Take a photo of a barcode or cover
evamadera1 's review for:
After the Forest
by Kell Woods
I approached this read a bit hesitantly after a string of book box book reads this month and last that have disappointed. Sometimes these lower expectations work in my favor as they did with this book. Instead of disappointment, I found fascination and a unique take on children's fairy tales. The main character, Greta, lives with her brother, Hans, and the childhood trauma of being abandoned by their father in the middle of the forest as well as their subsequent captivity and torture by a witch. Yes, the main character and her brother are the grown up Hansel and Gretel. Woods weaves together this Grimm fairy tale with several others, including most prominently that of Snow White and Rose Red. These tales come to live in such a believable way that it would be easy to look at Greta's story, and the story of those around her, as the real inspiration for the Brothers Grimm. Although this is not a perfect book - I am most critical of the near insta love between Greta and her love interest - I really enjoyed this read.