After the Forest
Ratings16
Average rating3.6
One of the very best books I have ever read - stunningly gorgeous prose, a tight plot and impeccable characterization. Wow, wow, wow. Read this book!!
I loved the mixing of fairy tales! Greta had good growth throughout the book. Rob was a good father figure. Hans came around. The gross men didn't become violent which I appreciated. The ‘battle' at the end was so good. The betrayer twist was amazing! It was so good.
I think calling this a retelling of Hansel and Gretel is a bit misleading, but not in a bad way. For one, this is more of a continuation of Gretel (Greta) and Hansel (Hans)'s stories, as this book takes place well after being imprisoned by the witch as kids. For another, the author weaves in other Brothers' Grimm stories (most notably Snow White/Rose Red, and some references to Rumpelstiltskin) to tell something that's entirely new and unique and fun. Lumping all this under a simple tag like "retelling" seems reductive and does this a disservice, actually.
Greta has been doing her best to make ends meet for her and her brother Hans by selling gingerbread in their local village, but she's never been considered one of them. Lots of whispers about her being a witch and cursed in some way abound, so she's never really fit in anywhere. And with her brother racking up debt after debt, she has to find a way to keep him safe that doesn't involve her becoming a domestic servant, or worse. She encounters Mathias in the woods, a stranger with a mysterious secret that draws her in more than pushes her away, and it's through this encounter that she starts realizing there's much more to her childhood story than a simple witch.
The telling of this story was beautiful, but I will say it has a bit of a slow start. It took maybe 15-20% before I started getting invested in what was going on, but it ended up being a satisfying wait. There's romance here as well, and while I get a bit impatient at romance scenes in books (just not my thing, not judging), I actually thought Mathias and Greta seem sweet together. I do think the ending came a bit fast and abrupt, but I'm willing to forgive it because the rest of the story was so well done.
Also a trigger warning heads up: Chapter 25 is pretty brutal, if animal cruelty gets to you I'd probably skip it. It's not required to understand the story if you've been paying attention up to that point.
The story started oit so well. Yes it deveoped slowly, but I was on track and invested. Then it dtarted to get so repetative.
I mean caracthers also exist, and the side caracthers do little for the story. And I jusy did not need the lovy stuff at all.
Ok, lastly. The shitty ass town. Yes it was bult well and I getnit but I hate that town