Recent Reads: Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brokenbrough

Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brokenbrough 
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date:   November 2, 2021

 

Format: Paperback ARC

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

This is Martha Brockenbrough's feminist twisting of the Brother Grimms' stories, Game of Thrones-style.

Once upon a time there was a kingdom and a forest that liked to eat men and a girl who would change everything, but not alone . . .

Except from Goodreads:

There's no such thing as once upon a time.

In a far away land, populated by were beasts and surrounded by a powerful forest, lies a kingdom about to be sent into chaos. On his deathbed, King Tyran divides his land, leaving half to each of his two children-so they'll rule together. However, his son, Albrecht, is not satisfied with half a kingdom. And even though his sister, Ursula, is the first born, he decides that as a girl and were bear, she is unfit to rule. So he invades her land, slaughtering her people and most of the were beasts, and claims it for himself. As King Albrecht builds his iron rule and an army of beasts to defend his reign, Ursula is gathering the survivors and making plans to take back the kingdom. Not just her half-the whole thing. Because Albrecht should have never been allowed to sit on the throne, and Ursula is going to take his crown. And if he's not careful, he might not get to keep his head either. 

Review: 

Trigger Warnings:

 violence,

extreme and grotesque violence,

sexual assault,

abuse,

animal cruelty and death.  

This book made me very uncomfortable, and I almost stopped reading it a few times. I eventually powered through (mostly because several of my books were packed for a move, and I didn’t want to stare at the screen of an e-reader). Long story short – this book was… problematic on so many levels. A lot of readers seemed to enjoy it but it missed the mark for me. 

This book was said to be a Brothers Grimm/ Game of Thrones feminist tale. I fully understand the first two and it is empowering in some ways for the female protagonist, but I feel like her story was lost. Here are my thoughts. 

Into the Bloodred Woods is a story that takes Brothers Grimm tales and weaves them into a modern adaptation in a way that is interesting and kind of like a search and find puzzle. Characters would pop up and you would have to figure out how they fit in to the overall story here but also which classic tale they could be from and throughout the book they change as well and become others. I found hints of Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Rapunzel, the Emperor’s New Clothes, the Piper and a number of others as the story progresses. This was the winning point of the story and really the only highlight for me. 

The story sections are all prefaced with a narrator – a blind storyteller setting the stage in a creepy and guiding way. The first sections are of the past, a king and his bride, a sister trying to ensure the brides safety and then things come tumbling down. The current story is about a prince and a princess of the bride who has long since passed. The prince is …well… a psychopath and the princess is a shifter – she can change into a bear. There are many others in this kingdom that can also change into animals all called werebeasts. 

The prince is very prejudice against the werebeasts, although his sister is one. He believes they are inferior and should be killed. He is also a misogynist and has a lot of issues. So here is what I was saying about the feminist part of this book getting lost. The prince takes the spotlight… from everything in this book. He is mean, violent, and made me physically ill to read his sections at times. Whereas the princess is determined and trying to save the land and people, her story is not as provoking as the brothers is, and she gets overshadowed throughout the book. 

I absolutely hated the prince; there is really no way around it, you will loathe him too. The princess was a good character, but I felt like I didn’t understand her fully, her motivations were dominated by the actions of her brother. She was a good representation of the Queen that the kingdom needed, equality for the werebeasts and there was also a female love interest which was nice too. Then it all kind of just ended. 

Overall, this one was not for me.