The Butcher of the Forest
Ratings5
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings5
Average rating3.8
A world-weary woman races against the clock to survive a deadly forest in this dark, otherworldly fairytale from Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author Premee Mohamed.
At the northern edge of a land ruled by a merciless foreign tyrant lies a wild, forbidden forest ruled by powerful magic.
Veris Thorn—the only one to ever enter the forest and survive—is forced to go back inside to retrieve the tyrant's missing children. Inside await traps and trickery, ancient monsters, and hauntings of the past.
One day is all Veris is afforded. One misstep will cost everything.
Reviews with the most likes.
The butcher of the forest is a dark fairytale like novella, with a stunningly beautiful writing, and an immersive atmosphere.
This book has everything needed for a spooky season read:
- Enchanted forest where kids disappear
- Creepy and mythical creatures
- Difficult decisions
- Magic
- High stakes
- 24-hour limit to the saving operation
This was much darker than I was expecting and I was anxious the whole time, but I really liked it!
Despite the short size and limited knowledge of the past, I was able to connect and care about the characters deeply. I believe that knowing they live under a tyrant played a significant role on this.
The story is very fast paced, and we are thrown into the action immediately, with no time to adjust. This kept me at the edge of my sit the whole time, and the only reason why I didn't read it in one sitting was because I needed to take some breaks from the dark atmosphere.
Premee Mohamed is a fantastic writer and was able to create an enticing world that captured my attention, and that I wanted to know more about, even while recoiling from its darker theme. I am sure going to read more by her!
If you are looking for something light-hearted, this is not it, this is the absolute opposite of a cosy fantasy read... But if you enjoy dark fairytales, or even if you don't, you enjoy well written fantasy, do pick up this book upon its release in February 2024.
I would like to thanks TOR and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
