Summary:

Veris is the only person known to walk into the northern forest and survive. Naturally, she's ordered to repeat the process when the cruel overlord, the Tyrant, realizes his children have gone missing into those very woods.

Unfortunately, Veris understands those woods – and the poor odds those children face. Yet she has no choice in the matter. She must face her nightmares once again or see her village burn.

Review:

The Butcher of the Forest is an ethereal and haunting story. Veris' tale has a way of getting under your skin. This is true, even before you know the truth of her history. Likewise, the woods are dark and fascinating – in equal measure.

To be clear, The Butcher of the Forest leans into the gothic fairy tale world. The creatures in the woods may very well be fae, but they're not the type you want to meet (nor would you likely survive the encounter). Personally, I love these darker takes, so I was happy to see it here.

The subtle realization and character development elevated The Butcher of the Forest's point. While I wish there was more of a conclusion on the Tyrant side of the story, I can't complain about how the rest of this story wrapped up.

I would love nothing more than another half dozen stories set in this world. But I'd settle for one more! Is anyone else curious about whether or not another venture happened and how it went?

Highlights:
Fantasy Horror
Fae & Creatures of the Forest
Complex Characters

Trigger Warnings:
War-torn village
Missing children

This was a very unique and whimsically dark tale. I found the story to be pretty fast paced and overall enjoyed the characters and the world.

This is a dark, atmospheric, fast-paced story-- which is right up my alley. It was an engaging read with rich storytelling and relatable characters.

The Butcher of the Forest
by Premee Mohamed
Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Thank you TOR and Netgalley for sending me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this novella was good. It was a story about a woman that gets woken from bed to come search for two missing children from the forbidden forest. She is the only one who has gone in and out successfully and the king wants his children back.

I thought this was dark, eerie and to the point.

I want to know who kept sending her food to her back door?!

I feel like this could be made into a creepy fairytale movie by Tim Burton.

3.5 Stars

Premee Mohamed's The Butcher of the Forest reminds me a little of The Jasad Heir. The protagonist in both books end up unwillingly working for their families killers and spend quite a bit of time in the forest. I'm also getting slight The Chronicles of Narnia vibes.

I liked that we have an older heroine without a complicated enemies to lovers love interest. The book had a decent amount of action from beginning to end and gets straight to the point.

Veris is strong willed yet sensible and it serves her well throughout the book. The woods of Elmever are enchanting, where nothing is as it really seems. Its creatures are in most cases creepy tricksters with unlikely bodies that helped keep my interest.

🌲🌲🌲🌲/5

I understand what this book wanted to be, I just don't think it reached it's full potential.

For the first hundred pages I was loving the vibe of this dark fairytale, but as it progressed I got more and more confused. When it ended I was still lost - there were loose ends that weren't tied up and I wasn't quite sure what the point of this story even was. This wasn't for me.

This was great. 4.5 stars. Very dark which could turn some people off, but so well-written. I loved the descriptions of the woods throughout, and I kept wanting to find out how it would end.

An enchanting novella that fully enthralls with its eerie yet magical ambiance. Think of Annihilation but make it more fantasy.

A dark, twisting, warped fairy tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really loved Veris, and even with the novella-length of this story, it was more than enough time for the character to be well developed and to get attached. Stunningly written, the balance is struck so wel between horror and fantasy.

This novella may be small, but it feels so big! Veris lives in a small town with her aunt and grandfather and one morning she is dragged out of her house and thrown before the Tyrant. His children have gone missing and were tracked to the north woods, the deadly enchanted north woods.

The Tyrant demands Veris go and retrieve his children as she is the only known person to ever come out of the woods alive. He even threatens the life of her family and village if she doesn't return in one day. One day!

From there Veris goes on to the wods with the little she has come to Know how to navigate the Elmever, the enchanted wood inside the woods, another world really, and every turn has a trick or danger lurking.

It really does feel like a fever dream reading this book and I really enjoyed the world that was created. I got invested right away and couldn't put the book down!

"The rules were vague but should not be broken: don't cut living wood; don't shed any animal's blood; trade if you must, but do not negotiate. And certainly never accept any 'gifts.'"

The deep, dark forest, home to magical creatures both good and evil, is a staple of many fairy tales, and in this story that involves a quest to rescue two missing children, it looms larger than life; it becomes a character almost. Veris has ventured into these woods once before, and managed to bring home the lost child. She barely survived the experience. Now she is ordered, by the tyrant who killed both her parents, no less, to retrieve his heirs . . . or he will kill her only living relatives, and burn their village. What follows is a tense adventure fraught with peril and more creepy foes than you can shake a walking stick at. It's an enjoyable, mesmerizing read that ends with the promise of more terrors to come.

I'll be tagging along on that next walk in the woods.

Gulp!

It’s a beautifully written, yet dark and twisted novella that made me shudder quite a few times. I’m normally not a big fan of novellas - only few manage to deliver a well-rounded story without leaving me feeling like something was missing. This novella definitely didn’t leave me missing anything other than maybe sleep. Both because I was so wrapped up into reading it that I forgot I am an adult who needs to be up early and also because of the level of suspense. It wasn’t gory or terrifying, but it definitely was dark. The only thing I was not a huge fan of was the ending. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

This is a fun, though disturbing, romp through a very scary forest. This reads like a dark, twisted fairytale and kept me hooked until the last page.

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed - ebook ARC

This was a super fun read. I would describe this as a darky fairytale, with high stakes and fun creatures. Our main female character is forced into a crazy forest to save children from a tyrant of a ruler. Oh and if you remain in the forest for more than a day, you are trapped forever. We have traps, riddles, and really dark monsters. This was way more dark than I anticipated but I was here for it! This is a Novella so it’s a quick short read, but packs a real punch! I’m not sure I how I feel about unicorns anymore because of this book! lol. Veris Thorn is our main female character, is unique and I find myself really cheering for her and loving her development in this gothic horror story.

I loved the mystery, the riddles, the creatures and the plot. Highly recommend!

3/5 stars!

This was a beautifully written novella...that was also super unnerving at parts. The Butcher of the Forest is a dark fairytale with an extra dash of horror and macabre; it's set in the Elmever woods and focuses on Veris whose main job is to retrieve lost children from the aforementioned forest. From the get go this novella had a dark overtone and pretty much the entire story has a huge sense of dread and foreboding.

I'm usually a fan of horror novels but this one was a bit to gore-ish for me and left me rather unsettled. I did read it in one setting (relatively short) and the writing is fantastic, but the actual content wasn't for me.

Trigger warnings: body horror, gore, child abuse, death.
Shout out to NetGalley, Tor, and Premee Mohamed for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC. I am anticipating reading this soon and reviewing on my socials.

What a creepy little novella! I loved it. This is dark fairytale at its best. From the forbidden forest, to the monsters, the games, the chase, and the difficult choices. Amazing. Can’t recommend enough. Also can’t discuss more without spoiling. All I can say is go read this immediately!

“Veris bravely ventures into the dark woods to rescue Tyrant’s children in this fast-paced tale filled with creatures and danger. Despite a lack of character development, the captivating world and unique story make it a perfect choice for dark fantasy fans.” - thindbooks

This book follows a woman who got out of the woods before but is told to go back to get the Tyrand’s children. This short read was great and perfect for those looking for a folklore, fantasy book. This book starts right off with the plot so there’s not much introduction of the MC and her background. This made it hard to connect with her as I didn’t know much about her. I enjoyed the author’s writing and the story they developed. The world was great and I thought it was interesting for how much we knew. However I have to say that the story did feel as though I didn’t read the first book because there were questions already answered that readers don’t know about.

Veris is the MC of the story and I enjoyed her character. I couldn’t really connect with her as I feel like we don’t go through her story but the world’s. I still enjoyed how caring she was of the children and how she went into the woods to save them. There are two main side characters which are the children but there are creatures who appear to give the group a hard time. I loved the dark, forest vibes I was getting and the journey the trio had to go through. There is more of a family element where the trio begins to connect when they are getting out of the forest.

The ending was rushed and I wish we got to see more of what happened. The story and the concept were great but the pacing could have been better. I’m not sure if there was a book before this where I could understand the world more but I’m not sure and can’t find that information. I do check this book out if you need a quick read and looking for a dark fantasy.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

A delightful folk horror-style novella - my only complaint is that it wasn't longer. Very efficient worldbuilding.

Sometimes it is miserable that people remember you did a thing. Especially when that this is something everyone in your community warns people not to do, to the point that it is just culturally accept to avoid it. Unfortunately for Veris Thorn, there is a tyrant in residence, with some children who went into the forest. And he is aware of her one time success in bringing someone out of the forest. Double unfortunately, she doesn't want everyone she knows to be killed. So back into the woods she goes.

Thank you @b2weird for setting up this tour with @tordotcompub for "The Butcher of the Forest" by Premee Mohamed! Had me rustled for a few days.

Reasons to read:
-I have less trust for wildlife
-Didn't expect that to chose violence
-So much packed into a novella, just brilliant
-What will a person give up to accomplish their goals and still survive?
-At least 1 smart(ish) kid

Cons:
-Well my survival plan in a similar situation is suddenly way darker after reading this