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A review by mweir710
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
3.0
3/5 stars (Note, I listened to the audiobook)
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I thought the premise of The Forest Grimm and weaving in old Grimm Brothers' tales (with their own twists) was a cool idea. However, the way the author "weaved" together the story felt disjointed and made the plot of the story disappear into details that just didn't connect. This next sentence is a definite spoiler so beware if you haven't yet read The Forest Grimm and plan to. I understood Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretal as stories and did enjoy the twists that Purdie used to make those retelling her own. However, vampires? Come on - that was a bit of a reach. As I thought more about it, I thought maybe her mom being the original lost and being the only vampire in the story was harkening back to something like the original sin or the original source of evil as portrayed in Dracula. But a reader shouldn't have to try to make themes and tropes work in a story - that's the author's job, and the vampire aspect totally lost me.
Overall, I honestly didn't hate reading this book and found parts of it interesting to listen to. I just wish there was more character development and a bit more time spent on creating a seamless weave in the various fairytale retellings. Thank you, NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Kathryn Purdie for allowing me access to an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I thought the premise of The Forest Grimm and weaving in old Grimm Brothers' tales (with their own twists) was a cool idea. However, the way the author "weaved" together the story felt disjointed and made the plot of the story disappear into details that just didn't connect. This next sentence is a definite spoiler so beware if you haven't yet read The Forest Grimm and plan to. I understood Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretal as stories and did enjoy the twists that Purdie used to make those retelling her own. However, vampires? Come on - that was a bit of a reach. As I thought more about it, I thought maybe her mom being the original lost and being the only vampire in the story was harkening back to something like the original sin or the original source of evil as portrayed in Dracula. But a reader shouldn't have to try to make themes and tropes work in a story - that's the author's job, and the vampire aspect totally lost me.
Overall, I honestly didn't hate reading this book and found parts of it interesting to listen to. I just wish there was more character development and a bit more time spent on creating a seamless weave in the various fairytale retellings. Thank you, NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Kathryn Purdie for allowing me access to an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!