Great version of Hansel and Gretel and I loved the history and authors note after.
Would love a whole thick volume of fairy tales.

A quick read, Neil Gaiman's retelling of the Grimm brothers' Hansel and Gretel brings back the memories of reading my dad's own childhood copy of The Brothers Grimm as a child and being horrified at the utter darkness of these tales. Once I became a parent myself, I did not read these particular fairy tales aloud. Now that they're older teens they both love more gruesome tales, particularly Neil's stories and are looking forward to reading this one themselves.

While remaining true to the original, Mr Gaiman adds his own style to the text, and the story is truly enhanced by the illustrations. The illustrations are best viewed in book form (don't rely on a kindle or phone for this one) and there is so much more to them than first glance would suggest.

This is great for fans of the old fairy tales, Neil Gaiman, and intriguing black ink artwork.




Thank you to TOON Books (Astra Publishing House) and NetGalley for the DRC!

A darker twist on the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel. While this storyline follows the original tale closely the unique writing style and illustrations helped this piece standout. I thought the artwork was fantastic and helped add to the sinister creepy atmosphere.

I really appreciated how the author included the origin of this fairytale at the conclusion of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who enjoys the YA genre.

Thank you Neil Gaiman, Net Galley and Astra Publishing House for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book is beautifully illustrated and perfectly complements Gaiman’s writing, it being sparse and structured as to allow the illustrations to speak alongside. I also really liked the inclusion of the history of the fairy tale and bibliographic information. I will definitely be recommending this title.

Little let down as I really enjoy this authors other work and other re telling as, this was pretty much the same as any other Hansel and Gretel story, I expected it to be darker with more twists and turns.
Very quick read.

I didn't particularly like this illustrated retelling, and not just because it's boringly the same as the original fairy tale but just wordier and with little changes that don't make much sense. The illustrations could've been better as well. Sadly not Gaiman's best attempt at retellings, at which he's proven to be good before.

Enjoyed this version of the tale a lot. It is bleak, stark, and horrific. I would expect nothing less from a Gaiman retelling.

If you are looking for a new version of the story, this is not it. It stays true to the source material while adding a little Gaiman flavor to really accentuate the horror aspects.

The art was also stunning.

This is a well known tale, so my review is more about the art. The artist shares at the end their experience with the tale and why the whole thing is done in black and white. The art in this version is fascinating and haunting. Definitely adds to the spookiness of the story.

First the artwork. I am not a fan of the dark artwork. For those people that have a difficult time with deciphering the depictions due to poor eyesight, the dark run together images are a bit messy. If you look at them closely they are fine, however at a quick glance it is hard to tell what they are. The story is the same story as it has always been. I did not find it any less or more interesting then the original version. Sometimes, it appeared choppy and short in sentence structure with little detail. All in all, it’s an ok story if you haven’t read Hansel and Gretel before. I want some sort of background information as well. When did the parents decide to just drop the kids off in the woods with little supplies to fend on their own. What was the discussion that led to this conclusion. We know times were tough, but who does that.

This was an absolute treat! Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller and it was so nice to revisit this story through his rendition. Hansel & Gretel is the story you heard as a child and one you'll recite for your little ones. This one has Gaiman's signature dark undertones while paying homage to the original. This is definitely one book you'll want on your shelves and revisit time and time again.

A dark take on Hansel and Gretel. The pictures are stunning and very memorably scary. The prose by Neil Gaiman is fresh and interesting. Not really for sensitive younger kids but terrific for kids who love spooky stories , older kids, teenagers and adults. I love the afterwards where they talk about the background of the story. A fascinating take on Hansel and Gretel.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This is Neil Gaiman telling you the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel - and honestly, who better? My favorite of Gaiman's stories is his actually his own, original fairy tale, Stardust (with Coraline, also a fairy tale, as a close second). He has a way of writing a story that it feels like you're a little kid just laid down to bed with one of your parents telling you a bedtime story.

I liked this take on Hansel and Gretel; it's short and uses simple language - perfect for children. The art is shadowy, implying much by leaving details to the imagination, like a half-forgotten nightmare. Then after the end you get a little history lesson about the story, it's history and iterations in different countries (with bibliography, thank you!!).

This is the sort of book I love, and would have loved as a kid. Creepy art + creepy story + history lesson = speaks to me.

I cannot wait to read this to my niece and nephew!

They walked until it grew too dark to see, and they slept beneath a huge oak tree in a bed they made of mounded-up leaves. And they were cold, and sad, and scared of bears and of wolves and other things in the forest that might eat children.

I love Neil Gaiman, but this left me wanting for more. I thought this was going to be a retelling, but the story is exactly as I've known it my whole life. I've never read the original, though, so I can't compare the two. But that doesn't change the fact this was just a story I've heard a hundred times before in almost exact words.

I also kind of liked the illustrations, but I wish they were just a little lighter. This way you can barely see anything. Which was probably the point, but I'd still prefer them just a little bit clearer.

Hansel and Gretel is a great fairytale, one of the best. I'm just not sure what's the point of a version that changes practically nothing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good retelling—true to the original story—but with a flavor that speaks to Gaiman's skill as a storyteller. The dark and twisted artwork, by Lorenzo Mattotti, invites closer inspection and lends its own shadowy abstruseness to this childhood classic.

And don't skip the Afterward on this one. It gives a rich overview on the history of the story, which, in itself, is a story all its own.

Another hit by Gaiman.

A beautifully simple retelling of the classic fairytale, first published in the collections of the Brothers Grimm. Neil Gaiman sticks to the well-known elements of the story, it is not what you would call a modern retelling, but he adds some elements of psychological insight which help to illuminate the story further for today's reader. The black and white illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti are extremely evocative, drawing us into a stark, challenging world, with moments of unexpected beauty. There are also some interesting notes on the history of the fairytale and how this particular collaboration came about.

It won't be surprising that this Neil Gaiman adaptation is written much more faithfully to the tone and atmosphere of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale than, say, anything even remotely connected to Disney.

The original tale is rather dark and horrifying. Gaiman very much leans into that horror element here accompanied by stellar black-and-white illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti.

I will confess that I think this is a book I'd easily prefer in print over digital unless, of course, that digital incarnation is on a screen that really brings to life the illustrations. It suffered a bit on my 6" Kindle screen and I found myself really wanting to immerse myself in Gaiman's storytelling and Mattotti's artistry.

The storytelling here is a weaving together of Brothers Grimm and typical Gaiman. I can easily see children reading the book, though more sensitive children may be challenged by darker themes and obvious acts of violence by and toward children.

That said, I'm a fan of Brothers Grimm and love the boldness with which Gaiman and Mattotti bring this all to life. While I'm not quite ready to call "Hansel and Gretel" a "must have" for Gaiman fans, it's definitely a welcome addition to the Gaiman collection.

Rating: 3.22 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Cover: 4/5
-Story: 3/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Fantasy, Classic, Children
-Fantasy: 5/5
-Classic: 5/5
-Children: 4/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Yes

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

Hansel and Gretel was always an odd tale to me but as I got older the old lady just scary as hell. Even more so was realizing the reason for them to ditch their kids in the woods... thinking they would have more of a fighting chance to survive. That in itself is a nightmare.

As for Neil Gaiman's version... he didn't bring much to the table that hasn't already been brought. It is a good story no less but if you are going to do a retelling don't do it in a way that your story blends in with the hundred of others that have retold the story before you.

This Hansel and Gretel telling is very dark and forbidding just like the good old fashioned fairy tales. Neil Gaiman keeps in just enough of the horror and leaves just enough to the imagination.
The inky illustrations are very clever, you see something new each time you look at them, and they get less dense and black as the book goes on.
A beautiful book which will be read by many curious and brave children.

If you by any chance have been living under a rock (or in a gingerbread house), and don’t know what the story Hansel and Gretel is about, I’ll give you a quick introduction. Hansel and Gretel are left in the forest by their parents. Nearly starving, they encounter a house made from gingerbread, and inside lives a seemingly nice old lady. However, things are not what they seem to be, and things start to go horribly wrong.

This retelling by Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti is as beautiful as it is haunting. The story itself is beautifully written, as expected from Neil Gaiman. In addition, the artwork by Lorenzo Mattotti is incredible. I read this as an e-book, so the illustrations were a little hard to see on screen, but they were still beautiful, but I imagine they’d be a lot better in print.

This book would be great for older kids, mainly those already interested in spooky and unsettling stories. That being said, adults can definitely enjoy this story just as much!

Big thanks to Netgalley, A TOON Graphic, and the author Neil Gaiman as well as the illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti for allowing me to read an E-ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book.

This was an interesting take on an old story that is clearly in Gaiman's style. If you liked his other works, such as Coraline, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

One major disappointment though was the artwork. I was expecting more. I understand the heavy use of black, but I felt like it took more away from the illustrations than it added creepiness.