Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

What a lovely, heartfelt finale to a series that deserves so much more love than it currently has. I'm annoyed it's taken me so long to read Glass Coffin because I loved it--I didn't like Such Big Teeth quite as much as I loved Darkwood and was a little worried Glass Coffin would disappoint me. But no other book could make me tear up over a spider.

With the powerful Huntsmen on the rise and their campaign against all magical beings growing, Gretel and her found family of fairy tale characters set off in search of the powerful Glass Witch with the hope that they can convince her to join their cause and defeat the Huntsmen for good. The Glass Witch, however, seems to be far more villain than hero.

There's so much to love about Glass Coffin and this series as a whole. I love Gabby Hutchinson Crouch's sense of humour - parts of this story are just plain daft, but they're so charming that the humour doesn't pull you out of the novel's more serious elements - and I love her take on fairy tale characters. Her version of Snow White, in particular, is one of my favourite versions of one of fairy tales' most famous characters. I've said before that this series feels more Shrek than Brothers Grimm, but it still has so much heart. I've loved this series as an adult, but oh my gosh I wish it had been around when I was a child.

I also deeply appreciate how casually queer normative these books are. I adore the relationship between Snow and Buttercup, in particular, and I think Buttercup is the heart of this series. That their revolution ultimately succeeds not because of their power and their weapons, but because Buttercup is unfailingly kind, says everything there is to know about this series.

I'm heartbroken that it's over, but I can't wait to buy hard copies for my shelves and read them over and over again. I love these books and I desperately want more people to read them.

Glass Coffin is the third book in the high fantasy Darkwood series by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch. Released 3rd June 2021 by Duckworth on their Farrago! imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

I've enjoyed this series from the start. This is a strong female-led ensemble high fantasy with whimsy, humour, and a lot of heart. The cast is full of fractured fairy tale and fable tropes, alongside good vs. evil, the meaning of friendship & truth, and found family. I highly recommend reading the trilogy in order, but for readers who want to jump in, the author has included a handy list of dramatis personae at the beginning to get up to speed.

I've been consistently impressed with the quality of the writing throughout. This 3rd book has a more sombre feel with fewer laugh-out-loud moments, but there's still a healthy dose of whimsy and fun. The story arc is well engineered and, as stated earlier, quite capably written. The disparate story threads do culminate in a satisfying denouement and resolution. I hold out fond hopes, despite this being the third book in a trilogy (in the author's own words), that we will be able to revisit the world in future stories. If not, it's resolved well and fairly; but I do have hopes.

The language is clean, the spelling and vernacular are British/UK English (rubbish, honour, dwarves named Oi, etc), but shouldn't present any difficulties in context for readers in the USA. Highly recommended for readers of fantasy and humour. It's not (sadly) Pratchett, but it's in the same school of fantasy/humour and it made me go back and re-read the Discworld novels and that's a good thing.

Five stars for this installment and four and a half for the series overall.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is the third book of a series. I have not read the first 2, but definitely will be now. It was a clever and entertaining story and I would recommend to people of all ages to read.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

If you see my reviews for the previous two instalments of this series, you will get an idea as to why I was surprised by the ending(s) provided in this one. For a fairytale retelling that could not be any quirkier, it had a very sedate finale. The conversations and banter in the group and the implied meanings in those words continues to hold the maximum power in the adventures in the narrative.
This is one book I would not recommend unless you have read the previous ones. This will make no sense at all! Over the last two books (although very little actual time has passed), battles have been fought, but the war is still up for grabs. This is probably the shortest of adventures (I say this without looking at the page count), with things happening swiftly and falling over each other in order to reach the finish. This last part should have been a downside, but it worked surprisingly. It forced certain characters to introspect faster than they would have otherwise and grow to reach their own potentials. There are a lot of romantic pairings, providing enough variety- from the most standard to the most bizarre.
There is not much more that I can add here which would make sense in a review of the last in a series. There are versions of popular fairytales mashed together in new ways and put in a sort-of-feudal-time world. It does not seem to take itself seriously, even as it tackles some tricky questions about people's views of themselves. The humour is something that grows on you (if you aren't already familiar with the style) over time. The action scenes are many and frequent, making it a quick read with some speed-breakers in terms of more subtle humour hidden in between.
I would recommend the series as a whole to someone on the lookout for a 'different' retelling.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Such a big fan of this series and it’s such a shame it doesn’t get more hype! This is the 3rd book in the series and is just as wonderful as the other two books- there were some moments in this book that had some very powerful quotes that could be applied to modern day life, and I think that’s a very important message for the audience

I’m so sad, this is the last book in a series that completely stole my heart. This series and the book contains a beautifully written, told and constructed story, full of humor and great characters, strong heroines, but it’s the friendship that truly stands out, this band ragtag band of friends stole my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to leave them behind. Thoroughly and highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I didn't realize this was part of a trilogy.
A fairytale retelling with magic, action and more.

A cute young book.

I'm in love with this series. Gabby is able to continue her immersive world-building and delightfully complex characters in this book as she generated in the first two. She concludes character story arcs in a satisfactory way, and it was truly a joy to read.

With Thanks to Duckworth Books and Gabby Hutchinson Crouch for an advance readers copy of the book.

4 1/2*

A very enjoyable, and unique fairy tale retelling.

This is the third of 3, and I hadn't read the first two however there is enough background to catch up pretty quickly. The writing is witty! That's the only real way I can put it, clever, laugh out loud funny with a note of sarcastic social commentary. I'm a big fan of this style of writing, (think Terry Pratchett, Jodi Taylor or Ben Aaronovitch) and I'm really happy to have found a new author to obsess over,

I loved this one enough to go out and purchase the pervious 2, i plan to binge read them all together.

Darkwood is a brilliant series, subverting the all classic fairy tales. This is the third in the series and the author hasn't missed a beat in all 3. I would thoroughly recommend this, and the other 2 to anyone.

I just finished this final installment in the Darkwood trilogy and I have to say: I loved it.

Call them fractured, twisted, modern, or whatever else you might want, these fairy tales are alive and kicking. All the old characters are reimagined in humorous and lovable ways: Snow, the White Knight, who lives in a cave with seven very hairy, very smelly, very loyal dwarves; Hansel the Mudd Witch and his twin sister Gretel the inventor; Buttercup, she of edible cottage in the woods fame; Jack the Lad, who accidentally killed a giant as a child and has been a charming rogue on the run ever since. Add to these a talking spider, a half man-half raven, a cranky old witch, a werewolf, and some brand new additions like Rumplestiltskin and Salad, whose magical talent is hair that grows constantly (bonus points if you understand the name reference there), and my favorite new character: Old Nikolas, the Midwinter Witch.

Anyway, there's battles brewing, an evil queen in a glass castle to be overthrown, a crew of evil Huntsman, and some very big feelings to be dealt with as well. This is a great adventure full of magic and fun, humor and ingenuity, with intense scenes of battle and tender scenes of friendship and love, with the theme of accepting yourself and others with love arching over the whole story.

I have loved this whole series and am sad to see it end. I am sure I will return to the Darkwood and the friends that dwell therein again somewhere down the road. Until then, Merry Jolly!

The Battle of Nearby village was just the start . . .
What a deliciously satisfying end to the Darkwood Trilogy! Gabby Hutchinson Crouch gives us a unique spin on fairy tales that surprise us and make us fall in love with them again. This time, Cinderella gets the 'Darkwood' treatment" and we see familiar aspects of that tale presented in unexpected, hilarious (and often heart-warming ways). The "Glass Witch" has been a foreboding presence in the previous books and we finally get to see her in all of her ruthless, dark and devious glory. I laughed and cried my way through this book and said goodbye to some of my favourite friends such as Trevor, the magical talking spider (and super spy!), Snow, the warrior Queen and Gretel, the brilliant, teenage inventor. My biggest criticism of the book is that the Darkwood trilogy is now over. I do hope that Gabby Hutchinson Crouch decides to revisit the land of Myrsina so I can lose myself in another world all over again.

This book picked up perfectly from the second one in the series. I loved how the author continued to grow the characters. There was so many parts in the book where I had to stop and re read because I it was so unexpected! I truly loved this book and the seires. I am so sad that it is over. I love dark twisted versisons of things and this book was totally that. I am hoping that maybe the author comes out with some other bits or spin offs! Regardless if that is what Gabby does or not, I will be picking up their next book!

I'm struggling to think of some superlatives I didn't use on the first two books in this series! I may have to reuse the same ones ... this is clever, it's stonkingly funny, the character arcs are wonderfully rounded off and everything makes sense, in the end. (I am a little disappointed that Gretel didn't make one connection I did, but it's always easier from outside the story, isn't it.)
Some parts of this were so unexpected, but they make perfect sense in retrospect. I'm so sad this series is over ... I really thought it could go on for a good while yet ... but at the same time, I'm glad it stopped before the quality went down. This could easily have been overstuffed, with cameos thrown in just because they could be, and I'm glad they aren't. Everyone here is necessary. (Especially Trevor.) There's some clever ideas around power and morality, but they aren't shoved in the reader's face; we're allowed to draw our own conclusions, which is much better. These would make a great classroom read, there could be some fabulous discussions on them.

I'll miss this series very much, but I'm looking forward to seeing what else Gabby can come up with. It's going to be great, whatever it is.

This was a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy, but I enjoyed the first book the most. These characters are fun and it was a humorous series overall.

This is the third book in the Darkwood series, and hopefully not the last! I definitely recommend reading Darkwood and Such Big Teeth first, to really get the full picture of the characters and the wider storylines.

Gretel and Hansel Mudd return to join battle with the Huntsmen again, but this time they also have the dreaded Glass Witch to contend with. Luckily, they still have their faithful friends – Jack, Hex, Buttercup, Trevor, Snow, Gilde, Scarlett, Patience and Daisy – to help them with the increasingly dangerous challenges they face. Unfortunately, Morning Quarry is putting a plausibly pleasant face to one kind of evil, while another kind has chosen Hansel as its next victim.

Distracted by Jack smooching, Buttercup and Snow bickering, and her first ever menses, can Gretel hold it all together and logic them all out of this battle with her usual gadgets? It looks like they might need more magical help from a few more familiar – reimagined – faces!

This instalment is quite a bit darker than the first two: some of the Glass Witch’s punishments are quite nightmarish and there is far more random nakedness than you usually get in fairytales (not sexual nakedness… just not-having-on-of-clothes, as an occupational hazard of shapeshifting). Nothing to make it unsuitable for most middle-graders, but those of a sensitive (or prim) disposition may want to approach with caution!

As usual, there is plenty of humour and action; familiar fairytale folk and storylines twisted into something new and delightful, and more modern in feel, and some lovely messages about love, friendship and playing to your strengths.

The ending was very satisfying and provided plenty of closure, but honestly, I don’t care! I still want MORE from the Darkwoods and from Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch – there must be one or two more childhood legends lurking around for her to work her special magic on. Fingers crossed, eh?!



'Humans will always be petty and jealous and mean. They will always attempt to unseat the Glass Witch. When this latest lot try, they will regret it, as humans do. She will dance on them, in a dress woven from their screams, and shoes of broken glass. She will have a ball on their re-moulded bodies, and she will dance all night with this new, powerful witch boy. Her brand new Prince Charming.'

– Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Glass Coffin


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Unfortunately this is the last novel in this great series and I'm sad.
It is an excellent story, full of humor and well written.
I loved the great characters and loved the storytelling. It's a bit less funny than the previous books but an excellent story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love fairytale retellings, especially those featuring fairytales that are not as popular as the others currently available.

I had assumed that I could easily read Glass Coffin when I received a copy without the context of the first two books, but sadly that was not the case. I just really thought that this was more of a standalone series rather than an intimately connected one. I'll probably shelf this book in the meantime, and read the first two books. But this book is still up in my alley in the future.

A great fairytale retelling that the author took time to make entirely their own! I really enjoyed it and think in general fairytale fans will as well.