I wasn't sure what to expect from The Forest Grimm as the market doesn't seem short of these types of fairytale retellings aimed at a YA audience, with that said I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book! Kathryn Purdie brought an enjoyable new twist to the beloved Grimm's Fairytales, keeping some of the darker elements of the story whilst also keeping accessible for the intended target audience. This book is about Clara and her friend Axel trying to find her mother in the forest after she went missing years ago and encountering challenges and old friends along the way. I had a great time with this book, and it contained some of my favorite tropes such as star-crossed lovers and morally grey characters. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting an easy and compelling read that's not completely light-hearted but won't leave you with a heavy book hangover at the end.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

The Forest Grimm is a book with a blurb that sounds so intriguing and promising but fails to really deliver anything of substance. While not a bad read. It's one that passes the time but isn't one you will overly remember reading in a few months time.

I really enjoyed this one for the most part. Full of adventure and intrigue, once I got to the second half, I was unable to put it down.

While mostly fantastic, I found the ending to be wrapped a little too quickly, but otherwise the pacing was fairly constant.

Loved the bit about the grandmother, was super disheartened that everyone couldn't have a HEA. But hey, for a book that flew under my radar until thrust at me by a fantastic Publicist, it's a definite win

The Forest Grimm is a beautiful homage to fairy tales and interweaves classic characters with a dark twist.

I was instantly captivated by Grandmeres use of fortune telling cards, the curse bestowed upon the town and Devotion Day.

I absolutely loved this story and really hope we get to see more from Clara.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and if you are a fairytale lover you probably will too. I tend to be quite cautious when it comes to fairytale retellings as they all seem to be very repetitive and samey but this gave me a fresh new pin on some of the most beloved fairytales.

I loved the twists and turns in this, I had convinced myself the story was going to go one way and it ended up going in a completely different direction. I thought the portrayal of the characters and their roles within the different fairytales was done really well.

My only gripe with this is that the romance wasn't convincing and it fell flat. I felt like I was being told about this connection they shared so deeply but I wasn't actually seeing that throughout the story.

At first, I really wasn't enjoying this story. It seemed cliché, a bit slow and somewhat predictable. But by the end, I was actually really invested and was gutted to find the cliffhanger waiting for me at the end. I liked the concept of the magical book granting the town's wishes and the mystery behind its disappearance and that of the adults. I also liked how corrupted the missing people had become, fulfilling various well known storybook roles but with a sinister twist. What I wasn't a huge fan of was the romance elements - I felt Clara could have not pined over Axel so much considering they both knew his fiancé had been taken by the forest. However, I came around as the story unfolded more and I felt a bit softer towards the pair and the way their friendship and relationship developed (largely because Clara had some guts in the end and did some action hero moves that made me like her a lot better!). And then the final chapter - hoo boy, I was not ready for that. I desperately want to know what happens next and can't wait for book 2. (4.5 stars)

Thank you so much Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely adored this fantasy world that sees Clara take on a whimsical quest through an enchanted forest to save her mother and herself. It was so fabulous. And definitely a lovely read!

Once upon a time, the people in Clara’s village would whisper their secret desires to the Book of Fortunes, and the book would reveal how to obtain them. But after the book was used for evil, the forest snatched it away and closed itself off from the village. Anyone who has been permitted to cross its border has not been seen again.
Clara has always known that her destiny is to die, so she sets out to find the Book of Fortunes and rescue her mother, who is one of the people lost to the forest. But the forest holds many dark secrets, and dangers lurk at every turn…
The Forest Grimm is an atmospheric and dark read, filled with references to many of Grimm’s fairytales, which are turned into something altogether new. At times, pacing felt a bit slow, but I did enjoy the unexpected twists to the different characters. I think this will appeal to anyone who enjoys a dark fairytale retelling such as Christina Henry’s Chronicles of Alice, and I will be looking out for the sequel!

A wonderful book. An absolute delight in the style and essence of "once upon a time" fairy tales. Cara embarks on a dangerous and deeply mystical quest to conquer the Grimm forest that has turned against her village. Cara is a strong and defined character and her endeavours follow a twisty turny path that will lead her to answers. Or not, in true whimsical style.

A very different take on some well-known characters from childhood fairy stories.

Clara lives on the edge of a formidable forest called Grimm which keeps the villagers out, forcibly throwing them back when they try to enter. Because someone used a sacred wish to cause the death of someone else. Every now and then, someone was allowed to pass over the border into the tress, but there were never seen again. The forest, once their friend, has turned on them and no one knows how to reverse it. Least of all Clara, who knows her destiny is to die in the forest - but how, since she can't enter it? But her mother is one of the Lost and she's determined to find her.

In this fantasy story, a reverse fairy story, we meet characters we know but they are not how we expect them to be, and Clara finds it's hard to tell friend from foe.

A fresh look at something we all think we know and beautifully set up for a sequel which I will be looking out for. I want to know what happens next!

The forest has turned against the village, and villagers are going missing, including Clara's mother. Clara must go into the forest to find her mother and cast a selfless wish in order to lift the curse. However, the forest holds secrets, and Clara's fate is stacked against her. What if the forest has changed the lost? Can Clara alter her fate? Will everyone make it out of the forest alive?

I absolutely devoured this book. I was not expecting to be so gripped by Clara's adventures, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think this tale will stick with me for a while. I am not normally a big lover of fairy-tale retellings, but I loved how, like the title, Grimm inspired these were. The forest and the lost are not what you think they are. Whilst I did predict some of the reveals and Clara was so frustratingly oblivious sometimes, I found myself being so enthralled with both the characters and the plot.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Kathryn Purdie for sending me this eArc in exchange for an honest review. The book is out now, so I urge you to go and read it! It is the perfect read for the winter months.
Publication Date: September 19th, 2023

Once upon a time, the villagers of Grimm’s Hollow would whisper their dreams to the Book of Fortunes and it’s pages would reveal how to make them come true. But then someone used the book to kill, and the Forest Grimm took the book away, leaving the village to wither and preventing anyone who entered the forest from returning home again. Determined to rescue her mother, the first of the villagers to become Lost, Clara journeys into the forest to find the Book of Fortunes and reverse the curse trapping the missing villagers inside.

I usually love fairytale re-tellings, and one set in a forest where various fairytales are combined sounded brilliant, but unfortunately The Forest Grimm is distinctly average. Considering the entire premise of the book is based around Grimm’s fairytales, I don’t think enough was made of the fairytale elements. Only a few fairytale characters actually feature, and the rest of the story is based entirely on Clara and her obsession with her own fate, which was very repetitive.

I did enjoy the eerie atmosphere and the twisted way the fairytale characters were written – very Brothers Grimm – but there simply wasn’t enough plot to keep the story interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Harper/Magpie for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, violence, injury

“The Forest Grimm” is a mash-up of various fairy tales all living within a haunted forest, where one girl must travel to rescue her mother, even though it means her death. It follows Clara, whose grandmother has predicted will die via tarot cards for years, and her determination to enter the Forest Grimm to seek out her missing mother, who vanished years ago as the first of the Lost Ones, and to return a book of wishes to her cursed village. All she has is a red cloak, made by her mother as protection for her own journey but abandoned, and a map she’s spent years making in secret. Following a reading by her grandmother that confirms Clara’s fate once again, she decides to go, accompanied by her childhood best friend (and secret love) Axel. Axel has his own reasons for coming along: the girl he was supposed to marry, Ella, disappeared the night before the wedding, leaving the village distraught. Joined by Ella’s sister Henni, Clara and Axel must journey through a forest filled with dark, twisted versions of fairy tale characters while also being stalked by the Wolf destined to end Clara’s life. She doesn’t care as long as she brings her mother home.

Clara has scoliosis and I loved how apparent it was throughout the book; the ways she adapts to certain situations due to it were well written and I thought it was a good example of representation for people who use aids. My absolute favourite scene in this book was when Clara, Axel and Henni encounter the Forest’s version of Rapunzel, it’s genuinely one of the creepiest moments I’ve read in a YA book and one that will stay with me. I’m glad I read this, it was enjoyable and easy to read while taking well known stories and twisting them into something more original.

This book was so good! It was intriguing and really drawed me in. I'll be reading more of this authors work.

Perfect for lovers of dark fairytales, get ready for a world of twisted tales, creepy forests and missing magic.

The Forest Grim follows the tale of Clara, a girl fated to die young, she's always known the story of how she dies. Living in a Grimm's Hollow she's use to fate and magic, but when one day the magic of the forest turns against her village she's determined to change her fate long enough to save those lost and return the magic which had always protected and helped the village.

Setting off into the forest, in search of the lost villages and the book of fortunes both Clara and her friends run into lost villagers but after so long lost in the forest, those she knew have changed and become obstacles between her and the book.

Whilst I read this book in one sitting, I did find a couple of moments within the book where I felt the pacing was a little off. Overall, though I enjoyed this tale and the twisting and melding together of different fairytales.

I think if you ever watched that Simpsons episode where they went through the Brothers Grimm tale in an interlocking narrative, you will thoroughly enjoy this book!

It was so cool, with all the different fairytales packed into one, the shifting intentions of the forest and Book of Fortunes, and Clara's quest to stop her fortune from coming true! There's darker undertones to the fairytales, which changes it up from the traditional story books I read as a kid, which definitely kept me engaged.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Clara's village there is a book, The Book Of Fortunes, where each villager gets one wish and the book would tell them how to get what they wish for. However, one year someone uses the book for evil and this seems to corrupt the Forest and it hides the book away and curses the village.

After this, The Forest Grimm cannot be entered, the trees are vicious and once you enter you become Lost. Clara's mother is one such person that has become Lost in the Forest, along with her childhood friend, Axels, betrothed.

Despite an ominous fortune being told by her Grandmother, Clara's vows to enter the Forest and save her mother and the other Lost.

This is a fairytale in its own rights but is interwoven with so many of the classic fairytale we know and love, but more Grimm leaning with the dark undertones

Loved this book, and would happily read more in this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the chance to read and review this book.

There's potential and I think this could turn into an exciting series. This book is a bit confusing: there's too much, too many tales mixed into one.
That said there's plenty of entertaining and fascinating parts.
I want to read the next story
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Don’t judge a book by its cover but dang this one is a beauty. I love the whimsical, fairytale vibe and what better book to pick up on the dark nights with a cozy blanket and a cuppa.

This is a retelling of several classic fairytales with some dark tones throughout. Although this is marketed at YA it did feel a bit creepy at times with nets made of hair, being dragged away and faces in trees just as a pre-warning.

It follows Clara who is trying everything to gain access into The Forest Grim in order to find her family and a magical book which has gone missing. Her friend Axel accompanies her in search of his fiancé, Ella. Their search proves difficult when they wake in different locations and are dealt several riddles and dangerous characters.

I really enjoyed this story and it was perfect for the Halloween/autumn season with the creepy vibes. The romance surprised me, though it was sweet.

‘What is fate, after all, if not to be tempted?’

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars