often simply giving Rose opportunity and reason to discover for herself how the living magic works), to Rose's family, friends, and village beaux for her and sister Gwendolyn -- and perhaps even their widowed mother.
I do need to get at typing up a list of the minor goofs I noted -- several cases of I-should-be-me and a few other things -- to pass on for correction, but they were neither confusing nor frequent enough to take me out of the story, so I have no hesitation about recommending it to anyone who wants a light and young-at-heart (but teen-angst-free) fantasy.
When the book starts, Rose is very much a child, young even for her thirteen years, and at first I wasn't sure that Gingell would convince me that the girl was ready for a serious romance (HEA) by the time it happened, but the relationship between Rose and her dangerous wolf develops gradually while Rose herself develops knowledge and responsibility as Akiva's apprentice. She remains convinced for a long time, though, that the idea of anyone having a genuine romantic interest in her (instead of her flirtatious village-belle sister) is ridiculous; in a way, this conviction gives her an ease that crushes the wolf's pretensions and manipulations.
There's an unusual interval where Rose's experiences have little to do with physically growing up, but exploring the magical nature of her forest-bound world (sorry to be cryptic, but this is the best I can do); Gingell's world-building feels rich enough to allow plenty of further discoveries. When the forest becomes a more dangerous and less contented place, straining under the shocking disappearances of several Wardens, Rose naturally refuses to simply sit back and stay safe, especially since she suspects the same powerful woman who cursed the wolf of being involved in this wide-scale wickedness. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll stop with that.
Not every move Rose makes is wise, but I can happily say that she's NOT one of those TSTL heroines that make me groan, "She's not seriously going to ... She is!" As usual with Gingell's fantasies, I enjoyed spending time with her cast of characters, from Rose herself and the wolf/man called Bastian (who becomes less self-serving despite his desperation to break his curse), to the crusty Akiva (whose idea of teaching is often simply giving Rose opportunity and reason to discover for herself how the living magic works), to Rose's family, friends, and village beaux for her and sister Gwendolyn -- and perhaps even their widowed mother.
I do need to get at typing up a list of the minor goofs I noted -- several cases of I-should-be-me and a few other things -- to pass on for correction, but they were neither confusing nor frequent enough to take me out of the story, so I have no hesitation about recommending it to anyone who wants a light and young-at-heart (but teen-angst-free) fantasy.
February 22, 2019
Probably my least favourite W.R. Gingell, which is more of a compliment than it sounds. I still really like her writing style, and tone. This one just never quite comes together for me.
I loved parts of it. I loved the concept of forest wardens. Rose as apprentice forest warden is excellent, as is her apprenticeship to Akiva. I liked that she had a good relationship with her sister, but found Gwendolyn a bit irritating, in her perfect-traditional-daughter role (for lack of a better term). I also found Rose's tomboyishness a bit irritatingly extreme as well. It was sort of the extremity of both positions I struggled with. Did love the family dynamic (it's a rare good one in a fairy tale).
I also had a heck of a lot of a struggle with the love interest.
Which is a shame, because this is incredibly readable. And I really liked a lot about it.
2019 Reading Challenge - A book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore
I loved parts of it. I loved the concept of forest wardens. Rose as apprentice forest warden is excellent, as is her apprenticeship to Akiva. I liked that she had a good relationship with her sister, but found Gwendolyn a bit irritating, in her perfect-traditional-daughter role (for lack of a better term). I also found Rose's tomboyishness a bit irritatingly extreme as well. It was sort of the extremity of both positions I struggled with. Did love the family dynamic (it's a rare good one in a fairy tale).
I also had a heck of a lot of a struggle with the love interest.
Which is a shame, because this is incredibly readable. And I really liked a lot about it.
2019 Reading Challenge - A book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore
May 29, 2016
I'm a fairly picky reader, so I often close a book feeling a slightly unsatisfied and wanting just a little something "more." Not this time. Wolfskin is probably one of the best books I've read in the past year, and I am very glad to have discovered this lovely retelling of what seemed to be a blend of two familiar fairy tales -- Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White and Rose Red.
The most charming and magical thing about this story is its protagonist, Rose, who may have spent much of the first part of the book doing rather mundane things (much to her own dismay), but her narrative voice was so unique and engaging that I found myself willing to follow her anywhere she wanted to go, just to listen to her tell me about it.
The character arcs were beautifully handled, even though they spanned several years time, and did a fantastic job of displaying the changes taking place as the characters grew and matured. I particularly appreciated the author's ability to create fully drawn secondary characters who are every bit as real and complex as the protagonists.
While there were not really any surprises and the ending had a few hiccups, I loved this book and would happily recommend it.
The most charming and magical thing about this story is its protagonist, Rose, who may have spent much of the first part of the book doing rather mundane things (much to her own dismay), but her narrative voice was so unique and engaging that I found myself willing to follow her anywhere she wanted to go, just to listen to her tell me about it.
The character arcs were beautifully handled, even though they spanned several years time, and did a fantastic job of displaying the changes taking place as the characters grew and matured. I particularly appreciated the author's ability to create fully drawn secondary characters who are every bit as real and complex as the protagonists.
While there were not really any surprises and the ending had a few hiccups, I loved this book and would happily recommend it.
May 3, 2018
Another favorite Gingell story, this one sort of a retelling of Red Riding Hood, and sort of its own thing. Which is good any way you look at it!
I loved Rose as the viewpoint character. She has so much personality--not all of it positive!--and is totally oblivious to the romantic intentions of the males in her life, all of which brings this story to life even while Rose is doing ordinary tasks around Akiva's cottage and starting to learn her place. I enjoyed the story arcs for her sister and mother as well.
Bastian is terrifying and creepy at first, but he grows as a character until I loved him to pieces. I liked his rival too, but once Bastian "grew up," the other guy didn't have a chance with me.
Whether I can predict the endings or not, Gingell's books keep me glued to the page with no desire to look ahead! Which means I trust her to tell a great yarn from beginning to end.
Another highly recommended story!
I loved Rose as the viewpoint character. She has so much personality--not all of it positive!--and is totally oblivious to the romantic intentions of the males in her life, all of which brings this story to life even while Rose is doing ordinary tasks around Akiva's cottage and starting to learn her place. I enjoyed the story arcs for her sister and mother as well.
Bastian is terrifying and creepy at first, but he grows as a character until I loved him to pieces. I liked his rival too, but once Bastian "grew up," the other guy didn't have a chance with me.
Whether I can predict the endings or not, Gingell's books keep me glued to the page with no desire to look ahead! Which means I trust her to tell a great yarn from beginning to end.
Another highly recommended story!
December 7, 2016
Reader thoughts: Oh, this was as good as the other Gingell books. I should go read them all.
I was skeptical about reading this book because it just didn't sound interesting. A tom-girl living in the forest? A cursed wolf? I had no idea there would be gryphons and wardens and leafy hood anchors and village dances with dryads and deep forest off the paths. I have no idea if there was much of a government or taxes or anything beyond the village and forest, but I loved the ideas the readers did see.
Bastian is a bit old for Rose, but at least he has been cursed. Maybe he's not really that much older.
I loved the end with the tricky magic hut and curse breaking and forest revenge. There was just a splash of romance and nothing inappropriate. Nothing too violent, either.
Every character has their own personality, which I like, even the salamander and the garden patches. It was a fun magic system (not quite spooky) but still serious (not funny). We spend only a little time with Rose's sister and mother, and yet they feel like real people anyway.
Writer thoughts: I love how firmly inside the characters's heads we are. If the MC is confused, so is the reader. If she is in the middle of indescribable magic spells, then she won't waste paragraphs explaining nonsense to the reader. You just know there are forest threads and deeper forest and black curse lines and a sort of tricky sentience to the wardens. How does it work? I don't know, but it still makes enough sense.
And that's the point. The reader doesn't have to understand how to make a trap with ropes and trees (which took pages to explain in the otherwise excellent Dragon and Herdsman). We just need to know "Draycos used rope and tree branches to make a trap."
Readers don't need every detail in building a robot barrier/brake for the spaceship (like in the otherwise excellent Moon Racer). We just need to know Tyce and Ashley "used robots and a welder to slow down the spaceship."
Okay, sometimes the details are interesting (like in The Martian), but sometimes I just want what happened without the how.
I was skeptical about reading this book because it just didn't sound interesting. A tom-girl living in the forest? A cursed wolf? I had no idea there would be gryphons and wardens and leafy hood anchors and village dances with dryads and deep forest off the paths. I have no idea if there was much of a government or taxes or anything beyond the village and forest, but I loved the ideas the readers did see.
Bastian is a bit old for Rose, but at least he has been cursed. Maybe he's not really that much older.
I loved the end with the tricky magic hut and curse breaking and forest revenge. There was just a splash of romance and nothing inappropriate. Nothing too violent, either.
Every character has their own personality, which I like, even the salamander and the garden patches. It was a fun magic system (not quite spooky) but still serious (not funny). We spend only a little time with Rose's sister and mother, and yet they feel like real people anyway.
Writer thoughts: I love how firmly inside the characters's heads we are. If the MC is confused, so is the reader. If she is in the middle of indescribable magic spells, then she won't waste paragraphs explaining nonsense to the reader. You just know there are forest threads and deeper forest and black curse lines and a sort of tricky sentience to the wardens. How does it work? I don't know, but it still makes enough sense.
And that's the point. The reader doesn't have to understand how to make a trap with ropes and trees (which took pages to explain in the otherwise excellent Dragon and Herdsman). We just need to know "Draycos used rope and tree branches to make a trap."
Readers don't need every detail in building a robot barrier/brake for the spaceship (like in the otherwise excellent Moon Racer). We just need to know Tyce and Ashley "used robots and a welder to slow down the spaceship."
Okay, sometimes the details are interesting (like in The Martian), but sometimes I just want what happened without the how.
January 14, 2017
4.5 Stars
This book was lovely! I adore fairy tale retellings, and this one didn't disappoint. I enjoyed mainly Rose's personality, her stubbornness and constant crossness, but another thing that I really loved was the magic. It was interesting and new to me..."forest magic," but described much more deeply than that. Threads of magic running through the forest and nursery rhymes and all of it was wonderful. Not all of the rules/limits were explained, but I had the feeling the author knew them and it was only Rose who doesn't know them yet.
I enjoyed that the book spanned 2-3 years, which gave it a more fairy-tale-ish feel and it was a bit of a coming-of-age story for Rose. I loved Akiva and how much she taught Rose and how much I loved her despite her grouchiness...she's a character that I've seen before, in other novels, but I still can't help but love them no matter how many times they're used.
I really liked the romance and Rose's no-nonsense approach to it all. She didn't think anyone loved her, but she wasn't annoyingly self-deprecating in that regard. In fact, she didn't care at all, and that was what I really loved about her. She didn't care what anyone thought about her looks--only what they actually thought about her, and I appreciated that immensely.
I found the ending a little bit odd, hence the 4.5 star rating rather than 5 stars, but I didn't dislike it. It was just a bit different and unexpected, and it didn't detract much from the novel as a whole--I still loved it and I'm glad I bought it and that I can enjoy it again at some point.
This book was lovely! I adore fairy tale retellings, and this one didn't disappoint. I enjoyed mainly Rose's personality, her stubbornness and constant crossness, but another thing that I really loved was the magic. It was interesting and new to me..."forest magic," but described much more deeply than that. Threads of magic running through the forest and nursery rhymes and all of it was wonderful. Not all of the rules/limits were explained, but I had the feeling the author knew them and it was only Rose who doesn't know them yet.
I enjoyed that the book spanned 2-3 years, which gave it a more fairy-tale-ish feel and it was a bit of a coming-of-age story for Rose. I loved Akiva and how much she taught Rose and how much I loved her despite her grouchiness...she's a character that I've seen before, in other novels, but I still can't help but love them no matter how many times they're used.
I really liked the romance and Rose's no-nonsense approach to it all. She didn't think anyone loved her, but she wasn't annoyingly self-deprecating in that regard. In fact, she didn't care at all, and that was what I really loved about her. She didn't care what anyone thought about her looks--only what they actually thought about her, and I appreciated that immensely.
I found the ending a little bit odd, hence the 4.5 star rating rather than 5 stars, but I didn't dislike it. It was just a bit different and unexpected, and it didn't detract much from the novel as a whole--I still loved it and I'm glad I bought it and that I can enjoy it again at some point.
July 4, 2017
First of all for anyone curious about the reading length the reason why it took me so long to read this book is that my job too away any leisure reading that we could do when we are slow and so being at work an additional 3.5 hours each morning is a ruckus to my reading schedule.
Past personal life, though, the book had me caught with the idea that it a take of Little Red Riding Hood who is right now my fairytale heroine of the time. I was curious to see how this was going to turn out and if it would stick with the more well-known story or veer along something like the movie "Red Riding Hood". Instead "Wolfskin" tends to stand in a class of its own.
There are a few slow bits within the book but the antics of Rose will keep you busy trying to figure out what she is up to while I felt that Bastian had been stolen of some more roles within the story itself. And in some parts especially with her bubbly sister and the constant dances the story seemed a bit redundant.
Otherwise I love the strong characters, the imagination that it took to make the book and the beautiful weaving of all the components. And I am glad that this wasn't just another werewolf style book in a reading world that tends to the shifters and witches. Makes me wonder how the other fairytale based books turn out....
**Received this book as part of the Giveaways at Goodreads.com for free in exchange for a review**
~A Book With Magic*
Past personal life, though, the book had me caught with the idea that it a take of Little Red Riding Hood who is right now my fairytale heroine of the time. I was curious to see how this was going to turn out and if it would stick with the more well-known story or veer along something like the movie "Red Riding Hood". Instead "Wolfskin" tends to stand in a class of its own.
There are a few slow bits within the book but the antics of Rose will keep you busy trying to figure out what she is up to while I felt that Bastian had been stolen of some more roles within the story itself. And in some parts especially with her bubbly sister and the constant dances the story seemed a bit redundant.
Otherwise I love the strong characters, the imagination that it took to make the book and the beautiful weaving of all the components. And I am glad that this wasn't just another werewolf style book in a reading world that tends to the shifters and witches. Makes me wonder how the other fairytale based books turn out....
**Received this book as part of the Giveaways at Goodreads.com for free in exchange for a review**
~A Book With Magic*
March 17, 2016
When I finished, I decided to try something else by Gingell. I decided on Wolfskin.
First, I need to mention that the Masque and Wolfskin are distinctly different in style. Both are retellings of familiar tales, but the approach is completely different. Wolfskin has a more traditional feel to it, and yet it, too, veers drastically from the original tale of Red Riding Hood.
Truthfully, Gingell's reimagining takes little more than the idea of a young girl and a dangerous wolf and develops an entirely new tale that draws on more than one fairy tale theme.
At seven, Rose decided she would be a bloodthirsty pirate with the name Cutlass Rose. At fourteen, Rose is a feisty tomboy who, in spite of living in a loving family, has dreams of adventure. She finds domestic duties cumbersome and boring and longs for daring exploits.
When her mother finally agrees to apprentice her to the local forest witch Akiva, Rose is delighted, hoping for magic and excitement. Initially, Rose is disappointed not to sense the magic she expected. Discovering that hard work in the garden is one of her chores, she despairs of her dreams of adventure.
And then she meets the wolf in the forest and steps off the path....
I liked Wolfskin even better than Masque and plan to read much more of W.R. Gingell!
Kindle Unlimited.
Fairy Tale/Fantasy. 2015. print version: 300 pages.
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First, I need to mention that the Masque and Wolfskin are distinctly different in style. Both are retellings of familiar tales, but the approach is completely different. Wolfskin has a more traditional feel to it, and yet it, too, veers drastically from the original tale of Red Riding Hood.
Truthfully, Gingell's reimagining takes little more than the idea of a young girl and a dangerous wolf and develops an entirely new tale that draws on more than one fairy tale theme.
At seven, Rose decided she would be a bloodthirsty pirate with the name Cutlass Rose. At fourteen, Rose is a feisty tomboy who, in spite of living in a loving family, has dreams of adventure. She finds domestic duties cumbersome and boring and longs for daring exploits.
When her mother finally agrees to apprentice her to the local forest witch Akiva, Rose is delighted, hoping for magic and excitement. Initially, Rose is disappointed not to sense the magic she expected. Discovering that hard work in the garden is one of her chores, she despairs of her dreams of adventure.
And then she meets the wolf in the forest and steps off the path....
I liked Wolfskin even better than Masque and plan to read much more of W.R. Gingell!
Kindle Unlimited.
Fairy Tale/Fantasy. 2015. print version: 300 pages.
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December 22, 2020
Stupidly, I've allowed rather a lot of reviews to pile up on me again. Better get started...
This one is a cute little Red Riding Hood retelling with a twist. The one thing I'll say about it is that it's very easy to read; it's 100k words long but they absolutely FLEW by. I wouldn't have believed it was that long if you hadn't told me.
The romance is kind of sweet but very unsatisfying. Bastian is 27 (physically; centuries old in reality) while Rose ages from 14 to 16 throughout the course of the book. Nothing romantic happens until she's 16, and even then it's clean as a whistle, but I still felt uneasy at the massive imbalance between them. It doesn't help that he really needs someone to fall in love with him to break the werewolf curse. Essentially, I failed to be convinced that Bastian had sufficiently matured from his initial declaration that 'three women at once is the minimum required for a man', even though the book tried fairly hard to make me believe in their love.
[Blog]
This one is a cute little Red Riding Hood retelling with a twist. The one thing I'll say about it is that it's very easy to read; it's 100k words long but they absolutely FLEW by. I wouldn't have believed it was that long if you hadn't told me.
The romance is kind of sweet but very unsatisfying. Bastian is 27 (physically; centuries old in reality) while Rose ages from 14 to 16 throughout the course of the book. Nothing romantic happens until she's 16, and even then it's clean as a whistle, but I still felt uneasy at the massive imbalance between them. It doesn't help that he really needs someone to fall in love with him to break the werewolf curse. Essentially, I failed to be convinced that Bastian had sufficiently matured from his initial declaration that 'three women at once is the minimum required for a man', even though the book tried fairly hard to make me believe in their love.
[Blog]
July 10, 2015
I Requested a copy of Wolfskin through Xpresso Book Tours for a Fair review, and I am glad I did!
I loved this book since the beginning . I requested it because of the cover, yes I am the kind of person that judges a book by the cover. And this cover is beautiful and it does justice to the story.
This is a high fantasy book. I love the characters, I love the forest. My favorite was Akiva that witch was so mysterious all the time and so grumpy .
Bastian : I loved him! his relationship with Rose was unique.
Rose: another great female character that isn't whining and crying. And I loved that her goal was to be a pirate! hahaha
This reminds me a little bit of The Beauty and the Beast too, only because of the course Rosa had to break.
The perfect fantasy book, the writing was beautiful. I hope there is a sequel I want to read more adventures of Bastian and Rose.
I loved this book since the beginning . I requested it because of the cover, yes I am the kind of person that judges a book by the cover. And this cover is beautiful and it does justice to the story.
This is a high fantasy book. I love the characters, I love the forest. My favorite was Akiva that witch was so mysterious all the time and so grumpy .
Bastian : I loved him! his relationship with Rose was unique.
Rose: another great female character that isn't whining and crying. And I loved that her goal was to be a pirate! hahaha
This reminds me a little bit of The Beauty and the Beast too, only because of the course Rosa had to break.
The perfect fantasy book, the writing was beautiful. I hope there is a sequel I want to read more adventures of Bastian and Rose.
October 15, 2024
"Reread" via TTS recently to be able to sleep while dealing with pregnancy tossing/turning, and still holds up very nicely as a book thats nicely dark yet has whimsical undertones.
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This was the best of the Two Monarchies world, even though its a standalone. It has more of a serious tone and a longer timeline which is well done. There were touches of Naomi Novik in this.
Things I found a little annoying were, the densness that Rose projected in regards to the 2 males interested in her and also the obviousness of one of the bad guys which nobody seemed to catch on to.
Regardless this was a multilayered adventure with interesting magic and a nice romance.
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This was the best of the Two Monarchies world, even though its a standalone. It has more of a serious tone and a longer timeline which is well done. There were touches of Naomi Novik in this.
Things I found a little annoying were, the densness that Rose projected in regards to the 2 males interested in her and also the obviousness of one of the bad guys which nobody seemed to catch on to.
Regardless this was a multilayered adventure with interesting magic and a nice romance.
August 24, 2016
A lovely story loosely inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. I appreciated the fact that the romance was very, very slow to develop (given the heroine's young age and the hero's need for personal growth).
October 26, 2023
I can very much tell that Gingell has grown as a writer, but her knack for charming heroines and uniquely gorgeous magic systems was hers from the start, I think.
Pros:
-Forest, deep forest, and deeper forest. I could tell from the little glimpse of it around Luck's village in Spindle (which is ANOTHER REASON Spindle is NOT just a Howl's Moving Castle rip-off; Spindle has its own utterly enchanting uniquenesses, and as for the deeply sylvan magic of the forest, DWJ could never--) that I loved W. R. Gingell's ideas of how magic and the natural world interact (it's so intuitive. so good.), and that I LOVED her idea of what a magical forest should truly be--but HERE the forest's basically a main character, and it is so beautiful and unsettling and wild and Narnian and folkloric and dangerous and GORGEOUS--
-Rose falls into more heroine stereotypes than Gingell's characters normally do, but I think one of the charms of her writing is that she isn't afraid of the ordinary. Rose is wonderful and charming, even if I've read characters of her type before. I especially loved her as fourteen-year-old munchkin running around barking her shins on trees, refusing to wear shoes, and declaring to all and sundry that she's going to be Cutlass Rose, a bloodthirsty pirate, when she grows up. But also I liked how she matured!
-Akiva. Grumpy witch/forest warden with a sharp tongue and sense of humor. Tends to the forest creatures and will not admit she's worried about you. Love it.
-Rose's family. They're lovely, especially her mom.
-Really liked David and Thomas, wished Thomas especially was in there more
-GRYPHONS. And salamanders. And the deep forest creatures in general, which I guess is just going back to the deep forest/magic thing, but I had to give the gryphons a shoutout
Cons:
-The romance was Not It for me. Weirdness in the age thing aside, it was pretty boring. Bastian in general was a boring character. He could have been very fun and interesting, but the potential was not capitalized on, and Rose falling in love with him was just...it just happened. Because it did. I was not feeling it, my friends. Which often happens in books like this, but this is the first time I remember it happening in a book penned by W. R. Gingell.
-Also the resolution of the curse felt super anticlimactic. Sacrifice is a very good storytelling proof of true love and stuff, but...I guess I didn't think the theme "what is love, though?" was adequately explored? Like, Gingell knows how to write about very personal things in ways you can't believe a stranger could poke into that unexposed corner of your soul--see, again, Spindle--but she just didn't really do that here. It was pretty surface. Sacrifice because he loves her (but what does that mean? he's just super into her personality?) and voila, curse solved.
-One-dimensional villains, not my favorite.
-I guessed the twist villain way too easily, I felt like.
The forest is literally my favorite thing I've ever read. I greatly enjoyed the protagonist Rose. Bastian can just...go howl at the moon. forever.
Pros:
-Forest, deep forest, and deeper forest. I could tell from the little glimpse of it around Luck's village in Spindle (which is ANOTHER REASON Spindle is NOT just a Howl's Moving Castle rip-off; Spindle has its own utterly enchanting uniquenesses, and as for the deeply sylvan magic of the forest, DWJ could never--) that I loved W. R. Gingell's ideas of how magic and the natural world interact (it's so intuitive. so good.), and that I LOVED her idea of what a magical forest should truly be--but HERE the forest's basically a main character, and it is so beautiful and unsettling and wild and Narnian and folkloric and dangerous and GORGEOUS--
-Rose falls into more heroine stereotypes than Gingell's characters normally do, but I think one of the charms of her writing is that she isn't afraid of the ordinary. Rose is wonderful and charming, even if I've read characters of her type before. I especially loved her as fourteen-year-old munchkin running around barking her shins on trees, refusing to wear shoes, and declaring to all and sundry that she's going to be Cutlass Rose, a bloodthirsty pirate, when she grows up. But also I liked how she matured!
-Akiva. Grumpy witch/forest warden with a sharp tongue and sense of humor. Tends to the forest creatures and will not admit she's worried about you. Love it.
-Rose's family. They're lovely, especially her mom.
-Really liked David and Thomas, wished Thomas especially was in there more
-GRYPHONS. And salamanders. And the deep forest creatures in general, which I guess is just going back to the deep forest/magic thing, but I had to give the gryphons a shoutout
Cons:
-The romance was Not It for me. Weirdness in the age thing aside, it was pretty boring. Bastian in general was a boring character. He could have been very fun and interesting, but the potential was not capitalized on, and Rose falling in love with him was just...it just happened. Because it did. I was not feeling it, my friends. Which often happens in books like this, but this is the first time I remember it happening in a book penned by W. R. Gingell.
-Also the resolution of the curse felt super anticlimactic. Sacrifice is a very good storytelling proof of true love and stuff, but...I guess I didn't think the theme "what is love, though?" was adequately explored? Like, Gingell knows how to write about very personal things in ways you can't believe a stranger could poke into that unexposed corner of your soul--see, again, Spindle--but she just didn't really do that here. It was pretty surface. Sacrifice because he loves her (but what does that mean? he's just super into her personality?) and voila, curse solved.
-One-dimensional villains, not my favorite.
-I guessed the twist villain way too easily, I felt like.
The forest is literally my favorite thing I've ever read. I greatly enjoyed the protagonist Rose. Bastian can just...go howl at the moon. forever.
April 29, 2018
I had a little trouble getting into the story, but once I did I loved it! I really like the way the author puts new twists to the Little Red Riding Hood story.
July 8, 2015
You can see this and other reviews on my blog: Book Nerd Paradise
Honestly, in the beginning I was a little unsure about reading and reviewing Wolfskin by W.R Gingell. Now that I'm in my mid-20s (sigh... getting older) I tend to lean more toward stories with slightly older characters or NA fantasy. I find that I can relate more toward characters that are closer to my age.
So with that in mind, I did get a little frustrated with the main character and her childish reaction to things. She was a little bit whiny and pouty. However, then I reminded myself that I was a little brat at 14 too, and I started to really enjoy the story once I got that out of the way.
What's good. The story itself was excellent. It wasn't anything like I had expected at all, which is always refreshing to see in a fantasy. Our main character, Rose, has a lot of learning to do in her apprenticeship and we learn right along with her. I found myself confused at times by what was happening, but it made me connect with Rose more, since she was struggling to understand everything at the same time I was.
The characters were new and refreshing. After I got over my initial dislike of Rose, I came to love her energy and curiosity. It reminded me a lot of myself at that age.
Then there's Akiva, the guardian witch Rose is apprenticed to. She's not your typical lovey, dovey fairy godmother. She's a tough, no nonsense old broad. She really makes Rose work for everything and never just gives her the answer to whatever problem she's facing.
Lastly, we have Bastian. His character is very drawn out through the novel. When we meet him, he's a conniving, vicious wolf who's about to eat Rose on their first meeting. After she breaks the first part of his curse, we don't see that much of him. Rose runs into him here and there, but he doesn't really play a bigger part until the second half of the novel.
What could have been better. The pacing was a little off for me. Sometimes it would take an entire chapter to go through a few days. Other times it was months down the road within a few sentences. To me, it didn't quite flow as well as it could have. I like it better when there's a consistency to the timeline.
I would have like to have seen more of Bastian in the beginning half of the novel. After Rose broke the first part of the curse I thought he'd be around more. He still had two more parts to the curse but didn't seem to be in a hurry to break them.
Overall, I gave Wolfskin a rating of 4/5 because I really, really enjoyed the storyline. The few things that I didn't like were very minor and didn't take away from the book as a whole. I'll definitely be recommending this one.
** I was provided a copy of this book in return for an honest review
Honestly, in the beginning I was a little unsure about reading and reviewing Wolfskin by W.R Gingell. Now that I'm in my mid-20s (sigh... getting older) I tend to lean more toward stories with slightly older characters or NA fantasy. I find that I can relate more toward characters that are closer to my age.
So with that in mind, I did get a little frustrated with the main character and her childish reaction to things. She was a little bit whiny and pouty. However, then I reminded myself that I was a little brat at 14 too, and I started to really enjoy the story once I got that out of the way.
What's good. The story itself was excellent. It wasn't anything like I had expected at all, which is always refreshing to see in a fantasy. Our main character, Rose, has a lot of learning to do in her apprenticeship and we learn right along with her. I found myself confused at times by what was happening, but it made me connect with Rose more, since she was struggling to understand everything at the same time I was.
The characters were new and refreshing. After I got over my initial dislike of Rose, I came to love her energy and curiosity. It reminded me a lot of myself at that age.
Then there's Akiva, the guardian witch Rose is apprenticed to. She's not your typical lovey, dovey fairy godmother. She's a tough, no nonsense old broad. She really makes Rose work for everything and never just gives her the answer to whatever problem she's facing.
Lastly, we have Bastian. His character is very drawn out through the novel. When we meet him, he's a conniving, vicious wolf who's about to eat Rose on their first meeting. After she breaks the first part of his curse, we don't see that much of him. Rose runs into him here and there, but he doesn't really play a bigger part until the second half of the novel.
What could have been better. The pacing was a little off for me. Sometimes it would take an entire chapter to go through a few days. Other times it was months down the road within a few sentences. To me, it didn't quite flow as well as it could have. I like it better when there's a consistency to the timeline.
I would have like to have seen more of Bastian in the beginning half of the novel. After Rose broke the first part of the curse I thought he'd be around more. He still had two more parts to the curse but didn't seem to be in a hurry to break them.
Overall, I gave Wolfskin a rating of 4/5 because I really, really enjoyed the storyline. The few things that I didn't like were very minor and didn't take away from the book as a whole. I'll definitely be recommending this one.
** I was provided a copy of this book in return for an honest review
August 9, 2021
It actually pains me to give this book such a low rating. I'm a fan of the author, and I love her writing. Her main characters are always so much fun.
That's no different in this book. It's a cool read for the most part. The writing is lively, Rose is very much herself, the world building is mostly what I love.
It all works - except for the romance. Honestly, it squicked me out, and I was hoping I was wrong, and the author had a trick up her sleve but nope. Predictible.
It has also become apparent, more in this book than in any of the others I've read, that the author has a thing for huge age-gap romances. It was particularly uncomfortable for me because the story starts with Rose at 14, and ends at 16.
To be more specific: SPOILERS
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.
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SPOILERS:
Anyway, the book is still charming in many ways. Rose was fun, and made me laugh several times. I enjoyed the female relationships. Still a fan, but I'm going to be more careful about which books I read.
That's no different in this book. It's a cool read for the most part. The writing is lively, Rose is very much herself, the world building is mostly what I love.
It all works - except for the romance. Honestly, it squicked me out, and I was hoping I was wrong, and the author had a trick up her sleve but nope. Predictible.
It has also become apparent, more in this book than in any of the others I've read, that the author has a thing for huge age-gap romances. It was particularly uncomfortable for me because the story starts with Rose at 14, and ends at 16.
To be more specific: SPOILERS
.
.
.
SPOILERS:
Anyway, the book is still charming in many ways. Rose was fun, and made me laugh several times. I enjoyed the female relationships. Still a fan, but I'm going to be more careful about which books I read.
November 14, 2023
Rose (a teenage would-be pirate) becomes apprenticed to cranky old Akiva the Forest Warden, a role that involves quite a lot of crazy stuff. In a loose Red Riding Hood mode she also ends up entangled with a dodgy cursed man-wolf an enthusiastic woodsman.
A very likeable combination of things Gingell does well: a sassy, smart, shin-kicking heroine. Highly magical landscapes and houses that move around unexpectedly. Moments of genuine fey brilliance. (Love the gryphon). Broody, powerful, dangerous male who turns out to have a heart of gold. Ish. There's even a rival / love triangle thing for a little while, which is different. The world is fun, though only very tangentially in the same world as the other Two Monarchies stuff.
While I enjoyed this, I'm down to 3 stars because I lost track of the rather complicated nefarious plot and the wardens other than Akiva never got enough page time to be more than cardboard cutouts. (Except one, who we only really get to know after he's lost his memory). I also never liked the wolf much and found the romance a bit offputting. There's a lot of dashing about and forest magic-rules that seem to mutate the more we deal with them, which results is a conclusion that felt a bit pulled out of a hat. (There's a building she gets trapped in, for instance, would have been more effective if it were set up earlier).
Nevertheless, a fun romp and worth it for fans of her other work.
A very likeable combination of things Gingell does well: a sassy, smart, shin-kicking heroine. Highly magical landscapes and houses that move around unexpectedly. Moments of genuine fey brilliance. (Love the gryphon). Broody, powerful, dangerous male who turns out to have a heart of gold. Ish. There's even a rival / love triangle thing for a little while, which is different. The world is fun, though only very tangentially in the same world as the other Two Monarchies stuff.
While I enjoyed this, I'm down to 3 stars because I lost track of the rather complicated nefarious plot and the wardens other than Akiva never got enough page time to be more than cardboard cutouts. (Except one, who we only really get to know after he's lost his memory). I also never liked the wolf much and found the romance a bit offputting. There's a lot of dashing about and forest magic-rules that seem to mutate the more we deal with them, which results is a conclusion that felt a bit pulled out of a hat. (There's a building she gets trapped in, for instance, would have been more effective if it were set up earlier).
Nevertheless, a fun romp and worth it for fans of her other work.
February 28, 2017
I found this to be a very fun read. It's basically a fairy tale retelling of Red Riding Hood with a little bit of Beauty and the Beast mixed in for good measure. Although the story starts with these very obvious roots, there's quite a lot of storytelling and author invention that take this retelling in different directions.
I would definitely put this under the YA umbrella, but that's not a bad thing. The protagonist, Rose, or Cutlass Rose as she would prefer, is introduced as a tomboyish young teenager (13 or so). There is definitely a romance subplot, but it stays relatively sweet rather than anything explicit.
The book has quite a bit of nature/forest based magic in it, with Rose's mentor being Akiva, the witch of the forest. As you come to find out pretty early in the book, each of the areas of the forest have wardens to watch over them and Akiva is one of the wardens. There's an element of mystery in the book tied up with the wardens and the forest magic, but I don't like giving spoilers in reviews, so I'll leave it at that!
It was a good read and I would recommend it. It reminds me a bit of Anne Bishop's The Others series which starts off with Written in Red, so if you enjoyed that, I would definitely suggest giving Wolfskin a read.
I would definitely put this under the YA umbrella, but that's not a bad thing. The protagonist, Rose, or Cutlass Rose as she would prefer, is introduced as a tomboyish young teenager (13 or so). There is definitely a romance subplot, but it stays relatively sweet rather than anything explicit.
The book has quite a bit of nature/forest based magic in it, with Rose's mentor being Akiva, the witch of the forest. As you come to find out pretty early in the book, each of the areas of the forest have wardens to watch over them and Akiva is one of the wardens. There's an element of mystery in the book tied up with the wardens and the forest magic, but I don't like giving spoilers in reviews, so I'll leave it at that!
It was a good read and I would recommend it. It reminds me a bit of Anne Bishop's The Others series which starts off with Written in Red, so if you enjoyed that, I would definitely suggest giving Wolfskin a read.
April 5, 2017
3.5 stars. I liked the forest setting.
June 14, 2016
Wolfskin is full of magic, witches, curses, power, action, romance, a cursed wolf, a bitter Enchantress, spells, growth, strength, trust, and bravery. It’s about a young girl seeking out adventure who becomes an apprentice to a witch, who ends up breaking the first part of a wolf’s curse, who learns spells and magic, and tries to figure out who is behind the missing Wardens and why they’re doing it. It’s about a fourteen year old girl maturing and growing into a young woman who finds love, friendship, and family. It’s about Rose’s adventures and the situations she gets into because of her naivety. It’s a tale you’ll surely love.
See my full review here: Fishing For Books.
See my full review here: Fishing For Books.
September 2, 2016
A well-written, highly enjoyable fairy-tale with an original plot. Witches, beasts, true-love curses and mysterious forests and all, the plot, while adhering ultimately to the basic tenets of fairy-tales, still holds several surprising twists and turns. The characters are enjoyable, the heroine is not feeble, and the hero has some flaws, so rejoice.
I highly recommend this story. It will not change your life, but it will provide a pleasurable read (provided you don't require massive amounts of sex and violence to be pleased.) I also hope the author returns to this forest for further tales!
I highly recommend this story. It will not change your life, but it will provide a pleasurable read (provided you don't require massive amounts of sex and violence to be pleased.) I also hope the author returns to this forest for further tales!
August 20, 2016
More please!
This is my third book by W.R. Gingell - she does fairytales like NO OTHER & this is my favorite, yet! You think you know how a story will go but you will pleasantly be surprised at all the fun twists & turns the storytelling takes. ;) In fact, with each book so far there was never any time for me to contemplate what I actually thought of the books since I was too busy enjoying them, until each ending - in which I'd feel very satisfied, aside from wanting another new story by the author to jump into. Ms. Gingell - you are up there with Intisar Khanani, Andrea K Höst & Illona Andrews! Please do not stop writing!
This is my third book by W.R. Gingell - she does fairytales like NO OTHER & this is my favorite, yet! You think you know how a story will go but you will pleasantly be surprised at all the fun twists & turns the storytelling takes. ;) In fact, with each book so far there was never any time for me to contemplate what I actually thought of the books since I was too busy enjoying them, until each ending - in which I'd feel very satisfied, aside from wanting another new story by the author to jump into. Ms. Gingell - you are up there with Intisar Khanani, Andrea K Höst & Illona Andrews! Please do not stop writing!
December 30, 2017
This was very much my thing: a fairy tale retelling, forest magic, a young rebel of a witch and a cursed wolf. Entertaining, romantic, magical. Loved the main characters, especially the young witch. Would love to read many more books about her. But sadly there is no need, as all is well in the end. I cannot say that the magic and the plot is always logical, and the way the heroine learns stuff is kind of random. But it did not bother me at all, I just liked the story so much. Would make a wonderful Christmas movie.
October 5, 2023
Somehow I’d never read this book despite being a fan of the Two Monarchies books for years, so I snaffled it up on 99c sale (for the rest of October!). Honestly, if you are a Gingell fan, you are going to like this one. I really loved the woodsy, cottagecore vibes, the forest magic (based on stewardship), and all the Easter eggs from minor Grimms stories. It’s not just Little Red Riding Hood, there’s Snow White and Rose Red and Bearskin in there too! And a snuggly salamander! This is a great autumn read for anyone looking for one.
July 4, 2016
Yet again, I've thoroughly enjoyed one of W.R. Gingell tales. This was delightful, and I will definitely be reading more books by this author.
I also truly appreciate that so far, the hero of each story I've read by Gingell has been a smart and intelligent female with a most excellent personality. It's quite nice to read books that not only pass the Bechtel test, but do so with flying colors.
I also truly appreciate that so far, the hero of each story I've read by Gingell has been a smart and intelligent female with a most excellent personality. It's quite nice to read books that not only pass the Bechtel test, but do so with flying colors.
December 26, 2016
Smooth Flowing Action and Plot
I like the characters especially Rose and Bastian. The maturation of the Little Witch Rose is humorous and compelling. The intermix of characters is homogenous. I really liked that after much travail we have a fairy tale ending. It is much in keeping with the type of magic Rose used.
I like the characters especially Rose and Bastian. The maturation of the Little Witch Rose is humorous and compelling. The intermix of characters is homogenous. I really liked that after much travail we have a fairy tale ending. It is much in keeping with the type of magic Rose used.
April 5, 2016
Imaginative twist on Red Riding Hood.
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