Reviews

After The Forest by Kell Woods

victorio's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.0

The cover is beautiful and there is some nice prose within, occasionally. The problems I had with this book abound, however.

Foremost is the romance. Just too unbelievable and quick. Not to mention the age difference.

The magic never really feels fully thought out. It's a big part of the book but also always feels like it's an afterthought?

Often Greta makes dumb choices and seems overly immature, which tracks for someone who was abandoned as a child and lost both parents, but the author clearly wants you to believe that she is smart and mature.

There are a lot of interesting characters and too many plot ideas that get introduced and then abandoned for a long time before popping back up and feeling like the author just remembered about them. Sometimes the lull between plot points is just describing characters planting a field...

The first two-thirds of the book is slow and meandering and the last third just kind of whizzes by with a lot of very convenient turns to make everything turn out alright.

Also we never learn

why Elisabeth kills Jacob

which is just annoying.

sillylily's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

sarah_ll's review against another edition

2.0

Greta had 2 brain cells and they refuse to operate 

bekarebeka's review against another edition

It's just not holding my attention and I have other things I'm more excited to read

sbsreads's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

kellyculpeppertowe's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

greygryph's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

dekaj's review against another edition

2.0

By enjoyment, this is 1*, but it does have some redeeming qualities, and is overall well written.

I almost dropped it at 6% because it seemed like the standard historical fiction of a female character that is constantly belittled and feared/punished by the men around her. I gave it a chance, and it seemed to actually avoid some of the more angsty traps in this category! She actually had friends and people on her side, which was a refreshing change. Apart from this, every aspect of this book was very formula I and easy to predict.

Gretha acts infuriatingly naive, and keeps making things worse for helself by saying/doing the worst possible thing. It was maddening.
In the end, I just wanted it all to be over.

meghanwalsh's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

3.75

abeautifulbookwormamanda's review against another edition

DNF @ 34%. I just couldn’t do it, I didn’t care and I was confused. It may have gotten better but I have too many other books I’m excited to read.