I love fairytale retellings, and Hansel and Gretel is underused compared to many of the other classics, so I was excited to get to this one. I can tell Woods loves fairytale retellings too, because there are also elements of a number of other stories in here as well, most notably Snow White, and this book is at its finest when it's playing with fairytale tropes and mixing together components of different stories.

The problem with this, and where After the Forest fell down for me is that it's so interested in telling multiple different stories that it loses sight of its main character. There is a lot going on (wolves, bears, magic spells, evil witches, historical patriarchy, enchanted gingerbread, childhood trauma) that it completely overwhelms the main character, Greta, who becomes a passive player in her own story. There are constant scenes of dialogue where people explain to her what is happening, and she drifts between them, very rarely taking any action that isn't just her reacting to whatever is unfolding in front of her. The book passes comment multiple times on how little agency women have in medieval Germany, and while Greta is of course not going to be forced into marriage like all the other girls, it's never quite clear what her goal is instead.

I'm curious to see what Woods does next because I can see the gem of a really good story in here, if only she'd realised she didn't need to put every idea she'd ever had in a single book.

What happens after the witch is dead and the fairytale ends?

15 years after escaping the witch's cottage in the wood, Hans is suffering some severe PTSD. Drinking and gambling his life and home away. Greta is looked at with mistrust for "killing" and old woman and seems to be the outlet for the towns rumours and gossip. This story seamlessly blends, the original fairytale, real historical elements and macabre fantasy together. The prose is powerful, although the story is slow to get into it builds tension and intrigue throughout.

The man plot points are woven together well, leading to an engaging read with witches, shape-shifters, curses, romance and good vs evil.

TW: Animal cruelty (CH25).

Thank you Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for honest review.

I waited too long after reading After the Forest to write the review, so it may be a little more vague than I'd like...

"The bear was enormous. Larger, surely, than any of God's creatures had a right to be. The mound of muscle atop its sloping shoulders meant it reared tall as a common man. Its black fur gleamed. It gave a long, dusky breath, then, horribly, swung toward her, enormous paws strangely silent on the forest floor. Closer and closer it came, until Greta felt its warm breath and smelled its earthy, animal scent. Her heart crashed against her ribs. Her body screamed at her to run, to get down the mountain and behind the safety of her own door. But she remembered tales from the hunt. Wolves, boars... any predator will attack when its prey flees. It is instinct; a command surging in the blood, nameless and ancient.

To run is to die."

After the Forest is a creepy atmospheric read with lots of fairy tale influences (think Grimm, not Disney). Considering how predictable fairy tales and their retellings can be, I think Woods did a good job of infusing the story with historical details and new information to make this story more unique and exciting.

"Greta looked back at him, standing there in the yard. Expecting her to nod meekly and do as he bid. Expecting her to do nothing.

But she was tired, so tired, of nodding meekly and doing as she was bid. So tired of doing nothing.

She kept walking."

I especially liked the strong female protagonists. They didn't always make the right (or even the good) choice, but they did what needed to be done. Or at least what they thought needed to be done. And while the revolving perspectives did muddy the water and confuse the pace at times, After the Forest was an easy and engaging read that I genuinely enjoyed.

I do enjoy a good retelling! After The Forest is a fantastic debut book from an Australian author, and it was a great read.

Unfortunately, I was unable to separate the book from the animal cruelty that was in the story, as it is an absolute no-go for me. I wasn't aware to expect it going into the story (and wouldn't have picked it up if I was aware) so that definitely tainted my reading experience of the book.

With that aside, fascinating retelling and a well written book.

I loved the idea of this one but unfortunately I just couldn't quite get into the storyline.

The idea of a retelling of Hansel and Gretel sounded amazing, and there were definitely aspects of the book that I really enjoyed but overall something just seemed to be missing for me.

I love fairytales, I looooove retellings, and throw in a witchy vibe and I'm hooked but for me the storyline just never seemed to get going, I kept waiting for it to kick-off and it just didn't.

I've seen lots of wonderful reviews for this one, so maybe I just wasn't in the headspace for a fairytale when I picked this one up.

I'm still super grateful for the opportunity to read this one, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

This took quite a while to pick up, and at about 30% I seriously considered DNFing it, but then once it picked up, I found that I couldn't put the book down! The writing and imagery were just beautiful. A little too many German terms in there for my liking (I absolutely get that it was set in Germany and makes sense for the setting, but I just had to skip over so many parts because I didn't know what things were haha). I loved Mathias' storyline and how everything all tied together in the end. I would definitely recommend reading this book in winter because it's just absolutely that vibe (even though it's kinda set in end of winter / springtime). Such a good debut and I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did!

This is not just a retelling and follow-on of Hansel and Gretel but a bit of a Brothers Grimm mash up with Snow White and Rose Red and Rumplestiltskin and possibly others I didn't pick up.

A little slow to start, it picks up quite soon and gains a ripping momentum that builds to a climatic end.

The story of Hansel and Gretel always bugged me and possibly contributed to my nightmares of abandonment in childhood. How could a father willingly abandon his children? Of course I know humans are capable of extreme cruelty, I still found it hard to believe any man could be so besotted with a woman as to commit filicide especially as these school-aged children were beloved offspring of a beloved late wife.

Woods dealt with the aftermath fairly well. Giving the siblings real issues. Then comes the magic mixed with a bit of history with witch trials, shape shifting, politics and an indictment of bear baiting.

A really tasty read, perfect with some gingerbread on the side.

I have read a lot of fairytale retelling as it seems to be a popular genre at the moment but this is the first Hanzel and Gretyl retelling I have encountered.
Set 15 years after the event at the worches gingerbread house, I really enjoyed this darker retelling. I feel this will be a popular read on the socials when it is released later in the year

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this at all.
I expected a different take on the fairy tale or something original that makes it stand out from the countless retellings. What a disappointment! Greta was just plain stupid and her childish and immature behaviour annoyed me a lot. The grimoire you have is actually magical?! Omg who would've thought! The whole story irritated me and I skimmed through the second 50%.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was not it.

"Ginger, Honey, Cinnamon, Flour. A Drop of blood to bind its power"

Book: After The Forest
Author: Kell Woods
Platform: 100% Read
Pages: 384

Remember Hansel and Gretel? Now they're Hans and Greta. And they're all grown up.

It's 1650, 15 years after the witch and the gingerbread house, and Hans and Greta have a new problem. They may lose their home. Hans has a hefty gambling debt, and the war has left its mark.

If that wasn't enough...dark magic is brewing and strangers are arriving Wurttemberg.

Swipe for full blurb!

It looks like I did manage to squeeze in a witchy ready this spooky season after all! Not to mention that it is beautifully written. It's so magical and descriptive. My mind had no problem wandering to forests and villages. I look forward to seeing what Kell does next!

Thank you to Harper Voyager Australia and NetGalley for the gifted copy of After The Forest in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc copy of this book. I had really wanted to enjoy this book. But I just couldn't get into the rhythm. The book had brilliant and bright ideas. But it just wasn't for me. The characters were pleasant and the story line was intriguing. And maybe in the future, I will give it another go. But for now, it was a little lacking.

‘Something happened to Hans and me when we were children.’

Indeed. When they were children, Greta and Hans were led into the forest and abandoned by their father. There they encountered gingerbread, an oven and a cage. You might think you know their story but you don’t know what happened next.

Fast forward fifteen years, Greta Rosenthal is a 22 year old with no dowry, so obviously no man will ever want her. It’s not exactly helping her cause that people think she’s a witch.

It’s a good thing that Greta knows how to bake because Hans is doing his best to gamble away any money her gingerbread sales generate.

“Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon.
Flour.
It was clear what must be done. What Greta had always done to solve a problem.
Bake.”

We catch up with the siblings in 1650, a time of superstition and suspicion. The people of the Black Forest have been impacted greatly by the war. They’re not averse to accusing their neighbours of witchcraft.

This could be a problem for Greta because remember the gingerbread everyone loves so much? Her recipe may sorta kinda involve a dash or two of witchiness.

I really felt for Greta. Here she was doing her best to survive the trauma of abandonment and captivity with a brother who’s not helping her cause at all and a town full of people just itching for another witch trial.

“Alone in the forest there is real fear. Once felt, it is never forgotten.”

My favourite character was the book, because of course it was. But when you meet them you’ll understand why.

“I shall take care of you and you shall take care of me.”

I really enjoyed learning how magic works in Greta’s world and seeing how the different types were used throughout the book.

I used to actively avoid retellings. I wrongly assumed that I knew the stories well enough already and that nothing could (or maybe even should) be added to them. Then I fell in love with a few books that I didn’t realise were retellings when I started reading them and I finally got it. Retellings don’t diminish the original stories. They add to them: new perspectives, character depth, what happened after The End.

Greta’s story didn’t end when she and Hans survived the gingerbread house in the forest. It was only just beginning.

“You learn to be careful when you have been lost.”

Magic gingerbread to the rescue!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperVoyager, an imprint of HarperCollins, for the opportunity to read this book.

After the Forest is a dark and enchanting fantasy debut from Kell Woods that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic and a young woman contending with the truth of “happily ever after.”

This is a fairytale retelling takes place twenty years after Hansel and Gretel (Hans and Greta) escaped from the witch in the gingerbread house. Life is tough for them and they are struggling to get by - Hans is in debt and Greta is looked on suspiciously by the village. For you see, Greta has a secret - she stole the witch's grimoire and makes magical gingerbread.

This is adult fantasy for fans of fairy tale retellings. With gossip and suspicion surrounding Greta, in the aftermath of war and dark magic returning to the woods, here is a story filled with romance, mystery and a past that just won’t let go.

In a flooded market of adult fairytales, most leading more back to the Brother's Grimm side of things, we have very few that are done well. After The Forest is the exception. Kell Woods has expertly woven historical information from an era of witch trials and persecution into a reimagined story worthy of all the praise it is receiving.

The book begins after the events of 'Hansel and Gretel' - our MC's Hans and Greta have survived and now they must live with the actions of the past. The story brings in the fantastical elements like villains with poisoned fruit, witches and shapeshifters and close-minded humans, with that being said - it does take some time to make it's way into a fully immersive read but it's never slow or stagnant.

This would be perfect for those enjoying the current retellings, reimagining's and expansions on all of our beloved childhood fairy tales.

Thanks to HarperCollins Aus, Kell Woods & NetGalley for an advanced copies in both eBook & print. After The Forest is set for release October 4th, 2023.

I do appreciate well-done adult fairytale retellings and this Hansel and Gretel 15 years after they escaped from the witch, with a sprinkle of Snow White and Rose Red (Brothers’ Grimm) was a creative take that I hadn’t seen done before.

The question is, what would life look like in Hansel and Gretel’s life after they escaped a macabre death by a witch after being abandoned and presumably left for dead in the woods by their parents? That is traumatic AF, and no doubt would carry on into your young adolescent and adult life with some forms of PTSD as well as trust issues, amongst other things.

Hansel, aka, Hans, I almost felt sorry for with his extreme drinking and gambling coping mechanisms--almost--if he wasn’t such a dick to his sister. And poor sweet, naive Gretel, aka, Greta, seems to be much of the villager's fodder for nasty rumours and gossip. From there, we dive into a world full of enchanted forest vibes, good and evil witchy magic, shape-shifters and a dark backstory that explores Hans and Greta’s past.

I loved the meticulous historical detail of the era of witch hunts and burnings, and how Kell Woods blended this historical element with fantastical elements and lyrical prose, quite genius really. There is a cute little romantic plot too, for the romance fans.

It did take me a few chapters to become truly engaged in the story, and maybe that’s because it was in third-person narrative which made it a little more difficult for me to connect with the MC, but that is obviously a subjective preference.

A shout out to Jayme who mentioned Chapter 25 had graphic animal cruelty, which allowed me to skip this chapter, and a trigger warning for any other animal lover who intends to read this.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book for fans of adult fairytale retellings with a historical fiction element. A big congratulations to Australian author Kell Woods for an enthralling and original re-imagining. Can’t wait to see what she does next if this is her debut.

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, and Kell Woods for the opportunity to read this work in exchange for an honest review.

A dark fairytale of a story. Although it was marginally too slow-paced for my tastes, the writing was absolutely lovely.

One thing about me is I loveeee dark fairy tale reimaginings, so when I came across this title I was thrilled.

When I started this book I was thrown off a bit by its story being set within the “real world.” This lead to the first quarter of the book being pretty slow for me because I was all set for a fairy tale and instead felt like I was getting a historical drama. This, of course, was not the case, and when the story gets going, it gets GOING.

There’s magic, bears, wolves, cookies, poison apples, and of course a few witches, and not to mention plentiful gaslighting — what more could you want in a book.

After the Forest is full of absolutely luscious imagery and world-building, and when it gets good, it gets really good. Oh, and I’m always here for surprise magical creatures.

4/5 stars because it took me 100 pages to get into it, but once I was in I was happy to be along for the ride.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for the ebook ARC :))

DNFed at 41%.

I wanted to enjoy this, I really did, but at 150 pages in, it still felt like it wasn't really starting. Some pretty writing, but then the long-overdue first passage about magic essentially felt like the character was infodumping on both the character present and the audience. Additionally, it felt like it was moving towards a romance, but any character who could be the potential focus of it felt either tedious or actively dislikable. Occasionally there were bright moments, where I hoped it might stay at that level of enjoyment, but overall, I never felt truly compelled to pick it up. And so, this is not a review of the whole book, but the fact that I wasn't motivated enough to finish it feels telling enough.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and NetGalley for providing me access to an eARC to review!

It's great to see a traditionally published Australian fantasy author getting so much hype, because unfortunately it doesn't seem to happen often!

This book started off really well - a small town in the woods, a woman trying to hold things together, and hints of forest magic. The setting is really beautiful, and Greta is definitely an interesting protagonist. I think this was at its best when it had this smaller focus on Greta just trying to get through her life.

Unfortunately this just started to lose steam and wasn't keeping me interested. Past the first couple of chapters, it feels just a lot of characters talking about the same sorts of topics, which got a bit repetitive. I also wasn't sure how I felt about the introduction of more solid magic elements, and found everything came to Greta really easily. Sadly, it was going down the sort of fairytale route that I don't think is really my preference - not to say it was bad, just not really my thing.

It felt similar to The Mercies, but didn't quite hold the same building tension and superstitious small town vibes that I was hoping for. I think perhaps fans of Spells for Forgetting and The Bear and the Nightingale might enjoy this - a bit of a cozy fantasy but some darker themes as well.

'After The Forest' is a dark reimagining of The Brothers Grimm 'Hansel and Gretel', and it is a beautiful, haunting tale. It's more than a retelling, as it's set many years after the events at the witches cottage. While it has dark themes and dangerous characters, this is a true fairytale with all the magic and romance and mystery carefully placed within its pages. There's witches and shape-shifters and creatures and mad villagers and power struggles and threats. There's ominous signs, bewitched fruit, cursed characters and such a compelling and original plot. There was a point during the story that it switched from being more than the Hansel and Gretel retelling, and references others like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

The characters in this tale were not how I expected them to be, and it made them all the more compelling and fascinating. The complex past and memories impact everyone in the village, and there were many moments that were filled with darkness and dread. There were also moments of sweetness and tenderness in the romance of this tale, and contrast between the two is what made this dark fairytale so enjoyable.

Greta and Mathias are great main characters, with secrets and haunted pasts of their own, but together they face immense threats and enemies and form a strong alliance of trust and love. Sure, there was a bit of insta-love happening but it didn't matter in this fairytale retelling. The way Hansel was portrayed was different and harsh, but not unkind. His character has many demons of his own and the way he handles situations shows his trauma and problems he has to face. Greta is in fact a wonderful baker, providing the village with delicious gingerbread, sometimes enchanted, which is the apex of her troubles. We also have a talking grimoire, who provides comedic relief as well as forbidding messages.

All in all, this was a really enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. I can highly recommend for a spooky season or fall read, but there are a few trigger warnings you might want to check out; including animal cruelty and lots of violence and gore.