The Forest Grimm

by Kathryn Purdie

Overview

The paperback edition of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie's spellbinding YA romantasy, where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.

“Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die.”

The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book—Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes—with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose—to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.

Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel—who is fated never to be with her—have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest—alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales—has a mind of its own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250372581
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/25/2025
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	316,511
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

KATHRYN PURDIE is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Burning Glass series, the Bone Crier's Moon duology, and the Forest Grimm duology. She lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and three children. Kathryn is a trained classical actress who studied at the Oxford School of Drama. She also writes songs on her guitar for each of her stories and shares them on her website.

Editorial Reviews

07/10/2023

Purdie (Bone Crier’s Dawn) blends a variety of Grimm’s fairy tales—including “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” and “Hansel and Gretel”—into a sumptuous tale of love and survival in this beguiling journey. Thirteen-year-old Clara, who lives in Grimm’s Hollow at the edge of the magical Forest Grimm, has known that she will die young ever since her clairvoyant grandmother foretold it when Clara was a child. Though Grandmère insists the fates never lie, Clara believes that consulting the Book of Fortunes, a powerful gift from Forest Grimm to the villagers, could reverse her fate. But when someone uses the book for evil purposes, the forest recalls the tome and casts a curse on the town that drains Grimm’s Hollow of its magic. While many villagers, including Clara’s parents, enter the forest to reconcile with the magical entities within, none of them return, and now at 16, Clara intends to bring them—and the book—back. By juxtaposing happenings both sinister and sweet alongside themes surrounding duty versus desire, Purdie deftly weaves Clara’s journey to change her future and rescue her loved ones with the signature dark tone of the many referenced fairy tales. Clara and her family read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Forest Grimm:

Book Riot, "Summer 2023 YA Books to Add to Your TBR"

The Nerd Daily, "Get Your Hands On These Anticipated July To December 2023 Book Releases"

"The Forest Grimm is a delicious combination of sinister and sweet." - Paste, "The Best New YA of September 2023"

"Purdie blends a variety of Grimm’s fairy tales—including “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” and “Hansel and Gretel”—into a sumptuous tale of love and survival in this beguiling journey." - Publishers Weekly

"A satisfying story that pays homage to the dark narrative arcs of traditional fairy tales." - Kirkus

"Clever mixing-and-matching of stories such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood provide a solid foundation for romance and some Grimm-inspired flashes of horror." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Purdie pulls from many original fairy tales to create this twisty yet enchanting romantasy." - School Library Journal

"I’ve covered a handful of fairy tale retellings over the years, but I’ve never come across one quite like Kathryn Purdie’s The Forest Grimm...my favorite new release of 2023....I always say the best books are the ones that sneak up on you and exceed any and all expectations, and The Forest Grimm meets that standard and then some." - Twin Cities Geek

"If you like YA fantasy with a hint of survival and twists, pick up Katheryn Purdie’s The Forest Grimm. Especially if you enjoy fractured fairy-tales!" - In Between Drafts, "The Best New Books of September"

"Recommend to readers likely to appreciate scary scenes balanced by a sweet, sensual romance and a happy ending." - Booklist

"Kathryn Purdie has bewitched us with another absolutely gorgeous read. Her prose is lovely, evocative, and snaring, and the gripping story of danger enraptures both heart and mind. She takes well-known fairy tales and puts clever, dark twists to them, all amid a real and enchanting setting. I'll go mad waiting for the sequel!" —Charlie N. Holmberg, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Spellbreaker and The Paper Magician

"With an immersive world and rich magic, Kathryn Purdie has written a story that will change everything you thought you knew about fairy tales. Prepare to enter the Forest Grimm—and never leave." —Tricia Levenseller, New York Times bestselling author of Blade of Secrets

"Fast-paced and romantic, Kathryn Purdie lured me into a thrilling world where familiar fairytales are turned inside out and nothing is at seems. Once I entered the dark heart of the Forest Grimm, I never wanted to leave.” —Mara Rutherford, author of The Poison Season

“Within its first lines, The Forest Grimm promises an adventure with a clever trail of breadcrumbs to guide you. A brave and resolute heroine, an enchanted forest rooted in danger, and a slow-burning friends-to-lovers romance…Kathryn Purdie has written a luminous fairytale, sharp as teeth and full of heart. I devoured every word of this magical tale.” —Rebecca Ross, internationally bestselling author of Divine Rivals

From the Publisher

11/01/2023

Gr 8 Up—Clara's grandmother has only ever pulled two cards from her fortune-telling deck when scrying for Clara's future—the Midnight Forest and the Fanged Creature. At nine years old, Clara is already destined to make a forbidden choice ending in her untimely death ("Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die."). That choice comes seven years later when Clara decides to enter the Forest Grimm in the hopes of finding her mother and reversing the curse on her village. With help from her mother's red cloak, Clara sneaks into the forest with Axel, her childhood friend, to find Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes. The book was a gift from the Forest Grimm and protected Grimm's Hollow from misfortune; it was hidden in the forest after a villager used it to commit murder, causing Grimm's Hollow to become parched and impoverished. Plucky Clara must face the dangers of the forest and her imminent death in her hunt for the book in order to save her mother and her village. VERDICT Purdue pulls from many original fairy tales to create this twisty yet enchanting romantasy. It will appeal to fans of the TV show Once Upon a Time and Meagan Spooner's Hunted.—Maria Martin

School Library Journal

Narrator Sarah Ovens shines while breathing life into this haunting narrative. Ovens's expressive voice and impeccable pacing create a vivid atmosphere as she guides listeners through Clara's perilous journey in the Forest Grimm. Ovens's storytelling prowess is evident in how she infuses these retold fairy tales with an eerie ambiance and captures the essence of each character. While the plot sometimes drags due to its complexity, Ovens's engaging performance keeps listeners enthralled, especially during suspenseful moments. Her ability to evoke the story's mystical scenes showcases her talent. Listeners, particularly young audiences with a penchant for dark fairy tales, will be captivated by Ovens's narration. F.S.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile

2023-07-26
A prediction of untimely death was not what Clara Thurn expected when Grandmère read her fortune.

Clara could hardly wait for her 16th birthday and the coming-of-age rite in which she would make a secret wish on the Sortes Fortunae, or Book of Fortunes, just like every person in Grimm’s Hollow. But when she was 14, someone used their wish to commit murder, the Book of Fortunes went missing, and a curse now plagues the village. Clara’s mother was among the 67 Lost Ones who have since disappeared in the forest. Now there’s a lottery: The chosen person must enter the forest in search of the Lost and the Sortes Fortunae. Clara, 17, desperately hopes to be chosen in the lottery so she can save her mother. But instead, 19-year-old Axel Furst, whose fiancee became Lost, is selected. Clara, who has created a map of the forest based on information from those who entered it before the curse, takes off in pursuit of her friend. Clara is a strong and capable protagonist who has lost both her parents and is in chronic pain from scoliosis. Clara and Axel’s journey is an original and enjoyable take on Western European fairy tales. The characters’ rich and detailed backstories and the ominous, atmospheric prose are slightly let down by the pacing and conclusion, but this will not diminish readers’ overall enjoyment. Characters read white.

A satisfying story that pays homage to the dark narrative arcs of traditional fairy tales. (Fantasy. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews