Interesting retelling of Hansel and Gretel - exploring what life is like after escaping the witch in the woods. I enjoyed the fairytale premise and nods to other stories as well, but it didn’t fully suck me in. While Greta (the main focus of the story) was generally a likable character, sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into her or help her pull the clues together a bit faster to keep things moving along, as you knew where it was going and were in a state of just waiting for her to catch up at times. I did really enjoy the bits of magic, curses, witches, and wolves, and bears (oh my!). If you like fairytales, battles of good vs evil, and secretly wish you could be a witch in a little cottage in the woods, then this book a fun read (or listen). I enjoyed the audiobook narrator and overall it was a good listening experience, though at times the bits that jump back and forth from present to past were at times harder to follow while listening.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook :)

This was a very intense Hansel and Gretel retelling that delves into what happens after the fairytale ends.

Twenty years after their encounter with the witch, Greta is wistful and dreaming of love, baking up magical treats that make people act a little funny. Little does she know, Hans has squandered away any money the family has, leaving Greta looking at a life where poverty is certain unless she agrees to be a chambermaid for a man with less than acceptable desires.

Moreoever, Greta's magic treats may put her at risk, because witches are being hunted and burned for less.

This story was all fairytale and read like a fantasy romance, really. There are secrets and witches and creatures and magic apples. I feel like this is a book for fans of Katherine Arden. Unfortunately, for me, maybe because I'm not in my fantasy era, it fell super flat.

At a certain point, I found Greta a bit insufferable as a main character. For a girl who spent her formative years putting a cannibalist witch in an oven to save herself, she felt really flimsy and a bit naive. I think I mentally checked out about halfway in this book - I didn't care much about the gruff romantic lead. I though every time Greta made a choice she was massively surprised that something that was obviously going to go wrong would go wrong.

This, coupled with a very violent animal violence scene, meant I ended up skim-reading most of the back half of the book. There was a tidy wrap-up, but I think this one I can chalk up to ultimately not being for me.

This book was an instant favourite. I love when a story has fairytales or history woven in and this has both! It is dark and enchanting. I love the character Greta for her sweetness and her steel. The magic is slower to appear but when it does it’s a beautiful take on nature magic.

The narrator of the audiobook does a phenomenal job with telling this story. Her dedication to the accents and different tones for each character’s voice was fantastic to listen to.

Twenty years after Hans and Greta escaped the Woman's house in the forest and the death of their parents they are still spoke about in the small village. Hans is ruining them by delving farther and farther into debt leaving his sister to constantly pull them out using her delicious gingerbread men. But despite her delicious baked treats the whole village suspect her of witchery, which is deadly and hard to prove innocence. Her red hair, her bewitching treats, her being in the wrong place at the wrong time constantly drawing questions against her. Finally Hans has debted them too much and everything in the village and kingdom is changing. Including a mysterious bear, shapeshifting wolves, and a wonderfully exciting and beautiful man. For me this felt like a Hansel and Gretel retelling but with some snow white aspects as well. I truly love an enchanting fairytale that continues the story past what we all know and opens our eyes to new prospects to the story.

DNF @ 48%

The audiobook for this has been amazing. Esther Wane was a phenomenal narrator and I'll definitely be checking out other books she's narrated.

Unfortunately, I've lost interest in the actual book. I really liked the first half, but once it started getting into the action it felt a little messy and disjointed for me. I had a hard time always following what was going on. I think the writing was pretty good and I know there's other people who will enjoy this book much more than I did.

"Some of the loveliest flowers in the forest are the most dangerous."

In the ingenious After The Forest by fantastical debut author Kell Woods, an original new adult fairy tale, we are held captive by this inventive retelling of Hansel & Gretel 15 years after their harrowing entrapment by the witch in her gingerbread house.

In the late 1600s the enchanted Black Forest of Germany is in ruins from war, townspeople are suspicious of each other and Hans & Greta are barely getting by in their dilapidated home. Today Hans would be diagnosed with PTSD but instead he has become a mean drunkard gambler making Greta's life difficult.

As for Greta, she's surviving by selling her gingerbread. It seems people, "...always buy her gingerbread. They couldn't help themselves." It might have to do with the witch's grimoire, the recipe book Greta stole from her.

Hans loses their money, the evil landlord can't wait to evict them and force Greta to work for him, and their best friend has mysteriously died. When all feels lost, Greta hears a voice, it's from the grimoire, maybe not all witches are evil.

The often lyrical prose is enhanced with the Julie Andrews lilting storytelling of queen voice actress Esther Wane. She brought me into the forest. I felt the eeriness, the magic and the wonder.

It's a very adult story with violence (chapter 25 can be skipped for intense animal cruelty), severe misogynistic actions, and creepy vibes. But also exciting rescues, startling reveals, and magical moments. Then there is the Mathais of it all with swoon-worthy dialogue, "I belonged to you the moment I met you." After the Forest is a fantastical tale of witches, bears, wolves, human monsters and most of all a gleam of hope for happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is no secret that I love a fairytale retelling, but I cannot say I have ever read a Hansel and Gretel one! I loved that After the Forest wasn’t a direct retelling of the events of the original story rather it was an imagining of what would happen to these characters years later. t was next level atmospheric and went in a direction I was not expecting. The first half is slow and a lot of set up but all the groundwork was necessary and pays off!

I've been sitting with my thoughts on this book for a while now, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it.

After the Forest is inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel (here, Hans and Greta), but it takes place when they're adults, still impacted and confused by the traumatic events of their childhood. We follow Greta, who is discovering that there might be something to the rumors that she's a witch. It is a world of magic and shapeshifters, there's a love interest, it's quite dark at times, it seemed like this book would be fully my jam.

For the first chunk of this book (maybe 30%), I was intrigued enough by the story and caught up in the writing that I kept wanting to set aside all my other books to focus on this one. But then things slowed down considerably. I was increasingly frustrated by Greta's naiveté, by the men who lie to her and undermine her constantly, by the predictability of it all. By around the 70% mark, I was very ready to be done with the book and considered DNFing. The action picked up shortly after that, which at least made it easy to finish, although it did feel like an abrupt shift in pacing. I also did not follow or care about the fairytale snippets at the start of each chapter; they added nothing to the story and kept distracting me from what was actually going on.

If I had to rate my reading experience in sections, it would probably be 4 stars for the first third, 2 stars for the second third, and maybe 2.5 or 3 for the last third, which I suppose averages out to 3 stars overall.

Ultimately, I don't regret reading this book, I just wish it had lived up to my enjoyment of that first section.

Dark fantasy romance vibes in a wandering, expansive exploration of what happened to Hansel and Gretel after their childhood misadventures. Though it ran a bit long, I enjoyed the immersive writing style—it really pulled me into the world. The audiobook narration was great as well and really captured the tone of the writing and keeps you engaged the story.

An atmospheric, mysterious read perfect for spooky season.

If you love fairytale retellings, this one is for you. Ever wondered what happened to Hansel and Gretel when they came back from the forest? Well here you go! Throw in Snow White, but she’s an evil witch, and you’ve got After the Forest. There are some werewolves and a suspicious bear mixed in for good measure, and that’s your recipe for the perfect gingerbread… I mean fairytale retelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read more by this author in the future.

Siblings Greta and Hans are struggling to get by in their tiny house in the forest. They have lost both of their parents and survived a terrible incident 15 years earlier involving a witch and a gingerbread house. Greta has the witches Grimoire and uses it to make deliciously addictive gingerbread. The sales from her gingerbread have kept them going. Unfortunately Hans has made it worse by gambling and has made their situation quite dire. A dark magic has creeped into their little village leaving the residents fearful and suspicious. Greta discovers that she has her own powers and must decide if using them will put her on a dark path or will save them all.

This book was such an unexpected surprise. I really enjoyed all of the subtle references to fairy tales. There are so many interesting magical creatures woven throughout that made it an absolute delight. Greta was such a strong character. Her evolution from a naive, lonely farm girl into strong determined woman was such a great journey.
This debut novel is a must read for anyone that loves classic fairy tales.

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #AftertheForest #KellWoods

"After the Forest" by Kell Woods is a Beautifully Written Debut Novel!

A Retelling of "Hansel and Gretel" twenty years after...

Greta and Hans are struggling and the threat of losing their home, due to Hans' gambling debts, looms large. The land around them is ravaged from a long and treacherous war. The village is full of gossip and chatter about what Greta did in the woods so many years ago and why her gingerbread is so bewitchingly delicious.

As long as Greta can bake, she can keep the money coming in.

You see, Greta has held a secret ever since the debacle in the woods. She spirited away with the 'whispering' grimoire, the witch's book of spells, incantations, and recipes. The most cherished recipe inside is for the hauntingly delicious gingerbread Greta bakes and sells to the village.

As Greta struggles to understand her newly discovered powers, she wonders if her magic is enough to keep her safe from the dark magic she has witnessed recently in the woods...

"After the Forest" is a well-written story with beautiful prose and characterizations that keep the flavor of the original Fairytale while existing in the newness of the Retelling that's entertaining and imaginative.

I must admit, I did struggle with the slow pace of this story in the beginning and at 14 hours in length, it did feel a bit too long. Further editing could have easily solved both issues.

"After the Forest" audiobook is narrated by Esther Wane, whose range of voicing skills and narration brings a magical essence to the story.

It should be mentioned that there's a scene, in Chapter 25: Baiting, of animal cruelty involving bears and dogs that is particularly gruesome to read or listen to. Skipping this chapter will not ruin the flow of the story and proves that great Fiction can be written without the inclusion of animal harm.

"After the Forest" still remains an impressive debut novel, the audiobook is beautifully narrated, and I look forward to what this talented author comes up with next.

3.75⭐rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Kell Woods for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. Due to publish on 10/3/23.

To be completely honest, I only requested this book because Owl Crate and Illumicrate are featuring it in their Adult box for October. Usually, this only happens when the author is very famous or when the book is expected to be a major hit. I was hoping that the latter was the reason for this book's popularity among bookish subscriptions, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the case. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed.

"After the Forest" takes place 20 years after Hans and Gretel's escape from the witch's gingerbread house. However, the story does not explicitly mention the siblings' unfortunate past until later on. The now adult siblings are very different from each other, Gretel is a responsible gingerbread baker (I know) and Hans is a gambler. Despite their differences, the siblings still live together and still find themselves in very unfortunate situations.

This story had all the classic elements of a fantasy - shapeshifters, witches, fairies, and even some Snow White details - which could have made it a great success. However, as the story progressed, the narrative became increasingly flat and confusing for the reader. In addition, at the beginning of each chapter, a parallel story of events before the main story is narrated in just a few lines, probably not more than three sentences, which is quite confusing until around halfway through the book when you realize that they don't relate to the chaos that's currently developing.
The back and forth was intolerable, and there was no character development until the last three chapters, which was such a shame because those chapters showed the potential that the story had.

I do want to congratulate Esther Wane, the narrator. This woman is excellent, is not my first audiobook with her and I can say that I always suffer when the next narrator is not as good as Ms. Wane.

Before closing, I want to warn readers that chapter 25 contains a scene with graphic animal cruelty. Please feel free to skip this section as it is unnecessary to the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. I hope to see more from the author in the future as she has great potential.

A thoroughly enjoyable, and in my opinion, original retelling or the Hansel and Gretel fairytale. Set years after the original story, it was so entertaining to see how things had changed for the duo. My main takeaway is that I want a book like hers lol. Sure, misfortune may hit, but what’s the point in life if you’re not going to throw caution to the wind and live on the edge a little?! I would absolutely read more from this author.

After the Forest by Kell Woods is a beautiful retelling of Hansel and Gretel! Woods did an amazing job piecing together that felt entirely new and extremely entertaining. There were twists and turns I did not expect, and each character felt well planned and created!

Beautiful work, and an amazing read!

Adding an update 10/2/23: I am STILL thinking of this book. I will be recommending it to all!

I really liked this book. It's a dark and gritty story set in 17th century Württemberg and weaves together several classic fairy tales. The most obvious ones were Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and Snow-White and Rose-Red. Rather than smoothing out the rough edges like many modern retellings, this version embraces the dark and creepy roots of the classic stories.

I liked the characters a lot. Greta has proven herself to be a survivor time and time again. I respected her resourcefulness and her determination to live her life on her own terms. Mathias is a complex character. On the one hand he’s very sweet, supportive, and protective of Greta. On the other hand, he has some serious baggage and a few preconceived notions that made me want to shake him. I also found several of the side characters intriguing—particularly Hans, Mira, Christoff, and Rob. Throughout the book I found myself see-sawing between either disapproving their actions or rooting for them. It made for an exciting read.

The audiobook is narrated by Esther Wayne. She did a great job bringing the story to life. However, there was one thing I found a little jarring. Each chapter begins with at least one sentence of an ongoing fairy tale. I’m sure this worked well in the print version, but personally it took me out of the audiobook because there was no clear transition between the short excerpt and the main storyline. I wish there had been some sort of audible cue like a sound effect or a different voice. Something to make the two stories more distinct in the audio performance. Overall, though, I enjoyed it.

Rating: Absolutely Loved It, 5 stars

After the Forest by Kell Woods, is a dark, historical fantasy novel set in Germany that tells the story of what happened to Hansel and Gretel AFTER their experience getting lost in the woods. In this book, we follow Greta in her early 20s. Her brother, Hans, is a drunk and a gambler, her parents both dead. She keeps them afloat by baking and selling her gingerbread, which everyone agrees is the best they ever had. The reason for this comes from the book of recipes and spells she took with her from the house in the woods as they fled.

I think that my favorite part about this story is that it reads like a fairy tale. It is full of witches, shapeshifters, evil enchanters and enchantresses, wolves, bears, foxes, and a forest that comes to life in a sense. The writing style perfectly matches the vibes, and has that dust-motes shimmering in a beam of sunlight feel that I rarely come across. I listened to the audiobook, so I'm not positive of how it will look in the print copies, but there is what reads like the excerpt a different fairy tale within the world to start of each chapter, and I loved those pieces as well.

I felt the story was full of interesting characters. They were at times a bit morally suspect, but they are complex and were very compelling. I feel like they might not have been the most deeply crafted of characters, but they were perfect for the way this story read. I was rooting for Greta and for Matthias, her love interest. I felt a lot of the feelings and emotions that she went through. I'd say that it has a bit of a slow start, but I was drawn in pretty quickly and enjoyed the way the events played out.

This story continues with the theme of old fairy tales in that it was very dark. There are some pretty dark answers to some pieces of the story that involve violence against women, and there are also depictions of self harm (for magic), animal cruelty, and dog/bear fighting. However, I don't think that it was too over the top in its descriptions - it honestly felt very par for the course for a fairy tale. However, I do recommend checking out CW if you need them.

Esther Wane did a phenomenal job with the audiobook narration. The characters were well differentiated, and she did a fantastic job with the accents. The narration made this feel even more fairy-tale esque, and I applaud the narrator for adding to that ambiance and overall experience.

Overall, I really loved this book, and it is a perfect autumnal read. The forest and witchy vibes were on point. The publisher definitely picked the right season for release! Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. After the Forest releases on October 3, 2023.

Enjoyed the fairytale retelling, though it had moments that didn't quite hit the mark. The Macmillan Audio narrators always impress, injecting life into characters. Initially slow, but gains momentum halfway through. Numerous characters made it a bit challenging, overshadowing the main ones. However, it picks up, making it a worthwhile read for fairytale enthusiasts!

5 out of 5 stars



Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of fairytale retellings ever since I picked Beauty by Robin McKinley and fell in love. When I saw "After the Forest" on netgalley I knew that I had to read it! I am so glad that I was able to.

This is a beautiful retelling of Hansel and Gretel with a blend of Snow White and Rose Red thrown in as well.. What happened after they escaped the nightmare of the terrible witch and gingerbread cottage? Let's just say that things were not smooth sailing.

A blend of a beautiful romance, a great villain and some adventure thrown in, this was everything I was hoping for!

This book started off so strong for me… once I read the synopsis. I listened to about 2 chapters and thought, “what the heck am I listening to?” So I read the plot and it made sense. Ok, cool. Let me reread these two chapters again.

But then I was halfway through the book and still very confused on half the characters and who was doing what with whom. The chapters would jump and didn’t really flow well to where it gave me a consistent storyline. I know we have Greta and her book, Hans was a drunk, and everyone talked for ages. But, what did we actually do in our little forest?

I know everyone is loving this book, but it was just not for me. I felt we didn’t go anywhere and there’s a lot of talking but it’s like talking to a tree. As Elvis said, “a little less conversation, a little more action please” the audio was a great narration.

Out 10/3.