I received a e-book copy of this more for a honest review via NetGalley.. I love this 5 stars!!!! It’s a retelling of little red riding hood with other fairy tails mixed in. Every character has a role that they play into it. The book shows us that it’s ok to not be perfect and try our best to do what need to done. Also, it shows to deals we can change fate if you work on it. I can’t wait until the second book comes out. At least that is my two cents! Lol

Bone criers dawn was one of my favorite books when it was published for the year.
So, my hopes may have been too high- and it fell pretty flat. I wish I could have enjoyed it more- I’ll still be on the look out for the sequel as it ended on a cliffhanger.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy in exchange for a honest review!

If you like twisted fairy tales, The Forest Grimm is a must read. This book was so original, while including many pieces of the tales that we already know.
The characters had depth, and I loved seeing their relationships grow. The only problem is the long wait for book 2!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

This book turned out to be better than I expected.
There were moments I could have strangled Clara but her mistakes made her relatable. The underlining love story with Axel was not a cheap plot line to further something with no substance. It was truly necessary for the story even though it was also heartbreaking.
The creative use of fairytales that we all know was very well done and as each was revealed it gave you an "I know this story" moment.
Very well done and I will look forward to book 2.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start off by saying, I think I've been sleeping on Kathryn Purdie. Her subject matter has never really interested me before, but this book has changed my mind and I think I'd like to read her other work now.

The Forest Grimm, is like The Village meets Once Upon a Time meets The Brothers Grimm. Our main character is Clara who is (obviously from the book cover) Little Red Riding Hood. Her focus is saving her who mother who has become lost due to a curse placed on their village after someone used a magical book gifted by the Forest Grimm (which grants wishes) to murder another villager. Since the murder, many villagers (like her Clara's mother) are Lost and the village suffers.

I have and always will be a fan of fairytales and fairytale retellings. I specifically like them when they play into the creep factor and really go ham on bringing up the creepy parts that in the original fairytales. Purdie does an excellent job in this regard. The story takes entirely within this magical forest that moves, and there are a few characters we know that show up from time to time. The whole story has a great spooky and (no pun intended) grim vibe.

I loved every character apart from Henni. I'm not entirely sure how her and Clara even friends? They don't really have much in common, and while Clara is brave and stubborn. Henni is fairly timid and whines quite a bit throughout the whole book. Henni is supposedly 15, but she comes off as much younger and I truly don't think she added much to the story. I think it was just Clara and Axel, not much would've changed and I would've enjoyed the book even more.

The romance in this is done well, it's definitely subplot but the chemistry between Axel and Clara is there. When done right, a friends to lovers trope is great and I love it in this story.

I'm shocked this is a duology. I'd say with how the whole story is wrapped up, this easily could've been a great standalone. The ending line of "she must return to.... The Forest Grimm" came off a bit cheesy to me. Most things were wrapped up, but I will be interested to see what exactly happens in book two.

Overall, this was a fun and quick read. I think I'll even buy a physical copy when it releases later this year. I'm rating it 3.5 stars but I'll round up to 4.

Absolutely phenomenal first book in hopefully a series! The fairytale inclusions were interesting interpretations and I really resonated with the MC. I also appreciate the fact that she has disabilities, but they aren't something she's scorned for at any point. The premise is interesting and I just couldn't put it down, to be honest. Worth a read if you like fantasy and YA!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and provide an honest review.

This was definitely a fun little story! I devoured it in a single day, so it kept my attention well enough.

The good:

The idea of haunted or twisted or magical forests is always intriguing to me (thank you Tolkien and Fangorn Forest!) and that features prominently in this tale. The author, Kathryn, paints a very interesting picture and makes the forest its own character.

The weaving of different Grimm Fairytales wrapped in to the plot. First, who doesn't enjoy Grimm's Fairytales? As I'm at my computer desk, I have the whole "Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales" tome sitting next to me. So, shockingly, a book incorporating those tales drew me in immediately. I enjoyed Kathryn's take on these tales and fit them in to this world that she created.

The bad:

The characters. I enjoyed some of the dialogue, but I still don't feel like I know these characters. I didn't feel any particular connection with them, or between them. That's a little disappointing to me because the friendship between Hennie and Clara was described at the start of the book very similarly to my relationship with my best friend. I thought for sure I would connect with that! Unfortunately, it didn't happen beyond that initial description.

The romance. In a book that has a heavy emphasis on romance and love, I really thought it'd be more fleshed out. I thought we'd see more inside Clara's head regarding the romance and the build up of their love, and while I could see some honest attempts, they fell a little flat. It's like a flip was switched and they went from "nope, nope, nope. Can't do this," to "yes, yes, yes we can," without much to encourage this flip. I yearned for more.

Overall, I think this is definitely meant for younger readers. I still enjoyed it, but I'm definitely not the target audience.

Thank you netgalley for the arc. I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings and this was interesting take on them. I really enjoyed this.

#TheForestGrimm #KathrynPurdie #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel. Excellent book!

*I received a Copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review*


This Creepy Spin on the a Grimms Fairytale was done quite well, I like that it was easy to follow along and that the romance was not intsa-love. The Slow-burn fit perfect with the adventure and travel aspect of this book, and the creepy cursed town was a aspect of the book.

I have not read a book by Kathryn Purdie before but I will be on the lookout for more books by this author. The Forest Grimm is a fantasy that is original with an imaginative twist on Fairytales. Clara was a great main character. I felt she was strong, smart, and focused. Even though her fortune-teller grandma has warned her of untimely death from early on, Clara accepts this and decides to use her short time to go on a quest into the deadly and dangerous Forest Grimm to save loved ones. Well written with likable characters. This is a great read for young adults and I would say 13 and up readers also.

From the Publisher:
A spellbinding YA fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie, where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.

"Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die."

The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book—Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes—with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose—to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.

Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel—who is fated never to be with her—have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest—alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales—has a mind of its own.

Venture through a dangerous forest to unweave the mysteries of a curse in “The Forest Grimm.” This darker fairytale retelling features an isolated village surrounded by woods with similar concepts to “The Hazel Wood” and “Small Favors.” Clara seeks to find her mother and break the curse that is bound to the town, expecting to fulfill her fated death along the way. The intrigue compelled me to continue reading each time a chapter ended. I’ll be anticipating the next book in the series for the conclusion of this story!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

A magic forest that granted wishes becomes a fearsome place after an unthinkable wish, resulting in a curse upon the people and land of Grimm’s Hollow that a tempter of fate is determined to break in Kathryn Purdie’s The Forest Grimm.
At the age of sixteen, residents of Grimm’s Hollow can choose to make a wish upon the Book of Fortune that came from the Forest Grimm. Having grown up knowing that her fate is to die from the numerous card readings her Grandmére had done over the years, Clara has decided to use her wish to save her mother from the same fate of death; however, by the time Clara is of age to make her wish the Book has been gone, along with her mother, for three years and the forest has been cursed as the result of someone using their wish for the murder of another, corrupting the magic. Determined to find and save her mother from being one of the Lost in the Forest Grimm, Clara has mapped the forest from the stories of those left in the Hollow and makes plans to enter the forest to find her. With her good friend, Axel, in tow, Clara enters the forest with the red cape her mother made that was dyed with red rampion, which seems to protect from the forest’s wrath. They try their best to follow Clara’s map, but quickly find it virtually useless as the forest moves around them. Encountering a few of the Lost along the way it becomes evident that they’ve been changed by their time in the forest and they’re not who they once were, but Clara doesn’t lose her determination to save her mother or the other Lost Ones despite the dangers to be faced.
With a handful of classic fairy tale characters and their stories incorporated within this story’s world a young woman’s journey to tempt and defy fate unfolds. For the fairy tale characters included within the story there were some clues offered in bits and pieces before a more dramatic reveal confirmed suspicion of who someone was meant to represent but the main characters didn’t feel as developed as they could have been. Though there are entertaining moments and exchanges between characters, there’s quite a lot of seemingly aimless journeying that takes place, which, while providing an opportunity to show aspects of the forest and the stories of those within it as well as time for Clara to reflect on her fate and her choices, slowed the pace down, especially when placed in contrast with the rapid action during encounters with the Grimm wolf, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Briar Rose. While presenting a protagonist with a misshapen spine, the pain she endures throughout her travels and trials, and a compensatory aid to ease her mobility is an appreciated inclusion, there was significant repetition to mention or describe her S-shaped spine or the heel in her left shoe that became distractingly redundant. With the introduction of Clara’s magical gift coming in the latter portion of this novel, there’s plenty yet to elaborate upon to flesh it out to something more substantial, which, given the ending of this, may be likely to occur in a follow-up adventure.
Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Our story is set in the fictional village of Grimm's Hollow where everyone lives in relative peace and happiness. Everyone who turns 16 gets to make a wish on a magical book. But when someone makes a forbidden wish, the forest curses everyone and people go missing.

The story is sweet, spooky, and action packed.

Likes: Grimm Brother's fairy tales being blended with our protagonist's challenges and adventures , an example is that Clara is basically Little Red Riding Hood.
Friends to lovers trope
Spooky and suspenseful.
Strong FMC


Critiques:
Too many mentions of the FMC's S-curved spine, it is overly mentioned and repetitive.
The lead characters never seem to learn from mistakes and continuously make the same bad decisions and end up in similar bad situations. It creates a dragged out story line with repetitive scenarios which is a little boring after the first couple of times.

Overall, the story was enjoyable and the journey with Clara and her friends is definitely worth joining. I am excited to see the story continue in another book and experience more retellings of The Grimm Brother's fairy tales.

I received an e-arc through NetGalley. This my honest opinion of the book.

A grand adventure of an combination of Grimm brother fairy tales. If you enjoy the show Once Upon a Time this book is for you. Purdie combines multiple fairytales to create this eery, dark adventure for 3 friends to help their town. It keeps you on your toes and is very captivating. There is disability representation with the FMC having a curved spine which gives her uneven footing and limp. It's a great book on friendship. Would absolutely recommend to everyone and cannot wait for what happens next.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a fairytale retelling, and an even longer time since I read one that I felt held its own. I’m glad to say The Forest Grimm is a twisted fairytale that kept me interested from beginning to end. It brought beloved characters to life in a new, creepy way. I especially loved Cinderella and her “menagerie.” The twists didn’t always go the way I thought they would either, which was a nice surprise. Every time I tried to put the book down, I ended up coming back a few minutes later. Very excited to see what happens next in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to read,rate and review this arc which will be available on Sept 19,2023.

A Grimm’s fairy tale ya story. I struggled so badly to even finish this. And the story was good. Sweet. fast paced. Well written but my god it was clique after clique. Trope after trope and it feels like this was intentional to just sell the book.

That being said it is somewhat original and quite a fun read. Definitely recommend it to younger audiences as they won’t get the urge to strangle the characters for acting like teenagers.

Well-written YA fantasy referencing stories we all know by heart and giving the familiar fresh life while also being wholly original. Good pacing, an intriguing plot. I do with the character development had been a bit more robust but overall solid read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

Overall thoughts, kind of meh. Not a ton of world or character building. It also didn't really feel like there was much in the way of plot? I think if it was combined with whatever is coming next it could have been a really solid story.

This was okaaaaay.

I’ve read other Kathryn Purdie books and I’m sad to say they have never really done it for me. There’s always something missing in the story and for this I felt that very same way.