*Thank you to Wednesday Books, Kathryn Purdie and Netgalley for giving me an e-arc of "The Forest Grim " in exchange for an honest review *

I love fairytale retellings and "The Forest Grim" was a treat to read. Even though fairytale have been retold over and over again , Kaththryn Purdie breathes new life into them with this book.

The Forest Grimm is book one in the The Forest Grimm series by Kathryn Purdie.

And it’s quite the start to a atmospheric YA fantasy series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and feel like it’s an easy story to read in one sitting.
Not because it’s a simple story but because it’s addicting.
The world is unique and so is the magic system. I was blown away by the vivid details and storytelling.
I was pulled deep into Grimm’s Hollow and became fully invested in Clara and Axel’s journey. The characters are astoundingly well written.
Where fairy tales come to life with a dark, deadly twist!
The Forest Grimm is filled with action and adventure, magic, intrigue, fairy tales and a strong female character.
Easily five stars! Incredibly unputdownable!
I can't WAIT for the next book in this series!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Wednesday Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a really good YA retellings fantasy! It was easy to read and the plot moved along quickly from the start. There isa a lot of travel and adventure but it was simple enough to follow. Romance is slow burn and of course there's the drama and it was okay.
It goes without saying, I’m excited to see what happens in the rest of the series!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great fantasy with fairy-tale elements that should satisfy younger YA readers. I haven’t read any books of Kathryn Purdie’s before, but the writing reminded me of Brigid Kemmerer’s. If you loved “A Curse So Dark and Lonely” or “Defy the Night,” you might enjoy “The Forest Grimm.”

The Forest Grimm was a pleasant read. This book gave me a spine-chilling experience. I was drawn in and my imagination was running wild. I have never thought that it could be that creepy. I really love the idea of the cursed town, the retelling of many great tales around it and the way the author ties and connects all those tales together. I was really surprised when I got to the real backgrounds of the retellings.

The only reason it doesn’t get five stars is because there are some tension-relief dialogues that bother me. When the scenes were building up to an ominous situation, suddenly random flirting dialogues were inserted and I completely lost that gripping tension. I think it would be more exciting if that certain scenes were kept away from any tension-relief moments.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman sets out to rescue her mother from an enchanted forest, but when the lost resurface without memories and wolves circle she will need to outwit the land of fairytales gone wrong before it's too late.

I hadn't read a non crossover YA in some time so it was interesting to come across a story actually meant for teenagers. I think young girls will enjoy this new take on an enchanted forest and fairytales. The plot isn't too predictable at all and the surprises are well meaning and add to the atmosphere.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was interesting! It takes those classic Grimm fairytales and twists them in a haunting and horrifying way. I love seeing stories bring a unique take on a classic, and that is what this story did. I definitely got the creeps once or twice, in a good way! This book definitely has some witchy elements so I think it would be a great book to read during October.

Though this book is YA, it had a very young tone to it. I think people ages 12-14 is a great audience for this tale. Unfortunately, I am 25 so I felt this was a little young for me. I understand I am not the target audience, though.

The reason I did not give this 5 stars is I would have liked to see a little more characterization. This is a plot-driven story, but I wanted to get to know the characters more. I struggled to find an attachment to any of the characters in this book due to the blandess of their personalities.

I would definitely purchase this for a younger family member, though. A solid book, but nothing to write home about.

You know, I'll have to start off by saying sometimes getting an ARC can be a curse. This is one of those times.
Not because the book wasn't good. It is incredible. I was enraptured from the start. The action and story telling were fast paced. The slow burn love story mixed jnto the fantasy was perfect. Our cast of characters had their own strengths and weaknesses that were used and overcome.
The incorporation of certain tales from Grimm were on point. I love how an original story was weaved using them. Were Grimm's fairy tales already dark? Yes. But this took them on and made for a darker, more magical retelling of them. They pieced together quite nicely. Going from one into another in ways that make absolute sense.
No, it's a curse because the expected publication for this book isn't until September. So I'll have to wait that long to get my physical copy. And then will come the wait until the next one.

An ARC was provided from Wednesday publishing through netgalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you for the chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved the twist on the fairy-tales! It was a tiny bit slow in the beginning but quickly picked up once Clara and Axel entered the forest, then it was a mad dash through them trying to find and save everyone. I really enjoyed the slow burn relationship between Axel and Clara, I could see he cared for her before she noticed it. The ending was completely unexpected, I really thought there would be a happy ending where every lost villager came home but it was so much better! Clara never giving up on her mom despite her grandmother telling her it was a lost cause to try and save her, then realizing she had to take her mother's life really surprised me.

I did have 2 complaints about the book. 1. Henni felt very underdeveloped. It was a fast/ short read, so I get that you can only do so much but honestly felt like she needed more. She was very pouty after finding Ella and having to leave her, and since we didn't know much about her it felt hollow.
2. The amount of times we had to hear that Grandmere only drew those 2 cards during readings was so overdone. I swear it was mentioned almost every chapter.

Overall: Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Content warnings: gore

Rep: scoliosis MC, slow burn romance/friends to lovers

Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:

So this was interesting! Ive never read a Kathryn Purdue book before so I just went in hoping that I liked this. And I did, for the most part. This has a really strong start to the story and I found the magic in this world to be very interesting. But I did have some issues as I continued on in the story (but nothing problematic). I just kind of felt a little underwhelmed by the plot? While things were definitely going on and there really ISN'T a dull moment in this book, I just kind of wanted the story to go in a different direction or had certain things happen in different ways or incorporated different Grimm Fairytales than the ones that are most prominent in this first book.

The only real gripe I have with this story is how it ended. Something happens at the end of this that gives us a reason for there to be a second book, and I really think that this should just be a standalone. I don't think there NEEDS to be a second book. Will it be interesting? I don't doubt it and I'm curious to see what Grimm tales that Purdie will use, but the issue that Clara is trying to solve in this book, I think, could have been completely resolved and everyone could be living their "happily ever after".


Do I recommend this book? I do. If you like a fast paced paced story have action & adventure, based off o fairytale retellings with a nice romantic subplot (and Clara & Axel were pretty cute... and I was rooting for them), then I totally recommend you check this one out!

In a village cursed by a wrongfully made wish, lives a girl named Clara, who wishes to save her mother and the village. Despite knowing what her fate is, she enters the Forest Grimm, hoping to find her mother and lift the curse. Dressed in red, she and Axel, someone she holds closer in her heart than she admits, venture through the forest, where they encounter many things and people. Will they lift the curse?

I would like to start off by praising the beautiful cover. I adore the artwork.

This was a super enjoyable take on fairy tails. It was dark, but in a fun, page turning sort of way. It definitely kept me interested, wanting to learn more about the forest and the inhabitants myself.

I enjoyed Clara as a character. She is headstrong, Intelligent, yet flawed. I enjoy that she realizes her flaws throughout the book though. It’s also nice to see a character with a different sort of body structure, one Clara doesn’t allow to hold her back much.

While I enjoyed the story, there were a few characters I didn’t enjoy as much, but I think that’s a good thing.

If you like beautiful, dark and fairy tail type adventures mixed with romance and danger, I recommend this stunning book!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Wednesdays Books for the opportunity to read this incredible book!

This was such a wonderfully entertaining and twisty fantasy book, I had a lot of fun reading it!

Based on the cover I had assumed that it was a Red Riding Hood retelling, which I guess it is, in a sort of way, but the book also includes a bunch of other retellings (which I'll refrain from naming since it'll be delightful if you discover it on your own). The different retellings were combined in such a cool way, and I'm really looking forward to more of those in the next book!

I also loved the development of characters and relationships in this book, it was really emotional and _real_. The ending was so cool, I'm excited for book 2 (and I hope we see a certain Oliver again 😭)

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was so dark and fascinating, I loved the twisted takes on the individual fairy tales. It most definitely went in a few directions I wasn't expecting, and had enough action to keep me interested the whole way through.

Excellent cast of characters, and a great ending!

I recommend this book for anyone who likes dark fairy tale retellings, and books where characters go on a journey.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was so dark and fascinating, I loved the twisted takes on the individual fairy tales. It most definitely went in a few directions I wasn't expecting, and had enough action to keep me interested the whole way through.

Excellent cast of characters, and a great ending!