Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - After the Forest

After the Forest is not so much a retelling as it is a sequel. Quite literally, what happens after Hansel (Hans) and Gretel (Greta) escape the witch in the forest.

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.

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kaatiba's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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neens_m's review

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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

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bookswithjk's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

2.5

A good story that combines the Hansel and Gretel fairytale with Snow White. Trigger warning: there is animal cruelty in the latter end of the book.
Overall I did enjoy the story. However, I could not imagine Greta as a 22-year-old woman - she struck me more as a teenager. Hansel was also an interesting character, although he was underdeveloped (understandably though, since it is not his story but Greta’s).

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victoria_catherine_shaw's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

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lila_still_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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bee12345's review against another edition

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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

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smgibson27's review

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

A great witchy book, the relationships were well done, and the imagery was vivid. Made me want to find an adventure in the nearest forest. Very fairytale heavy, it wove together bits and pieces of a lot of old tales into someone new.

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