Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - After The Forest

I picked this up because one of the 5th graders in my outreach suggested it to me, it's like their favorite book. First off, this book is considered adult fantasy (not spicy and the fact that I have to add that, because people will wonder, is discourse for another day). I don't think it was overly explicit, a few swear words here & there, a few sexually suggestive moments, some violence, but nothing crazy. I don't know why I'm adding all this, but that is my context.

I loved the idea of retelling/adding onto the Hansel and Gretel fairytale. I felt the additional characters added more depth to the story and helped bring the village to life. The story was also kind of like a mystery in that you and Greta are given bits of information over time and are figuring out how it all fits together. The bits of a second story are at the beginning of each chapter in italics give a little more depth. Our MC is Greta, but (hot take) I wished for more of Hans even though he's a mess. I thought the story was intricate and interesting. That being said, the first like 60% of the book was slow paced, lots of discussions happening, not so much plot-driven. There was some world building involved, but it wasn't heavy so that made it hard to get into. Past that, the story picks up and it was good. Some people found reveals to be obvious, but I never pick up on those so it was a surprise to me!

Beautiful cover by the way! I could see this being adapted into a tv show or movie.

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cozypete's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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lyall_reads's review against another edition

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Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Dark whimsy perfect for the Midwest winter! (and anyone who romances Halsin in BG3 😉)

*******

After the Forest is an adult fantasy following Greta (of Hansel and Gretel) years after the woods and the witch. Greta has a lot to love about her home, but with her brother falling into debt and accusations of witchcraft nipping at her heels, danger is always near. When suspicious visitors threaten her and her town, Greta is forced to embrace the magic she’s learned to conceal.

****

I think my favorite part of this story was how it grounded itself in the town and place of the Black Forest in the 1650s with the hardness of life, the threat of war, and the particular brand of misogyny Greta faces. My two complaints are 1) the pacing lagged for me near the end- I read the first 75% pretty quickly but then didn’t feel as caught up- and 2) my personal pet-peeve, only women friends are dead! It’s not entirely fair to put this critique on the book as Greta has few friends period and she gains a woman mentor figure in the story, but her being pursued romantically by multiple men (granted, most of them were unwanted) while only really interacting with townswomen who hate her hit right in that NLOG adjacent area that irks me. Again, I admit this isn’t quite fair for this book because it actually makes sense within the story, but it always annoys me!!

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sarrie's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Tl;DR - 2.5 stars. A cold, disconnected story with a reactionary character, this was a frustrating read for me.

I genuinely was expecting something very different than what I got with this and I’m quite disappointed. For some reason I thought this was more modern, however this leans very hard into the fairy tale ‘retellings/what if’ stories we’ve been getting a lot of the past few years. Hans and Greta are now adults and this follows their lives as more supernatural beings begin to enter it and how they deal with life after ‘the witch’.

My biggest complaint on this is that Greta was just so bland. I’m not sure if this was due to the writing, which in general felt very disconnected and cold, or the character herself. Even after the traumatic events of her childhood, the frequent supernatural events that followed, and the magical book that talks to her in her own home daily she still manages to find shapeshifters and werewolves surprising and frightening. I believe I would have started having problems well before the book started whispering in my mind, but to each their own.

Sadly I spent the entirety of the book disconnected, cold to the characters and only growing more frustrated. Greta felt a lot like many female characters I read in these types of stories, reactionary and mild in manner. If you met these women on a Tuesday in the supermarket you’d never know. Which, if this was literary fiction then yeah I can see that making sense. But in a fantasy novel? A retelling of a fairy tale? It makes for a dull and frustrating time for the reader.

2.5 bewitching gingerbread houses

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madscientistcat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I went through on again and off again on enjoying this. I like the concept and the main character, but I don't really care for the love interest and thought the plot got too winding (strayed too far from the path one might say). I also think the villain gets introduced far too late to be effective and her backstory is not handled with the delicacy it deserved.

It was so weird to be like and then I saw a vision of her being violently raped next to her sister's corpse, don't care though into the tree you go. I think that could have been cut and we would not have asked any questions.

I would have focused on her connection to the town and baking magic like in the beginning for a stronger through line. I did like using the fairy tales in the chapter titles and tying it in. Ultimately it was fine but the vibes were better than anything else.

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liesthemoontells's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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