The Forest Grimm was an entertaining story with fantasy and several fairytale characters I thought I knew. It is a twisted retelling of several well known fairytales. I ran into Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood, all in the same forest. 17-year-old Clara is desperate to save her village, Grimm’s Hollow, from the curse, and in turn, her mother. Her grandmother is a fortune-teller who read her cards, thinking they were for someone else. Clara knows she needs to go into the Forest Grim and find the magical book to complete the task. Clara and her dear friend Axel, set out, but with so many creatures and a forest that wants to prevent their success standing in the way, will they find the book, or even survive this quest.

I wasn't quite sure what to think about this book. The spin Kathryn Purdie put on some of the best loved fairytale characters was a bit macabre. Instead of being heroes and underdogs as in the original Grimm's Fairytales, they were evil and trying to stop Clara and Axel at every turn. The forest itself was a character in this story with it's darkness and malevolence. There is a bit of a romance with Axel and Clara, but that was not the interesting part of the story. I enjoyed seeing Clara figure out who each character was and how to defeat them and bring them back to themselves. I don't want to say anything more, but this is a very interesting story and if you enjoy retellings, I definitely recommend this one.

I wanted to like this one more but the mash up of fairytales left it where you couldn’t really know what was the story that was trying to be told.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review,


The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie is a romance where fairy tales are real but dark.


I would give The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie 1.5 star review because, I liked the concept but actually reading it I didn't really like any of it.

This had a very intriguing start but sort of lost me in the middle. I love fairy tales and the idea of interconnected fairy tales, but I'm not a huge fan of different stories just haphazardly thrown together for the sake of including a fairy tale.

The lack of explanation for the fairy tale characters does add to the mysterious, spooky feeling of the forest, but because the fairy tale characters that show up are such well-known stories, the lack of explanation just left me unsatisfied. I think I personally would have enjoyed the premise more if either more obscure fairy tale characters had been used or if there had been less mystery and more explanation for the well-known characters.

Also, wasn't really feeling the romance between the main characters.

I actually did enjoy this one! It was creative twist on some of the Grimm stories. Although I will admit that I don’t know the original versions of the darker ones. But from what I did know, I thought it was rather clever! There were moments of this where the pacing was fast and other parts where I’m not sure if I was trying to force it to the next “thing”, but I caught myself doing that a few times. I am interested to see if there’s a sequel - the ending left it open to that! And I’d definitely read it if there is.

Like a collage of grim fairy tales. Clara has always known her fate. Every time her grandmother has read her cards, she pulls the Midnight Forest and the Fanged Creature cards, denoting a perilous choice and an early death. When their village is cursed, Clara is determined that she will be the one to break it, to save her mother and the others who have disappeared into the Forest Grimm. Once she finally discovers a way into the forest, she journeys in, alongside her childhood friend Axel, who has his own reasons to save the cursed. But is determination enough? Can Clara find a way to change fate? Or are they destined to join the ranks of the Lost?

What a darkly magical read. I really enjoyed this world. It's full of the darker fairy tales we all know and love (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, etc.) Clara has this selfless determination. She's not perfect, but she's strong and easy to root for. I enjoyed following her journey through the woods with Axel, and seeing their relationship develop. I loved the dark forest setting and the encounters made within, very creepy. The ending nicely sets up for a sequel, which I will be happy to pick up when it's available.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.5 stars
While I’ve read a fair share of books that weren’t quite for me/a perfect fit or enjoyable, I haven’t really read a book this year I truly disliked. The Forest Grimm changed that. I love a good fairytale retelling, and the premise is intriguing. There’s a sentient, maze-like, magical forest, missing villagers, and a book of wishes. The main character is fated to have an early/untimely death and is determined to save her mother before her time is up. It sounds SO COOL. Ultimately, it was a huge let down, and there are much better retellings out there.

What I did like:
-The premise
-This is a true YA/teen book. It’s been a while since I’ve read/seen a YA/teen book that didn’t have lots of language or went a steamier route with the romance. This book has little to no swearing and only kisses between the main couple. It’s not as dark as it could have been, which may make it more appropriate or approachable for readers in the younger end of the YA spectrum, or readers who don’t prefer super dark retellings.
-There was a lot of room for creativity in how the different fairytales were presented, as the Forest twists the minds of those who enter it.
-Scoliosis rep—-from how it’s described, Clara has scoliosis. I haven’t read a fantasy book with that in it, and it was interesting to see how it would affect a long quest that required lots of movement. It was also refreshing to see that Clara WASN’T presented as thinking of themselves as unloveable, ugly, or super insecure because of their condition.

Why I didn’t like it:
-both the plot and the worldbuilding felt rushed. I had more questions than answers.
-the characters were relatively static. Clara constantly made dumb decisions, not learning from previous experiences, was single-minded, and didn’t grow much. She was so annoying! I’m reluctant to say “maybe I would like it better when I was an actually teen,” but characters like Clara make me think I wouldn’t like it even then! The change of heart/growth she does have towards the end is rather sudden.
-I didn’t have any emotional attachment to the characters. When Axel & Clara encounter various Lost people, it should be heartbreaking and shocking to find out what being in the woods has done to them, but it wasn’t.
-Clara & Axel had 0 chemistry, and I still don’t fully understand why they like each other.
-The plot was basic and predictable. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but it was predictable partly because Clara didn’t grow, and the other story elements didn’t elevate it.
-The ending sets this up to be a series, or perhaps just a duology. I don’t think it’d necessary, but I hope Kathryn Purdie takes that as an opportunity to really develop the world and Clara.

Clara, haunted by her mother’s disappearance, ventures into the Midnight Forest despite portends of doom from her grandmother. Accompanied by her friend Axel, Clara hunts for the missing magical book that can bring her mother back home.

Fairytale retellings are old hat, and a book has to do something interesting with these old tales to make them worth reading. And there are a lot of books that have done this well, like Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, Kelly Link’s White Cat, Black Dog: Stories or Angela Carter’s Bloody Chamber.

This book unfortunately doesn’t do that. It’s a mix of unrelated fairytale characters, plopped together with a shoestring of a plot. Much younger readers might enjoy recognizing familiar elements, but I expect more even from YA.

I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, so The Forest Grimm was a must read for me. Kathryn Purdie has such a way with words, that everything she writes is magical. The opening line of this book is so haunting, that it instantly pulled me in. I loved the characters and the setting was fantastic.

The Forest Grimm follows Clara, who is fated to die before her time. The village where she lives is under a curse. The village of Grimm’s Hollow has always been a magical place. They used to have a book called Sortes Fortunae, that would reveal the way to obtain their deepest desires. When someone used it to kill someone, the village became cursed and the book was taken away by the Forest Grimm. Now if someone enters the forest without permission, they are never seen again.

Clara lost her mother to the forest, and she’s dreamed of getting the chance to enter the Forest Grimm to find her. When she discovers a cloak that allows her to enter the forest unharmed, she knows that now is her chance. Along with her friend Axel, Clara enters the Forest Grimm determined not to leave until she finds her mother and Sortes Fortunae so she can end the curse and finally bring her mother home. However the forest has a mind of its own and it doesn’t like to give back what it has taken. It’s also the home to some twisted versions of familiar fairytale characters that will do whatever it takes to stop Clara.

This book is perfect for fans of fairytale retellings and fans of dark and spooky forests.

This is a perfect YA fairytale. Set in the Forest Grimm, a magical forest that surrounds a town who’s banned from entering—and who are slowly losing their resources because of the forest’s curse. Clara knows her fate is to die, so what better way than to give up her life in the forest for her mother’s, who was lost there? She finally finds a way to enter the forest and with her friends, she sets out to save her mother and break the curse that’s hurting her town.

Except the forest changes the people who inhabit it, turning them into terrifying fairytales like Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel in the most gruesome way. Gritty, action-packed, magical, and full of love, this story has it all! I loved Axel and Clara’s romance, a friends to lovers and almost forbidden romance I cannot get enough of.

I felt for these characters, who have all been through so much tragedy. From Axel, who lost his fiance, Clara, who lost her mother, and Henni, who lost her sister— this group was so determined to find their loved ones despite impossible odds. I still don’t understand the forest, which is never what it seems, and almost a furious character to itself!

This is peak YA fantasy romance, and I’m counting down the days until the next installment! Because there has to be more!

This book was so good. I read the bone criers moon and I would the series so much. And I was excited to start another book by the same author and I was not disappointed. The romance was so cute. I would highly recommend this book!

This was my first novel by Kathryn Purdie and I will definitely be picking up more books by her! I am a huge fan of Grimm’s fairytales and even took a class on them. I am also a fan of “Into The Woods” which I felt a similar vibe to. I enjoyed the mashup of various fairytales and the dark themes this book took on. This storyline was captivating at every turn.

The forest Grimm was once a friend to the villagers until the pact was broken when a life was taken. Now the forest calls to villagers and they are never seen again. Clara needs to find her mother and will do anything to get her back. THe Forest Grimm is jam-packed with traditional Grimm fairytales and is deliciously dark. Yet, there is no common thread that connects them to the plot and overall theme of the book. Nothing really gets accomplished and at the end it leaves an unsatisfactory feeling.

In order to save her mother and the rest of The Lost Ones, Clara sets off into the forest. Axel and Henni won't let her go alone and follow her. Things in the forest are strange and the land changes overnight as they sleep. Together, they must find the book in order to save their family and loved ones.
Opinion
This book is quite a ride. With a revisit to many childhood fairy tales, Purdie puts a spin on them that fascinated me. I was torn between reading as fast I could so I would know what happens and reading slower so I could savor the book. I was bit frustrated with how things turned out for Clara and her grandmother but am anxiously anticipating the next book in the series.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC for this book.

I honestly tried to enjoy this one but I couldn't. the choices that both MC took felt very questionable at beat and nth im not up for cheating like I get it we discover at some point the mc was not engage anymore but still they were literally trying to rescue his bride and he's making out with the other girl?like seriously? nope that's a no for me

Okay, so this was unexpected. I enjoyed this, but not in an excited way. I felt like this dragged at parts simply because there were so many different pieces involved. I loved the mash-up of fairytales, though, especially with the evil twist. So I'm definitely glad I got to read this even if it's not my favorite.

I had some issues understanding the main characters. Clara and Henni are best friends, so I thought they would be close in age, but Henni is constantly described as being childish. I also didn't completely connect with Axel and Clara's romance because it just seemed a bit out of place to me.

An intriguing fairytale retelling with a wonderfully creepy forest and some excellent worldbuilding. The foretelling of Clara’s death, the book that grants wishes, and the sentient forest that took that book away and cursed the town when a wish was misused were all fascinating.

Though the characters were likable, they never fully won me over. I didn’t feel like the main trio had much chemistry. I do appreciate the inclusion of a protagonist with scoliosis—since I have scoliosis myself—but the constant “S curve” mentions grew a little heavy-handed at times. There also were several moments where behavior drifted into idiot plot territory (not tightening a slipping protective cape, eating something a ghost had warned not to, taunting cannibals when playing dead would’ve been more effective, etc.).

Be forewarned that this is the first book in a duology, so it ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the second book. I haven’t decided whether I’ll read the next installment, since I’m 99% certain I’ve figured out the selfless wish that needs to be made to break the curse, and I’m kind of surprised it hasn’t occurred to any of the other characters.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “The Forest Grimm” by Kathryn Purdie. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the Bone Grace duology so I was excited to pick this book up. I was intrigued by the fairytale elements and they definitely ended up being my favorite part of the book.

Right off the bat, it felt like the story was starting in the wrong spot. It was a lot of prologue that I feel like I would have rather had later in the story. I also didn’t really like the vague France language as world building.

I liked the friendship between Clara and Hennie. I almost would have preferred they be the focus of this book. But Hennie is the younger sister of Axel’s fiancé, Ella. He’s in love with Clara but was going to marry Ella until she disappeared in the forest. This led to a sort of love triangle that was really off-putting. I kept wishing Axel hadn’t been included or had a different backstory without the fiancé part as it made him really unlikeable. All his and Clara’s angst about how they couldn’t be together was annoying. I really didn’t like him plus there was a bit of an age gap that didn’t help the situation.

I was hoping the sequel would be from Hennie’s POV since she wants to save her sister but for some reason we have to have another book with Clara as the narrator? I might pick up the sequel but I wish it was going to be from Hennie’s POV. I would be curious so see what other fairytale elements appear in the sequel but I don’t want a repeat book with the Clara/Axel angst.

Ugh I really did not like Axel. I think the book would have been stronger without the romance and I say this as a fan of romance books.

3/5 stars

It had potential with the intricate weaving of the classic Grimm fairytales but it didn't feel like they fit together - it was as if the author missed a few stitches. I think with further development and added depth of the main characters it would have helped guide the story to a higher level.

Where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists!! The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie is a new take on Grimm's fairytales and a new novel to add to your collection of twisted fairytales. There are a lot of dark fairy tales jam-packed into this winding story, and there’s also a little romance, a dark fairytale with cameos of beloved characters like Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. I definitely would recommend this book, my first time reading from this author Kathryn Purdie and I enjoyed this book.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.