- The Good: A dark, lyrical faerie tale
- The Bad: Unsatisfying ending
- The Literary: Lovely grimdark world-building
Years ago, Veris Thorn rescued a child from the strange and dangerous Elmever forest, making her the only person known to have gone in and come back out again. So when the ruler tyrant summons her to his castle early one morning, she almost guesses what he wants. His children missing, he threatens that Veris’ village will be burned if she doesn’t bring his children home safe within a single day.
A magical forest with un-human inhabitants, where dangers untold await? What more could you want from a dark, even macabre, fantasy fairy tale? Veris is a no-nonsense forty-year-old woman, steadfast and resilient, and I love a protagonist who isn’t like every other fantasy story out there. She’s not looking for magic or a lover; she only wants to get home and go back to her normal life.
Despite me labeling this as a fairy tale, it’s by no means cute or cozy. Veris confronts literal reanimated animal corpses, a very angry unicorn, and a tricksy fox-man in the forest, among others. Maybe one day Veris will have the strength to face her own internal monsters. This is closer to the original Grimm’s Fairytales or Alice in Wonderland, with its lyrical prose, high stakes, and creepy world-building.
I will admit that the ending is a little unsatisfying, and the reveal of Veris’ backstory isn’t as impactful as the author intends. But for me, this doesn’t distract from the thrilling and terrifying forest quest in the unknown.
Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy fairy tales!
And the beast cast it, and it was great and terrible, and its head rose to nearly the canopy of the forest, and the single horn scythed from its forehead curved and gleaming as a sword. Veris nearly swallowed her tongue. For several seconds no one moved; then she tightened her numb hands on Aram’s forearms, and lifted him over the stone to join her and Eleonor on the far side. All three could still see the beast, and it could see them. The unicorn’s eyes were blue and deep, and glittered like an ice-covered lake; its hide was white, with an unpleasant greenish undertone as if it were one of the soft white shelves of fungus that sprouted from the trees.