Do you like scary fairy tales? Fae deals that are much more than you bargained for? Fairyland that is dark and ominous? Then The Butcher of the Forest is for you. It's set in a medieval-inspired fantasy land. We don't know much about it other than that "the Tyrant" subjugated the land years ago, and still rules with an iron fist. There's also a frightening Forest that serves as a border between the real world and an uncanny fairyland. Years ago, Veris managed to go into the Forest and rescue a child. Now, she's pressed into the service of the Tyrant, whose two children have disappeared.

The bulk of the novella follows Veris as she navigates "fairyland" while dealing with her own trauma, both from her previous time spent there and from her experiences under the Tyrant's rule. Her sense of self and her own hard-won principles in the face of so much adversity make this more of a character study than an adventure story. It packs a punch! It's not an easy read, but it's worth the journey.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the e-arc I received in exchange for review.

I will first say that while this story is short in length, it is not necessarily a quick read. The narration felt wordy at first when I was trying to read at my normal pace; when I slowed down and let myself absorb the prose, it flowed much better and really aided itself to the overall storytelling.

In the beginning, I knew that I was enjoying the mysterious setting, the dark atmosphere, and the jaded protagonist, but I wasn't sure if I would get truly hooked or not. This was admittedly a slow starter for me. However, around halfway through, it really grabbed me. Not only did the pacing pick up, but the themes regarding children and their innocence really shone through. Also, the ending definitely got me more emotional than I was anticipating. The whole story was beautifully written and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Overall, this may not be for everyone, but I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys unique, dark, and atmospheric fantasy stories with strong prose and touching themes.

I really liked parts of this, and parts of it dragged a bit for me.

The Butcher of the Forest is a novella about a middle-aged woman who is tasked by a tyrant lord to go into an enchanted forest and rescue his children. She had previously survived this forest as it is explained that in the past she had rescued another child, but it is made clear this was an anomaly and that such behavior (interacting with the forest) is not something locals do.

It's quite a well-told story, however, my personal interest wasn't too interesting as it feels like a spin on the fairytale Hansel and Gretal, but with some twists and new characters. The word building, the horrors of the forest, and rules of enchantment are dark and such you in. Everything is a threat, and the creatures are warped and scary. It's a quick horror read and if you like zombie-esque creatures, fae lore and evil enchanted forests, definitely pick this up. It's a dark and suspenseful, but simple story and very reminiscent of the classic fairytale.

⋆⭒˚｡⋆₊ ⊹ the butcher of the forest by Premee Mohamed
★ ★ ★ ★/5
this novella will take you far away to the distant lands that are occupied by the Tyrant, a vicious and gruesome conquerer who has built a castle right outside of Veris’ village.

So when Veris Thorn is abruptly woken up one morning to guards forcing her to the castle, she is surprised to the reveal that she is desperately needed for a rescue with less than 24 hours left to do so; or else others will pay the price.

the dark fairytale includes an enticing atmosphere that changes quickly depending on Veris’s choices, keeping you glued to the story throughout one sitting. with mythical creatures, beasts, and monsters lurking at every corner, you never know what’s gonna happen.

Premee Mohamed paints a beautiful but haunting atmosphere that is untamed throughout the brief but packed 160 pages. And remember, do not be tricked by the others. ⋆⭒˚｡⋆₊ ⊹

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this before release! You can get your hands on this enticing novella on the 27th of February.

This is a well done and beautifully written novella about grief and loss within the setting of a very dark and grim fairy tale. I only wish that the story had been longer as I wanted to spend more time with the characters and learn more about the forest and the creatures that lived within it.

Veris is an amazingly well done character. You really feel by the end of the story that you know her well. She carries a burden of grief that also makes her strong and perfect for the job. I really appreciated that she was older and the burdens of her life weighed heavily on her. She is also very brave and smart and knows how to navigate the Elmever and manages to keep herself safe.

The children she tries to rescue are also well done and strangely likable. Eleanor and Aram are traumatized by their venture into the forest, but realize that Veris is their only hope so learn to trust her and follow her directions. They have a wonderful sibling bond as well.

The writing was beautiful and mesmerizing. The pacing wasn’t exactly fast but the story was so compelling that I had a hard time putting it down. The plot is simple in its complexity with an ending that will leave you satisfied but also hoping for more. Although I did not find the beasts particularly scary, I can see others seeing them that way. But they all have interesting roles to play in trying to keep the children in the forest.

Overall this was a lovely way to spend an afternoon reading this dark yet beautiful tale. If you are looking for something short to read and don’t mind a little bit of horror, this is a book I recommend you pick up.

This was just written so well. I don’t know what to say to avoid spoilers, so I shan’t say anything at all. But Premee Mohamed is a wonderful writer with gorgeous prose, who’s unparalleled in her ability to capture the sad, the eldritch, and the fantastic within the words she lays out like traps for them to come skitter to and be caught in.

Wow! This book is small, but packs a huge punch! I loved it! The ending left you speechless and I hope there will be more to this story. It gave me grimms fairytale vibes and a mix of Hansel and Gretel. It definitely reminded me of old school dark fairytales. I’m excited I stumbled across this book and can’t wait to recommend it!

This brief novella definitely packs a punch, though not as sharp a one as I was led to believe. It's got a bleak streak a mile wide, but that ending wasn't quite as despairing as I'd thought it would be, and weirdly I'm not sure how I feel about it. I do wonder if there will be a sequel, though. (Content warnings for child SA/sex work for food, death of many children, and miscellaneous other miseries.)

Okay, so I have mixed feelings about The Butcher of the Forest, but overall I think that I really enjoyed it. This is going to sound like a bit of a contradiction; the writing was gorgeous but the sentences got so long winded to the point where it got hard to focus. I think this could have benefited from being a little longer, too, since it is only 160 pages. It felt pretty rushed at times and I felt like a few things from inside the forest could have been expanded on. That being said…if atmospheric, dark, creepy, and strange fairytales are your vibe, this book ticked all those boxes. I think Mohamed did a wonderful job crafting this world, I genuinely felt like I was inside this terrifying forest with Veris. The creatures of the forest were truly made of nightmares. Veris was also a very well-crafted character. I really enjoyed learning more about her and the ending broke my heart. So even though I have my qualms with this one, it really was different from anything I have read and I did enjoy it for the most part.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eerie, dark, and twisty this Hansel and Gretel retelling captivated me. I read it in one sitting and it was so not what I expected. Very sad and tender at times I loved the imagery even when it was a little bit scary!

This was such a dark and eerie fairytale-like story. I enjoyed how original it felt, and I'm sure if you liked a story like The Salt Grows heavy then you'd enjoy this as well!

Loved the writing style of The Butcher of the Forest! This dark fairytale will have the reader immersed in the world fairly quickly. The story was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my sit anxious to know what was going to happen next. Definitely recommend for those who are looking for a dark fantasy read!

This is a 4 star read only because I disliked the ending. Yes, I know I'm being petty.

This was absolutely beautiful! I'll forever love any and all well-written Alice in Wonderland retellings that lean toward dark fantasy. (Loved American McGee's Alice video game and Christina Henry's Alice.) While The Butcher of the Forest isn't as violent and gruesome like those two examples, there's still enough darkness and despair that it touched my rotting heart.

There are layers upon layers of metaphors in this story that could apply to any number of historical contexts (people's lives during war and conquest, classicism, human trafficking, etc.). These are hinted at time and again without being heavy-handed and written off as historical facts or even life lessons. The author leads you into those metaphors without having to hold your hand as a reader.

Even though this is a novella, I think the author excelled in creating an MC to root for. There are enough details to make me care whether Veris succeeded or not in her quest to find the Tyrant's two children.

There's a twist at the end that added more depth to Veris as a character. While it was sort of obvious, it really made everything come full circle in the end.

I have a slight aversion to long sentences and purple prose, but strangely, it actually worked out pretty well in this case. Reading the prose felt like I was eating a box of my favorite chocolates. So delectable!

I'm very happy that this was one of my first reads of 2024!

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for this arc.

Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed was an amazing read. It’s a dark fantasy/horror novella which runs about 160 pages but it tells a complete and well rounded story.

The story’s pacing doesn’t let up from the second the action begins. The main character is engaging and no nonsense. She is middle aged and I really liked that. I love reading fantasy stories where the character has some experience. Feels more grounded.

I love the author’s writing. Scenes are beautifully described. There’s some gore and darker elements but it was at a level I could process without keeping me up at night.

Thanks to @torbooks and @netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC.

I would like to start by thanking TOR and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

The Butcher of the Forest is a dark fairytale novella that starts you out right in the middle of the action, and kept a fast pace the entire time. The writing was superb and the imagery was so well done, it was easy to visualize all the creatures and things that Veris encountered through her journey. I actually enjoyed the darker elements of this story and found myself fascinated with the forest itself and it's inhabitants.

For me, personally, I didn't connect with the main character Veris until towards the end of the book. While there is minimal backstory to her life, it wasn't quite enough for me to be invested in her, or the children, making it out of the forest and I wished I could have seen more interactions with her and her family or people of the village even to get a better idea of who she was before she went into the forest. Her lack of worry for herself makes sense by the end but it doesn't help in making me invested in her survival.

Overall this was a very intriguing read and I would recommend to others who like a darker fairytale vibe.

Such a quick, yet adventurous read! I loved how fast paced the journey was, and the battle to get back the children was simple, yet tricky. A great read!

This novella follows Veris as she is forced to enter the dark, magical forest to rescue two of the Tyrant's children within 24 hours, or they will be forever lost to the forest. Veris is chosen because she is the only person to have entered the forest and survived.

This novella was immediately intriguing, and it really ran with the story. It did a great job of hooking the reader and taking advantage of its limited page number. I truly felt that this book did a great job of building a world around it and getting the reader invested, which I have often struggled with in novellas. I felt very connected to Veris and this world, and my only negative is that I left with a lot of questions and I wanted more!

While the language is beautiful, the story is grim. There are quite a few trigger warnings, such as child sex abuse and child death, and it is quite bloody.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this short, straight to the point fairy tale. It was certainly dark, but I was immediately transported to the land and felt like the writing pulled me directly into our protagonists story.

Veris lives in a land run by a terrible Tyrant. The Tyrant’s children have disappeared in the nearby dark forest, which no one has ever come out alive from, except for Veris. The Tyrant sends her into the forest to retrieve his children, or he will kill her entire village. There is also little hope she will retrieve the children in the 24 hours they have before they become a permanent part of the forest, so the heat is on as they say.

Since the story is so short, you don’t get a lot of time to get into Veris as a character, or why or really any of the motivations of the characters aside form Veris, but you do get a vivid imaginary world built and you can feel the dread immediately in the first few pages. I don’t want to give anything away, but I truly enjoyed being in this world (only as an observer!) And would not mind a sequel if the author wants to do one. In this short story, she raises some very valid questions about the kingdom’s future and it would be interesting to see another perspective. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this digital ARC copy.

If you are a fan of Nettle and Bone or Juniper and Thorne, then you will love this story. It is a fast-paced and story set in dangerous and magical (not the fun kind) gothic woods where nothing is as it seems, and dangers lurk around every corner.

This Cozy Horror is perfect for the fans of Folklore, Cryptids, Faeries, and the Fae (not the cool sexy kind) then you will love this world. All rules still apply, don't give them your name, don't eat the food, and don't fall for their tricks or you will be trapped forever. Stay out of faery rings!

Though it is a short story it is not one that you can just power through, the sentence structure is lyrical and almost like reading poetry. I took several breaks to really absorb the story, sometimes rereading paragraphs multiple times to fully absorb the descriptions and story. The sentences are long, with a lot of commas and descriptors and it took me a few chapters to get used to the style of writing, but I have to say that this story could not have been written as well without it.

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohammed is a fantasy novella following Veris, a woman who went into the north woods to fetch a child and returned. No one returns from the north woods, a place where two worlds are close. She’s rudely awoken one night and fetched by the Tyrant to find his two children who have entered the woods. Everyone knows that you only have only a day to find them before the forest takes them for god.

I found Veris an interesting character, thrust into a situation she didn’t want but handled it admirably to protect the life she’d carved for herself in a horrible world. All my questions about her (such as why did she go into the woods if she’s so unassuming) were all answered by the end. I also loved, loved, loved that Mohammed didn’t shy away from a hard choice, even if it left me crying after I finished as I reflected on myself as a parent.

It’s a wonderful story. Dark, yes, but also quite deep.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC so I could give an honest review.