Wolfwood is a story about obsession, art, and family. It’s a story which will drench you in mystery and fantasy with a core of familial love. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Indigo and her mother, once-famous artist Zoe Serra, have barely been scraping by since her mom’s breakdown. When a gallery offers Zoe a revival show for her unfinished blockbuster series, Wolfwood, Indigo knows it’s a crucial chance to finally regain stability. Zoe, however, mysteriously refuses. Desperate not to lose the opportunity, Indigo secretly takes up the brush herself.
It turns out, there might be a very good reason her mother wants nothing to do with Wolfwood.
Painting submerges Indigo into Wolfwood itself—a dangerous jungle where an army of grotesque, monstrous flora are in a violent battle with a band of girls. As Indigo enters Wolfwood again and again, the line between fantasy and reality blurs. It’s a tenuous balancing act: keeping her forgery secret and her mind lucid, all while fighting her attraction to Kai, the son of the gallery owner.
And by the time Indigo realizes the true nature of the monsters she’s up against, it might be too late—and the monsters might just win.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Wolfwood is a story about a secret world of paintings and obsession. It’s a story about art and suffering. At the same time, it’s also a story about family and teens and kids who have to take on more of the weight and responsibilities. The pain and the resentment all entangled in that. In some ways, it feels like two different books, but Baer weaves them together so beautifully.
Indigo is buckling under the weight of not only their financial stability, but also her mother’s mental well being. This story alone broke my heart because you can see the situation she is put into. All the pressure which is causing this tower of cards to come down. While Wolfwood progresses, readers are introduced to Zoe’s story and this world of Wolfwood. It’s a mystery which comes together slowly, but once it does, you need to figure out what is going to happen.
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Wolfwood balances this world of art and a contemporary world with the world of Wolfwood and mystery. It’s a story that is emotional and tender. And once the story wraps up, you have to take a moment. Like a great piece of art, Baer blends these two stories together. To close the distance between the world of Wolfwood and Indigo’s balancing act with her mother. The entire time, the world of Wolfwood has the stakes of our world and being grounded in Indigo’s daily struggles. At the same time, it also adds an element of danger and an added layer of stakes.
Find Wolfwood on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & The Book Depository.