A lush and fun new take on classic fairy tales. I think that it was good but sometimes things were repeated too often, reminding the reader of things they had just barely learned. Overall a good read and am very excited to see what happens in the second book, adn what new fun ways Purdie twists the fairy tales.

Younger me may have liked this
Current me just went to goodreads to see if it gets better and learned it was the first of a duology. Nope. I don't care enough to wait for a conclusion

This is such a perfectly eerie and horrific fairytale romance. Full of body horror and creepy creeps, we have all of the lush and dangerous storytelling from the Brothers Grimm remixed into a fresh new story.

I’ve loved Kathryn’s previous duology and this one is shaping up to be just as delicious. I don’t want to give much away, but we have a unique world built around a forest that has captured a villages’s loved ones and our heroine(s) and hero who venture in to save their families.

They encounter the dead, and macabre as well as some of our fairytale favorites, but with the originally dark spin from Grimms Fairytales.

I highly recommend the audio if you get a change, as the narrator did an incredible job!

The Forest Grimm follows Clara whose one mission is to break the curse and bring her mother home. In the village lives The Book of Fortunes and it brings an incredible amount of luck to the village. When each villager turns 16 they may make one wish and The Book of Fortunes assigns them a task to make their wish come true. Good crops, healthy babies, love, etc. It's all great until one person wishes death on another and The Book decides that's the end of it. It disappears and The Forest Grimm hides it but also lures people in without letting them out. Once you're lost, you're lost. Now the town is in ruins with poor crops and no rain and it won't let a soul into the forest it doesn't take and make them disappear. Clara finds a way in though and takes her friend Axel with her, another friend also sneaks in and they start on a journey to find The Book of Fortunes and break the curse.

My description does this story no justice. I just highly recommend that you read it for yourself. It is a YA story with mild romance. A fairy tale retelling that is wonderful for all ages!

Sarah Ovens does a FANTASTIC job of narrating this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

Are you a fairytale lover? This was such a fun story that combined some of the most beloved fairytales in ways that are actually fresh and new for 0nce! Retellings can be monotonous, but this was a story where there was a surprise and turn around every corner, and I adored piecing together the ways that each fairytale came into play and came to life in the forest!

The one complaint I had was that the romance fell a bit flat for me. It felt like we were told a lot about their deep connection, but we were never really shown it, and I just wanted more from it.

I absolutely loved the twists and turns, and I really thought I had it figured out, but I definitely did not. It left me wanting more the further I got into the story, and I love the way that it ended so that you're on your toes and needing to know what comes next!

If you're a fairytale lover, get your hands on this one!

The Forest Grimm is a perfect title for younger YA readers or lovers of fairy tale retellings.

Actual Star Rating: Three Stars

What I loved: The story blends a new tale with classic stories and just a hint of danger. I love stories like this, where you're guessing which fairy tale character each person might be before all the hints fall into place. Clara is brave and determined and the story picks up the pace about halfway through which keeps you reading. But this is an easy recommendation for younger YA readers or readers looking for less romance.

What I didn't love: Clara has an "s curve" in her back and a lift in her shoe ... and it is mentioned almost constantly. I love the representation of different abilities with main characters, but this is too heavy-handed for my liking. I had a hard time with the cover. It feels like a Harlequin Romance cover, but the book reads like middle-grade/young YA. The cover just doesn't represent the story very well. Overall I would have preferred even less romance and to have had this be a middle-grade book because I think it will do best with that audience (but the main character is just a little too old for this to be a middle-grade book).

This is a great read for a younger audience looking for a fun story with sweet romance and a brave heroine. Definitely recommend it for the 5th-18th grade crowd.

My review system is as follows:

5 stars - unbelievable, I am still talking about it, a book I'll recommend to everyone and refuse to hear any critiques of it (these are very rare)
4 stars - better than a typical read, I'll keep reading the series, really enjoyed but there were some minor issues
3 stars - average read (my most common rating)
2 stars - I didn't enjoy it, but I finished it
1 star - DNF or finished but it was awful

4.5
The beginning is a tad slow then it picks up the rest of the read. If you are in the mood for a fairy tale read this and a a great one. Def check the trigger warnings and know that fairytales have dark bits.

I really love the audiobook version of this adds that but of whimsy. This does have a bit of romance but it is not the main plot.

Unable to review the audiobook on Amazon as it isn’t out yet.

This book was so cute!!
To be honest I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! I don't know why the fairytale retellings have been drawing to me lately but this book was a pleasure to read!!
You follow the story of Clara and the story of her inevitable death. She must cast a selfless wish to save her mother and in turn save the entire town.
If you've read any of my reviews you know that I LOVE a good conscious-inanimate-object story, and in this one the forest is alive and the forest fights back. I very much enjoyed the many fairytales that @kathrynpurdie intertwined into this story, red ridinghood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and many more!

BUT OMG I DID NOT EXPECT THE CLIFFHANGER! I'll definitely be picking up the second one!

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the arc!!

#theforestgrimm #forest #bookstagram #netgalley #arc #arcreview #bookreview #flowers #littleredridinghood #fairytale

In The Forest Grimm, we follow Clara granddaughter of a French fortune tell, and cursed daughter of a cursed mother as she tries to rescue her mother. We learn early on that sense she was a child every time he grandmother reads her fortune she draws the same ominous cards that for tell her death at a young age. When the town is cursed after a person uses magic to kill another Clara’s mother disappears into the forest. Years later Clara and he childhood friend Axel venture into the forest to save the ones they love.

The Forest Grimm is a mash up retelling of several of Grimm’s fairytales with a twist. While I think the book is fine it wasn’t the strongest retelling I’ve ever read. If you’re looking for a nice quick fairly fun read this is a safe choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Filled with both darkness and whimsy, this book captured my heart.

Clara lives in a once thriving village just beyond the Midnight Forest, but years ago someone used their long lived traditions for evil and cursed them all. Now, the Midnight Forest is a place where people never return, the first being Clara’s mother.

Clara has known for a very long time that her death was imminent, thanks to the cards her grandmother read for her. She has read them for her time and time again, but they have never changed… Now, though, the possibility that she can change her future appears to her and she uses this gift by journeying into the forest to break the curse.

Along with her best friend, and the boy whose heart belongs to someone else, she is determined to save them all… but what lays beyond the ash border has other plans.

I loved all of the woven fairytales in this book. They are twisted and dark, but Grimm’s fairytales were! I adored Clara and her friends. They all brought something special to the dynamic. This story was stunning and I enjoyed every moment. I cannot wait for the next book.

Siri, look up the definition of "conflicted."

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I mean, it does not come anywhere close to how good Bone Crier's Moon was, but I still had a good time. The characters are mostly awesome and I like the horror aspect to it. There's even some disability rep. I'm unclear if it is authentic rep but it's nice to see.

So, yeah, I enjoyed this, but it felt really hokey and not fully thought out. A dark and scary forest that moves around you as you sleep so you are forever lost is so fun, but throwing in unhinged characters like Rapunzel and Cinderella makes it super cheesy. If they had been made more unique rather than so on the nose, I think I'd have liked this much more.

I'm baffled as to how this is a series. Everything wraps up. Everything. Except for one little blip that I'm pretty sure was added to the last 3 pages just so it *could* continue. Honestly, I'm still treating this as a standalone because it ended well for me, and I'm not interested in seeing more of this world.