Into the Heartless Wood

Written by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Narrated by Tara Novie and Ethan James Lynch

The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths.

Deep in the wood lives a witch queen and her eight tree siren daughters. For centuries, they have harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow their ever reaching kingdom of ash, birch, and oak.

Owen Merrick lives at the edge of the forest, mapping the stars for the king in his father’s observatory. For years, he has resisted venturing over the garden wall, until one day he must enter the woods to find his missing sister. But one of the witch’s tree siren daughters, Seren, decides to save his life instead of end it. Now, no matter how hard he tries, he can’t stop thinking about her ― the birch-bright hue of her skin and the way violets bloom in her hair. Every night, he goes into the wood to meet her, and their love for each other grows.

But when the constellations shift, the stars foretell an inevitable war between the witch queen and the king. With Seren compelled to fight for her mother, and Owen forced to join the king’s army, they are plunged into the heart of a conflict that seemingly no one can win and that might destroy both their kingdoms forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vibrance Press
• Release date: Jan 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781624617768

Joanna Ruth Meyer

Joanna Ruth Meyer writes stories about fierce teens finding their place in the world, fighting to change their fate, save the ones they love, or carve out a path to redemption.She lives with her dear husband and son, a rascally feline, and an enormous grand piano named Prince Imrahil in Mesa, Arizona. As often as she can, she escapes the desert heat and heads north to the mountains, where the woods are always waiting.

Reviews for Into the Heartless Wood

[Tashia Sumner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved the story. But the women narrator was very dramatic when telling her part of the story. It got very agitating when listening to her. The story was interesting enough, she did not have to add to it. I almost wanted to stop listening. But the story was too drawing to stop.

[Candace McCall · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a very generous 3 star. It was a hard book to read. I was lost on the plot until he went to the kingdom.

[Lexie Kerby · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so enchanting and full of sentiment! Definitely worth a read.

[Jennifer Harrison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, wow wow. This book has my heart and soul!

I love the lush, lyrical writing style, the alternating POV.

The epilogue had me ugly crying. I will be hungover from this book for a long time.

The narrators were SO GOOD, their voices brought every emotion to life.

[Chantell Selph · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I may have enjoyed it more had I read it myself but some of the narration was a bit overly dramatic. It was a dark love story between a boy and a monster. It was just ok.