I do a lot of reader's advisory and book talking for YA books. It's always good to have a list of fantasy/romance titles! This one was a little formulaic for me, personally, but I definitely think there is an audience and I will be recommending.

The Forest Grimm was such a darkly enchanting multi fairytale retelling! Each fairytale character was unique and intriguing. The world building was very well done, and the cast of main characters I found to be very endearing. I enjoyed the twist with the Grabdmother, and the ending has me hooked for book two!

*The Forest Grimm* is an enchanting and atmospheric fantasy that intertwines folklore and dark magic. The novel features a richly developed world and a gripping narrative filled with intriguing twists. Kathryne’s evocative prose brings the mysterious forest and its inhabitants to life, creating a captivating reading experience. While the story's pacing might be slow at times, the immersive setting and compelling plot make it a must-read for fans of fairy-tale-inspired fantasy.

I enjoyed this read. Very neat retelling with twists and turns to keep you hooked and reading more. A daring twisted fairytale with a great dynamic between the characters.

Wanted to love this, but I think I’m just not the target audience for this book.
However, this book is a very age appropriate YA fairytale retelling and an overall interesting story.
Perfect for spooky season and a great book to recommend to the teen in your life.

Although a bit uneven, with occasional dark elements mixed with an unexpectedly sweet romance, young teens who enjoyed the Chronicles of Never After as middle grade readers may find The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie a good bridge into the more complex stories shelved in the young adult collection. This book blends characters and themes from a variety of fairy tales (some better known than others) and should appeal to younger teens who enjoy creepy but not disturbing fantasy and who prefer an action driven plot over a romantic one.

I loved this twisted fairy tale! Not only was the writing style amazing but the fairy tales chosen to include and the twists given to each was unique and so much fun to see. I loved the interaction between the main characters, they are easy to love and very realistic in their emotions and devotions to those they care about. I can not wait for the next book to come out and for this story to continue. I will absolutely be reading this one again!

I love a good fairy tale inspired story, so of course I was very intrigued by this premise. While I found the story compelling, there were several times where I felt like the whole "dark fairy tale" schtick crossed over the line into goofy.

The idea of the book is interesting. However, the execution wasn't perfect. Overall, a it was a decent read. If you're a fan of fairytales, I suggest you try it out for yourself.

I grew up reading Grimm Fairy Tales, so I'm always a sucker for a book that is a retelling or reimagination of those fairy tales and this book did not disappoint. Once I started reading this book, I had such a hard time putting it down and couldn't stop until I had it completed.

I first received this book for review ebook format but thankfully I also got the audiobook. I love this story and all the retelling aspects of it. The pacing was even and the narrator sis a great job! I need it for my book shelves.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a spectacular read. It was so easy to get lost in.

DNF- I didn’t like the writing and the pacing felt off. Some things seemed like it happened so quickly, while other times events in the book would drag on for longer than needed.

I had such a great time reading this book! I don't think I've finished any of her series yet, but I've enjoyed all of her books that I've read thus far, and I can't wait to read the sequel to this book! I loved this concept, and it was so well done!

To have all these Grimm's Tales being played out in this forest, was pretty interesting, and I loved the different takes on the stories, and how they wove into the magic of this forest, and finding out what was going on, and trying to fix it.

One thing that I really loved about this book was that Clara lost her shoe when they were with Ella-Cinderella. That they both had feelings for Axel, that Axel was supposed to marry Ella, yeah, that was a great twist on that story!

This world of magic and fate and the Sortes Fortunae, was so interesting, and I loved seeing these characters try and find it, and all of their personal relationships adding some difficulties and understanding. It all came together really well, and I'm so excited how things are going to play out in the sequel!

This was such a great read and I can't wait for the sequel!

This had an interesting premise and I was excited to read it.

Despite fortune cards foretelling of her untimely death, Clara ventures into the Forest Grimm to find a magical book. Once a boon to the village, the book was taken back by the forest after it was used to kill someone. To save her village and her mom, Clara must bring it back.

Rather than the HEA fairy tales many of us are familiar with, The Forest Grimm plays into the Grimms' tales with sometimes more sinister storylines. It was fun recognizing the tales and often unpredictable how they were twisted. The tale of Hansel and Gretel was the one that gave me the most chills.

The pacing tended to be uneven with moments that dragged a bit, but there were parts that were exciting. I thought this could easily have been a standalone, but it ends on a cliffhanger. While I want to find out what happens next, I am also a bit hesitant because of the pacing. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

THE FOREST GRIMM is a book I got lost in and hoped I would never be found, but all good books must end. Thankfully, Kathryn Purdie has a sequel coming out. The storyline is fantastical with its twisted fairytale. The atmosphere and world-building are lush and vivid. Clara and Axel are characters I rooted for, fell in love with, and needed them to fall in love. It’s a fantasy book I adored.

The plot has a neat magic system for entering the forest, which has a mind of its own and is filled with twisted fairytales. As Clara and Axel journey through the forest, the magic unravels, fairytales come to light, and it becomes a story of good and evil. But what exactly is good, and what exactly is evil?

I loved the questions that THE FOREST GRIMM raised and the choices that the characters had to make through their journey in the forest. Every turn brought new obstacles and tested their faith in themselves and each other, but it also forged friendship and romance. It’s the type of fantasy book I love! I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Contact warnings: familial death, abandonment, blood and knife wounds, poisoning, implied cannibalism, child abuse

I love any fairytale kind of books so this book was an instant need. I was captivated by the story and the writing style. I started reading it and before I knew it, it was 3am and I'd just finished it. I loved it.

Clara knew that she'd die young in the magic forest that surrounds her village even before it was cursed and villagers started disappearing inside it. That her mom was one of the first to disappear has her desperate to find a way inside and sacrifice herself in order to save her. She finally finds a way to do it and enters the forest with her two best friends and it will be a journey full of danger before the forest reveals all its secrets and they can hope to save everyone.

Perhaps one of the most creative retellings of the Grimm stories, the massive martyr complex that Clara has takes some of the enjoyment out of it. I get being willing to sacrifice to save the one she loves, but it's mentioned and pushed so much that it got to be too much. If not for that, I loved seeing each new fairy tale that popped up and how Purdie made it her own. It's one reveal after another with one giant mystery wrapped up in danger and magic.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the read!

"What is fate, after all, if not to be tempted?"

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Forest Grimm in exchange for a review.

The Forest Grimm is about a young teenage girl named Clara Thurn who lives in a small village called Grimm's Hollow. The village is at the edge of an enchanted forest called the Forest Grimm and was centered at a magical book, called the Book of Fortunes. Long ago, the forest cursed the village and stole the book and nobody within the village knows why. Every Devotion Day, one villager goes into the forest to try to find the book and bring back the villagers that disappeard before them, known as the Lost. Clara's mother disappeared three years ago and all Clara wants to do is go into the forest to find the Book of Fortunes and use her one wish to save her mother. What Clara doesn't know is that the journey to find her mother will test her in ways she never imagined.

This book frustrated me because I had really high hopes for it. The premise sounded super interesting and I am a huge fairy tale fan so I was hoping that this book would be truthful to the original versions of popular fairy tales rather than the Disney versions. What I got instead was a disconnected horror story and a book that was way too long. I think that this book tried to do way too much for one book and definitely could have benefited from a map at the beginning to help the reader keep track of Clara's journey. She went to so many different places that it became hard to keep track of where she was at times. Clara also annoyed me for much of the book because she refused to listen to anyone else's advice and just wanted to do her own thing regardless of how it affected anyone else. However, I did enjoy her relationship development with Axel. I thought it was super realistic for two teenagers.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book as well as the fairytale characters that were included but this book could've been way shorter seeing how the author is now writing a sequel. I would give this book a solid 3/5 stars.

I could NOT put this book down. Once I started it, I was caught up in the story, turning pages a quickly as I could, as if that would assist the characters. I want Mmmmoooorrrreeee.