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Lydia V Russell
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Darling, there are wolves in the woods (The Wicked Woods Chronicles) Paperback – May 13, 2019

by L V Russell (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 125 ratings
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The woods are dark and wicked,
and perhaps some things would be better off staying lost…

Teya Jenkins is ten years old when her sister is taken.
Niven is never found, because no one knows where to look.
No one but Teya that is, who heard the whispers of the trees
and saw the beautiful creatures that dwelled in the shadows.

It is only after another tragedy, years later, that Teya finally dares
to enter the forest that haunts her dreams, determined to bring home
her sister and mend the fractured remains of her family.

Beneath the whispering oaks, she meets Laphaniel, an outcast
from the Seelie Court, who tempts her away with veiled promises
of the thing she’s always longed for…to belong somewhere.

But Laphaniel has secrets of his own,
and Teya soon finds herself fighting not only for her life,
and for her sister, but also for her heart.

A sensual, dark faerie tale, full of delicious romance and delightful gothic imagery.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Wicked Woods Chronicles
  2. Print length
    344 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    May 13, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.86 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1090569890
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1090569899
  8. See all details
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Far Beneath The Wicked Woods: The Wicked Woods Chronicles Book Three
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (May 13, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1090569890
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1090569899
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.86 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 125 ratings

About the author

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Lydia V Russell

Lydia V Russell

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Lydia Russell grew up on a farm deep in the countryside of Dorset, England. With her three elder brothers, she used the fields and woodlands as a setting for her debut novel, Darling, there are wolves in the woods.

She still lives in Dorset, not too far away from the haunted cottage of her childhood, with her husband, two daughters and a menagerie of animals.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
125 global ratings
These are not your childhood fairytales
5 Stars
These are not your childhood fairytales
I purchased the hardcover special edition of this book with beautiful artwork throughout.Teya is stuck on one night in her life when she feels responsible for her sister's kidnapping by the fey. Like her mother, she cannot move past it, though they have different ways of coping with it. When she finally ventures into the woods years later to do something about it, she encounters cruel and beautiful Laphaniel, who warns her to go back to her own world, but of course she doesn't listen, and there begins their story. Everything that happens after that is a direct result of Teya's stubborn refusal to let go of the past.Lydia Russell does a masterful job of worldbuilding in this tragic love story. There is danger and beauty at every turn, meaning the reader can't relax for a moment. The ending cries out for the next book. I loved it.
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Top reviews from the United States

Alice V
5.0 out of 5 stars Danger lurks around every corner
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2022
Verified Purchase
I went into this book kind of disliking the MC, Teya because she's a downer in the begining and a complete basketcase who can't get past her sister's kidnapping. Not sure anyone actually can though, especially if you're blaming yourself for it like Teya does. It has completely ruined her life and you see her going through life just as numb to the world as her mother is who still puts out dinnerwear for a husband that left her and a daugther that dissapeared. It's a tragic setting but when Teya ventures into the woods with a goal of saving her sister and putting an end to her own self-misery, you see a turning point in her story that she continues to struggle with, and the self-destructive reality she's used as a safety blanket to push people away.

When Naphaniel enters the picture, he's dangerously attractive and you know sparks will fly and they do. However I was at the edge of my seat wondering what he was actually going to do with Teya. Is he as dark and dangerous as the woods? Then there was Lucy, a strange and crazy sounding creature obessessed with him. I was thinking in my head for a moment that maybe Lucy was once human and Naphaniel sucked her dry of her soul and that's how she became this miserable creature. But it turns out she was always this way and I breathed a sigh of relief.

There were a lot of "oh no!" moments for me as I read this book. I literally had a hard time putting it down. The woods become a magically dark place as we watch Teya run full throttle into it. She doesn't plan very well and Laphaniel is always rescuing her. Everything in the woods has the potential and the desire to kill her and many of the creatures there do attempt to. And in the midst of this chaos to find her sister, a love story blossoms. Teya is fighting against that love even though she wants it while Naphaniel allows it to make him recklace as he tries to hold onto it.

Nitpick moment:
While the woods are really magical and awe-inspring in this book, there's always something to gripe about a little bit in every book. I think the ending of this story cuts off too soon. It's very 'all of a sudden' and I would have liked it to linger a bit with Teya trying to rack her brain on what to do next while slowly panning off into the sunset of nightfall or something like that. It's really abrupt though and I wasn't ready for it.

I loved this story because it was truely engulfing. It's a page-turner that makes me want to read the whole series. The woods are beautifully descriptive and come alive on the page. The creatures are dangerous and exotic and make me wish I could ride the back of a Night-Mare with the creepy wind brushing through my hair. The witches were downright scary and I'd hate to ever meet them, and the Fae are insane, exactly what I'd expect of a seemingly immortal being with too much time on their hands.
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Ilona Nurmela
4.0 out of 5 stars If you like Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, you might like this one
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
I’ve had this book for a while on my tbr and halfway in, I must admit, I still wasn’t loving it. Maybe I was in a non-dark mood; maybe my mind was rebelling against the Stockholm syndrome style romance; maybe there wasn’t enough epic action-adventure for me to sink my teeth into - dunno. It did remind me of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince - as the book starts with a tragedy of a human girl taken by fae as payment for her sister’s wish. There were some other homage nods to Black - that humans can lie & that love feels similar to fear. For half of the book I felt like I was reading up on Gerda trapped with the summer witch, forgetting about everything. The trip through the creepy witches’ market made me think about all those who have ever lost a limb or a body part and wonder if they had come to this market to make a wish. For most part it was half a manual on what not to do in Faerie and the other half was the seesaw tortuous romance between a selfish fae and a guilt-ridden human girl.

What I liked:
- it was well written, definitely a flowy beat to it;
- brilliant immersion into fae world (amazing world-building);
- it had curses;
- liked the fae-human romance angle even though it was a tad too dark & cruel & tortuous for my taste;
- Good research of fae lore - filled with cool creepy creatures;
- Loved the Goodnight kisses potion but not its use - fae version of roofies, I guess;
- Loved the cover.

What I didn’t like (this is just me and my pet peeves, so if you’re fine with these, do give the book a go):
- the names - Teya & Laphaniel - I just couldn’t remember the dude’s name no matter how I tried;
- hated the fact that the fae-human romance was built on incarceration, glamour & still the girl fell for her captor, brrr… this was taking enemies-to-lovers too far for me…Stockholm syndrome, no no no;
- Not enough action-adventure in terms of sword&sorcery and not enough intrigue which is what I’ve come to expect from fae books;
- Apart from an occasional howl, the episode with the wolves read almost like an editorial suggestion to explain away the title - I was fully expecting to read a Red Riding Hood retelling, tbh, so for me, the title was misleading.

I won’t be continuing with book 2 for a while as - for me - the story was kinda wrapped up at the end of book 1.

Trigger warning: might be difficult to read for survivors of abduction, forced incarceration & families whose members have experienced Stockholm syndrome. There were also a couple of f-words & 1 non-descriptive sex scene (with the V-card).

Recommended for lovers of dark & broody YA fae-human enemies-to-lovers romance.
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luvsbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, Dangerous, Dramatic, and Dreamy,
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
What if something unspeakably evil happened to you as a child? That resulted in the disappearance of your sister and subsequently tore your family apart? What if no one believes you? This is all Teya has ever known and everyone thinks she is crazy. She has learned to keep her mouth shut, to never again tell of the horror that happened when she was 10. But the Woods, oh those Wicked, Wicked Woods, they know. And they call to Teya. Find Niven. Come into the Woods, Teya. After another tragedy, Teya does just that, and meets Laphaniel. Is he good or evil? He is most definitely not human. This book was everything I love in a story. Not a prince charming, charging in to save the day, but a flawed faerie, cursed and real. Not a girl hell-bent on finding her sister because she loved her so dearly, but because she believes it will set her world back on its axis. This is about two people doing the only thing they know to move forward, to somehow make sense of all that has happened. All that will still happen. Come meet Luthien, Nefina, Oonagh, and the Queen of Seelie. Take my hand, let us enter these woods together.

I cannot wait to begin “Hush, the Woods are Darker Still”. This story is just beginning. And I am thoroughly looking forward to my journey
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this one
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
This one drew me in right from page one and I read the entire thing in less than a day. Fascinating and well realized characters. I enjoyed the dynamic between between Teya's mortal POV AND Laphanie's Immortal background. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.
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Mirien Silowendë
5.0 out of 5 stars A very dark well written faerie tale
Reviewed in Germany on April 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Well this was beautifully written. I really enjoyed the darkness of it, the cruelty of the Faerie. It was nice to see references to Selkies, Night-Mares and Kelpies.
I did not much like the main character, and I wasn't convinced by her choices. But that being said, I enjoyed the tale immensely.
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Adam Joseph
5.0 out of 5 stars pacy, enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
I massively enjoyed this story, so much so that I read it in a couple of days. I was hooked in from the get-go, and enjoyed the way the plot moved from Teya's - the main character's - every day life, to her encounter with the creatures that live in the woods.

Much of the story revolves around the relationship between Teya and the fairy, Laphaniel. Their relationship reminded me somewhat of Howl and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle, and of Belle and Rumpelstiltskin from the Once Upon a Time TV series.

The story definitely ends in a way that makes you read more.

I think one of my favourite parts of this story was the description of the woods and the creatures living within. There was such a haunting beauty to it. And it was clear that things that are beautiful on the surface, aren't necessary within. I was also deeply effected by Teya's relationship with her mother, it actually made me feel so bad I had to call my own mother!

If you like stories with fairies, curses, wonderfully descriptive writing and romance - this is for you!
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Hannah Woodlock
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
Reviewed in Australia on August 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started, but it was a twisting maze of emotions in the end. As someone who had an older sister like Niven, I definitely sympathised with Teya’s choices and motivations. Looking forward to starting the second book.
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Jonathan
3.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what to make of this
Reviewed in Germany on August 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
There is lots of movement in the book, and yet I can’t shake the impression that a lot of it is wasteful, unfocused. However, I could also argue that’s the point of it, to observe the setting, to be drawn into it. And there is, in fact, plenty of the setting to be drawn into. If that sounds like something you’d want to read, you are very much welcome to dig in. That being said, I can’t, as of right now, promise that the rest of the trilogy will hold the same appeal.

And now for the deeper dive into this book: The plot of the book follows Teya, a young lady from a broken home, one still reeling from the loss of a daughter, and a father. She makes the decision to venture again into the woods where her sister was lost, hoping to find her. The synopsis hints at the first venture being her idea, but the actual book doesn’t explain it one way or another. Her venture is nearly stopped by Laphaniel, one of the faeries who initially took her sister away from her, and one whose presence and influence will shape the course of her rescue quest to a sizable degree.

Sounds like a pretty interesting plot, wouldn’t you say? I would think so as well. However, this book has an unfortunate case of Sagging Middle Syndrome. A lot of the book is spent in a montage of how Teya and Laphaniel spend many months together, building up their relationship and connection to each other, only for the author to turn and reveal those were built on fake pretenses, and then still trying to salvage them. Only about half the book actually follows the plot and shows the characters trying to accomplish their goals. Lydia wanted this book to be both a romance and an adventure story, but it’s really only towards the end that she was actually capable of merging these two narrative threads. In the case of the romance, however, I don’t think she does enough to salvage it. I don’t find this relationship as compelling as she thinks it is.

To the book’s credit, though, it does actually seek to establish and develop character arcs for its joint leads, and in Teya’s case, comes up with a unique spin on the want/need divide such arcs typically fall under. Laphaniel’s arc, by contrast, is more conventional. He starts this book as a typical mischievous faerie, a being who likes having fun, especially at the expense of others, and can react violently to his entertainment prospects being cut short. He’s alluring, but dangerous, in the same way a character like Peter Pan would be. The narrative pushes him out of that role, out of that trope, by giving him someone to care for, and thereby fuelling the dichotomy of his character arc, and by giving him a backstory that clashes with it. It’s perhaps not bad, but there’s not enough for me to really delve into.

In fact, that’s my general thought when considering this book. It’s dripping with atmosphere, and the world looks like it can be so much more, so much broader than the book presents, but it doesn’t involve me in the setting, it doesn’t explore it in a meaningful way. If I may contrast this book with another debut featuring protagonists with missing relatives and a connection to a fantasy world they had no prior knowledge of, Into The Forgotten Forest brought multiple characters into its narrative, and allowed them to explore the setting and the connections between the various elements in a naturalistic and immersive way. I’m missing that here.

Overall, while I think this book is short on events and descriptions, the breadcrumbs it lays out do still hold my attention, and ignite my curiosity.
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