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sammishivener's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Death of parent
myskriss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A dazzling delight of a read which retells & continues the story of Hansel and Gretel while pulling inspiration from other Grimms' fairytales. The beautiful blend of nature and magic, along with vivid imagery and descriptions, gives a very ethereal vibe. There were a few issues with slow pacing, but nothing to detract me too badly from the story-I found them to be moments to truly appreciate the craftsmanship of Woods' voice. Very much recommend for anyone who enjoys magic, fairy tales, and wants a unique fantasy tale!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and War
amberreadsgood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed this as a fairytale retelling, but I can't help but feel like it could have been more than that. There were some interesting and fun fantasy concepts that I wish had been explored more, but because it was within the structure of a fairytale retelling, other plot points/concepts had to take priority.
Even so, this was still more than a lovely read. I'm not hugely familiar with the original Hansel and Gretel, but I liked how the author portrayed and developed the characters. Greta is certainly not the worst character POV I've been forced to read, and in fact I liked for the most part where her head was at and appreciated how she tried to keep everything running as smoothly as possible for her little family. I just wished she wanted to focus on the things I also wanted to focus on haha, again this is the downside of writing within the confines of a retelling: any new thing you introduce has to somewhat fit into an existing context, otherwise you may as well have written your own story "inspired by XYZ" rather than a "XYZ retelling."
Anyway, the magic was cool, especially theshapechanging (this is what I wanted more of), the romance was fast but sweet in a way I didn't have much of an issue with (Baldur's Gate 3 reference, intentional or otherwise, was fun and yeah I'd go there lmao), and the ending, while maybe left a bit open-ended for a fairytale (like, where's the explicit happy ending a lot of fairytales are known for?? A lot of classics are dark, sure, but Hansel and Gretel at least ended with returning home with riches for them all to live happily ever after together), was satisfactory. The writing quality itself was also very nice, a touch of whimsy in the descriptions, and easy to read.
I'd like to read more of this author, and I hope she decides to try her hand at original fantasy soon! It's a lot more work, for sure, but I think she can do it given time and effort 😎👍🏼
Even so, this was still more than a lovely read. I'm not hugely familiar with the original Hansel and Gretel, but I liked how the author portrayed and developed the characters. Greta is certainly not the worst character POV I've been forced to read, and in fact I liked for the most part where her head was at and appreciated how she tried to keep everything running as smoothly as possible for her little family. I just wished she wanted to focus on the things I also wanted to focus on haha, again this is the downside of writing within the confines of a retelling: any new thing you introduce has to somewhat fit into an existing context, otherwise you may as well have written your own story "inspired by XYZ" rather than a "XYZ retelling."
Anyway, the magic was cool, especially the
I'd like to read more of this author, and I hope she decides to try her hand at original fantasy soon! It's a lot more work, for sure, but I think she can do it given time and effort 😎👍🏼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Abandonment
Minor: Rape
carrie915's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
neens_m's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
bee12345's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
sarrie's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny
laurel616's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really enjoyed this, though I wish it got more into the magic system.
Also, it felt like there were short time jumps that came out of no where. I would think I was reading something that happened the next day only to find out in a few pages over 2 weeks had past.
Greta was really well developed, but the remaining characters were not. That was especially noticeable (and disappointing) with Hans.
Also, it felt like there were short time jumps that came out of no where. I would think I was reading something that happened the next day only to find out in a few pages over 2 weeks had past.
Greta was really well developed, but the remaining characters were not. That was especially noticeable (and disappointing) with Hans.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Drug use and Rape
chris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was so atmospheric and magical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Self harm, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Gore, Rape, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
november 2023
i’m gonna be honest i was really excited for this book when i first heard about it it but i think that if nothing actually plot-related happens after 151 pages, i’m better off DNFing it.
aside from that, the way the author chose to represent the german language was a mess? you can’t just decide some words are capitalized and others aren’t. either you capitalize all nouns like the germans would or you don’t, so it blends better with the english.
ah well. i’ll keep this book around for another month or two and i might come back to it… or not.
january 2024
I ended up finishing it and I’m so confused at what this book is trying to be???
i didn’t sign up for werewolves, werebears and a fairytale mish-mash when i was promised a hansel and gretel retelling. this book had very little retelling.
i also agree with other friends who said they didn’t hate this book but also didn’t enjoy themselves while reading it because that’s how i feel.
it’s a shame because the IC copy is so beautiful but i have no reason to keep this book in my collection ☹️
i’m gonna be honest i was really excited for this book when i first heard about it it but i think that if nothing actually plot-related happens after 151 pages, i’m better off DNFing it.
aside from that, the way the author chose to represent the german language was a mess? you can’t just decide some words are capitalized and others aren’t. either you capitalize all nouns like the germans would or you don’t, so it blends better with the english.
ah well. i’ll keep this book around for another month or two and i might come back to it… or not.
january 2024
I ended up finishing it and I’m so confused at what this book is trying to be???
i didn’t sign up for werewolves, werebears and a fairytale mish-mash when i was promised a hansel and gretel retelling. this book had very little retelling.
i also agree with other friends who said they didn’t hate this book but also didn’t enjoy themselves while reading it because that’s how i feel.
it’s a shame because the IC copy is so beautiful but i have no reason to keep this book in my collection ☹️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage, Torture, and Pregnancy
Trauma, PTSD, arranged betrothal