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A review by chaoticbookgremlin_
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would!
I am generally not a big fan of novellas, as a lot of the time, they're not long enough to feel connected or attached to any of its elements or characters, but this definitely achieved that. Over the 160 or so pages of this book, I felt we got a very strong sense of atmosphere, worldbuilding, and character, particularly with the motivations and desire of our protagonist, Veris. In such a small amount of time, we get such a strong sense of Veris as a character that I feel like I've spent so much time with her than 160 pages, and I can't help but want perhaps just a bit more time with her to flesh her out even more.
I did not know this was horror going into this. Believe it or not, I'm also not much of a horror fan - it takes a lot for me to enjoy it. So not only did I really enjoy a novella, I really enjoyed a horror-based novella, which is such an achievement that I'm very surprised this random little tale managed to do it.
The best part of this book was the dark gothic fairytale aesthetic present throughout the entire book. Much like many fairytales, especially those from the Brothers Grimm, The Butcher of the Forest was fast-paced, with the action beginning on page 1, and never letting up, complete with two children lost in a haunted forest filled with monsters that want to "adopt" them, and an evil ruler who sends an unlikely hero in after them. The prose heighted the fairytale vibe even more, giving us a sense of urgency and tension that never lets up, given the 24-hour time limit Veris has to find and get the children out of the forest - before it never lets them go.
If you like spooky forests, dark fairytales, undead creatures, and a race against time, I highly recommend this book!
I am generally not a big fan of novellas, as a lot of the time, they're not long enough to feel connected or attached to any of its elements or characters, but this definitely achieved that. Over the 160 or so pages of this book, I felt we got a very strong sense of atmosphere, worldbuilding, and character, particularly with the motivations and desire of our protagonist, Veris. In such a small amount of time, we get such a strong sense of Veris as a character that I feel like I've spent so much time with her than 160 pages, and I can't help but want perhaps just a bit more time with her to flesh her out even more.
I did not know this was horror going into this. Believe it or not, I'm also not much of a horror fan - it takes a lot for me to enjoy it. So not only did I really enjoy a novella, I really enjoyed a horror-based novella, which is such an achievement that I'm very surprised this random little tale managed to do it.
The best part of this book was the dark gothic fairytale aesthetic present throughout the entire book. Much like many fairytales, especially those from the Brothers Grimm, The Butcher of the Forest was fast-paced, with the action beginning on page 1, and never letting up, complete with two children lost in a haunted forest filled with monsters that want to "adopt" them, and an evil ruler who sends an unlikely hero in after them. The prose heighted the fairytale vibe even more, giving us a sense of urgency and tension that never lets up, given the 24-hour time limit Veris has to find and get the children out of the forest - before it never lets them go.
If you like spooky forests, dark fairytales, undead creatures, and a race against time, I highly recommend this book!