I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this ARC.

I'd always found Hansel and Gretel to be a chilling story and they way Neil Gaiman retold it made it more human. The black and white art was just as chilling but a lot of the time, it was difficult to make out. I could also tell that the art and the story didn't quite match.

Gaiman has the uncanny ability to write stories that children and adults alike will enjoy. His remastering of the fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, provides a dark spin on the reason that the children are "lost". This provides some social commentary on war and irresponsible nation states that starve their people. As it is a fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel do live happily ever after.

It was fine but somehow I tricked myself into thinking it would be a graphic novel. Still, it's pretty much what you expect from Hansel and Gretel.

A beautifully eerie retelling of the classic fairytale. This is classic Neil Gaiman and is dark and compelling. The illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti are dark and creepy in the best way possible.

"They slept as deeply and as soundly as if their food had been drugged. And it had."

A chilling retelling by Neil Gaiman with dark illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti, it will not fail to thrill children (but adults too!).
I especially liked the additional sources and notes from both the author and illustrator, for a deeper read of this fairy tale.

Neil Gaiman's prose in his retelling of the classic folk/fairy tale has deceptively simple text. Never naming the old woman in the gingerbread house as a witch, and hinting at the cannibalism at the heart of the tale, Gaiman's story still sends a shiver down the back.

Lorenzo Mattotti's monochromatic illustrations are full of shadows and swooping shapes, illustrating the darkness of the forest and the terrible decision of the woodcutter and his wife to abandon their children because of a longstanding lack of food. The story is already scary, and the pictures only heighten the eeriness the tale.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Astra Publishing House for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti present their revisit of the well-known Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. I enjoyed the way Gaiman adds his touches in simple but impactful details. Gaiman delivers on the creeping horror of German fairy tales while remaining accessible for children. The illustrations by Mattotti elevate the storytelling. I liked the choice to use only black and white for the illustrations. The swirling black strokes added to the tumult and fear of the story. The children being depicted in such harsh contrast boosted the feeling of urgency and isolation as the story progressed. I enjoyed this read and would go back to it again as a casual read.

You had me at Neil Gaiman.

First, I need to say that the formatting on this was unreadable on my Kindle Paperwhite. I thought it was my download so I tried a few times, but it was definitely the file.

I was able to read it much better on my phone Kindle app, but it was still a mess in terms of formatting. The front would be regular size and then for random sentences, the font would change to super small. There were first letters missing from certain words and I could see none of the artwork clearly... I THINK there was artwork?

Still, I was able to read the story with a bit of effort and loved it. It was a fantastic rendition of Hansel and Gretel. I especially loved the end which talked about all of the different versions of the fable and where they originated from.

Thank you NetGalley and Astra publishing house for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

5 stars for the story and origins but I'm taking away a star for the formatting issues on two different devices.

Review to come in a few days on my book blog/goodreads/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

When I saw this one on Netgalley I clicked so fast on request you don't know. I have had my eyes on this for a while and was excited to see it up on Netgalley. Neil Gaiman? Making a retelling of a fantastic and, depending on which version, gruesome fairy tale? Sign me up! Add to that some fantastic dark art? WHOOP!

In this one we get the gruesome tale of Hansel and Gretel! There were a lot of things that were the same. But there were also things that were different. For instance, the woodcutter's wife never dies and thus it isn't the evil stepmother deciding to get rid of the kids to save food and such, oh no, it is worse. It is their own mom. Yep. That for me changed it a lot. Because while the act of the stepmother is evil, it is even more evil when it is your own mom who wants to get rid of you.

And so it begins. First trip goes fine, stones after all work pretty nice to leave a trail... but then the next is bread. And we all know how that one ended. Because you are in a forest and if I was a bird and saw some fine bread lying around? Give it! From there on we see Gretel and Hansel try to find their way home and eventually stumbling on a kind granny in her yummy house of food (to be honest, I would have also bitten that house even if I wasn't hungry, I am sorry but a whole house of yummy gingerbread and candy? SIGN ME UP). And that is when the horror starts, well, OK, the war + famine + betrayal by mom was terrible but the witch is even worse. The tale follows from there, we all know what happens next.

I did think it was kinda funny that they were so lost in the beginning yet found their way home so easily. I mean, how? I guess they both just grew up, but it still stood out to me.

The ending? Unexpected given how most of the retellings and such go with this one. Plus, I am a bit, well, OK, a lot sus about that last sentence.

The illustrations are fantastic, dark, haunting, and very befitting for this fairy tale!

All in all, I would recommend this retelling of an old fairy tale. It is dark. Spooky. Haunting. Neil Gaiman definitely did a fantastic job retelling this tale. Plus, again, fantastic dark art!

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

When I got this Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti, I thought I would be getting a new, gritty retelling of the story. Sadly, although Mattotti’s art is dark and eerie, I did not see any spectacular changes in the story, nothing that justifies this new edition (apart from the aforementioned art). In fact, the narration felt a little more convoluted than the original.

Firstly, a thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me a copy of this eARC in exchange for a honest review.
We’ve all heard the story of Hansel and Gretel before, so it’s not a drastic retelling of the story we grew up hearing as kids. But the very blunt nature of the writing makes it feel that much darker and more sinister. Theres no confusing anything, no double meanings. The story is exactly what it is, cut and dry and it makes it that much creepier.
Paired with the very dark art style that I absolutely loved, it helped add to that dark and eerie tone Gailman wanted to give this. The art in this was absolutely stunning in my opinion and added so much to the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy of this book.

This is a beautifully written retelling of the classic fairy tale with gorgeous illustrations. Master writing Neil Gaiman brings us the story we know but with his own twist. Gaiman adds information about war and its devastating effects which creates the desperate situation the family finds themselves in. It does not excuse the mother's desire to get rid of her children, but makes it slightly more understandable.

I would recommend this retelling to anyone who loves classic fairy tales and/or the writing of Neil Gaiman

Thanks to NetGalley and Astra Publishing for this e-Arc!

I wouldn't really call this a re-telling as much as I would a new interpretation. If you read Neil Gaiman's Norse Gods and were a fan, then I would say you'd be a fan of this.

I really enjoyed this version of Hansel and Gretel, it was unsettling and heartbreaking. The tale was also interwoven with the real world conflicts of the time and it made the desperation of both the parents and the children so much more real.

I did have formatting issues on my Kindle where the words would jump all over the page and that really irked me.

I loved the edition of a bibliography at the end and honestly would love to see Gaiman do more of these interpretations.

Although this book is labeled as a graphic novel, it is NOT a graphic novel. It is a regular book with several large black and white drawings. The drawings are gorgeous, by the way. Dark, twisty, moody, and scary. Yet they did not make this book into a graphic novel.
The book is a very short and simple retelling of the classic Hansel and Gretel story. Yet told by Neil Gaiman, it reads as a very, very dark story. Well written, well-illustrated, short 50-something page read.

I love the black and white illustrations, woodcut style. Totally perfect for the story! It’s easy for children to forget about some of the more important fairytales, especially those who haven’t been made into feature films with singing, dancing, and cute sidekicks, Fairytales have an ageless quality, and our author and artist capture it beautifully here. There’s an inherent creepiness to these old tales, and I think Gaiman is the perfect author is capture that, too. A short, but enchanted read.

I think this might actually be one of my favorite things by Gaiman. His writing style really shined and I liked that he neither overembellished nor underwrote anything. Neil Gaiman captured the scary and depressing nature of the tale really well; he didn't change anything from the widely known version, and I personally am totally fine with that.
Lorenzo Mattotti's illustrations brought everything together nicely, and I found them so creepy and unnerving that I actually had to stop looking at them for too long when I read Hansel and Gretel in bed yesterday. At the end, the illustrator asks us to take our time and really study each illustration, actively looking for figures that eluded us the first time. Well, I did. I found some. And I got scared lol - it was really cool.

This short, atmospheric, and eerie take on Hansel and Gretel worked very well, especially in conjunction with Lorenzo Mattotti's art. It creeped me out and, even though we all know the story beats, I felt engrossed in the narrative.

Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman with art done by Lorenzo Mattotti is a graphic novel hybrid where there is a lot of story and also a lot of artwork.
This follows a very basic Hansel and Gretel plot. I was expecting it to be a little more with it being written be Neil Gaiman but it’s pretty much exactly the story you have heard before. I did enjoy the author’s note. The art in here is also super dark which makes it really hard to tell what’s going on. It is a unique style but not my favorite.
I was super excited to read this but I think my expectations were a little too high.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It’s hard to go wrong with a Neil Gaiman story, even if it is a Grimm Brothers retelling. This was okay, but not nearly as fleshed out as I was hoping for. It’s a very quick read.

Gaiman retells the story of Hansel and Gretel and showcases the art of Lorenzo Mattotti. There are no surprises in the story- it's a retelling of the story we all know. The artwork is dark, full of movement and atmosphere, and creates a claustrophobic horror vibe.

The book is mostly a showcase for the art. The art is good. The book is good.

When I was a child, I got a book of fairytales with beautiful illustrations. But what sticks out to me from that book was the story of Hansel and Gretel. I love re-reading their story as I grow up until now that I am an adult.

There came a point where I almost read every version and every retelling of the story.

I am fortunate enough to read another version of this story. And I was not disappointed. Neil Gaiman did a great job at retelling the story of Hansel and Gretel. I love how he puts more context and backstory of the fairy tale. He made some twists and added some details but still retain the vital parts of the original tale. He didn't remove the concepts of what making Hansel and Gretel a tale that I am obsessed with. The storytelling is unique on its own.

What I didn't vibe with the book are the illustrations. I just found myself wanting more from it and didn't get it. I just wished that it embodies the essence of the fairy tale and it was lacking some kind of detail that will tell the story itself.