An ARC was provided from Wednesday publishing through netgalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you for the chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved the twist on the fairy-tales! It was a tiny bit slow in the beginning but quickly picked up once Clara and Axel entered the forest, then it was a mad dash through them trying to find and save everyone. I really enjoyed the slow burn relationship between Axel and Clara, I could see he cared for her before she noticed it. The ending was completely unexpected, I really thought there would be a happy ending where every lost villager came home but it was so much better! Clara never giving up on her mom despite her grandmother telling her it was a lost cause to try and save her, then realizing she had to take her mother's life really surprised me.

I did have 2 complaints about the book. 1. Henni felt very underdeveloped. It was a fast/ short read, so I get that you can only do so much but honestly felt like she needed more. She was very pouty after finding Ella and having to leave her, and since we didn't know much about her it felt hollow.
2. The amount of times we had to hear that Grandmere only drew those 2 cards during readings was so overdone. I swear it was mentioned almost every chapter.

Overall: Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Content warnings: gore

Rep: scoliosis MC, slow burn romance/friends to lovers

Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:

So this was interesting! Ive never read a Kathryn Purdue book before so I just went in hoping that I liked this. And I did, for the most part. This has a really strong start to the story and I found the magic in this world to be very interesting. But I did have some issues as I continued on in the story (but nothing problematic). I just kind of felt a little underwhelmed by the plot? While things were definitely going on and there really ISN'T a dull moment in this book, I just kind of wanted the story to go in a different direction or had certain things happen in different ways or incorporated different Grimm Fairytales than the ones that are most prominent in this first book.

The only real gripe I have with this story is how it ended. Something happens at the end of this that gives us a reason for there to be a second book, and I really think that this should just be a standalone. I don't think there NEEDS to be a second book. Will it be interesting? I don't doubt it and I'm curious to see what Grimm tales that Purdie will use, but the issue that Clara is trying to solve in this book, I think, could have been completely resolved and everyone could be living their "happily ever after".


Do I recommend this book? I do. If you like a fast paced paced story have action & adventure, based off o fairytale retellings with a nice romantic subplot (and Clara & Axel were pretty cute... and I was rooting for them), then I totally recommend you check this one out!

In a village cursed by a wrongfully made wish, lives a girl named Clara, who wishes to save her mother and the village. Despite knowing what her fate is, she enters the Forest Grimm, hoping to find her mother and lift the curse. Dressed in red, she and Axel, someone she holds closer in her heart than she admits, venture through the forest, where they encounter many things and people. Will they lift the curse?

I would like to start off by praising the beautiful cover. I adore the artwork.

This was a super enjoyable take on fairy tails. It was dark, but in a fun, page turning sort of way. It definitely kept me interested, wanting to learn more about the forest and the inhabitants myself.

I enjoyed Clara as a character. She is headstrong, Intelligent, yet flawed. I enjoy that she realizes her flaws throughout the book though. It’s also nice to see a character with a different sort of body structure, one Clara doesn’t allow to hold her back much.

While I enjoyed the story, there were a few characters I didn’t enjoy as much, but I think that’s a good thing.

If you like beautiful, dark and fairy tail type adventures mixed with romance and danger, I recommend this stunning book!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Wednesdays Books for the opportunity to read this incredible book!

This was such a wonderfully entertaining and twisty fantasy book, I had a lot of fun reading it!

Based on the cover I had assumed that it was a Red Riding Hood retelling, which I guess it is, in a sort of way, but the book also includes a bunch of other retellings (which I'll refrain from naming since it'll be delightful if you discover it on your own). The different retellings were combined in such a cool way, and I'm really looking forward to more of those in the next book!

I also loved the development of characters and relationships in this book, it was really emotional and _real_. The ending was so cool, I'm excited for book 2 (and I hope we see a certain Oliver again 😭)

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was so dark and fascinating, I loved the twisted takes on the individual fairy tales. It most definitely went in a few directions I wasn't expecting, and had enough action to keep me interested the whole way through.

Excellent cast of characters, and a great ending!

I recommend this book for anyone who likes dark fairy tale retellings, and books where characters go on a journey.

I always love reading books from Kathryn Purdie, and this was one of the best. I enjoyed the concept and thought it worked well in the fairy tale elements of the book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked well in the world. I loved the cover and glad I got to read this.

"Let me help,” I say to Axel, and break off twigs from the ash tree with him. We need to keep the campfire burning. It’s been hard to find any wood in the forest that isn’t green. There are no fallen branches or dead trees here. This ash is the only one we’ve come across. The trunk is split and most of the limbs are charred. It must have been struck by lightning."

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was so dark and fascinating, I loved the twisted takes on the individual fairy tales. It most definitely went in a few directions I wasn't expecting, and had enough action to keep me interested the whole way through.

Excellent cast of characters, and a great ending!