Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Outside the town of Grimm’s Hollow is the Forest Grimm – a magical place twisted by a malevolent curse that draws bespelled people into its depths and is slowly killing the surrounding farmland.

And as you could probably guess by the name of the forest, “The Forest Grimm” by Kathryn Purdie wraps itself in a cloak of glittering fairy tales. But these aren’t the sanitized, Disneyfied stories you might know, where all you need to fix things is true love’s kiss. Instead, her elegant, winding fantasy tale delves into the dark, distorted versions of these familiar tales, with a seemingly doomed heroine as perhaps the only chance of breaking the curse.

For her entire life, the cards telling Clara’s fortune have said only one thing – she will die young, as a result of a “fanged creature.” Despite this dismal future, she is determined to enter the hostile Forest Grimm and find her beloved mother, who was the very first person to be lost there – and if she can’t find her mother directly, then she wants to find a missing magical book, the Sortes Fortunae, to end the curse once and for all.

Then she discovers something shocking: the forest will allow a person to enter it if they have red rampion. And before she vanished, Clara’s mother made her a hooded cloak dyed with rampion flowers – which she takes as a sign that she’s destined to enter the Forest Grimm and change the fate of everyone in the forest and the town. She’s accompanied in her quest by Axel, a strikingly handsome young man whose fiancee Ella vanished into the forest, and her best friend Henni, who also happens to be Ella’s sister.

Unfortunately, the Forest Grimm has bigger dangers than vicious trees and a constantly-shifting landscape. It doesn’t just take the people of Grimm’s Hollow – it changes and twists them, and its dark, malevolent magic is channeled through them. Also, a giant wolf is following Clara, and she’s pretty sure it’s the fanged creature destined to kill her. But fate may have something else in mind, if Clara can stay alive long enough.

“The Forest Grimm” is one of those fantasy stories that trips lightly on the edge of horror, especially the gruesome whimsy found in old-timey fairy tales. The fairy tale figures here are not sweet-natured princesses in pretty dresses – they are cruel, maddened and extremely dangerous, whether they are using a vast web of prehensile hair, tree roots or some well-timed magic mushrooms. And yes, it’s THAT kind of magic mushrooms.

And Kathryn Purdie weaves the entire tale together with elegance and skill. Her writing has a timeless quality reminiscent of the fairy tales she twines into her original tale, except for a few more modern-sounding descriptions of how attractive Axel is. And alongside her dark fairy-tale trappings, she also dips into some fairly heavy thematic material about whether a person can change their fate, and whether your fate is necessarily what you think it is.

It helps that Clara is one of the most likable and engaging heroines I’ve read about in years – she’s earnest and unselfish, resourceful and determined. Believing that she has no future, she tries to ensure a future for other people, even if it hurts her in the process. Axel is a thoroughly wholesome male lead alongside her, and their budding relationship is a tentative, sweet one… if they can get past issues with obligation, guilt and loneliness.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about “The Forest Grimm” is finishing it, and realizing that the story is not actually over – meaning that I now have to wait for Kathryn Purdie to publish the sequel before I can find out what’s next for Clara, Axel and Henni. In the meantime, it’s a richly-imagined, shadows-and-tatters homage to Grimm’s fairy tales.

The Forest Grimm
Book 1 in The Forest Grimm Series
Rating; 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher/author for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

The Forest Grimm was an okay read. It was entertaining enough for me to read until the end. I liked what the author did in re-telling some fairy tales and giving them her own twist.
It started a little confusing for me because of the lore behind this forbidden forest. It had lots of action and some angsty romance between two people who have known each other since they were little.

In the end this story is about never giving up hope and to always find a way to write your own story even when it's written in the cards differently.

I love a good fairytale mashup in the grandma and the wolf was great it was just the first half of the book that you had to get through to get to that. I love the whole thing with Claire and Axel… But there were things in the book that didn’t make sense to me and although I am not going to say with those were because I know some people love this book and as I enjoyed the second half of it I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. I also don’t enjoy it when books end in cliff hangers and sometimes I am down to read the second book but don’t think I am in the case of the forest Grimm. It has every aspect of a great fairytale but I didn’t feel attached to the characters nor did I care how it ended. Having said that though I still do recommend it because if you love the fairytail mash ups then you definitely love this book! I want to thank Wednesday books and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

While I prefer my fairytales light of the Disney princess movie-esque variety, I will read any and all fairytale retellings, darker ones included. While this is a darker feel than I like my fairytales to have, I liked the concept of different fairytale characters all coming together in one book about a creepy forest called Forest Grimm. I think that was my favorite part of this book, seeing all of the fairytale characters I know and love, all together in one place. What I also liked about this book is that it really does have a similar feel to to the original Grimm’s fairytales. The writing is darkly poetic and lyrical, similar to how the original Grimm fairytales make you feel when you read them.

In this book, the Forest Grimm is magical and has the power to grant wishes. The power is bound up in The Book of Fortunes, which is a gift from the forest. The book can grant each person only one wish in their lifetime. Despite most of the villagers having already made their one wish on the Book of Fortunes, many still seek out Clara’s psychic Grandmere for insight. This is how 17 year old Clara knows that she will die an untimely death, and is desperate to find a way to change her fate. Unfortunately, she is unable to make her wish when she comes of age at age 16, because the Forest Grimm punished the village and made the book go missing because someone used their wish to commit murder. While the identity of the murderer is unknown, the book disappeared after. There is a lot more to this story, with the Lost Ones who went missing in the Forest Grimm (Clara’s mom included) and Clara’s desperation to be able to enter the forest to find her mom, despite the fact that the forest doesn’t allow anyone to enter anymore.

This book has a similar feel to The Thickety series by J.A. White, which is the upmost compliment, as that is one of the most memorable series I have ever read. Unfortunately, I much preferred The Thickety books to this. It was darker, a faster read, while I felt like I had to slog through a lot of this. This felt like a looooooong read, not one where the pages feel like they’re flying by. After about 50% through of diligent reading, I got so antsy to finish this that I started skimming. I started out so motivated, but it became kind of hard to hold my interest.

I also would have liked more world building, and some mentions of what the world is like outside of Grimm’s Hollow and Forest Grimm. Is it a fairytale land with different kingdoms and princesses and towering castles? We never know because the book never mentions anything outside of the immediate setting.

I was ready to give this 4/5 stars because of my bias towards fairytales, but honestly I got so bored reading this I started desperately skimming to be done. It wasn’t bad, and I liked the fairytale characters. But by the 50% mark it was such a chore to slog through this that I just started skimming because I stopped caring. The story was good and I liked the ideas a lot, so I’m not sure where it went wrong. Also, the ending with the whole what her deepest desire was thing made no sense and was a plot hole to me (I can’t go into more detail without spoilers).

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

i am a sucker for a dark retelling of already familiar stories. Unfortunately for me this novel tended to fall a bit short in a few places. There were a few places there the story seemed to bog down and then take off to the point where i would get lost. Some of the characters had a tendency to also be a bit confusing but over all i liked them and thought that their development was well done. Over all this was a really interesting retelling that i think a lot of people will enjoy.

I liked the magical forest and was intrigued by the twisted Grimm fairytales within, but ultimately the story fell flat for me.

The bulk of the book follows the main characters as they wander around the forest. Things happen but not because of anything the characters do — they just stumble into situations and then leave without learning anything or fixing anything. While the scenes themselves are striking, they don’t seem to have any bearing on how things play out in the end.

This is the first in a series, so there may be big plans to tie things together in the next book(s), but The Forest Grimm doesn’t feel like it has a satisfying story arc on its own.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for my honest review.

I really liked the concept of this book. This enchanted Forest has swallowed up local villagers and turned them into grotesque versions of fairy tale characters. It will be interesting to see where the sequel goes next.

The Forest Grimm is a must-read for anyone who loves fairy tales, adventure, and a sprinkle of darkness. Though the first 20% was a little slow, from that point on I was completely captivated. I wasn't able to anticipate any parts of the story, and every surprise was wonderful. Each character had rich backstory and development, and the world building was a good mix of mystery and well-paced explanations. I am very excited for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a child, I was mesmerized by fairy tales, although I’m sure many adults reflect back upon those stories in a similar way. I always expect that they’ll have the same effect on me now. I chase every retelling and newly crafted fairytale, but I rarely find I’m able to recapture the magic of my youth.

The writing is lovely in The Forest Grimm and the story certainly begins in a compelling way. It just falls further and further into darkness as it moves along. Once readers enter the forest with the main characters, they will begin to see how the title suits the tale. I loved that the author knit a number of old fairy tales into this new one, but I despised what she did with those beloved characters.

I also felt great frustration with the character’s choices. One could argue that they were young and naive, and this is true, but every turn of the story hinged upon their poor choices. And it became quite clear near the end of the novel that even the oldest character in the book made terrible choices.

Honestly, everything within the last 20% of this story deeply annoyed me, dropping what had been a mediocre read down into a more hated territory.

I must admit that The Forest Grimm's cover was a big turn off for me. It suggested something cheesy with dramatized romance, rather than a haunting romantasy. I should have trusted my gut there, but I had hoped for the latter. I was led astray by the premise, as well as a strong desire to return to a time when every new fairytale let my imagination soar. There is now something unsettled inside of me, whispering that I should have liked this more. Perhaps this is just the child who desperately wants to believe again.

I am immensely grateful to Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for my copies. All opinions are my own.

Forest Grimm was the perfect combo of atmospheric storytelling and slow burn romance. I was totally here for the fairy tale nods with a twist.

The overarching plot line of a curse on their village was a great catalyst for this story! I loved that the forest was sentient and the almost mystery thriller element of trying to survive long enough to get to the bottom of what was happening and hopefully save everyone.

Each character has their own unique motivation for wanting to break the curse, and I really enjoyed the bonding moments between the characters.

I knew I was going to love this book, even before I started. First of all, it’s a book from Kathryn Purdie (I’m a huge fan of her books) and second I love fairytales. Especially darker fairytales. The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie is a perfect dark fairytale YA fantasy. Clara is so brave and she’s determined to help find the Lost of her village, including her mother. Axel is quite dreamy and I loved the progression of Clara and Axel’s story. Henni was also enjoyable. I absolutely loved how this book was written. I loved the darker aspect of the story, as I was creeped out many times by the sinister characters of the forest. I don’t want to say which fairytales were in the book but let’s just say, my favorite fairytale has a crazy spin!
Thank you to the publisher for the Netgalley approval.

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 5/5

Themes: Fantasy, Gothic, Fairytales

The Forest Grimm is about a cursed village and a girl trying to save her mother by changing her fate. I really liked the grimm fairytales troughout the story. They all had a fun and unique twist. If you have read or know of the grimm stories you will really enjoy this book. The characters were fun and I could see how they change and grow through the book. I really enoyed reading this and can’t wait to read more by this author.

I don't have a way to say this, but this was...extremely dull. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, I didn't like the plot, and nothing really clicked at all.

I wish I had something I could talk about that excited me, and the idea of fairy tales and horror mixed together is exactly what I want, but this… wasn’t it. :/

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the plot exciting and got so sucked in that I lost track of time.
The Forest Grimm follows the journey of Clara, Axel, and Henni as they venture into the Forest Grimm, an enchanted forest that has claimed their loved ones in the hopes of breaking the curse that has plagued their town.
Clara has known for years that she would die young; it was a fate read to her by her fortune-telling grandmother. Something that she also knows is that she is the changer of fate. In an attempt to bring her mother home, Clara, accompanied by her friends, finds themselves wrapped up in some very Grim situations…
With not-so-kind characters lurking in the Forest, the group must stick together if they are ever to find their Lost Ones and the wish-granting book, Sortes Fortunae that will free their town of the curse.

I loved how this book incorporated so many different Grimm’s fairy tales into it. The retelling of Rapunzel was particularly unsettling. The visual I got of her crawling around the Forest will not be one I forget. Hansel and Gretel also gave me the heebie jeebies.

This was just so good.

4/5 stars!

I was so honored to get a ARC in the mail from Wednesday books and since I started this book I have been completely hooked. I am a big fan of Bone Criers Moon Duology but this one has taken first place as enrapturing, fantastical and captivating for me. I LOVE these characters and the way in which it spins off of fairytales. The spin on the fairytales are so unique. I absolutely love the use and importance of Red Rampion and how it ties into the fairytale retellings. I also love the plot in this book, how it tells not only a journey of a group of friends but a growth of the friends and how they have to deal with truth, loss, pain and hardship. I already CANNOT wait to find out what happens next and how they will (hopefully) break the Curse of the Grimm Forest. I could go on and on about this book but mostly I'll just say, if you aren't planning on reading this you are missing out on the journey of a life time and the most unique retelling of the classic fairytales I have ever heard of.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this novel hooked me in with the description, but i fell out of engaging with it real quick, as the story was very repetitive, with each Grimms fairy tale basically repeating each time the characters encounter them. i wish i could enjoy this, but i didn't, as this was boring and repetitive.

I’m still trying to decide what I thought about this book. It took me by surprise, yet it felt totally right. I don’t think I’ve ever read a retelling that took such a unique approach. I would have never expected to run into Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel in one cohesive story. Yet, there they are, uncommonly and innovatively.

My weirdly favorite character is the forest. Yes, the forest is a character in its own right, being a living, breathing (in a sense) part of the story. And it’s very atmospheric in its being, which I just loved. It felt very Grimm - the brothers would approve, I think.

The other characters, even the main character, Clara, didn’t capture my attention as much as I would have hoped. I couldn’t relate or empathize with their personal stories, which sometimes confused me and bored me with others. And the romance, well, it confused me too. It’s a very out-there situation, and I guess I never achieved suspended disbelief and buy-in.

But, I have to admit, I am curious where book 2 of this duology will go.

3.75 stars
This book has a pretty low average rating on GoodReads—especially for a book that’s not even out yet. The entire time I was reading it I was stressed, because I was like… <i>I’m enjoying this? This is good? Why is the rating so low is something really awful going to happen and ruin it</i> The good news is, at least by my opinion, that didn’t happen. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
Was the main character kind of annoyingly stupid in her stubbornness at times? Yes. She just refused to believe the objective truth in front of her and then kept making decisions that you as a reader knew were stupid, and her friends knew were stupid. It did get a little annoying to read, but she was also acknowledging in her internal monologue that she was making stupid decisions but she just needed her beliefs/hope to be true. I think that acknowledgment was what kept my mild annoyance from dipping into an unenjoyable level of annoyance. However, aside from that annoyance, I did really enjoy the characters and Clara as a narrator. She was interesting, voicey, and easy to root for (except for in very specific decisions). Henni did really annoy me at times, but at other times she was completely lovable. Axel was my favorite of the group. He was sweet and swoony and I fell for him right alongside Clara.
The world building, however, was pretty underdeveloped. You were kind of just meant to not question anything. There’s an explanation of why they must go into the forest and why it is evil, but when it came to all the fairytale aspects it was kind of just “the fairytale aspects are a part of it because they are. Don’t question it.” There’s no reason, no explanation, no way to tie fairytales into the existing worldbuilding. You simply have to not question it at all, or else you’ll be pulled out of the story. I felt similarly to the references of good/bad luck superstitions. The characters are obsessed with symbols of luck, and there’s no real explanation for that either, and I felt like their needed to be, especially because it was so constant. Thankfully I was able to just, not think about the plot and developmental holes and enjoy it anyway. It was an interesting world as long as you don’t ask questions.
I think this book would have done better in a middle grade market. The specific ways that fairytales were incorporated felt a bit more in vein of MG than YA to me, and I think the less-developed worldbuilding would work better for MG than YA as well. The romance would have needed to be toned down a little (less descriptions of making out), but everything else felt more suited to a younger audience and MG standards. The characters were supposed to be upper teens, but they (and especially Clara) acted much younger.
On a craft level, the one aspect that I have no complaints on is the pacing. This was fast paced without ever getting too much so. It balanced action and reaction, progress of plot and character and emotion very well. I was never bored, and I never felt like I had whiplash, either. It kept me fully engaged from the first page to the last, and I ended up finishing the book in a day.
Last but not least, the absolute BEST part of this book was the disability rep! When I started this book, I had absolutely no idea there was going to be disability representation. Then, a few pages in, we learn that Clara has scoliosis. Because this is a fantasy book, the condition is described instead of named, but Clara says she has an S-curve in her spine that causes her hips to not be level with each other. The portrayal of this is exactly what I want more of in fantasy. It’s what I consider “casual disability rep”. It isn’t a plot point, it isn’t a huge ordeal that the characters are constantly being dramatic about, Clara simply is disabled. It’s a part of her character and it regularly affects her, but it’s not this huge thing, it’s just how she is. I wish we could have had a little bit more in depth discussions of the bigger picture of what it’s like to live with chronic pain, since it was mostly passing mentions of a twinge of pain here, a stumble there, but I still really enjoyed what was there. I also really, really loved the inclusion of an accessibility/mobility aid. Clara uses a lift in her shoe to make her feet even on the ground and help lessen her pain. These types of aids are often completely overlooked in fantasy, and when they are there, it’s often of the magical variety. And while I enjoy fantasy versions of accessibility devices, there’s something refreshing about seeing a simple, real world accessibility device in a fantasy setting.

I did enjoy this book, and I definitely recommend it. But if I’m being entirely honest, I’m not certain I’ll end up picking up the sequel next year. This one wrapped up pretty nicely. Despite the fact that the ending made it clear that there will be a sequel, I’m not itching to know how the last loose threads tied up. I think it was maybe wrapped up a little too nicely for the first book in a series. Who knows, maybe when it releases I’ll be more intrigued but right now I feel satisfied.

Welcome to The Forest Grimm, a world where fairytales have come to life, only they aren’t the sweet fairytales with happy ever afters, but the dark, gritty fairytales that bite.

Clara has always known she would die young. She’s resolved to her fate because she knows she will also save her mother. You see, Clara’s town isn’t normal; it has magic. Only someone used the magic for evil—to kill another person—and now the magic has cursed them all. Over the years, loved ones have gone into the Forest Grimm only to never return. Clara’s mother was the first to go missing. Now, Clara is ready to go into the forest to save her mother, break the curse, and accept whatever fate befalls her. However, nothing can prepare Clara for the people she will encounter in the forest and the challenges she will face.

The Forest Grimm was such a pleasant surprise! Kathryn Purdie’s prose was perfect for this story; decadent and lyrical, it felt as if I was reading a classic fairytale. Not only do we get hints and nods to fairytales, but we actually meet characters who believe they are fairytale characters. Purdie does a fantastic job weaving her spin on classic stories we all grew up loving. I had so much fun trying to figure out which fairytales would pop up and what they would mean for the story!

Rich in beautiful prose, a strong female lead, alongwith hints of romance, The Forest Grimm is a must-read fantasy this fall!

Also…Kathryn Purdie…that ending. WHEN CAN I GET BOOK 2???

My thanks goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an ARC. All opinions are my own; I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantasy
Age: YA

From the cover, I was already getting fairy tale vibes, but this story twists German tales in a unique way. It's incredibly clever and somewhat gruesome at times. (Honestly, kids like to have it extreme, so this is a positive thing.)

I kept thinking about how would I have lived my life if I knew I'd die young. That's the root for all of Clara's choices. I thought she was interesting, and I wanted her to survive! But once she goes into the forest, I was worried for her every minute. She also has a disability with a curved spine that adds a layer of problems as she's going through the forest. I was glad she had Axel because he seemed so capable, but then…another person arrives, and that seemed to just put everything into more trouble.

I loved how intense this book is. And all the twisty tales. Nothing went like I expected. And the ending, surprised me—but I won't mention it. (I don't think you'll guess even with that hint.)

I recommend this book!

Happy (spooky) reading!