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A review by bottleblondebookworm
The Deathly Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
4.0
I enjoyed the first book in the Grimm duology, The Forest Grimm, so much! I love dark, fairytale reimaginings, so this was right up my alley. While the second installment, The Deathly Grimm, held up and was enjoyable, it didn’t have the same dreamy, immersive effect as book one.
In the end of book one, our FMC, Clara, breaks part of the curse holding her small town hostage, and is given a task to break the rest of the curse. Book two picks up at shortly after with a town hall meeting to determine if Clara and her friends who escaped the Forest Grimm in the last book are guilty of keeping the curse alive, even though they broke part of it. So, Clara and Axel flee to the Forest Grimm to solve the curse once and for all.
One of the major selling points in book one was the romance between Clara and Axel which was a slow and sweet burn that was brought closer by the darkness of the forest. This time around, their relationship is put to the test as Clara begins to have visions of the Lost and a new person enters the forest. With Clara’s visions guiding them, and her own internal battle over actions from book one, Clara doubts herself and pulls away from those she loves. I understood this change, but it was very frustrating at times and I found myself wishing Clara would just communicate more! However, Axel was being quite unfair to Clara and expecting her to solve everything, so again, I can see why Clara held back. The Forest Grimm is known to mess with your mind, and this is portrayed very well through Clara’s and Axel’s struggles, both personal and internal.
I read this in one sitting. So while there was a sense of something missing, I was still fully engaged and invested in the story. There were twists and turns and the dark, shifty feel of the forest’s magic and Clara’s visions really kept me from completely figuring everything out.
I definitely recommend this duology for anyone that enjoys a dark, fairytale inspired adventure fantasy with a dash of romance!
Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.
In the end of book one, our FMC, Clara, breaks part of the curse holding her small town hostage, and is given a task to break the rest of the curse. Book two picks up at shortly after with a town hall meeting to determine if Clara and her friends who escaped the Forest Grimm in the last book are guilty of keeping the curse alive, even though they broke part of it. So, Clara and Axel flee to the Forest Grimm to solve the curse once and for all.
One of the major selling points in book one was the romance between Clara and Axel which was a slow and sweet burn that was brought closer by the darkness of the forest. This time around, their relationship is put to the test as Clara begins to have visions of the Lost and a new person enters the forest. With Clara’s visions guiding them, and her own internal battle over actions from book one, Clara doubts herself and pulls away from those she loves. I understood this change, but it was very frustrating at times and I found myself wishing Clara would just communicate more! However, Axel was being quite unfair to Clara and expecting her to solve everything, so again, I can see why Clara held back. The Forest Grimm is known to mess with your mind, and this is portrayed very well through Clara’s and Axel’s struggles, both personal and internal.
I read this in one sitting. So while there was a sense of something missing, I was still fully engaged and invested in the story. There were twists and turns and the dark, shifty feel of the forest’s magic and Clara’s visions really kept me from completely figuring everything out.
I definitely recommend this duology for anyone that enjoys a dark, fairytale inspired adventure fantasy with a dash of romance!
Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.