"Gretel had no choice.

Her brother Hansel was in danger, and she had to kill the witch. Five months later, she is still ripped from her dreams and awoken by the noise of her sword tearing into the witch's flesh. Her waking hours are no better. Hansel has grown more and more like their monstrous father by the day. The society she now inhabits has trapped her in an endless cycle of balls with nobles who sneer at her family's new money. And worst of all, her greedy father has issued his newest ploy to increase his wealth. Gretel must marry, and soon.

Devastated at the prospect of a lifetime with an old, decrepit husband, she flees a ball...and runs right into Prince Wilfried. When Gretel divulges the reality of her situation, Wilfried comes up with a solution. He is also being pressured to find a suitable future queen - they can both delay the inevitable by faking an engagement. Gretel agrees, and what starts as a ruse quickly deepens as she finds herself falling for the handsome prince.

But in the quiet of night, still trapped in her castle with her memories, Gretel feels the walls closing in and ventures into the neighboring woods. There, she meets Katharina, a beautiful witch who introduces her to the witch community. But these women aren't evil - they're healers, and Gretel is drawn to them.

When information comes to light implicating her family's involvement in a traitorous plot and endangering the lives of herself and those she's grown to care about, Gretel must ask herself - did the wrong person die in that cottage? And can the Witchkiller become a witch?"

Go Gretel! Join the witches, kill your brother!

A DARK, YA BRIDGERTON WITH WITCHES!

Witchkiller is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a young woman getting to choose herself for the first time in her life. It's a powerful story that it's easy to fly through. Latimer's prose is lush and riveting, and they finish each chapter in such a way that you're eager to turn the next page. The ending is both sad and satisfying; Gretel ultimately makes the choice that's best for her, but that doesn't meant it doesn't hurt to see her turn down another life.

There's so much to love here. I'm so grateful to have read an early copy and can't wait to see how many people fall in love with this story!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for from a fairy tale retelling, it uses the Hansel and Gretel perfectly and was glad it was able to take that and create something new and interesting. I enjoyed how well Ashlee Latimer wrote this and thought it uses the what happens after in a unique way and was glad it was so well done. It uses the darker elements perfectly and enjoyed getting into this world and characters, it really made you think about after.

I appreciate the rise in fairytale retellings recently and overall, this book falls more into the pro category despite some of its flaws. Gretel as our main character was a solid protagonist though at times especially towards the end I was really wanting her to act smarter when it came to sneaking around Ansel and Hansel. Understandably, she's young so she's going to make some unsmart decisions, but we've been following her growth so it felt a little stagnant for her to make rookie mistakes because the plot needed her to.

Hansel and Ansel as the main villains also seemed to fall flat, but that didn't hinder the pacing or storytelling aspect of it, just a small nitpick from my reading standpoint. I definitely had some theories about Wilfried early on and I'm very happy to say I was proven wrong. Latimer is able to subvert some typical tropes with his character, and I appreciated that.

The plot is very straightforward and while it's a dark story, it's not seriously depressing. Overall, I think it's worth a read if darker fairytale retellings are your thing!

Witchkiller is a twisty take on what happens after a fairy tale is over, and the consequences of one's actions and the paths life can take.

The novel is a Hansel and Gretel retelling of sorts—one where Gretel killed the witch, Hansel took credit, and life hasn't been the same since. Gretel's brother and father are cruel, and with the death of the witch making them all quite wealthy, Gretel is placed in a position where she's forced to marry—and ends up engaged to a kind friend in the to-be King, Wilifred.

The book is extremely fast paced in a way that was sometimes enjoyable—I was able to finish it in two sittings and at some points felt I couldn't put it down. However, I do think the plot could have used a little bit of breathing room, as I felt sometimes there was a little more showing rather than telling which took away my ability to connect emotionally with the characters and the romances presented within.

Gretel and her prince begin their relationship under false pretenses, but I truly enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters. Things were not perfect between them—each of them made mistakes in their journeys with one another—and I would have loved to see more development particularly on the POV side with Gretel and her understanding that Wilifred genuinely enjoyed being around her.

Gretel is also faced with the discovery of a community of witches like the one she killed, including one who becomes another potential romantic interest. While I was thrilled at the possibility of this sapphic romance particularly when reading the description of the book, this aspect really fell flat for me as the love interest never particularly developed a personality for me.

Because of the fast paced plot and the lean into show rather than tell, the ending of this book fell a little flat for me—still, I had a fun time reading it and really enjoyed the world building aspects, particularly how the author was able to successfully interpret a well-known story into something a little more unfamiliar.

Thank you for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was an emotional roller coaster in the best way. I laughed, I cried, I screamed into a pillow (both from exhilaration and exasperation), I had to set it down and take a breather - and it was an amazing reading journey.

Witchkiller is a dark retelling of Hansel and Gretel with a delicious twist on what happens after “happily ever after,” as Gretel, our heroine and narrator, and Hansel, who isn’t the hero he pretends to be, face the consequences of their actions (or lack thereof, in Hansel’s case). It features a fake engagement, found family, royal balls, women supporting women, women loving women, and a curvy heroine.

What really made this reading experience so wonderful were the characters. Of course our leading lady is a badass who is on a journey to find her own identity, voice, and inner power after enduring years of abuse (check your trigger warnings, and take care of yourselves). But there are also so many wonderful side characters that fully flesh out this tale. I absolutely adored Prince Wilfried. I’m also particularly fond of the Queen, maids Frida and Annika, and some of our witchy friends in the mysterious coven in the woods.

My only dissatisfaction with the story was how the ending absolutely shattered my heart. However, just because a book doesn’t end the way I wanted it to doesn’t make the story wrong or bad. In fact, that’s what makes the art of storytelling so wonderful - we all have different visions and desires for what the “ending” should be. Even though I might have chosen differently if I were in Gretel’s shoes, Latimer arrives at her ending with honesty and carefully structured writing. There were also a few loose ends, but sometimes that’s just how life is; sometimes we don’t get the full answer. And I’m here for it.

I’d absolutely recommend this book. I know there are a lot of young readers who will love it, as well as some young-at-heart adults who might find a void from their childhoods filled.

While there are a lot of things I liked about this book, I found it just wasn't really for me, personally!

WITCHKILLER is a stunning debut about finding your voice and power against terrifying odds. Never shying away from the darkness of the fairy tale world, Latimer presents a lead character who teen readers will latch onto eagerly as she tries to maneuver her way out of her situation. It's a deeply compelling update to a classic tale that will fly off of YA shelves.