An interesting inversion of the Hansel and Gretel story for a young audience. Fun for the age group and a good mix of just-scary-enough and heartful to appeal to adults as well.

This is such a fun and clever reimagining of Hansel and Gretel! I loved it and so did my kids.

I loved the visual imagery Alexandra Overy created for this story, as well as the new twist on an old tale that proved both delightful and original.

Hansel and Gretel are—gasp—witch hunters? And witches don’t (necessarily) eat children? It’s an interesting way to rethink the traditional fairy tale. Except it’s not even quite so simple as that, and challenges the original story’s idea of good and evil and allows for a reality that isn’t quite so black and white.

Maude makes for a terrific heroine, and the pacing and magic make it a great read for kids, while the atmosphere and uniqueness make it one that will appeal to adult readers as well.

A delightful reimagining of a famed folktale. I'm always interested in stories from the original villain's point of view and this didn't disappoint. Great read for young readers,

The Gingerbread Witch was a retelling of Hansel and Gretel told from a witch’s perspective. I thought that it was a refreshing retelling and retold the story in a creative way. I also like how Hansel and Gretel were the villains instead of the heroines in the story. Overall, it was a very fast-paced tale that is full of adventure, magic, and friendship! I recommend this for fans of Jessica Day George, Gail Carson Levine, and Liesl Shurtliff!

This book was a decent middle grade fantasy, though not spectacular. I really liked the concept and the main character. The ending was a bit predictable to me, though it is possible that the books young readers will find it pleasantly surprising. The worldbuilding did make me curious about the origin of witches, though the story didn't explain much about it. Perhaps more will be revealed on the topic in a sequel.

This was a really unique fantasy novel! Maud was a great main character. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book draws you in straight from the beginning. I definitely would recommend this for not super young. The author paints the world perfectly with her words.

A very sweet heartwarming adventure story. I loved the spin off of "The Gingerbread Boy" fairy tale. The characters were easy to root for and lovable. Bonus points for the diverse relationships.

4 out of 5 stars.

Maud is a girl who was made out of gingerbread by her witch mother Agatha. If anything ever happens to Agatha, her creations will turn back into gingerbread, including the chocolate mousse squirrel and the sugar mice. After Agatha and Maud have a fight, Maud storms off into the forest. When she returns, she finds witch hunters in their home, standing over Agatha’s ashes. Maud runs away before they can catch her too, and she learns that the First Witch’s spell book has a spell that can bring Agatha back to life. To find the spell book, Maud has avoid the witch hunters and other dangers lurking nearby.

I loved the fairytale elements of this story. Maud, her animal friends, and her home were all made of gingerbread or sweets. She encountered witch hunters named Hansel and Gretel. There were also some twists along the way that really surprised me.

One of the major themes of this story was good versus evil. Maud believed that all witches were good, because her mom was a witch. She believed that all witch hunters were evil because they killed her mom. Meanwhile, the witch hunters thought they were on the side of good because they hunted witches who killed children. These lines between good and evil became blurred when Maud got to know the witch hunters. Not all witches were good, and not all witch hunters were bad.

The Gingerbread Witch is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book.

This was a fabulous retelling of Hansel & Gretel.
I loved how this was from the witches POV and that it is only loosely tied to the original tale.
Overy creates an amazing adventure that ties into where the Grimms started, but in a fresh new story all it's own.
Absolutely loved where she took this middlegrade read!
The way it ends leaves it open for more and I hope she does more. Maybe about the wolves or what Hansel does now or Ludo gets his own book? I would read any of those!
Much love to NetGalley & Inkyard Press for my ARC.

I have always loved fractured fairy tales, especially when you get the perspective of the "villain" of the story. So I was excited to see that this story told the side of the witch in Hansel and Gretel. The witch isn't the main character, however. It focuses on Maud, who the witch created out of gingerbread. After her creator, Agatha, is pushed into the fire, Maud must go on a journey with several other of Agatha's creations in order to try to bring Agatha back to life. I felt like the pacing of this story was not quite right. It felt very slow at times. But I feel like I would have loved everything about this book when I was actually the age of the target audience.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Inkyard Press describes itself as a young adult imprint, but this novel is very firmly in the middle grade category and that might be why the editing is a bit off. Sure, there’s a few darker elements, such as the mentor of our pre-teen protagonist getting burnt to ashes in her own oven (not a spoiler and just look at the title!), but the reading level and themes, such as they are, are middle grade fare getting a YA structure, and it doesn’t work.
Honestly, while I love reading middle grade as a little break from my more dire reading material, this was a slog. Overy was trying too hard to be whimsical, so that her premise became utterly ungrounded. There’s danger and dire stakes but I could never buy into them. Each turn of the plot felt contrived, and a few of the messages got muddled by uneven world-building and a narrative structured to be exactly an adventure tale. Characters aren’t so much developed as presented ready for their role in the second half, and any savvy reader will predict their exact purpose in the text, draining it of all suspense.
I think the worst part is that the final outcome actually feels unearned. Oh yes, Maud goes on a fraught journey and goes through all sorts of hardship, but none of it was *relevant to how she actually achieves her original goals, both in saving Agatha and becoming a real witch. These are essentially handed to her, with the direct effort involved getting a speedy explanation in the last chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was such a fantastic book! It has everything you could ever want. Magic, adventure, battles, new friends, animal (well, sort of) sidekicks, family and of course Gingerbread!

Maud wants to be a Witch, and she even has the Witch mark but creator, Mother Agatha, still won't teach her magic. When Mother Agatha ends up being killed in an oven Maud must go on the biggest adventure of her life to try and bring her back and find out once and for all why she was never allowed to perform magic.

I had such an amazing time reading The Gingerbread Witch with my daughter. It's such an exciting and fantastical story. The writing is engaging, the characters are lovable and the retelling aspect is done so incredibly well. If you're a fan of retellings and adventures I strongly recommend giving this one a shot. The magic within these pages is perfect for all ages.

Gingerbread has never been so delicious!

This was a great story of a little witch that finds herself! There is a bit of Hansel & Gretel with a hint of Red Riding Hood, but really it’s just all about Maud. I loved the dark scary bits, but only because I loved all the characters and finding out who was actually who as the going got tough. Would recommend this for kids, teens, and adults alike. Thank you NetGalley!

A young wannabe witch, conjured from enchanted dough, goes a-questing with a saucy squirrel and some frenemies she meets along the way. This is a well-paced, fun story, with a heartwarming ending, and the promise of more tasty adventures to come.

A treat for fairy tale lovers and apprentice witches.

Obviously, I'm older than the intented audience hence the three stars, BUT I think this book will be great for young readers who maybe struggle with reading or attention span problems; it's fast, right to the point with short chapters and great messages and a cool retelling twist!

Hansel and Gretel are remixed so that witches are regular folks with magic, and because of prejudice and hate, witch hunters known as the Wolf guild are hunting them, and recruits are Hansel and Gretel. Our main character is a young witch created by the witch from the gingerbread house, and our main character is initially made of gingerbread.

Wow! I have been excited for this book since I first saw it announced and I was so thankful to get an early eARC for it. “The Gingerbread Witch” by Alexandra Overy is delightful! It follows Maud, a gingerbread creation of Mother Agatha and years to learn magic but it’s forbidden. When everything goes wrong, Maud must quest across the land to find the one thing that can set things right, and in the process discovers the magic within and becomes the Gingerbread Witch.
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I thought this was such cute read!! I really loved not only the magic system in this read but also loved the plot and the quest like elements at the heart of this read. I also loved how this book dived into found family. I also loved how this book very much had to deal with nature elements and also just a rich world. I think this book also was suer quick read and i really felt connected to all the characters. I hope to we get more books set in this world!!

I thought this was such cute read!! I really loved not only the magic system in this read but also loved the plot and the quest like elements at the heart of this read. I also loved how this book dived into found family. I also loved how this book very much had to deal with nature elements and also just a rich world. I think this book also was suer quick read and i really felt connected to all the characters. I hope to we get more books set in this world!!

*Full review to be posted around publication month!*

This was such a fun and adorable middle grade fantasy read! This had everything I could have wanted in this magical and heartwarming story and I found myself absolutely loving every single page. I loved following Maud along this story and thought she was an incredible strong, charismatic, and engaging character to follow. I loved all the different nods to fairy tales and how this really captured a classic tone with an entirely updated and compelling atmosphere for the modern world. Highly recommend this one to anyone who loves some middle grade fantasy!