Review: The Lord of the Wood by E.M. Anderson

 

The Lord of the Wood by E.M. Anderson
Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: July 21st, 2026
Paperback. 448 pages.

About The Lord of the Wood:

"The cozy fantasy of TJ Klune meets the creeping horror of T. Kingfisher in this magical novel about a man who enters a deadly enchanted forest expecting it to endanger his life, but not his heart…

Clockmaker Arthur Throckmorton lives a quiet life with his sister and her children, only dreaming of adventure. So when a wealthy client offers him a job that involves traversing Shiftleaf—an enchanted forest that claimed his father decades ago—he reluctantly accepts. The forest is treacherous, but the money will change his family’s lives. The journey quickly turns perilous. Fleeing from monstrous birds, Arthur stumbles upon a hidden vale where he meets the Lord of the Wood—a figure from his father’s many stories. Instead of the fairy prince Arthur always imagined, Ira is a morose man, slowly transforming into a beast, his power over a dying forest waning.

Arthur enjoys the safety of the vale, and Ira’s company. But he yearns for his family. To safely return home and rescue Ira from a cursed and lonely existence, Arthur and Ira must reach the heart of the wood to heal the forest. Except the further they venture from the vale, the more beastly Ira becomes. If they can’t complete their mission before he turns completely, Arthur could lose the man he’s falling for—and never see his family again."

The Lord of the Wood first caught my attention with its absolutely gorgeous cover, but once I learned it centered around a strange and magical forest, I immediately knew I had to check it out. The Lord of the Wood is pitched as a "cozy horror" of sorts, and that's exactly what I'd say, though I'd note that those looking for true horror will not necessarily find that here. What you will find, however, is a magical forest that is shrouded in mystery and a dark atmosphere, some lingering melancholy throughout the pages, delightful characters, a bit of romance, and much more inside. 

We follow Arthur, a clockmaker, who lives with his sister, Charlotte, who is widowed with two children. One day, he is offered a job to traverse through Shiftleaf, the notorious and mysterious forest that surrounds their village. This forest is dangerous enough on its own, but it's also quite personal to Arthur and his sister. Their father, who regularly traversed through the forest when he was alive, claimed to have met the infamous Lord of the Wood on his journeys, but unfortunately one day went into the forest and never returned. Arthur, with mixed feelings, accepts the job and sets off into the forest--which pretty much immediately turns into a bit of a disaster. However, he soon runs into the Lord of the Wood himself,  and so the rest of the our story begins. 

Arthur is an incredibly easy protagonist to root for. He’s struggling to figure out where he belongs in life, and I thought Anderson captures those feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and a lacking companionship really well. I also appreciated the insightful exploration of what it means to be queer in a world that doesn’t accept you, and I found that Anderson tackled that topic in a couple different ways that was very thoughtful. While my own experiences don't entirely overlap with Arthur's, the emotions behind Arthur’s search for belonging felt genuine and very deftly and thoughtfully handled. 

As a fan of magical and mysterious forests, I was of course very excited to explore Shiftleaf. It’s somewhat eerie without being overly oppressive in its intensity, and it feels like it’s brimming with magic without feeling too whimsical. And, most importantly, it’s very much unpredictable in what to expect most of the time (except a few things that seem to be staples). I really enjoyed exploring the forest alongside Arthur, although perhaps “enjoyed” is not the right word since many of Arthur’s experiences in the forest are downright negative and often quite terrifying. Still, I liked not knowing what creature or phenomenon might be waiting around the corner. The sickness that has been spreading through the forest also added another layer of unease that made the setting feel even more tragic and haunting. 

Readers looking for true horror may not find this to be quite up to their expectations, but that doesn’t mean there was nothing unsettling in this one. There's not too much that will haunt anybody's dreams, but there may be a few elements from the forest that could provide some disturbing visuals. I think there is a part of me that wishes a few ideas from this story had been expanded upon just a bit to flesh things out even more (and I also would've loved a bit more clockmaking than there actually was--which wasn't enough!), but I also understand what this book was trying to set out to do and the story it was trying to tell, and it did exactly that, so I really can't fault it for that. 

Lastly, I'll note that I was a little uncertain about one of the romances. I understood what it was trying to accomplish and overall it was perfectly lovely and sweet, but there was a bit of weird dynamic to it that felt decidedly odd to me. I can't really get into too many details so as to keep things spoiler-free, but I am definitely curious to hear others' thoughts on this and whether it's just me or not that felt this way. That being said, I really loved that we had two beautiful queer relationships featured in this story in a way that felt natural and meaningful to the story.

Overall, I think many readers will really love The Lord of the Wood. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Shiftleaf with Arthur, and I found myself invested in both his journey and the fate of the forest. If you enjoy magical forests with a dark edge and stories that balance an eerie atmosphere with some heartfelt and well-developed characters, then The Lord of the Wood is probably the next book you should pick up!

*I received a copy of The Lord of the Wood courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org