This book was a fun and easy read. An enjoyable YA fairytale retelling. The storyline was enjoyable and flowed well. The characters were interesting
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

2.5
The content of this book is a bit like the cover - you can see where she's going but it came out just a smidge off and vaguely embarrassing somehow.

I am a sucker for fairytale retellings of all kinds. So when I saw this one I was immediately intrigued by the cover and title. Which can we give a moment to the cover, on it's own it was phenomenal. Then the book itself did not disappoint at all!

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

The Forest Grimm is a fun and unique read. I’d recommend it for fans of fairy tales and the Grimm brothers. I liked how the fairy tales interwove through the story. Parts of book were slow and others were fast paced, but overall it kept me engaged. I definitely felt the tone of the writing skewed toward younger YA, so I would say this is a great read for readers 12-16 especially.

Those who enter the Forest are never seen again.

Clara lives on the edge of the forest. Her once blessed town is now cursed and the villagers are paying the price for someone’s evil wish. Clara has already lost her mother to the woods and she determined to bring her home. When she discovers her bright red cloak is the key to traveling safely though the trees, she sets out to save the Lost (her mother included), even if it means fulfilling her destiny….. of dying in the woods.

What I liked:
-Fairytales and magical forests are my JAM

What I didn’t like:
- To me, I felt like the first part of this book was done really well. It was well detailed, fast paced, kept my interest. THEN all the travel king happens, and while I get that it’s a huge forest it took away from the pacing. This book could have been told in 3/4’s the length.
-Clara is also supposed to be 17, but she comes across In attitude and mentality as younger. The dialogue didn’t do it for me.

Overall, a solid 3 out of 5.

My thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's hard to resist a good twisted fairy tale, and this book was no exception. Clara grows up surrounded by the magical Grimm Forrest with a grandmother who accurately reads the future, so from a young age she knows she is going to die an early death. That's a lot for anyone to handle, and gets even more complicated when her mother and other villagers begin to go missing in the Forrest that has turned on it's people. Clara is willing to sacrifice her life to save her mother - especially because it's already been foretold - but she has to remember to live first.

I love the atmosphere in this book, the forest is like an additional character in the story that feels like it can turn on you at any moment. The main characters are interesting and believable, and I think Clara is strong and well-written. I like the slow burn romance throughout as well. What I really enjoy is how we are introduced to fairy tales that we already know, but they are so far from the expected versions that the reader has no idea what is going to happen. I do feel the cover makes it look a little like a bad romance novel, when to me that's not the focus of the story at all. I loved the Grimm Wolf in here, and my heart was also captured by Ollie.

I recommend this book to all lovers of fantasy and fairy tales. It is written as YA, but I think some adults will enjoy it as well as a quick read. The romance aspect is very PG, and while it is a little haunting at times I wouldn't call anything in here super scary. While this could have easily been a standalone book, I definitely plan on continuing the series and look forward to reading the next one. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
*NO SPOILERS*

Themes: Fate, love, living
Representation: N/A
Content Warnings: Death, violence, drug use

Premise: The book Sortes Fortunae is stolen. The forest is cursed. Clara’s mother disappeared. To bring her mother back, Clara must go into the Forest Grimm where the curse started. She must learn to defy fate and find the book. Thus, with her friends Axel and Henni, they venture into the forest.

Characters

The characters in this book are more stock-type of characters with a few twists. I think this makes sense for this type of book because The Forest Grimm is a fairy tale retelling and in fairy tales, every character is often a stock character.

Clara, I generally feel that makes a good protagonist. I admire her stubbornness and determination to find the book and bring her mother back. I admire how she cares for those she loves including Axel and Henni. She does go through character development as the book progresses and learns to “live” despite her fate. She even admits some of her secrets to the other characters and fosters closer relationships with them. However, I do wish that Clara would stop picking at her looks throughout the book. I know that is very Disney-princess-y, however, I do not think it is necessary to the plot nor the character development of Clara. And also, wouldn’t it be great to have a female protagonist who is confident or neutral with the way she looks?

As for Axel, he is the typical love interest. He is strong, caring, and kind. He clearly cares about Clara, making sure she feels comfortable and offering her consolation when she feels unconfident throughout the book. He also treats Clara’s friend, Henni, with respect, protecting her modesty when she requests it. Axel does have secrets like Clara and eventually, he trusts her and Henni enough to reveal them, fostering closer relationships with them.

As for Axel and Clara’s relationship, you can see that they care for each other from how they speak to each other. However, even though the relationship is cute and they fit each other, I wish there was a bit more chemistry between them.

Henni plays the role of the best friend. She is the innocent one and she cares a lot about her sister. She, too, does go through some character development. In the book, it is revealed why Henni acts the way she does. However, I wish there was a bit more depth to her character as an individual rather than just being focused on her relationships with others.

Finally, Grandma, Ollie, and the forest characters. I think those characters generally just serve to further the plot of the book. Although we get a glimpse into their internal turmoil and feelings, I wish we got more from them rather than just having these character’s there to serve the plot of the story.

Rating: 3.5/5

Plot

This book is pretty plot-heavy as there is a clear goal at the beginning of the book that the main character wants to achieve that isn’t self-actualization. At least, I consider it to be more plot heavy. However, I must say that the plot is pretty formulaic.

Also, although a lot of people may say that having a bunch of fairy tales in the book “ruined” the story, I actually thought it was a pretty cool concept. As you see, I am a sucker for fairy-tale retellings and remixed classics. However, I do wish that the author paid more homage to the original tales rather than changing them.

The book starts off with Clara’s fortune being read in the prologue. And obviously (from the blurb) you can insinuate that her cards are The Midnight Forest and The Hanged Creature.

In the exposition, it is revealed that Clara’s mother and the Forest Grimm are cursed and that the book, Sortes Fortunae is stolen. The book does a pretty good job of setting up the exposition with Clara realizing what she must do to save her mother and the village, triggering the rising action.

In the rising action, Clara and her friends basically “live through” a bunch of fairy tales. Since, after all, this book is a fairy tale retelling. Although the rising action is pretty formulaic with each sort of mini-conflict following a fairly similar start and resolution, the author does a pretty good job of revealing some clues that will help with Clara’s journey.

The climax occurs when Clara’s goal is met. I don’t have anything much to say about it as I didn’t find it wowing or disappointing. However, I’d say that it was pretty expected.

Finally, the book doesn’t do the best job in my opinion on the falling action and denouement. A lot of things are revealed at once in the end with not a lot of explanation. And it also ends on a cliffhanger. I know the author did this to set the reader up for a sequel. However, I think this book would’ve been better as a standalone.

Will I read the sequel? Perhaps. But again, I think this book would’ve been better as a standalone.

Rating: 3.7/5

Style

My favourite part of this book is how it incorporated the notion of “fate” and “destiny.” I liked how the author included a lot of repetition in the book to draw the reader to the importance of fate in the book. For example, she repeats Clara’s cards over and over again, drawing the reader to the idea of Clara’s pre-determined fate. She also mentions a lot about “luck” and “omens” which I thought was fitting and unique for a fairy-tale retelling. Plus, it maintains a sort of whimsical air in this book, which is important for this type of book.

In terms of major themes, the only one I can think of is the idea of fate. It is explored throughout the book through Clara’s thoughts and actions. And I especially enjoyed how the author questions the idea of fate in the novel.

Finally, in terms of writing style, the author chooses to use third-person past tense in the prologue and epilogue to create the sort of distance that fairy tales maintain (most of them are told in third-person, past-tense). For the rest of the book, first-person present tense is used. (Probably to get more access to Clara’s thoughts.) I’m not too picky about tense and point-of-view so I do not hold an opinion on that.

As for diction in general, the author tries to use diction typical of a young adult book while trying to insert some of the more “flowery” writing of fantasy books. Again, I don’t hold too much opinion on that. The diction, to me, wasn’t particularly special nor did it hinder my ability to read the book.

Rating: 3.8/5

Final Rating

Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3.7/5
Formatting: 3.8/5
Final Rating: 3.7/5 (round to 4 stars)
Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Date Read: June 3rd, 2023
Date Reviewed: June 4th, 2023

The Forest Grim was a fun adventure quest through a cursed forest. I found it to be a good palate cleanser of a fantasy. I was never confused about the magic system and important details were repeated so I didn’t feel like I needed to be taking notes. It’s being marketed as YA and it definitely would be appropriate for middle grade readers as well. There weren’t any swear words that I noticed and the only “spice” between the romantic interests consists of a few kisses and some hand holding.
What made this so much fun was wondering which fairy tale character you might encounter around the next corner. Clara, the main character, doesn’t know the stories like we do. In her world, the haven’t been written yet. I am excited to see how the rest of the series plays out!

The Forest Grimm is a dark fairy tale mashup that I found rather disappointing.

There are two types of books that I will finish reading. The first is the enjoyable, fun to read type of books. The second is addictive, where I finish the book because I am so confused; these types of books generally leave me feeling the most grumpy. The Forest Grimm definitely fell into the latter category.

WHAT I LIKED
I found the cover pretty.

The idea of the story was intriguing. I love fairy tale retellings. Quests? Sign me up! I just wish the story had been executed better.

DISLIKES
See the content warnings.

It never really felt like the characters were getting anywhere. These were some of the most passive characters I have ever read. They were just roaming through the forest with no sense of direction, plan, or goal the entire time. While I realize that there might have been a bit of reality, it still was frustrating to see how much the characters weren’t even trying to come up with a plan.

This book was very dark. And it definitely did not have enough levity to balance it out. Reading this book was kinda like wading through Tolkien’s Dead Marshes without even getting the nice sense of melancholy or Howard Shore’s gorgeous music playing in the background.

THE NUMBER OF TIMES SHE MENTIONS HAVING AN S-CURVE IN HER SPINE IS RIDICULOUS. IT DIDN’T MATTER LIKE AT ALL FOR THE STORY. I have scoliosis, too, but I don’t think about it that much.

CONTENT
LANGUAGE: Three instances of d*** in quick succession. True, that was the only instance of profanity in this book, but it bothers me a lot more when many instances of vulgarity are used in quick succession.
VIOLENCE/GORE:
*Attempted strangulation
*Attempted cannibalism
*Murder
*Vampirism
*Stabbings
*Decomposing corpses
*Ghosts (I did not find them at all creepy, but they weren’t supposed to be)

SEX: Umm… I’m not exactly sure. There’s one scene where I think the characters might have had sex, but that scene was so confusing that I honestly have no idea. Granted, it was not graphic/descriptive enough for me to tell, so I guess it had that going for it. There are several kisses throughout the book.

DRUGS: Characters are drugged with psychedelic mushrooms.

OTHER: Fortune-telling is a major part of the story.

I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely lovely! There are so many teen fantasy books in the market nowadays, but this one stands out from the rest. I have been craving a book like this for years. Think early Sarah J Maas or "Poison Study", or Maggie Stiefvater. This book is that level of quality.
This book was everything I had been wanting and missing. Excellent dialogue, solid world building, an independent, likeable heroine, romance. And that cover is GORGEOUS! I just savored each page and was very sorry when it ended. I will definitely be buying this book in print! TEN STARS!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Marten's Press/Wednesday Books for an eARC of The Forest Grimm!

This Fairytale retelling, centralized on Little Red Riding Hood, has a gothic, creepy feel and a slow burn romance. I definitely want to read more from Kathryn Purdie and continue on in this duology/series.

A modern YA retelling of the Grimm fairy tales but twisted in a nightmare.

Grimm’s Hollow has been cursed and Clara Thurn ventures into the Midnight Forest to save her mother, find the book of fortunes and lift the curse plaguing the town. This is a dark and magical adventure with engaging characters and many gripping action scenes that kept me invested in the story.

The twists to classic Grimm fairy tales were layered and woven delightfully, you knew what to expect but also not! I enjoyed the friends to lovers plot but it wasn’t over the top, it’s more of a fantasy than romance. Our protagonist, Clara, has disabilities and while they are mentioned a few times, they certainly do not slow her down.

Wonderful world building and supporting characters - Henni and Axel, the trio had an easy going camaraderie and I just about died of cuteness when Henni took out a sewing kit for emergencies!

A bit of a slow burn novel but overall well written, quite enjoyable and unique!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy to review.

Clara must head into the dangerous Forest Grimm to seek the magic Book of Fortunes so that she can lift the fuse on her village and save her mother.
The Forest Grimm is a dark retelling of the fairy tale of Little Red Riding. The Forest Grimm will appeal to readers of Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf and watchers of Once Upon A Time.

A Grimm-inspired book interwoven with classic fairy tales, more appropriate for a younger audience (ages 11-15yrs). Overall this wasn't my favorite book, but it wasn't terrible...here are the things I liked:
- The twist on the Red Riding fairytale that was carried throughout the book
- The personality of the FMC, Clara
- The side character, Henni, was solid and I liked her a lot!
- Interesting storyline
- Good creepy forest that hearkened to the classic Brothers Grimm vibes

The things I didn't like:
- Struggled to keep reading it. The book just didn't grab me enough to where I couldn't put it down.
- Pacing felt off; at times it was really slow, other times it moved quickly
- Romance happened too quickly and I wasn't sold on it

I think the marketing is a little off on this book, too. It seems much too juvenile for a teen/YA audience, and would've fit better in a Middle Grade/Teen section.

It feels a bit like the book Gilded (by Marissa Meyer), so if you liked that one, then you'll love Forest Grimm as well!

Siri, look up the definition of "conflicted."

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I mean, it does not come anywhere close to how good Bone Crier's Moon was, but I still had a good time. The characters are mostly awesome and I like the horror aspect to it. There's even some disability rep. I'm unclear if it is authentic rep but it's nice to see.

So, yeah, I enjoyed this, but it felt really hokey and not fully thought out. A dark and scary forest that moves around you as you sleep so you are forever lost is so fun, but throwing in unhinged characters like Rapunzel and Cinderella makes it super cheesy. If they had been made more unique rather than so on the nose, I think I'd have liked this much more.

I'm baffled as to how this is a series. Everything wraps up. Everything. Except for one little blip that I'm pretty sure was added to the last 3 pages just so it *could* continue. Honestly, I'm still treating this as a standalone because it ended well for me, and I'm not interested in seeing more of this world.

This is not just a re-telling of the old Brothers Grimm tales - it is so much more! It is a tale of a lush forest turned dark and vengeful. It is a tale of hope and love and perseverance and magic. It is a tale of woeful beings in the forest and how they came to be there. Clara may be Little Red Riding Hood, and this may be about her travel through the Forest. But Clara's interactions with the wolf are more complex than predator and prey. We learn previously unknown backstories as she meets other Grimm characters in the woods. The forest is abundantly magical, and may be a character itself. The story is so rich with detail that I can see the film in my mind! Delightfully sinister with many new twists!

The story takes us through a creepy forest where you’ll meet characters from the Grimm fairytales. It had enough twists and turns and action to keep the story interesting. I enjoyed reading it, but felt like it’s more for the younger range of the YA genre.

I have to admit, I loved the story premise and the childhood friend romance. I feel though that the book would be best as a standalone not a series. Since all loose ends felt tied up. Hence the ending feels like we’re prolonging it, however… if it is a new protagonist in the second book maybe Ella or Henni or even another new heroine then I could see a second adventure. Over all the story was really well. The plot of little red riding hood and adding other grim stories and certain stories being grim parts of their fairy tale counterparts is a fun twist

The Forest Grimm is a wonderful mix of Once Upon A Time and Into The Woods. I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings and felt like this was such a unique twist. Purdie did an excellent job making the story intriguing with a dash of spooky. I was completely immersed in the world and loved the creepy twist on the fairytales we know. I will say, I was surprised to see that this isn’t a standalone. While it did end on a small cliffhanger, I feel like everything could’ve been wrapped up in one book.

As for characters, I really loved Clara and Axel. The romance was written well and I enjoyed seeing the development from friends to lovers. The only character I did not like was Henni. At first I was indifferent to her but as the story progressed, I disliked her more and more. I found her to be quite rude and selfish at times. I’m honestly hoping she has a less prominent role in the next book.

Of all the books I’ve read by Purdie, this one is by far my favorite and will definitely be recommending to friends and family.

3.5 Stars!

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie is a YA novel that puts a spin on the memorable Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella, and Rapunzel stories that we we know so fondly. We follow our MC, Clara, who believes that she is cursed based upon the fortune telling cards her Grandmere has shown her throughout her life.

This is a quick read that I would recommend to those who are into young adult fantasy retellings - the book is paced well and there are fun adventures to go on with our main characters. There's some great world-building and pretty good character development that moves the plot along. I'd say that the outcome isn't as predictable as you might imagine it to be.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.