A dark fairytale style story that wastes no time kicking things off. At the beginning we meet our main character Veris as she is taken from her home and tasked with rescuing the Tyrant's children from the dangerous and magical forest. There are many obstacles that not only stand in the way of her finding the children, but finding her way out of the forest before it claims her too.

Veris has a mysterious past as the only one to ever enter the forest and survive. This past is revealed and, although I'm not sure the reveals hit as hard as they could have, her past is undeniably tragic and I enjoyed going on this journey with her. I loved the moral conflict she faced, trying to separate the children from their father who has taken so much from her already. She faces her past traumas while remaining determined to protect what little was left of her family. I also enjoyed getting to know the children along the way and seeing how they faced the horrors of this forest and relied on Veris to hopefully get them out.

The world is bizarre, ever changing with magic. Nothing is ever what it seems and it was interesting to see the forest and the creatures within try to stop Veris from stealing what they believed to be theirs. The magic has rules while simultaneously feeling nonsensical at times. Although we learn some of these rules throughout the story, mostly with the magic Veris can use, the forest itself seems to make up its own rules, always trying to trick the humans to get what it wants.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing this story unfold. I was definitely invested in Veris's journey, and I liked that the ending left the possibility for more while still feeling like this particular story was complete.

To be honest this is one of those books where I'm like "this was a lot of fun, not many more thoughts"

I really wish I was more impressed with this one. While it was good and interesting and I loved the dark fairy tale of going into the woods and finding the kids that were whisked away to a world within the forest, I ended up wanting way more from this story.

The premise is excellent. I love a good dark fairy tale and this delivers in many ways. The enchanted woods that live in some alternate reality within the woods itself is always good. I loved the challenges they faced; the deals they needed to make in order to bargain their freedom. I loved the monsters and gods they come across. There's some brilliant bits and pieces in this story that made me really intrigued and wanted to know more.

But then it kind of falls short. There's too many things being introduced here that I wish were fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about the tyrant king. I wanted to know about the daughter's feelings on being heir and learning that her father isn't the smartest man she knows. I wanted to know more about Veris and her life that only becomes a plot device in the story. I wanted to know more about the god of the woods. There were so many little things introduced that really excited me, but kind of left hanging.

I will probably read more from Premee Mohamed because her writing was truly riveting and the fever dream of a story kept me intrigued. I just wish there was more here. And I know with novellas that it's not going to give you the full picture, but these stories either get the bigger plot within the story down in a short amount of time or dive deeply into the characters and their motivations. I felt like this lacked in both areas.

This dark fairytale is Hansel and Gretal meets tales of the old fae.

Veris is the only one to have ever gone into Elmever and returned alive. The North Forest is dangerous, full of dangers meant to trap you forever. Don't eat any of the food. Don't make bargains with the those who dwell in the forest. Be very, very quiet. But most importantly--don't go inside at all.

Veris hoped to never go into the forest again, to continue to live her quiet life in the village. Until the Tyrant's children go missing, having run off into the enchanted forest in the middle of the night. Being the only person who has gone in and returned, the Tyrant sends her on a quest to retrieve his children. If she fails? The penalty is death for her and her family. Facing no other option, Veris heads into the forest--but will she return? And will she be able to rescue the children before time runs out?

I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale retelling--it was a very fast read and definitely kept me engaged. The entire book was tense and dark, as though you were in this terrible situation with her. However, I do feel that it was TOO short (less than 200 pages!) and there is potential for SO MUCH more to be done here, particularly at the ending. It felt very abrupt and incomplete. Things were resolved, there was ambiguity as to the background of characters, but it still worked, and then the end opens the door for another 200+ pages of story that aren't there. I would have loved to see the story continue on!

If you're looking for a shorter fantasy read that feels similar to The Cruel Prince, enjoy twists on old fairytales, and want a darker story--this is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review!

If I had realized this was a novella prior to requesting, I probably wouldn’t have requested it – novellas usually just feel like something is missing, and that rang true for me in this story as well. Definitely dark, with the beginnings of a rich setting, but we really don’t get much expansion on anything. At times, the pacing felt odd, with some scenes feeling unnecessarily long. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it.

This is an atmospheric read that I was able to get through very quickly. It’s dark and immersive, but I wish we got to learn more about the forest. I also found it a little hard to relate to the main character, and she is a very guarded and matter of fact person. This made sense once you learn more about her, but personally it also made it hard to connect and sympathize with her. Sometimes she felt a bit robotic on her mission to save the children from the forest, and I would have liked some instances where she was humanized a little more. But overall I liked this one, and I think the book cover is absolutely stunning!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

<i>Butcher of the Forest</i> isn't a tromp through your typical fairyland--no, it's a hardscrabble scramble through a nightmare. Veris is a middle-aged woman summoned to the court of the Tyrant, the man whose ruthless rule cost Veris the lives of her own parents and thousands more across the realm. He tasks her with an impossible quest into the nearby woods, where his two curious children have gone exploring, and where no one but Veris has returned. These woods are a place where undead animals hunger, games are deadly, and the food anchors people there forever. If Veris doesn't return with the Tyrant's children within the day, her own surviving family and friends will be slaughtered.

Hooo boy. This book is dark. Dark, dark, dark. Mohamed can sure write, as the prose is eloquent, the tension high, and the mission feels impossible. It's a novella, at least, so I wasn't kept in suspense through a never-ending tome. The end feels... right yet not right at the same time.

This novella was pretty solid. The writing style felt sophisticated yet not overly poetic to the point of not understanding what was happening. The descriptive aspects were great, making it easy for the reader to picture what was happening and the environment. My only struggle with this story was the pacing. I felt like it advanced too slowly for my tastes. I was hoping for a more engaging plot line. Overall, a really good novella for someone who is looking to explore a new world.

This novella was so great. It’s a dark fairy tale/folklore/fantasy story and a quick read. A tyrant’s children are lost in a mysterious wood that no one ever returns from. Usually. He forces the one person to ever make it back alive to go in and bring them home safe. The rules of the wood mean that she has 24 hours or they’re lost forever.

The writing is descriptive and puts you right in the setting. You’re pulled into the story with a sense of urgency. There are fun touches- I like that she can talk to birds in the woods. But overall there’s an overarching sense of danger as she navigates this perilous place to find the kids. She brings with her the emotional and physical scars from the war when the tyrant invaded and also her previous time in the woods.

I loved this book. Five stars all the way. It was the first one I’ve read by this author, and now I want to read more! It comes out February 27. Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Butcher of the Forest.

The Butcher of the Forest follows Veris, tasked with retrieving the Tyrant's children from this dark, dangerous, magical forest. Veris is the only person who has ever been in the forest and returned, so she is forced to go back in. She knows her chances of returning are very slim, but the tyrant has threatened to kill everyone in her village if she doesn't return soon with his children. She cannot refuse.

Premee Mohamed's writing is amazing. It's beautiful. It also creates this dark atmosphere; you can clearly imagine the world and the forest. You can feel, smell, touch, hear, and see the forest. I love it when authors can transport you into another world fully, and Premee Mohamed does that.

I also really enjoyed the creatures and rules of the forest. If you enjoy the more traditional dark and mischievous fae, I think you will enjoy the creatures in this world. They're cunning, dangerous, and scary. And it was really interesting seeing Veris navigate that world. She's smart, brave, and cunning. I really liked her.

I did find the story a bit hard to get into. You don't get to know much about the world outside the forest. You also don't really know much about Veris or the villagers she's trying to save. I like being given a bit more information so I can truly get to care about characters. It's also a slow start. There's not much happening until about 50% into the story. However, once it picks up, it's fast, and I was invested. There are more interactions with creatures in the forest. There's more danger. Things become harder for the characters. We get more insight into Veris's life and motivations, too, which I found very touching. I wish it were more interwoven throughout the story.

I didn't know what to expect, I find at first, the storyline and motives were unclear & confusing. But also, the lush description of the settings: villages, forest, everything? Stood out immediately, top notch. This is what I look for from a fantasy book.

This was a short read, and upon going further I would describe 80% of it like being taken on an escape sprint, an endless hide-n-chase adventure through a dark, magic forest. Not exactly a high stake but no no-stake either. As we rear towards the end, there were some important & touching backstory about Veris the main character that really.. finally wraps the book beautifully. Since I've been wondering about that a lot throughout the reading, wishing to get to know more about our lead. It was satisfactory (though I can implore moreee.. actually?)

Although? Seeing the ending, this does kinda sound like author is open to the possibility of story continuation? I would definitely tune in if she ever continues! 4.5 Rounded Down! Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Publishing for allowing me this eARC access in exchange of my honest review.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I think this worked well as a short story. There were a couple of times I thought it could have been even a bit shorter, like when not a lot is happening and the main character is just kind of thinking about things. I also would have liked to know a bit more about the forest and at least a little bit about the magic parts. The author clearly tried to throw in some old timey or obscure words in there to reinforce the time period, which can be interesting. (What does cinacth mean??) And it does answer the big question that keeps getting referred to throughout the book about her past, so that's good.

A twisty, dark and rotting romp through a fairy tale hellscape. Rich in atmosphere and feverish momentum this book has tremendous imagination. I loved the grisly body horror and eldrich woodland entities. It’s written beautifully with some amazing introspection dialogue. However I feel it might have been caught in its dreamy thoughts at times that took away from the immersion. But I will mention that I don’t feel like this ultimately takes away the overall experience and will boil down to personal preference. I’m instantly a fan of the writer and recommend to anyone looking for a dark horror fantasy read!

I utterly devoured this book.

The Butcher of the Forest is a dark fantasy novella featuring a woman named Veris who is tasked with rescuing some wayward children of the tyrant of the land from an uncanny forest. This is a dark fantasy novella with just a hint of a grimdark note due to how melancholy and somewhat hopeless the tone felt at times throughout.

Veris is sent into the forest on orders from the tyrant because she once rescued another child from the forest, so the tyrant thinks she'll be able to do it again. However, she’s self-aware enough–and just aware in general–to know that although her abilities might be enough to where she could survive the forest, it’s more about her understanding that if the forest doesn’t want her to survive or make it back with the children, she won’t. But knowing what’s at stake for her family and her village back home, she puts everything into her task and has some of the strongest determination and steeliness that I’ve seen in a character in a long time. I think it’s this steely mentality of hers that makes her a character I would incredibly confident being with–if I was stuck in this forest, she is the only person I would want to be with. She’s not going to lie and tell you everything will be alright or not to be scared, but she’s will tell you the rules and be extraordinarily careful, clever, and cautious at all times.

Veris is a realist and an incredibly resilient character that I found myself rooting for and connecting with in ways I don't often do with characters. She is someone who has suffered a lot in her life, and although I wouldn’t say she is necessarily better for it, she has learned from her experiences how to adapt, survive, and keep her wits about her no matter what comes her way. Veris understands that she’s the only one who has ever managed to survive entering and exiting the forest and I appreciated that she knew herself well enough to know that she is very capable and confident about her abilities to do this.

This is really the dark forest story that I’d love to have written myself. I was just absolutely captivated. I wanted to keep inhaling this book and learn more and more about this forest and everything within it. It has some truly horrifying creatures and ideas that lurk within and make you want to look away or cover your eyes while also creating an urge to constantly peek through your fingers to see what’s happening because you don’t want to miss anything. There’s so many very particular rules to follow in this forest that have dangerous consequences if not followed, and there’s very little mercy–if any–to be found in this forest. There is nothing that can help you in this forest that won’t also demand something in return, no matter how big or small it may be. You can absolutely never let your guard down in this forest, be sure not to harm anything in the forest itself, and be very careful of what you say both to yourself and to anything else within it.

Premee Mohamed’s writing is evocative and has a riveting flow to it that I couldn't look away from. I thought there was a fantastic mix of creatures and beings or elements of the forest that we get to see and interact with as readers along with those that we only really hear hints about from Veris or observe through what she sees while in the forest, and this kept a truly delightful balance of horror of both the scene and unseen. Altogether, this made it genuinely terrifying to imagine being in this forest knowing–and not knowing?–what might be waiting inside. I would never want to step foot in it, as most people in this story don’t want to, and I think even my undying curiosity wouldn’t be enough for me to give it anything but a wide berth.

I feel like cozy books have been the trend lately, and this book is anything but cozy. Still, there’s something oddly comforting about this book to me. It’s almost as if it really scratched that itch in my brain that yearns for something dark to explore, something that feels both impossible and all too real at the same time, and I think this book really did that.

If it wasn’t already clear from what is probably an overly gushing review, I thought The Butcher of the Forest was an absolutely stunning book. I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone, as I think some people may find it a bit slow paced and may not connect with it in the same way, but for other it will hit that spot and will instead feel like something slow paced but that you could inhale in a matter of hours (I inhaled it like oxygen I desperately needed, personally). I was hooked the entire time and cannot wait to check out more of her work as well as see what she may publish in the future.

Overall, I’ve given The Butcher of the Forest five stars! I cannot recommend it enough. It you are someone who likes things a little on the darker side or just loves a forest that is dark and mysterious and dangerous, then this is the book for you.

The Butcher of the Forest is Nettle and Bone’s darker, edgier younger sibling. It has the same fresh take on an old story, but this one will not make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s seen some stuff. It’s definitely not for children. It is fantasy edging into horror. Who’s to say that’s not right, in the end--if magic were real, it would probably be horrifying. The magic, as Mohamed describes it, is a dangerous, visceral, chaotic sort of thing. One that is best kept away from you because it’s more likely to take something away from you than it is to lend you a hand.

This novella is very tight--at 160 pages it does not waste any time. The plot feels like a well trod path for the first few pages: two children lost in a forest, an evil king sends a plucky everywoman to rescue them. But it quickly transforms into more than a standard retelling. I enjoyed the author’s previous novella “And What Can We Offer You Tonight,” but this is, to my mind, a major step up in quality. The sentences are better--the pacing is clear, and the world building feels more substantial. And the ending is to me a satisfying and true feeling conclusion. Many authors confuse ambiguous plots for moral ambiguity--this book has the latter but not the former. I think it would make an excellent book club pick.

Recommended for people who like ALL of T. Kingfisher’s books, Ninth House, and the O.G. Grimms Brothers.

I was provided with an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Not a fan of the ending, but I can't really be mad at anything else. This is a very powerful novella and one that has made me very excited for any following sequels. A very short reads for someone looking for a bit of mystery.

The Butcher of the Forest is a gorgeously sinister fairytale, perfect for grownups who never wanted to grow out of the magic and darkness that mesmerized them as children.

Personally, as an adult, I do want a fairytale with a more fleshed out plot than those I encountered in childhood. Although this novella was enjoyable, it didn’t quite meet that expectation. While the eerie journey through the forest was the most thoroughly developed aspect, it still felt like it lacked something. I also felt dissatisfied with what little I learned of the tyrant. There was room to do so much more with this, and I am sad that wasn’t realized.

3.5 stars

I am immensely grateful to Tor.com and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a super quick, dark story and I highly recommend it for fans of spooky fairytales! I was pleasantly surprised by just how scary this one was - I would never want to be lost in the Elmever.

I went into this book knowing nothing and landed in a fairytale that was part Hansel and Gretel and several other stories woven together with something entirely new. The overall arc is interesting because despite there being a clear ending and beginning, it’s hard to fully understand the journey of the story, which only makes it more reminiscent of original fairy tales themselves. It’s definitely an interesting novella and an interesting story that Mohamed has crafted, one that I raced through pretty quickly myself. If you like fairy tales, sentient forests, or adventures where time is running out, then this is definitely worth the read.

The overall vibe of the story was interesting and kept me engaged throughout. I also think it was interesting to see the story through Veris’s eyes, both in having an older-for-fantasy protagonist and in the frequently referenced dynamic with the Tyrant.

As far as the actual contents, it did feel sometimes like the most interesting moments in the story were underdeveloped or happened overly quickly. Elements of the forest were quickly run through despite sometimes being pivotal to the overall success of the story, which made them a little less impactful in hindsight. The hinge at the end of the story adds an interesting level of humanity to the overall story, but it still almost feels like it was over too quickly. All in all, I think this feels like the backstory to a fairytale, ultimately creating its own fantastical story along the way.

Old, large forests have a tendency to make us a little uneasy, perhaps because of their age, and the darkness under their canopy, and what that might conceal. Premee Mohamed sets her tale in a conquered land bordered by an old forest. The land is ruled over by the Tyrant, as main character Veris, and others of this conquered land, refers to him.

At the story's open the Tyrant kidnaps Veris and forces her to enter the north woods, which everyone in her land knows not to enter, for no one ever returns from there.

Veris had once, to rescue a child, and this is what the Tyrant latches on to when his own two young children enter the wood, probably after adventure, or because of curiosity. No matter the reason, the Tyrant threatens to murder Veris' last remaining family members unless she retrieves his children.

Families who have lost members to the forest hold funerals and move on. It is common knowledge amongst her country's residents that any time longer than one day in the woods means that one's loved one is lost to the dangers in the forest. Veris knows that the only reason she succeeded the last time was because she was within the time limit. Otherwise, neither she nor the child would have returned home.

There are terrifying creatures and swift death everywhere in the north woods, and Veris must use every bit of skill and small magics she has at her disposal this time to work her way to where the children might be.

The prose is evocative, adept at evoking equal parts terror and revulsion, and wonder. Mohamed writes unsettling stories full of otherworldly menace and danger, which this story has plenty of.

From the stunning book cover, to the horrors of the woods, to the middle-aged protagonist--a nice touch, as Veris is no hardy adventurer, just a woman forced into an impossible situation by a cruel man--this was the opposite of a cozy and comforting read. But I am always in the mood to read this author's work, and this delivers on its dark premise: don't go into the woods, but if you do, watch out for monsters....

Thank you to Netgalley and to Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.