This had an interesting premise and I was excited to read it.

Despite fortune cards foretelling of her untimely death, Clara ventures into the Forest Grimm to find a magical book. Once a boon to the village, the book was taken back by the forest after it was used to kill someone. To save her village and her mom, Clara must bring it back.

Rather than the HEA fairy tales many of us are familiar with, The Forest Grimm plays into the Grimms' tales with sometimes more sinister storylines. It was fun recognizing the tales and often unpredictable how they were twisted. The tale of Hansel and Gretel was the one that gave me the most chills.

The pacing tended to be uneven with moments that dragged a bit, but there were parts that were exciting. I thought this could easily have been a standalone, but it ends on a cliffhanger. While I want to find out what happens next, I am also a bit hesitant because of the pacing. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

THE FOREST GRIMM is a book I got lost in and hoped I would never be found, but all good books must end. Thankfully, Kathryn Purdie has a sequel coming out. The storyline is fantastical with its twisted fairytale. The atmosphere and world-building are lush and vivid. Clara and Axel are characters I rooted for, fell in love with, and needed them to fall in love. It’s a fantasy book I adored.

The plot has a neat magic system for entering the forest, which has a mind of its own and is filled with twisted fairytales. As Clara and Axel journey through the forest, the magic unravels, fairytales come to light, and it becomes a story of good and evil. But what exactly is good, and what exactly is evil?

I loved the questions that THE FOREST GRIMM raised and the choices that the characters had to make through their journey in the forest. Every turn brought new obstacles and tested their faith in themselves and each other, but it also forged friendship and romance. It’s the type of fantasy book I love! I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Contact warnings: familial death, abandonment, blood and knife wounds, poisoning, implied cannibalism, child abuse

I love any fairytale kind of books so this book was an instant need. I was captivated by the story and the writing style. I started reading it and before I knew it, it was 3am and I'd just finished it. I loved it.

Clara knew that she'd die young in the magic forest that surrounds her village even before it was cursed and villagers started disappearing inside it. That her mom was one of the first to disappear has her desperate to find a way inside and sacrifice herself in order to save her. She finally finds a way to do it and enters the forest with her two best friends and it will be a journey full of danger before the forest reveals all its secrets and they can hope to save everyone.

Perhaps one of the most creative retellings of the Grimm stories, the massive martyr complex that Clara has takes some of the enjoyment out of it. I get being willing to sacrifice to save the one she loves, but it's mentioned and pushed so much that it got to be too much. If not for that, I loved seeing each new fairy tale that popped up and how Purdie made it her own. It's one reveal after another with one giant mystery wrapped up in danger and magic.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the read!

"What is fate, after all, if not to be tempted?"

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Forest Grimm in exchange for a review.

The Forest Grimm is about a young teenage girl named Clara Thurn who lives in a small village called Grimm's Hollow. The village is at the edge of an enchanted forest called the Forest Grimm and was centered at a magical book, called the Book of Fortunes. Long ago, the forest cursed the village and stole the book and nobody within the village knows why. Every Devotion Day, one villager goes into the forest to try to find the book and bring back the villagers that disappeard before them, known as the Lost. Clara's mother disappeared three years ago and all Clara wants to do is go into the forest to find the Book of Fortunes and use her one wish to save her mother. What Clara doesn't know is that the journey to find her mother will test her in ways she never imagined.

This book frustrated me because I had really high hopes for it. The premise sounded super interesting and I am a huge fairy tale fan so I was hoping that this book would be truthful to the original versions of popular fairy tales rather than the Disney versions. What I got instead was a disconnected horror story and a book that was way too long. I think that this book tried to do way too much for one book and definitely could have benefited from a map at the beginning to help the reader keep track of Clara's journey. She went to so many different places that it became hard to keep track of where she was at times. Clara also annoyed me for much of the book because she refused to listen to anyone else's advice and just wanted to do her own thing regardless of how it affected anyone else. However, I did enjoy her relationship development with Axel. I thought it was super realistic for two teenagers.

Overall, I liked the premise of this book as well as the fairytale characters that were included but this book could've been way shorter seeing how the author is now writing a sequel. I would give this book a solid 3/5 stars.

I could NOT put this book down. Once I started it, I was caught up in the story, turning pages a quickly as I could, as if that would assist the characters. I want Mmmmoooorrrreeee.

First, thank you for sending me a copy! Overall, there is a lot of potential in this story and the world!

I very much enjoyed the concept of the world, but feel that the integration of tales could have been smoother overall. There were interactions that felt very forced.

Overall I look forward to seeing more from this author!

This was such a fun twist on retelling some of the most iconic fairytales. I wasn’t expecting how this story would develop but I was pleasantly surprised with each layer added in as we met someone new in the forest. Clara and her friend Axel go on an epic journey to find a magical book that can bring their loved ones home after being lost to the forest and save their village. If you love a good fairytale retelling like I do then this book needs to be on your TBR ASAP.

I received an e-arc of The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I was not engaged in the story - I gave it a few chapters but wasn't hooked. The premise of the lost grimoire and tarot card readings was a little interesting and the setup for entering the forest by lottery felt a bit like Reaping Day in The Hunger Games.
DNF @ 12%

"The Forest Grimm" by Kathryn Purdie is a captivating tale that immerses readers in a richly detailed world filled with magic and mystery. Purdie's descriptive prose brings the enchanted forest to life, making it almost a character in itself. The protagonist's journey is both thrilling and heartfelt, as she navigates through dark secrets and dangerous adversaries.

What sets "The Forest Grimm" apart is its unique blend of folklore and original storytelling. Purdie weaves together familiar fairy tale elements with her own imaginative twists, keeping readers guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own motivations and flaws.

While the pacing occasionally falters, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag on, overall, "The Forest Grimm" is a page-turner that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment. Fans of fantasy adventures won't want to miss this enchanting read.

DNF'ed it, unfortunately. I thought the premise was interesting but after starting, I found I was not invested in the story.

A very unique and interesting fairytale like YA novel, that I would recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

Thank you to the publishers for this eARC to review. I will be withholding a full review until St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books addresses the harmful comments an employee made publicly on social media pertaining the genocide in Palestine. I actually DNF'ed this book but I do love Katherine Purdy.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

"The Forest Grimm" by Kathryn Purdie was a book that I struggled to get through. I found myself almost DNF-ing the book multiple times, but I pushed through because I was already more than halfway finished. The book follows a retelling of a well-known fairy tale, but it took a different direction than what I was expecting.
The characters in the book felt flat and lacked depth, making it hard for me to connect with them and become invested in their story. The plot seemed to drag on at times, with unnecessary details and subplots that did not add much to the overall story. Additionally, the pacing was off, with certain moments feeling rushed while others dragged on.
Overall, "The Forest Grimm" was not the retelling I was hoping for. While the writing was descriptive and evocative, the lackluster characters and pacing issues left me feeling underwhelmed. I would recommend this book to fans of fairy tale retellings who are looking for a different take on a familiar story, but for me, it fell short of my expectations.

I htought this would be a little red redding hood retelling especially because of the cover but it seems to be confused about what fairytale it's based on.

The idea of this was great but the execution didn't quite work for me. It had far too many tales trying to be worked in. It just wasn't my favorite, I expected to like it a lot more.

This romantic fantasy was a mash-up of multiple fairytales- and as much as I love fairytales and re-tellings, this was not for me.

{3.5 stars}

This story features a dark haunted forest with a Hunger Games like selection to enter the forest to break the curse. Years ago Clara’s mother went into the forest and never returned. Many others in the village have done the same. Clara is determined to be chosen to enter the forest. When she is not but her love interest Axel is, she follows him anyway. What they encounter trying to save Axel’s betrothed and her mother is the horrors of many classic Grimm's characters including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Briar Rose and Sleeping Beauty. These characters' fates are all weaved together and it's not clear if Clara can save them all.

I loved the dark vibes and the retelling aspect. Clara is smart and plucky and only a little lovestruck. I like a female main character that we don't have to roll our eyes at for following a boy. The way the various stories fit together was really cool, it reminded me of the TV show Once Upon a Time, albeit a YA version. Fair warning there is a bit of an open ending, I wouldn't call it a cliff hanger but it is clear that Clara's mission is not over.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I am a big fan of reimagined fairy tales, and this was the perfect mix of the horror of the original Grimm tales, as well as having some of the fantastical elements of a princess, a castle, and a star-crossed romance. The forest itself was a character and it was hard to know who to trust. So many elements came together to make this such a wonderful tale of the love a daughter has for her mother, a son for his father, and a sister for her sibling. But the dark side of love can come back to haunt these relationships and sometimes one must make a sacrifice or do something unthinkable to sever the relationship.

This was so good on so many levels, and I hope to read more by Kathryn Purdie. It was fast-paced, swoonworthy, and scary which is a perfect combination for me! I highly recommend for all Teen librarians!