Reviews

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

cgood90's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

darniy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death and Sexual violence

chantaal's review

3.5

The Butcher of the Forest is a lush, dark fantasy novella, reading more like a dark fairy tale than a full on horror story. A woman is forced into a dark, enchanted wood to find the children of a tyrant who wandered into it, and a vivid, confusing, dark, fever dream ensues. 

I wish I could have enjoyed this much more, but I think stories that lean toward being told as fairy tales just aren't for me. I couldn't get a good grip on the story being told, nor figure out why I should care. 

Premee Mohamad is certainly a fantastic writer with some great ideas - but this one didn't land for me. 

mintoo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

bookjin's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.25

witchywilds's review against another edition

5.0

Rounded up from 4.5 stars!

If you're a fan of strange, unsettling, dark fairy tales, I think you'll love The Butcher of the Forest! I enjoyed the prose as well as the very soft "magic system" if you can even call it that. The creatures were interesting, some unique, some disturbing, and I think the art of "leaving things to the reader's imagination" was very well executed here.

joey_schafer's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

herhorizon's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

bucketsjen's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is very much a dark fairytale/folklore novella. The forest and the story are allegories and metaphors that take some contemplation to really process sometimes. I re-read it almost immediately. The language is flowery and well done, and it's a fairy short read (under two hours). The protagonist is easy to root for, and the nature of the forest and its rules and deals is fascinating.  

cloverrose13's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0