Review: The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I really liked the premise of a darker twist on some of our favorite fairly tales.  I think the author did a good job of using some of my favorite tales and putting a nice twist on all of them to make them all a little bit darker and more sinister.  If you have ever read the original fairy tales they all lean on the darker side in an attempt to teach children a lesson and deter them from doing certain actions or going certain places.  I think the author did a good job staying true to the darker side of the original tales, while still putting her own fresh spin on them.

This follows Clara on quite and adventure to find a lost book as well as the villagers who were lost in the magical and dangerous forest that borders her village.  The book holds the secrets to reverse the curse on the village and Clara is determined to find the book, save the village, and find her mother.  You see Clara's grandmother is a fortune teller, and she has foretold that Clara is going to meet and untimely death in the Forest Grimm.  Clara driven by the cards her grandmother has drawn, enters the forest aided by her best friends Axel and Henni to find what was lost.  There they encounter a forest with a mind of it's own, dangerous creatures, and unexpected enemies.

One of the criticisms I have about the book is that the author often repeats certain phrases over and over as if you forgot them from the previous chapters.  The other thing I wasn't a fan of is that our main character Clara is an act first think later kind of person and it felt like she had no agency of her own.  All of her actions were driven by what she thought was her fate based on the cards drawn for her, and I felt like she lacked common sense much of the time because of it.  After some reflection, I think that means I'm not the target age group for this book.   It read a bit too juvenile for my taste, and I love a good middle grade or YA book.  The characters were a bit too impulsive for my taste and the book lacked the world building and character development that I personally like to see in a book despite the target age group.  I do think younger readers are really going to enjoy this.  The magic system isn't overly complicated, there is a decent amount of action, and the plotline is entertaining.

This is the first book in a duology from what I've read, I am looking forward to finding out where the series goes next.  This does end on a slight cliffhanger, but the main storyline of this book does end and I felt we got closure on this installment and brief preview of where the next book is headed.  

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