This is a fairytale retelling of many fairytales with a twist. It had lots of adventure, action and interesting characters with a bit of romance mixed in. I also enjoyed the magical aspects of the story and that the forest has a mind of its own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I typically enjoy fairytale retellings. This book had a lot of different stories all rolled up into one storyline. It was almost a little too much spread over the course of the tale. It felt a little disconnected and didn't always flow into a natural storyline. There was a creepy atmosphere, mystery, and ghoulish creatures living in the forest all trying to fit into the fairytale narrative. There was a bit of romance which I appreciated. I'm assuming there will be another book after this because if ends on a cliffhanger...

3 stars

A big thanks to Netgalley and MacMillian for providing an eARC and advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

The book had me at the mere name drop of the Brothers Grimm, but lost me at that cover.

The Forest of Grimm by Kathryn Purdie is a YA fantasy novel that follows the ill fated life of Clara, who must embark on a journey into the Forest Grimm to retrieve a magic book. Which is capable of lifting the curse of her village and saving her missing mother. With the help of her friend Axel, who is destined to never be with Clara, must face countless trials and tribulations straight out of the Grimm Brothers tales.

I REALLY wanted to love this book, given it's rich callback to plenty of Brother Grimm tales. But it was so thrown together, and haphazard I couldn't keep up. Subvert your expectations, because this book will not let you meet them.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of The Forest Grimm! I was excited to save this story for when fall began and the setting and atmosphere deliver well.
I am definitely one who favors fairytale retellings, which is exactly what this novel provides to the reader. At times, it felt like the author wanted to mesh and weave too many stories together. This becomes a little overwhelming and bogs down the pacing of the novel. The plot also did not have a "drive" to it that made me keep wanting to read. At times, I became bored and wanted to take multiple breaks.
As far as style goes, I feel like this novel was on par with Purdie's previous works! While there were some slow moments, I did not have many grievances with the novel in its entirety; however, this definitely could have been tweaked and improved for reading experience.

Love a good retelling of fairytales. This one seems to be of Little Red Riding Hood and Alice and Wonderland. Some of the plot seemed thrown together in a way that was haphazard, but it was enjoyable. I would read more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a dark mash up of a few of the Grimm Brothers tales. It started a bit slow for me, it was hard to get into it. I started enjoying it at about 49% of the book. I felt like that’s when it picked up the pace. After that I just wanted to keep on reading to find out what would happen to Clara and the other MC. It seemed a bit repetitive at times, and I would get annoyed at how many times Clara would bring up her “fate” we knew that’s now how it would end for her. The romance between the two MC was a slow burn, but cute, it developed perfectly considering they were both teens. If you’re into our beloved classic fairytales, in the Grimm’s classic dark style, you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this advance copy!

3.5 stars
Having read Kathryn Purdie's Bone Crier Saga and not loved it, I was nervous to go into this novel. However from the moment I started it I knew I would enjoy it more. I love the premise of this novel and the first few chapters really drew me in. The combination of dark fantasy elements and intermeshed classic fairy tales works really well. That being said, once the main characters entered the forest a few chapters in, although interesting in theory, the plot felt quite predictable, which made it difficult to be immersed in it. While I did really like the plot of this book on paper, when I was actually reading it I felt like, even if I could appreciate the plot twists, I knew exactly what they would be. Still, I appreciate this novel for what it is and what it does with some classic stories.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and Wednesday Books for review. Thank you! All thoughts are my own*

The Forest Grimm is a YA Fantasy/Fairytale retelling with a dark and mysterious sentient forest, fairytale characters with a twist, romance, strong friendships, family and more. I really enjoyed how Kathryn Purdie turned characters we know and love into something really different and creepy. I will definitely not think of Rapunzel or Cinderella in the same way again!

Clara Thurn is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the village of Grimm’s Hollow with her fortune telling Grand’Mere. Clara knows her cards, The Midnight Forest and The Fanged Creature, which spell her untimely death. Despite her grandmother’s warning, Clara heads into the deadly Forest Grimm on a quest to find Sortes Fortunae, The Book of Fortunes, to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Before the curse, the pages of Sortes Fortunae would reveal to the villagers how to obtain their deepest desires. All was well, until someone used the book for an evil purpose, to kill another. As punishment, the branches of The Forest Grimm took the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops began to die from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but anytime someone crossed the border, they were never seen or heard from again.

Now, Clara and her closest friend Axel, who she is fated never to be with, are determined to get into the forest, rescue the villagers, and find Sortes Fortunae. The forest has a mind of its own though and the lost are not the same, and Clara and Axel will face more than they bargained for.

I definitely recommend this one, which is out now, and I look forward to the sequel!

I enjoyed the idea of this book, but had a hard time following it. My goal is to give it another chance down the road. Gave it a three because even though it’s not for me, I like the book and the idea the author had behind it.

Sadly, this book was not for me. It was a very ambitious endeavor, attempting to weave all these fairytales together, but the consequence is having a bunch of plot hooks that are impossible to get invested in. The Red Riding Hood elements were interesting at times but they get bogged down by clunky storytelling and repetitious prose that didn't seem to trust the reader to pay attention.

This is an excellent new twist on Grimm's Fairy Tales. The REAL Grimm's, not the Disney versions. A village cursed when someone uses a lifetime wish to murder another. Multiple Lost souls in the Forrest Grimm. A girl's quest to save her mother and accept her own fate at the mercy of the Fanged Creature.

I am always looking for good twists on fairy tales and this one definitely meets the mark. I was delighted to see it's marked as #1, which hopefully means there will be more to follow. I look forward to see what else the author can do with the rest of the material. Good show!

A fun reimagininh of some of the most popular Grimms fairytales!! A solid YA adventure that kept me on my toes. The romance was sweet, but I do wish there had been just a tad more of it

“This is the story of how I save my mother. And, as it has been from the beginning, this remains the story of how I die.”

3.5 stars

This was magical and woven with fairytale delight. I felt like I was in the forest with them at times, going through and experiencing the wonder and horror of it. I felt like I was falling through Wonderland, with illusions, masks, and madness making up the majority of the book. Clara was a relatable character, she had a disability similar to mine and it never stopped her from life.

All that said, I didn’t really enjoy the story the further into it I got. It was confusing and strange - and not a good strange. There were too many fairytales thrown in and it became muddled. While I appreciated Clara having a disability in the beginning, I didn’t find it was described well. We were TOLD she had a disability over and over (and over and over) but we never FELT it, you know?

I also didn’t like how a few things played out, like, at all. If I say anymore it’s going to get really negative, so, I’m going to stop here. I may or may not read the next book, when it comes out, since the story wasn’t wrapped up, but I honestly don’t know if I care enough.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the stories of characters like Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood are familiar to many readers. Occasionally someone comes along and brings us a new twist on these classics, and Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie does just that with a tale of a young woman destined to die to save those she loves.

The book follows a young woman named Clara who is trapped in a village that has been cursed by the magic of the forest that surrounds it. At one time the village thrived thanks to that magic, and each villager had been given a wish upon a magic book upon coming of age. However, after one villager uses it to murder another, the forest takes back this gift and the prosperity of the village ceases. In addition to this hardship, many of the villagers have wandered into the forest never to be seen again, including Clara’s mother who she sets out to save with the help of her two best friends, Axel and Henni.

The plot of this book was interesting, and it moved along at a good pace. Clara is a sympathetic main character and narrator, as she knows from the beginning of the book that the trip into the forest will result in her death and she is content to trade her life for that of her mother. I also really loved the dark twists on familiar fairy tales that were woven into the story as the trio ventures deeper into the woods. It also led to some truly fascinating twists that kept me invested in the book.

I loved the characters in this book. All of them from Clara and her friends to the supporting characters they find in the woods are so incredibly well developed. They have depth and range and at no time did I feel like they were just a two dimensional being with no real motivation. Each is believable, even those who have succumbed to the madness of the forest.

I think if I had any criticisms of the book it would be that I really wish that the romantic aspect of the story had started sooner. It is clear pretty early on that childhood best friends Clara and Axel are destined to be more, and it was a slow process to get to the point where they admitted their feelings. Together they have a very sweet romance built on a long standing friendship and I would have loved for there to be more of that in the book.

Ratings:
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️

This book was a 4 out 5 stars for me. I really did like it, and I hope that there is a sequel to tie up some of the loose ends in this book (the epilogue hints at just that). The romance in it is sweet with little steam, so it is appropriate for most readers, and I would highly recommend checking this one out. It is a very interesting and well developed read with lots of twists on some of the classics.

(This will be posted on www.traceyreadsandrambles.com and on IG at @traceyreadsandrambles later today)

As a lover of fairytale retellings, I had high hopes for this young adult novel. Unfortunately, this ended up not being the novel for me.

Although this book is rated as young adult, the mostly juvenile writing and dialogue could easily have it straddle between an older middle grade book and young adult. I think for me, that was one of the biggest problems that I had. I felt like the main character Clara was extremely immature and continued to make very questionable decisions throughout the book that I don't think a character of her purported age would have continued to make, even to save her mother. The disability card also appeared to be overplayed. I joked with my husband while reading it that I should take a drink every time Clara mentions her scoliosis or "S curve". I quickly realized I would not survive reading the book had I played that game. As someone who had severe scoliosis that required corrective surgery, I don't think I've ever ruminated about it even half in my entire life as much as Clara does in the course of her few days in the forest.

The plot itself was confusing and seemed to throw in every major fairytale character without rhyme or reason. I love a good twisty retelling, but this was not it. I think for someone younger than me who has not been exposed to really well executed retellings such as The Lunar Chronicles or even the works by Christina Henry which take a very adult and very horrific turn, they would enjoy this book far more than I did.

Overall, a cozy fantasy read for pre-teens or younger teens with a sweet and extremely chaste romance. Older readers are going to probably be as frustrated with the plot and dialogue as I was.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Purdie, and Wednesday Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5
I love Katheryn Purdue and when I found out that she was writing a Red Riding Hood retelling, I knew I had to check this book out. This follows Clara who goes on a journey in the Forest Grimm to get the Book of Fortunes. I have to say that in the beginning of the book, it was a tad hard to get into but once the pacing picked up I was enjoying it. The world-building was okay for this book but I believe a more complex one would have been better for this fantasy story especially as it’s going to have another book. I still enjoyed the fantasy element to it and the way it was a soft retelling. This book is told from Clara’s perspective which I know many readers will her.

Clara is a great character and I love the way she’s written. She’s soft but powerful in a way that if she wants something, she won’t stop until she gets it. I loved her development and I can’t wait to see more of it. Axel is the main side character and I liked his character. I would do anything to read his pov but what I got, I’m also happy with. There are also many other side characters in this book as you will meet them throughout the book. The romance is a cute friends-to-lovers but there’s something about it that I’m nervous will happen.

The ending is a cliffhanger and Kathryn Purdie does an amazing job with cliffhangers. This happened before with Bone Crier’s Moon and I immediately just want to read the next book to know what happens next. I totally recommend checking this book out especially if you love a more character-driven book with fantasy because this one will be it.
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

While I enjoyed this book, it was a bit difficult for me to get through.

I was intruiged by the promise of multiple fairy tales woven together in a dark forest, but the individual tales felt really disjointed from one another and didn't mesh together like I wanted them to. It almost felt like a collection of short stories that were connected by a theme? I don't know if I'm explaining it right.

The romance was also lacking for me. I never rooted for the couple because I didn't ever feel like we got to see any development beyond physical attraction. There was no emotional development on the page and I struggled with that.

However I did enjoy the overarching story and the atmosphere of the dark forest. And I enjoyed it enough to check out the sequel when it publishes.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This book took a few well known fairy tales (Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel) and mixed them together along with (as far as I can tell) her original ideas. But that’s not all—Purdie also altered the stories into more twisted versions of themselves. I think the brothers Grimm would be satisfied. It all fit together well, and I would have been content had this been a standalone book. I can see the small opening of unfinished business that the author stuck a wedge in for a sequel, and I might read it. I’ve read another of her series and enjoyed it.

Clara (17) may have been blinded by love for her mother, preventing her from really seeing risks and danger; however, that’s not always a bad thing. Her self-inflicted martyr status bothered me, though—she can’t love because she’s going to die, she has to help other people live and be happy at the expense of her own life, etc. And she may as well have walked around with a sign that said, “Hi, I have scoliosis.” Her spine is curved, and it affects her life—I get that. But any time her back or spine were ever mentioned, it was “my S curve” or “my crooked spine,” and it wasn’t always relevant. That being said, I did like her. She was caring and clever. Axel (19) was clearly in love with her, despite his engagement to Ella. What’s never clear is how and why he became involved with Ella in the first place when she’s not the person he wanted. Or maybe I have an idea related to a wish . . . Anyway, I liked him. Henni (15) irritated me more than anything.

Note: I can’t recall anything bad.

So this had such potential and ended up being kind of a disappointment. The writing is fine don't get me wrong, but the pacing was just sort of off. If I had to give praise somewhere, I would say that I enjoyed the characters and the Grimm Brothers' fairytales are certainly incorporated, but the storytelling was rather average. I kept holding out for the ending to maybe bump it up to four stars, but it was ultimately disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was really good! I was pulled in from the very beginning. I couldn't put this down. I love the development of the story and characters. I have been reading a lot of fantasy recently, so this was right in line. I thoroughly enjoyed the way this played out and I can't wait to see what comes next from Kathryn!