THE FOREST GRIMM is a fantasy romance chock full of fairy tale magic. Clara's village has labored at the edge of the Forest Grimm for years - for so long life was good, until the forest's magic was offended by a selfish wish that ended in murder. Now their plants are dying, the livestock is sickly, and they themselves are starting to lose hope. Members of their community have slowly been coaxed into the forest, and no attempts to retrieve their Lost have succeeded. When Clara discovers a cape made by her mother, dyed red with rare rampion roots, its like the final piece of a puzzle. The rampion is the key to entering the forest safely. With her best friend Axle by her side, she is positive she can find the Lost - including her dear mother, and Axle's betrothed - and restore life to the way it was before. But even with the rampion to help her, a journey through the Forest Grimm was never going to be easy...


Slightly repetitive pacing and scenarios are the second half of this book's downfall. Where before the romance was enticing and a bit forbidden, and the magic of the forest was mysterious and frightening, the heroine is protesting too much, and the characters keep making the same mistakes. It began to feel as though we were trying to fit as many fairy tale tropes into the story as possible. The final climax felt a little rushed, as did the ending, so everything that happened feels as though it's glossed over by the characters.

The first half of the book is delightful however - getting our first glimpse of the forest and its dangers, getting hints of the attraction between Axle and Clara, and the mysterious tension between them and Henni was engaging. Any fans of fairy tale retellings may enjoy this, as well as fantasy romance fans. It should also be noted that Clara has a curvature of the spine, and her abilities are handled well throughout the story.

The Forest Grimm (The Forest Grimm #1) by Kathryn Purdie, 352 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2025. $15.
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
Three years ago, Clara’s mother went missing in the Forest Grimm and became the first of the Lost. Clara (17yo) has known that she and her mother are fated to die young, but Clara is determined to be a changer of fate—to use her early death to save her mother from an early death. Armed with a red hooded cape her mother made and a map she’s spent years drawing, Clara enters the forest knowing she will not return home alive.
Purdie weaves together several fairy tales—some more subtly than others—that harken back to the Grimms’ versions of the fairy tales. Rather than princesses looking for happily ever after, they are monsters setting traps to regain what they have lost. The darker tales raise the stakes for Clara who tests whether fate can be changed and who must decide whether she is as willing to live as she is to die.
Clara is of implied French descent, and the majority of characters are implied White. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, scary elements, kissing, and partial nudity. The violence rating is for corpses, blood and gore, mentions of cannibalism, assault, fantasy violence, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Gothic fairytale vibes, enchanted forests and gorgeous prose— this is a satisfying story with sweet romance and surprising twists. Be warned, this ends on a cliffhanger and content also mentions/ contains aspects of cannibalism.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

Unfortunately, this book could have used one more round of editing. The premise is amazing, genuinely, and I loved the plot. A mix of fairytales, this storyline had so much potential. But what really stalled out with this book was the execution. This book being YA does not effect whether it would be good or not. There is enough here for this book to have hit the mark, but it misses with the over description of things and the repetitive nature. It felt like we were being hit over the head with the story of the book over and over, when really we wanted to just get to the bottom of it all.

Overall, I could have been better, and I am willing to give it another try considering the second book is coming out soon.

DNF at 20%. Big thank you to the publisher for an early copy!

The Forest Grimm is the first book set in a new young adult romantasy series. We follow our 17-year-old main character, Clara as she embarks on a quest into the deadly and dangerous Forest Grimm to find a magical book called the Sortes Fortunae (aka the Book of Fortunes). Typically, no one ever makes it out of the forest out alive, but she will go to great lengths to break the curse that is placed on her village and to rescue her mother. What Clara does not know as she ventures through the forest, she and her friends that tag along will encounter some well-known fairytales.

I discovered Kathryn Purdie's books back in 2020 when Bone Crier's Moon came out and ever since I have been reading some of her books which I end up enjoying. When I saw The Forest Grimm go up on NetGalley, I instantly went to request it since I know Kathryn is an author I enjoy.

When The Forest Grimm first opens up with the villagers having their names drawn to see who would go into the forest to break the curse my first thought was: "is our main character going to yell-I volunteer as tribute?!" That part just made me think of The Hunger Games and no there was no one who yelled that they volunteered as tribute with those exact words.

Kathryn Purdie does such an amazing job setting up this world and the atmosphere. She really draws you in and makes you feel like you are in this dark, bleak forest with odd run ins with fairytale characters. I should note that these fairytale characters are not the Disney ones that a lot of us know but the darker ones that we encounter with the Brother Grimm Fairytales. You can expect Cinderella, Hansel + Gretel, Rapunzel, and a few other characters to appear in this book. With that being said I really enjoyed seeing the different characters and how they are portrayed as well interact with the main characters and the world.

When it comes to the characters, I for the most part enjoyed them but did find Henni and Clara to be aggravating at times. But I did love the friendship and the even more than friends' dynamic between Clara and Axel.

The pacing for the most part was great and fast but there were areas that felt like it dragged out. I was very engaged in this story and curious about what was going on and what would happen.

I've been seeing a lot of mixed reviews on The Forest Grimm about it feeling too young as well as other things. To put in perspective: I will be 28 this fall, and I did not find it juvenile or targeted for a younger range. To me this felt like a good, clean (no smut) romantasy retelling that I would have encountered when I was a teenager. Everyone does perceive things differently, so it is all good if people find this too young, but I just wanted to say for me it felt fine and I think many people who want a clean YA romantasy, a dark fantasy retelling, or to feel reminiscent of YA a decade ago then you'll enjoy this.

📖Truly grim journey into enchantment🏞👀

Three village teens braving a dangerous enchanted forest searching for lost love ones and a magic book of wishes to break a curse? Suspense and unpredictability? Romantic & familial devotion? Friends risking themselves for each other? A smart, determined, brave and self-sacrificing young heroine? Familiar fairytale characters like Briar Rose, Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel getting a totally new interpretation? It had them all, and their journey was one that might excite a fractured fairytales or Tolkien Hobbit or LOTR fan, but I just wasn't all that drawn into the story and, though I found the plot imaginative, can't say I enjoyed it. And the ending? Less joyful and more mournful than I'd hoped for. Plus, it's not a full ending. I think I liked the idea of this story more than the actual book. It turned into a more drawn out read than I expected and creepier, too.

I don't think I'll be reading The Deadly Grimm sequel. This just wasn't for me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 3/20/25 with Waterstones, Google Play, Goodreads, Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble, kobo and BAM.

This was a fun little take on the Grimm fairytales. I love a creepy haunted gothic forrest vibe and this story definitely had a strong gothic Forrest vibe. I liked the spin on the fairytale characters and the relationships between everyone. I am excited to see what happens in this world next.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press | Wednesday Books for sending a copy of The Forest Grimm for review.

The final book in this duology is being released Mar 25. I’m anxious to see how this series wraps up. I enjoyed this 1st book with its twisted Grimm fairy tales woven into the story itself. Although it did become a bit repetitive, throughout the MCs journeys, to be surprised that each character they came across turned out to be evil. Maybe I was just ready to move the story along so I could get some answers. Overall I was intrigued by the storyline and thought it was well written.

Kathryn Purdie’s The Forest Grimm is an enchanting and atmospheric fantasy that masterfully blends fairy tale magic with eerie, high-stakes adventure. From the moment Clara steps into the cursed forest, the novel grips readers with its dark twists on familiar fairy tale lore, creating a world that is both haunting and mesmerizing.

Clara’s journey to retrieve the Sortes Fortunae is filled with danger, as the Forest Grimm itself seems to conspire against her. The living woods, twisted fairy tale creatures, and unpredictable magic make every step feel like a gamble. The romance between Clara and Axel adds emotional depth, especially as fate threatens to keep them apart. Their dynamic is compelling, balancing moments of longing with heart-pounding action.

Purdie’s writing is lush and evocative, bringing the eerie, sentient forest to life with vivid descriptions and immersive worldbuilding. The novel’s tension never wavers, making it impossible to put down. Fans of dark fairy tales and fate-defying heroines will be utterly captivated by The Forest Grimm—a spellbinding, unforgettable read.

Honestly this was just a very long fantasy novel that ends on a cliffhanger. If I hadn't gotten the second book in the series as an ARC, I would never have picked this one up.

"The Forest Grimm" follows 16 year old Clara who is hoping her name gets picked at her village's Lottery so that she can be picked to search in the Forest Grrimm for the Lost Ones that have disappeared over the past three years. Clara's mother went missing three years ago searching for her missing father. Now, she lives with her grandmother and does her best to ignore the warnings her grandmother's cards show about her and others futures.

Clara was not that exciting to follow. Neither was her love interest Axel and her best friend Henni. There's a lot of explaining about so much that the entire book just drags terribly once you get to the point that the three teens are searching for the Lost Ones.

The entire book is Clara, Axel, and Henni meeting dark perspectives of familiar Grimm fairy tales (Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, etc.) and there's nothing new or interesting. As I said, the book drags. I was just bored throughout hoping that we would get to an ending quicker than we did.

The ending of the book left a lot to be desired. I didn't see a need for a second book, so will just finish that one as soon as I can.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Wednesday Books for these free copies of "The Forest Grimm" and "The Deathly Grimm."

I'm so glad I was able to read the duology back-to-back since they flow seamlessly together.

I was pulled into "Forest" in the opening lines when Clara asks her Grandmere to tell her again the story of how she will die. Clara's grandmother has some magic to tell futures with tarot cards.

But Forest Grimm has the bigger magic and allowed each villager to make a wish and the Forest would tell them how to make their dream come true. Three years ago, that power was yanked from the villagers and their land was cursed since a wish was used for murder.

Clara yearns to enter the Forest to search for the Lost Ones (you'll learn about them) and to find a way to break the curse, although she expects to die in the Forest based on her tarot card reading. Her friend Axel goes with her to search for his lost fiancee Ella.

What's so fun (even though they're dark) about these books is the recasting of well-known Grimm fairy tale characters. Will they show up as villagers? Or are they Lost Ones?

You'll see Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretl, Briar Rose, Snow White, Beanstalk Jack among many others.

Purdie's The Forest Grimm is an intriguing fairy tale book drawing elements from multiple stories and featuring a heroine with a clear motivation. The central forest is an exciting and dangerous place that draws the reader in.

Thank you Netgally and Katheryne Purdie for the arc of this book!

What can I say. I am a sucker for anything Fairy Tale related. This tale is woven along the classics. I like the focus on the Grimm aspect of Fairy Tales. They are not all sunshines and rainbows but filled with moralities and lessons. I love the friends to lovers tropes as it gives me such a sense of peace from love that takes time to grow and blooms. Anyway this was a great read and highly recommend. Can't wait to see more from the author.

I love retellings of classic Grimm fairytales. This was a delicious gem of a retelling. It stars a unique version of Red Riding Hood who is haunted by the disappearance of her mother who went into the Grimm Forest to find her father and never returned. Young 17 year old Clara has never allowed herself to know happiness as she believes she has been marked since childhood to save her mother’s life at the cost of her own. She attempts to rig the village choosing ritual that selects an individual to enter the forest in order to look for all the missing who have been summoned by an unknown force of magic, maybe the forest itself, into its midst but never returned into choosing her, but her good friend Axel is selected instead. Neither are able to enter the forest, which is cursed and responds defensively by attacking those who would step over the boundary into it, until Clara finds a red cloak left by her mother that protects her from the curse. When she and Axel venture into the Forest Grimm, they are met with dark and twisted versions of tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and a massive Grimm Wolf that seems bound and determined to hunt Clara down, but things are not always what they seem. There is much they will have puzzle out to save the lost villagers and hate village itself from the curse. Very fast paced, dark, and vastly enjoyable.

I really liked this a lot. It melds together all sorts of fairy tale stories we all know and love while putting the creepy spin on them (like the original Grimm Brothers). A creepy, magical forest with a disabled main character hero. I wish her disability was a little more prominent than just being mentioned a couple of times but maybe we will get more in the sequel.

Clara, Axel, and Hennie head into The Forest Grimm to find their lost villagers and a missing grimoire. They find much more. Some of the villagers have become fairy tale archetypes like Cinderella and Rapunzel. These aren't the Disney versions either, but something much darker. I like that Clara had a disability (scoliosis), yet still manages to achieve her goals. However, the reader is beat over the head about her back issues with every tumble she takes. The romance was sweet and of a PG13 variety. 4 stars.

This isn’t a retelling so much as a mashup of fairytales, the darker Grimm versions all coming together in a malevolent forest. Our FMC Clara wears a red cloak to protect her from being rejected by the forest, with the wolf stalking her throughout her journey to save her mother. Her best friends Axel and Hennie join her, both trying to rescue [Cinder]Ella, their fiancé/sister(respectively). They are looking for the Grimoire that grants one wish to each person in their village, but after a wish was used for murder it cursed the village and shut down the borders of the forest, but they are slowly losing friends who wander in at night and are never heard from again. Clara wants to use her wish to lift the curse and save the Lost.

Once they are in the forest it is a constant journey of stumbling into different fairytale characters, some of which they recognize, but whom do not remember anything of their past lives, only that they are missing something. It was interesting how each character was portrayed, but it was almost too on the nose to be calling them by their actual fairytale names when it seemed to be just alluding to the stories.

I enjoyed the touch of romance development we got with the MCs -this is safely in the YA level. Clara has scoliosis and it was portrayed well with the chronic pain and her having a harder time doing everything but still fully able. This ends with closure, and I wasn’t sure how much more could happen for the second half of the duology, but the epilogue opens it back up with a fun cliffhanger.

I tandem read this with the audiobook and liked the narrator for Clara, but had a hard time differentiating the other character voices so wasn’t always sure who was speaking. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC for my honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I went into the book a little blind I understood more or less what the book would be about. But the story definitely didn't go the way I thought it would.

I love that Kathryn took inspiration from the Grimm's Fairytales. But I feel like the storylines didn't blend well. In the end looking back it felt like walking through a house of horrors and just opening a random door, walk in, get spooked, walk out and onto the next door. I understand why the characters had to flea but I wish the transition was smoother.

I love the twists and turns that this book put me through. It had me gasping and chuckling the whole time.

I can't wait for the second book to be release because we left off on quite the cliff hanger.

#TheForestGrimm #NetGalley

This was a clever book with a twist on the classic Grimm fairy tales blended into the storyline. Main character, Clara is obsessed with finding her missing mother in the Forest Grimm. When the opportunity presents itself, she ventures into it along with her close childhood friend, Axel. But things definitely aren't always as they appear in the woods here and they are constantly rearranging themselves. You'll be lucky to find your way out when the time comes.
Yet, Clara and Axel each have their own reasons for being there - - their own burdens so to speak. And then another friend finds her way to them as well and their search gets even more complicated.

In addition to looking to rescue other people, Clara is desperately trying to resist the pull she feels to Axel. She tells herself that he isn't meant for her but for another. But is that really true? And how does Axel feel?

Of course, you have a big wolf, a red cape, some other scary fairy tale characters and some that aren't supposed to be scary. It all blends together to be a twisty and fun read.

Apparently this is the first book of a duology. I could have been very content with this being a standalone. I hope that the second book doesn't take away from the nice feeling of completion that I had when I wrapped up this first book.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I toggled back and forth between the audiobook and the ebook. I didn't mind the narrator's voices, but I did struggle to keep up with the storyline when I was listening to it as opposed to reading it. I'm not sure what made this book different from others for me, but I found myself reading it to finish because it was easier for me. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for ARC's of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review both of them.

An entertaining fairytale read. It felt overall a cohesive story with touching on a few classic fairytale stories within it. It for sure is an interesting concept for a story. And I enjoyed the characters overall!