Review: The Butcher of the Forest by Preemee Mohamed

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.

This is a strange and beautiful little novella.  Veris is tasked with entering a dark and terrifying forest to retrieve the Tyrant's children.  She is the only known person to have entered the forest and returned from its nightmarish realm called the Elmever.  Veris is hesitant to return to the Elmever, however her village and family are in danger if she doesn't return with the lost children.  Veris must use what she knows of the forest and Elmever to reach the children.  She must keep her wits about her and face past traumas if she wants to leave with her life and return with the children in tact.

The writing was beautiful and almost poetic.  It is dark and gruesome at times.  While this is a fantasy it does have a hint of horror to it as well.  This is not for the faint of heart!  You will want to check trigger warnings before jumping into this as it is delves deep into trauma and grief in Veris' past.  The worldbuilding was excellent and while this is short it really packs a punch and delivers.  

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