I grew up on a steady diet of Grimm’s fairy tales (that might be a root cause of my anxiety disorder) and other such dark stories. One of my favourites that I begged my granny for was the story of Rose Red and Snow White. When I close my eyes I can still see the illustration of Snow White who preferred to be indoors and Rose Red who loved to be outside. There is an enchanted bear and a grumpy dwarf.
So, when I started reading After the Forest by Kell Woods I was immediately transported into those dark tales I remember from childhood. This book is an incredible story that combines Hansel and Gretel as adults, but with additions of some other myths and folklore. I was absolutely obsessed with this book and wanted it to last much longer than it did.
The characters are flawed and human which I really truly love in a story. The magic is deep and dark in places and we learn about the choices our characters make while under a lot of pressure.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, who like me, still wants to curl up on a winter night with a fairy tale.
I borrowed my copy from my local public library but you can order a copy here.
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