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questsandquietude's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual harassment
Minor: War and Miscarriage
20sidedbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Death of parent, Rape, Grief, Sexual violence, Abandonment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Miscarriage
amberreadsgood's review against another edition
- 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
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 writing soon! It's a lot more work, for sure, but I think she can do it given time and effort 😎👍🏼
Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment and Animal cruelty
Minor: Rape
ceruleanheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Greta makes money to support her and her brother through baking gingerbread (ironic), and Hans gets drunk and gambles as he tries to forget the past. Hans is quite frustrating, but his PTSD is understandable. Greta using the witch's book to help her make the gingerbread is so odd, but I guess it is needed for the story to work.
The book starts out slowly, explaining how Hans and Greta got to this point and their daily troubles. We get introduced to characters that are important, but not always fleshed out. Matthias is interesting and mysterious, but the insta love trope annoys me. The story picks up about a third of the way through.
I did like the atmosphere of the book. The magic, the setting, the realism of the town and their struggles. I also liked the bear and wolf storylines, and the smattering of other fairy tales that were referenced and reused. The author has a descriptive style that is enjoyable to read.
The story ended up being quite predictable. I figured out the *big reveal* many chapters before Greta made the connection. The characters are also a little flat. They exist for the plot, but don't seem to have much agency. Things that should have been questioned or investigated are just believed and people who are supposed to be smart do not seem to be so. Rob was the best character, and he was a side character!
*CW* chapter 25 has a fairly graphic scene involving animal cruelty. You can skip the scene honestly, and it does not affect the story. You can glean what happens.
*TW* chapter 27 has a scene involving relations without consent. It isn't very detailed, but still graphic in content. Again you can glean what happens, just skip page 447.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Pregnancy, and Death
kaatiba's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
monkeywaffle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Death of parent
victoria_catherine_shaw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Death, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
linfardts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Rape
jcoates's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The plot was more interesting than the characters themselves, and the revelation at the end gives a nod to typical fairy tale tropes. Overall, I enjoyed the book and was eager to keep listening.
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Grief, and Violence
rambles's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Miscarriage and Rape