3.5, rounded up. For the most part, it's a sweet fantasy romance -- though there are some gruesome bits toward the end. I'd say it's a low stakes adventure in the sense that bad situations are resolved quickly. E.g., one of the characters is kidnapped and is recovered within 10 pages no worse for wear. If you're adverse to spicy scenes, just skip the epilogue. There were a few details toward the end that suggest a sequel wouldn't be out of the question. All in all, it was a quick read that fit my mood at the time so I'm glad I came across it. ( )

This was a really interesting take on the Green Man legend but then veers off into a completely unique fantasy tale. At first, it really reminded me of [b:Silver in the Wood|43459657|Silver in the Wood (The Greenhollow Duology, #1)|Emily Tesh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547478093l/43459657._SY75_.jpg|67575798], a series I definitely recommend if you're into this type of fantasy, but once they get to Prior's village, the prose changes and becomes more conversational as other readers noted. I think the author was trying to show that Fenton was becoming more human or at least remembering more of his humanity after centuries of wandering a forest alone, but it just felt like I was reading a different book. While it was one of the reasons I picked up the book, the sexual relationship between Fenton and Prior doesn't really feel natural. Besides a physical attraction (which is sus once Fenton starts literally physically changing), there's not really a reason for Prior to be so into Fenton besides a kind of worship which always makes me a little uncomfortable. The epilogue is sweet but that Fenton isn't the Fenton we first met.
Overall, I'm not sure I'm into Foye's writing style. The summaries of their other books make me really interested so I'll definitely look into those other works but this one took me a long time to get through as it just wasn't gripping. ( )