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The Forest Grimm
The Forest Grimm
Kathryn Purdie | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There are no two ways about this: I love fairytale retellings. I’ve yet to find one I don’t like (I’m also picky). Perhaps it’s because I like the firm sense of right and wrong with no nuance in-between? Or the fact that I immersed myself in myth, folklore and fairytale as I was growing up? Well, whatever the reason, it has stuck 🤷🏼‍♀️

What I really enjoyed about The Forest Grimm was its pastiche style: as Clara makes her way through the dangerous Grimm forest on the hunt for a magical book that has disappeared from her village (Sortes Fortunae, or the Book of Fortunes), she encounters characters out of fairytales who are as far from helpful as they can be!

These characters reminded me of the original Brothers Grimm fairytales: poisoning, maiming, murder all methods used by the fairytale characters. Clara and Axel (the boy she’s destined never to be with) stick together to survive and discover that perhaps fate isn’t necessarily set.

I really enjoyed this, and I have the second book all ready to listen to at some point, too!
  
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ClareR (6241 KP) rated Barrowbeck in Books

Aug 5, 2025  
Barrowbeck
Barrowbeck
Andrew Michael Hurley | 2024 | Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If I could inject this story into my veins, I would. That, dear reader, is just how much I loved it.

Barrowbeck starts off as a cautionary folk tale (more the “everyone dies horribly” type, granted, but it still has a hint of the myth and legend about it), and then each story brings us closer to the modern day and beyond.

There is something in Barrowbeck that needs payment of some sort - a devil or a demon? We never see it, but we do see what it drives people to.

I don’t know if I could even describe what happens in this. It’s a series of interlinking short stories, and I didn’t know where I was being taken next, but I was happy to go! There were some seriously sinister stories in this gem of a book. The last story, although extreme, really didn’t feel all that far fetched. The extreme ramifications of Climate Change are only around the corner, after all.

This is a firm favourite - wonderful writing, and a really unnerving collection of stories. And if you haven’t read Starve Acre yet, get on it!
  
Dragon Wife (Dragon Clan #1)
Dragon Wife (Dragon Clan #1)
Diana Green | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is what I would describe as a slow burner in the very best sense - the author has given the characters time to develop, to become their own person, before they even attempt a relationship together. Nothing seems rushed in this story, indeed we start the book when Orwenna is still quite young.

Although she is given quite a bit of leeway from her father, as detailed in the book, she is eventually betrothed to marry someone of her father's choosing. So when she happens upon an opportunity for adventure, she takes it almost like a last hoorah.

This is a book filled with adventure, myth and magic. There are good and bad on both sides which you will find out about. Very well-written and with a good plot line. The characters are both believable and likeable. I am looking forward to reading more in this series. Definitely recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 24, 2015
  
Dragonstone (Kingdom of Chalvaren #1)
Dragonstone (Kingdom of Chalvaren #1)
Paula Millhouse | 2013 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a short but sweet prequel in the Kingdom of Chalvaren series, giving some details into how Kort arrives on Earth, why he is there, and how he needs to get home. Mia thinks that Chalvaren is a myth, stories that her father made up, even though she knows that she is 'different' to the rest of the village. Their connection is instantaneous and certainly raises the temperature. With a mob of villagers, a young girl who helps to save the day, and a few-day-old dragon who helps to get rid of a nasty vicar (am I the only one with a wicked smile about this part? I doubt it!) everything is here for a fantastical adventure, and it seems like the fun is only starting.

Quick, hot and to the point, this is a wonderful start to the Chalvaren series that I am looking forward to. Definitely recommended.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 25, 2015