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A review by amberreadsgood
After the Forest by Kell Woods
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