Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. Because I'm trying to cram so many books in before the end of year, I am really gravitating towards short books, YA, or themes and tropes that typically work for me.

...This was not good. I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them, but this was just kind of a mess. There was so much going on here, yet all the conflict was basically solved within a page or so of encountering a problem. It combined too many themes and none of them felt believable or high stakes or impactful to our main characters. It was also REALLY predictable and parts of it dragged on quite a bit more than necessary.

This book was so enchanting. I love anything that has a French twist to it and also fairytales - so this book his the fantasy spot! I really enjoyed the fairytales weaved throughout the novel! Just the right amount of romance and high adventure! Enjoy!

I received this from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

5/5 stars, this might be one of the most unique takes on fairytales I've ever read

Thank you to St. Martins Press & Wednesday Books for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I've been a fan of Kathryn Arden since reading her 'Bone Criers Moon' series, and while it was not my favorite ever I saw the potential she holds as an author, and wanted to read more. When I discovered she was writing a story based on fairytales, I was so excited as I truly adore fairytale retellings. Especially because this one sounded so interesting, with a magic book and a forest that causes people to turn into twisted versions of fairytale stories we all know and love. I'm so grateful to have received this arc because this book was everything I was hoping for.

First of all the atmosphere and worldbuilding were absolutely splendid, I was immediately sucked in by the mysterious aspects of the magic occurring in the story. The writing style made everything feel like a fairytale anyway, which increased my love even more. The mysterious forest is something that occurs in a lot of books, but this one was particularly striking to me, as people got lost in it and never returned. Yet, the townspeople made offerings every year to try to prevent individuals from being forced to go in. It's really interesting, and I was glad the main character was so motivated to go find her mother and other individuals who went missing, as it made me even more excited to enter the forest and discover its secrets.

The plot was also really well done, I felt engaged the whole time especially as the forest scenes started. That's when the twisted fairytales, even for the main character, began to show up and it was just so well done I can't even describe how awesome it was to read. The ending makes me interested in what will happen in the sequel, and I need it like...right now.

Clara and Axel were really easy to love too, both as characters and as people who start to fall in love with one another. Clara was sort of the typical young adult heroine, going to go do things that adults can't manage bother to do, but she was very intuitive and that served her well. Axel was just sweet and I think he made a great companion to her. Their romance was also really sweet as I've fallen in love with childhood-friends-to-lovers more and more this year, so to see that here was so special to me.

[TW: murder and death of loved ones, parental abandonment, blood and knife wounds, poisoning, implied cannibalism, physical child abuse]

While I requested this as an ebook, I "read" it as an audiobook given it was after it'd been released. It was a great listen, and it really amplified the captivating storytelling. It was like listening to someone read a fairy tale to me, and I was so drawn in throughout. While fantasy isn't really my jam, this story drew me! I loved the pictures it painted through words, the relationships, and the literal twists and turns as the story went.

Kathryn Purdie has yet to miss with me and this is just one more on a growing list of books that I love from her.

An absolutely spellbinding twisted retelling of several classic Grimm tales. I devoured this story and I loved it's characters and easy to follow and fast paced plot.

The Forest Grimm was an entertaining story with fantasy and several fairytale characters I thought I knew. It is a twisted retelling of several well known fairytales. I ran into Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood, all in the same forest. 17-year-old Clara is desperate to save her village, Grimm’s Hollow, from the curse, and in turn, her mother. Her grandmother is a fortune-teller who read her cards, thinking they were for someone else. Clara knows she needs to go into the Forest Grim and find the magical book to complete the task. Clara and her dear friend Axel, set out, but with so many creatures and a forest that wants to prevent their success standing in the way, will they find the book, or even survive this quest.

I wasn't quite sure what to think about this book. The spin Kathryn Purdie put on some of the best loved fairytale characters was a bit macabre. Instead of being heroes and underdogs as in the original Grimm's Fairytales, they were evil and trying to stop Clara and Axel at every turn. The forest itself was a character in this story with it's darkness and malevolence. There is a bit of a romance with Axel and Clara, but that was not the interesting part of the story. I enjoyed seeing Clara figure out who each character was and how to defeat them and bring them back to themselves. I don't want to say anything more, but this is a very interesting story and if you enjoy retellings, I definitely recommend this one.

I wanted to like this one more but the mash up of fairytales left it where you couldn’t really know what was the story that was trying to be told.

This had a very intriguing start but sort of lost me in the middle. I love fairy tales and the idea of interconnected fairy tales, but I'm not a huge fan of different stories just haphazardly thrown together for the sake of including a fairy tale.

The lack of explanation for the fairy tale characters does add to the mysterious, spooky feeling of the forest, but because the fairy tale characters that show up are such well-known stories, the lack of explanation just left me unsatisfied. I think I personally would have enjoyed the premise more if either more obscure fairy tale characters had been used or if there had been less mystery and more explanation for the well-known characters.

Also, wasn't really feeling the romance between the main characters.

I actually did enjoy this one! It was creative twist on some of the Grimm stories. Although I will admit that I don’t know the original versions of the darker ones. But from what I did know, I thought it was rather clever! There were moments of this where the pacing was fast and other parts where I’m not sure if I was trying to force it to the next “thing”, but I caught myself doing that a few times. I am interested to see if there’s a sequel - the ending left it open to that! And I’d definitely read it if there is.

Like a collage of grim fairy tales. Clara has always known her fate. Every time her grandmother has read her cards, she pulls the Midnight Forest and the Fanged Creature cards, denoting a perilous choice and an early death. When their village is cursed, Clara is determined that she will be the one to break it, to save her mother and the others who have disappeared into the Forest Grimm. Once she finally discovers a way into the forest, she journeys in, alongside her childhood friend Axel, who has his own reasons to save the cursed. But is determination enough? Can Clara find a way to change fate? Or are they destined to join the ranks of the Lost?

What a darkly magical read. I really enjoyed this world. It's full of the darker fairy tales we all know and love (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, etc.) Clara has this selfless determination. She's not perfect, but she's strong and easy to root for. I enjoyed following her journey through the woods with Axel, and seeing their relationship develop. I loved the dark forest setting and the encounters made within, very creepy. The ending nicely sets up for a sequel, which I will be happy to pick up when it's available.

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

2.5 stars
While I’ve read a fair share of books that weren’t quite for me/a perfect fit or enjoyable, I haven’t really read a book this year I truly disliked. The Forest Grimm changed that. I love a good fairytale retelling, and the premise is intriguing. There’s a sentient, maze-like, magical forest, missing villagers, and a book of wishes. The main character is fated to have an early/untimely death and is determined to save her mother before her time is up. It sounds SO COOL. Ultimately, it was a huge let down, and there are much better retellings out there.

What I did like:
-The premise
-This is a true YA/teen book. It’s been a while since I’ve read/seen a YA/teen book that didn’t have lots of language or went a steamier route with the romance. This book has little to no swearing and only kisses between the main couple. It’s not as dark as it could have been, which may make it more appropriate or approachable for readers in the younger end of the YA spectrum, or readers who don’t prefer super dark retellings.
-There was a lot of room for creativity in how the different fairytales were presented, as the Forest twists the minds of those who enter it.
-Scoliosis rep—-from how it’s described, Clara has scoliosis. I haven’t read a fantasy book with that in it, and it was interesting to see how it would affect a long quest that required lots of movement. It was also refreshing to see that Clara WASN’T presented as thinking of themselves as unloveable, ugly, or super insecure because of their condition.

Why I didn’t like it:
-both the plot and the worldbuilding felt rushed. I had more questions than answers.
-the characters were relatively static. Clara constantly made dumb decisions, not learning from previous experiences, was single-minded, and didn’t grow much. She was so annoying! I’m reluctant to say “maybe I would like it better when I was an actually teen,” but characters like Clara make me think I wouldn’t like it even then! The change of heart/growth she does have towards the end is rather sudden.
-I didn’t have any emotional attachment to the characters. When Axel & Clara encounter various Lost people, it should be heartbreaking and shocking to find out what being in the woods has done to them, but it wasn’t.
-Clara & Axel had 0 chemistry, and I still don’t fully understand why they like each other.
-The plot was basic and predictable. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but it was predictable partly because Clara didn’t grow, and the other story elements didn’t elevate it.
-The ending sets this up to be a series, or perhaps just a duology. I don’t think it’d necessary, but I hope Kathryn Purdie takes that as an opportunity to really develop the world and Clara.

Clara, haunted by her mother’s disappearance, ventures into the Midnight Forest despite portends of doom from her grandmother. Accompanied by her friend Axel, Clara hunts for the missing magical book that can bring her mother back home.

Fairytale retellings are old hat, and a book has to do something interesting with these old tales to make them worth reading. And there are a lot of books that have done this well, like Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, Kelly Link’s White Cat, Black Dog: Stories or Angela Carter’s Bloody Chamber.

This book unfortunately doesn’t do that. It’s a mix of unrelated fairytale characters, plopped together with a shoestring of a plot. Much younger readers might enjoy recognizing familiar elements, but I expect more even from YA.

I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, so The Forest Grimm was a must read for me. Kathryn Purdie has such a way with words, that everything she writes is magical. The opening line of this book is so haunting, that it instantly pulled me in. I loved the characters and the setting was fantastic.

The Forest Grimm follows Clara, who is fated to die before her time. The village where she lives is under a curse. The village of Grimm’s Hollow has always been a magical place. They used to have a book called Sortes Fortunae, that would reveal the way to obtain their deepest desires. When someone used it to kill someone, the village became cursed and the book was taken away by the Forest Grimm. Now if someone enters the forest without permission, they are never seen again.

Clara lost her mother to the forest, and she’s dreamed of getting the chance to enter the Forest Grimm to find her. When she discovers a cloak that allows her to enter the forest unharmed, she knows that now is her chance. Along with her friend Axel, Clara enters the Forest Grimm determined not to leave until she finds her mother and Sortes Fortunae so she can end the curse and finally bring her mother home. However the forest has a mind of its own and it doesn’t like to give back what it has taken. It’s also the home to some twisted versions of familiar fairytale characters that will do whatever it takes to stop Clara.

This book is perfect for fans of fairytale retellings and fans of dark and spooky forests.

This is a perfect YA fairytale. Set in the Forest Grimm, a magical forest that surrounds a town who’s banned from entering—and who are slowly losing their resources because of the forest’s curse. Clara knows her fate is to die, so what better way than to give up her life in the forest for her mother’s, who was lost there? She finally finds a way to enter the forest and with her friends, she sets out to save her mother and break the curse that’s hurting her town.

Except the forest changes the people who inhabit it, turning them into terrifying fairytales like Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel in the most gruesome way. Gritty, action-packed, magical, and full of love, this story has it all! I loved Axel and Clara’s romance, a friends to lovers and almost forbidden romance I cannot get enough of.

I felt for these characters, who have all been through so much tragedy. From Axel, who lost his fiance, Clara, who lost her mother, and Henni, who lost her sister— this group was so determined to find their loved ones despite impossible odds. I still don’t understand the forest, which is never what it seems, and almost a furious character to itself!

This is peak YA fantasy romance, and I’m counting down the days until the next installment! Because there has to be more!

This book was so good. I read the bone criers moon and I would the series so much. And I was excited to start another book by the same author and I was not disappointed. The romance was so cute. I would highly recommend this book!

This was my first novel by Kathryn Purdie and I will definitely be picking up more books by her! I am a huge fan of Grimm’s fairytales and even took a class on them. I am also a fan of “Into The Woods” which I felt a similar vibe to. I enjoyed the mashup of various fairytales and the dark themes this book took on. This storyline was captivating at every turn.

The forest Grimm was once a friend to the villagers until the pact was broken when a life was taken. Now the forest calls to villagers and they are never seen again. Clara needs to find her mother and will do anything to get her back. THe Forest Grimm is jam-packed with traditional Grimm fairytales and is deliciously dark. Yet, there is no common thread that connects them to the plot and overall theme of the book. Nothing really gets accomplished and at the end it leaves an unsatisfactory feeling.

In order to save her mother and the rest of The Lost Ones, Clara sets off into the forest. Axel and Henni won't let her go alone and follow her. Things in the forest are strange and the land changes overnight as they sleep. Together, they must find the book in order to save their family and loved ones.
Opinion
This book is quite a ride. With a revisit to many childhood fairy tales, Purdie puts a spin on them that fascinated me. I was torn between reading as fast I could so I would know what happens and reading slower so I could savor the book. I was bit frustrated with how things turned out for Clara and her grandmother but am anxiously anticipating the next book in the series.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC for this book.

I honestly tried to enjoy this one but I couldn't. the choices that both MC took felt very questionable at beat and nth im not up for cheating like I get it we discover at some point the mc was not engage anymore but still they were literally trying to rescue his bride and he's making out with the other girl?like seriously? nope that's a no for me