I’ve been wanting to read a German fairytale retelling for some time, and I’m so happy that this was my first one. 🦊

After the Forest is a retelling in a where Greta is able to take a grimoire from the witch’s hut and ends up using it over the years to survive. While the book focuses on her life after reuniting with the father, there are numerous scenes where the reader sees how traumatic the time with the witch was for both children. 🍪

I really enjoyed Greta as a MC. As much as the gossip of the village has hurt her over the years, she still holds her head high and refuses to be seen as weak. Her relationship with the other villagers is both heartbreaking as well as touching. Her familial relationship with Rob and Christie were some of my favorite interactions. Hans was a good example of a character redemption arc and how brothers really do want the best for their sisters. 🎲

My other favorite characters in the book were Mathias and Mira. I thought the relationship between Mathias and Greta was a steady and natural progression from strangers to friends to lovers. Mira’s relationship with Greta was so interesting and I do wish we could’ve gotten more scenes between these two as I feel like there could’ve been so many cool extra magic scenes. ✨

I thought the main villain of the book was incredibly well written as well. She’s not evil simply because she wants to be, but because of the progression of events that slowly turned her into what she is. The reveal of her origin story was heartbreaking and you can definitely empathize with her and her motives. 🍎

While I will admit that it took me a while to get into the story and writing, once I got the hang of it, I couldn’t put it down. I honestly loved reading this retelling as it reminded me of the
German fairytales my maternal German-Russian grandmother would tell me growing up. 🇩🇪

In the end, I do hope there’ll be a spin-off or sequel in the future because I loved this world so much! 🐻

Special thank you to NetGalley and TorBooks for gifting me this eARC, and to Kell Woods for writing a beautiful and atmospheric read set in Early Modern Germany. 💚


Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

We all know the story of Hansel and Gretel. Now after 20 years the two find themselves either struggling or hoarding secrets. Hans is in debt from gambling and Greta is keeping the secret of having the witch's grimoire. Their country lays in thin from a war and people are starving which is why Greta uses the gingerbread recipe from the grimoire.
People grow suspicious of Greta with what happened to her as a child and people wonder why her gingerbread cookies taste so good.

I love a good fairytale retelling and I have to admit that Hansel and Gretel scared the crap out of me as a kid. Witches scared me so bad as a kid and I was always worried about witches coming in the middle of the night and stealing me so when I heard Hansel and Gretel, it made me even more scared of witches. Thankfully in my late 20s I
am not scared of witches and enjoy books surrounding fairytales and witches.

I do not believe I have read a Hansel and Gretel retelling which is why I thought the concept of this was pretty unique. However, I do not feel like it was not executed well.

When it came to Hans and Greta, I found it hard to connect with them and to even care about what was and would happen to them. With everything that has happened to Greta twenty years ago, I found it weird on how everything she experiences that is magical she becomes surprised about. She was definitely naive and not fleshed out well.

The book moves at a slower pace and does not feel like much is going on and I found the ending to be just okay.

I do have to say that Kell Woods does a great job setting up the world and making it feel very atmospheric.

I did have a hard time staying engaged with this book but I do still think there will be a lot of people who will enjoy this book and I recommend this to people who love super atmospheric books and this is definitely a book that is good to read in the fall.

After the Forest picks up 20 years following Hansel (Hans) and Gretel's (Greta) escape from an evil witch as children. They are living on the outskirts of the same village together where Hans is spending his time gambling and Greta is baking gingerbread cookies to make ends meet. This is a dark fairytale with magic books, shape shifters, a dash of romance, and elements of many tales stitched together.

Overall, I would give the story a 3.75 out of 5. While I enjoyed the unique retelling, the pacing at the beginning made it difficult to get through the book. However, it picked up towards the middle, and by the end I didn't want to set the book down. This was really Greta's story of finding peace, love, and herself after being abandoned and kidnapped as a child. Hans almost felt like an afterthought sometimes, and he was very unlikeable even in the end. However, you can see how the author thought through the trauma of what they went through as children by showing the effects that it had on them as adults. My favorite aspects of the story were the magical forest setting and the use of different types of magic in the land.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing an ARC copy of this enchanting novel!

After the Forest is a stunning debut by writer Kell Woods! The novel picks up twenty years after the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” ends. Hans and Greta have survived their ordeal with the witch in the woods, but their childhood trauma is far from over. Living in post-war poverty, Greta uses the grimoire she took from the witch to bake and sell tantalizing gingerbread to help pay her brother’s gambling debts. Greta has magic deep within in, and as she struggles to survive, she learns about the magic found in the world as well.

Although After the Forest extends the story of “Hansel and Gretel”, Woods also incorporates other fairy tale plots and elements, providing her readers with a complex narrative about life and love. The Brothers’ Grimm “Snow White and Rose Red “ provides a meaningful frame for exploring the different types of magic, magic that can heal and magic that can destroy. Greta must contemplate both kinds of magic as she makes her way through the world.

Kell Woods’ prose is evocative and beautiful. Readers will fall into her perfectly sculpted fairy tale world and find themselves craving ginger, honey, cinnamon, magic, and transformation. I loved every word of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A Hansel and Gretel mixed in with other classical fairytales such as Snow White, animal shifters, snow white/rose read, cinderella story about a girl who is thought to be a witch who must deal with a mysterious bear shifter who has come into her life and an evil magic that might be after her. Twenty years after the witch and the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by, Hans constantly just gambling and going into debt and Greta struggling to avoid being accused as a witch and being burned at the stake while trying to make a money by baking magical gingerbread cookies to get her brother out of debt. Greta has kept the witch's grimoire and uses it to bake the best gingerbread anyone has ever tasted, yet when her brother's latest gambling debt grows too large, there is not enough cookies in the world that would be able to save her before the time is out. It doesn't help that dark magic resides in the woods and the towns people suspect Greta of being a witch, and when a new dark magic appears, along with a handsome stranger, Greta will have to figure out a way to save herself and her brother before its too late. This felt like a very young adult novel, and honestly I found myself so irritated by both Hans and Gretal, Han's has no real character except being selfish, a gambler, and really a useless person while Gretal acts naive and doesn't seem to realize there are easy solutions to her problems, like come on now. Honestly the story felt kind of messy and at the same time boring. I never found myself all that invested, it start out rough and does pick up by the end a bit but still, it really was a bit hard to get through. This is a mixture of a bunch of fairytales and yet I just felt like it was so cluttered. I wish I did like it more, I adore fairytale retellings and this being a "what happens after" mixed in with a bit of darker elements and witch trials and such, it had all the makings to be something really unique and fun, but in the end just didn't meet up to the expectations. While this wasn't for me, if you enjoy fairytale retellings/what happens afters, then give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Everyone knows the tale of the lost children who were captivated by the gingerbread house and captured by the evil witch…but what happened after the children escaped and the story ended?

Twenty years after they found their way home Greta and Hans have had a rough go of it. Greta is trying to keep their family afloat by baking her famous gingerbread while Hans is gambling all of livelihood away. With dangerous beings encroaching on their town, the countryside in ruin and starvation plaguing their village things are looking grim. But Greta has a secret - on that dark night many moons ago she took the witches grimoire when she escaped and has kept it hidden all this time. But with dark magic on the rise and the suspicion of the townspeople growing - she must turn to the unknown to save her family.

Full of magic, mystery and all the gothic fairy tall vibes - this retelling is absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to see what Kell Woods comes up with next!

Thank you Tor Books for the advanced copy!

This one was not for me, I'm afraid.
While the idea was sound... what the lives for Hansel and Gretel were like after they escaped the witch in the woods... I just had a hard time investing in this story.
Han was practically non-existent as a character, a gambler and a wastrel who jeopardized their family home leaving his sister to support them with sales of her "magical" gingerbread.
Greta was.... insipid at best. The village doesn't like her, she's thought to be a witch, she doomed to be an old maid, her brother gambles away their future... but none of this seemed to feel as dire as it should as she just never seemed clever enough to worry about any of. (how this pair escaped being eaten I'll never know!)
And that was just the beginning.
Throw in a wolf pack, green witches, tatter witches, an evil dwarf, and a few other fairy tale cast off and it just felt a little too much not tied together well enough to focus into one cohesively good story.

I received an ARC from Net Galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely marvelous. I love retellings. But this one was so, so much more, offering its own unique magic and lore. Elements from many of the famous tales by the Brothers Grimm grace these pages, giving feelings of whimsy and terror. I absolutely love the view we have of Greta, her inner fears, desires and doubts. Her relationship with the book, and her memories of her childhood, of family, and of magic.

Mathias is an enigma, mysterious, handsome, honorable, and caring. Everything Greta could ever hope for in a man, a husband - but she can't be sure he wants her the same way. Especially when Rob's words of caution seep into her very soul. But what does she want, truly? The town has always been suspicious of her and her mother. As Greta and Mathias grow closer, Hans, Rob, and the town all begin to reveal hidden truths and fears. Greta's talking book guides her to answers she didn't realize she'd been searching for. And when Mathias is in trouble she decides to risk it all for him, since she's the only one willing to go to his rescue.

Through dangerous magic, grudges held, and curses to be broken, Greta will endure it all for Mathias' freedom...but more importantly, for her own.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor House Publishing Group for the e-ARC!
Expected publication: October 3, 2023

A dark adult fantasy debut inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel (now Hans and Greta) that focuses on what happens after the tale ends—set in a woodsy atmosphere with witchery and magic that makes for a perfect fall read!

What I liked:
This book reads like a fairy tale—reminiscent of Grimms’ Fairy Tales in the way it doesn’t shy away from being dark and macabre. This is a Hansel and Gretel retelling that focuses on what happens to them after they escape the witch but also incorporates aspects from other well-known fairy tales!

I couldn’t tell where the plot was going at first and the pacing was quite slow (which I didn’t mind) but it definitely picks up at the 60% mark!

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding—this book is set in the 17th century Black Forest. If you enjoy books with witches then I’m sure you would enjoy this! I haven’t read too many books with witches but I really enjoyed this; it’s a perfect fall read imo!

I liked that this is a standalone—I’ve been reading too many incomplete series recently LOL I thought the ending of this book wrapped things up really well!

What I didn’t like:
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style. I thought the sentences were structured awkwardly sometimes which made it hard to read.

If you like a mysterious and broody mmc then you will probably like Mathias, the love interest. I wasn’t super into the romance—there was no banter (which makes sense considering this book has an overall somber tone) but Greta and Mathias still made a good couple!

If you are into fairytales, this one is for you. This takes place 15 years after the events of The Gingerbread house story, and Greta has gotten a hold of the witches grimoire which helps her make her magical gingerbread and the village is full of superstition as they should be as dark magic is returning to the woods, could that mean the witch is back? Probably. This was actually really cozy to me. Cozy cottagecore fairytale for the month of October. You can't get more seasonal than that and honestly all the gingerbread talk got me hungry. This was an A+ read!

I teach a lot of fairytale stories, especially one such as the Grimms fairytales. It would be great to recommend students retellings a fairytale such as this book, if they want to continue reading fairytales.

Dark and enchanting, After the Forest reimagines life after the traumatic events of the classic Hansel and Gretel tale and how magic always comes at a price.

Overall, the vibes of this book were what instantly drew me in—atmospheric, ominous, and mysterious—it created such a dark, fairytale-like mood to the story. I loved seeing what happened after the fairytale ended, how the characters grew up, and how the events affected them. I liked how this story added a touch of magic to the original tale while keeping true to the cautionary tones of Hansel and Gretel—and bringing a new twist to their story.

If you’re in the mood for a dark, adventurous tale filled with magic and suspense, keep this new read in mind!

*Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I love that this is a story about how the lives turned out for characters that we grew up hearing the story of. I love that this story took such an interesting turn. Every detail was beautifully put together and it really made for a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed the world building and how much of this story took place in nature. The characters were super fun and I had so many favorites and was even a fan of some of the villains of the story. The writing style was lovely and easy to follow and I never got lost when the pov changed. I expect that this book will be in my yearly top ten and I can't wait to see what Kell Woods writes next!

After the Forest is a dark and bewitching reimagining of The Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, although it's so much more than just a retelling – it's the story of what comes after. When this book begins, the events of the famous fairy tale are years in the past and Greta (Gretel) and Hans (Hansel) are adults who are still trying to forget the traumatic ordeal that took place in the witch's cottage so long ago.

Honestly, the first 15-20% of this book was a bit of a struggle. It wasn't bad by any means, but I was just completely uninterested in the characters and nothing much of note happened. Once I made it through those first chapters, however, things picked up quite a bit and I found myself completely immersed in the story.

The best way I can think of to describe this book is that it's, well … a fairy tale. This are witches, shape-shifters, narrow-minded villagers, romance with a handsome and mysterious stranger, bewitched baked goods, an evil villain (complete with magic apples), and an ending that … well, I won't tell you how it ends because I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that it's very fairy tale-ish.

I really liked the main characters in this story. They're imperfect and flawed and in some cases not entirely honorable, but they have intriguing backstories and complex personalities. The plot is imaginative and well-written, and after that first 15% or so of the story I found it to be fast-paced and entertaining.

I'm not normally one who enjoys romance in books much, but the burgeoning relationship between Greta and Mathias wasn't too irritating as far as these things go. I mean, sure, it's a fairy tale so they're head over heels for each other within 2.5 seconds of meeting and discussing marriage shortly after learning each other's names, but otherwise I found it rather sweet.

Overall, After the Forest is an original and enjoyable debut novel that nicely complements the Grimm Brothers' original tale. I look forward to reading more by Kell Woods in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

A very interesting fairytale retelling that focuses on the after story of Hansel and Gretal, now Hans and Greta, Greta begins preparations to bake a special gingerbread that will hopefully sell well. However, many unexpected things begin to happen.

This book is like a rollercoaster. At points, I was enthralled and at others, not so much. But I definitely wound up enjoying this! The creativity and strangeness of this tale won me over.

Out October 3, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

I had a hard time really getting into this one. It was a cute story and I like the ending but it just wasn’t a really gripping story that kept me interested.

After the Forest follows the tale of Hansel and Gretel, and what might have happened after escaping the wicked witch who tried to eat them.

Greta is barely keeping her and her brother afloat through her gingerbread sales. After the terrible rumors spread about how she pushed an old woman into an oven, Greta avoids the town as much as possible. She keeps company with her magical recipe book, until she stumbles across a kind stranger in the woods. This chance meeting sets off a chain of events that leaves Greta facing an evil plot that has been centuries in the making.

I love it when books continue classic fairytales as opposed to retelling them. After the Woods is very atmosphere, filled with magic and the brutality of nature and winter. I was instantly transported to a fairytale world filled with magic and intrigue.

I wanted to love this book, but everything was predictable. I figured out the plot in the first few chapters, which bored me. I don’t believe this is for lack of trying, but everything was a little too obvious to me. Too many clues and hints were dropped for anything to come as a surprise.

None of the characters are very fleshed out, even Greta. Everything just happens to her, and she is hardly reactive. She is incredibly blind, borderline dumb, and takes everything at face value, never questioning anything. I didn’t mind Greta’s softness, but there is a difference between being quieter and being walked all over.

The men in this book irked me to no end. They are bossy, demanding, and constantly undermining Greta. What’s worse is Greta just lets them. They are constantly telling her what to do, and gaslighting her if she protests. She forgives them almost instantly, even though, in my opinion, they did some unforgivable things.

This wasn’t a bad book, but it needed more depth in the characters and plot.

<i>Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.</i>

This was a fun next story to follow the Hansel and Gretel story. The grimoire was perfect, almost like the devil/angel on Greta's shoulder. I loved the town and the bears and wolves and poisoned apples and I want to live there! The depth and darkness of this retelling feels more in line with the Grimm tales. Gorgeous cover!

Very mixed thoughts!

On one hand, I really loved the idea of what happens after the fairytale story ends. The vibes and atmosphere were fantastic, and I love stories showing the aftermath of big events. The full-circle moment at the end with the Hansel and Gretel story was eerie and exactly what I wanted more of.

On the other, the pacing felt extremely slow throughout most of the book, and multiple elements that took a lot of page time were very unnecessary to the plot. It also felt like the main goal wasn't introduced until well after the 50% mark, with the villain only being subtly mentioned until around 60 or 70%.

I will say it gave me the same vibes as the Bear and Nightingale books, so I think this book would appeal to Arden's fans!

Extremely grateful to Netgalley for the arc--I wish I loved this one more!

This was a really compelling fairy tale retelling, an exciting read in a very wide and sometimes samey field! It does several things that I really love in this genre: puts the fantastical elements in a real-feeling historical setting (think Naomi Novik's Uprooted and Spinning Silver), and combines a number of distinct fairy tales in interesting ways. We've got Hansel and Gretel here, represented in the traumatic past of protagonist Greta and her brother Hans; we've got some elements of Snow White, and Snow-White & Rose-Red, and maybe Tatterhood, and maybe a bit of The Wolf and the Fox? But they fit together in unexpected and convincing ways, which is fantastic to me. There's a history here, a wider scope than just Greta's post-gingerbread-house life.

And baking! There was baking! And some romance, which is not my thing generally but was charming enough in this case for me to appreciate. Overall the story was a little more heteronormative and a little more predictable toward the latter half than I prefer, but I was very charmed by Greta even when she was making bad decisions, and I loved the resolution! Also I spent most of the book craving fresh gingerbread more than I have ever craved it in my LIFE.