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After The Forest #1.5
Before the Forest
Kell Woods returns to the world of her bestselling novel, After the Forest, weaving a dark and lyrical standalone, spoiler-free backstory for a young witch at the siege of Breisach, years before she became notorious for her gingerbread cottage... and her appetite.
Author's This story contains descriptions of domestic violence, sexual assault, animal harm, and cannibalism.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Author's This story contains descriptions of domestic violence, sexual assault, animal harm, and cannibalism.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
31 pages, ebook
First published August 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 10, 2024
I love a good villain origin story, and if you're curious how the witch from Hansel and Gretel went from baking cookies to... well, baking kids, Before the Forest has got you covered.
It’s based on The Brothers Grimm’s The Juniper Tree, and if you thought the original tale was brutal, this wartime historical fantasy is even gnarlier. It crams every single possible trigger warning you can think of—domestic violence, sexual assault, animal harm, murder and cannibalism—into 30 pages or so, which is a wild achievement in itself.
If you like your fairytale retellings dark, this one is about as pitch-black as it gets, and I love what Kell Woods has done with it. This is a standalone, spoiler-free prequel to After the Forest .
Highly recommend—mind your triggers though!
Available to read on Reactor (Tor).
🔹🔹🔹
Building a gingerbread house and snacking on wayward children is a big red flag, but I'm still intrigued to find out how the witch from Hansel and Gretel got to that point.
It’s based on The Brothers Grimm’s The Juniper Tree, and if you thought the original tale was brutal, this wartime historical fantasy is even gnarlier. It crams every single possible trigger warning you can think of—domestic violence, sexual assault, animal harm, murder and cannibalism—into 30 pages or so, which is a wild achievement in itself.
If you like your fairytale retellings dark, this one is about as pitch-black as it gets, and I love what Kell Woods has done with it. This is a standalone, spoiler-free prequel to After the Forest .
Highly recommend—mind your triggers though!
Available to read on Reactor (Tor).
🔹🔹🔹
November 5, 2024
3.75 stars
We are in Breisach in the 17th century. The war that has been raging outside for some time is getting closer. The imperial city is under siege. We follow a young woman as she tries to survive the hostility of the war, the excruciating hunger, and the brutality of her husband. As the story progresses, the atmosphere becomes darker and bloodier.
This is a grim short story that may make you feel uncomfortable. The themes involved are definitely disturbing. The narration is intense. It is no surprise that hunger and fear can push people people to the edge. Still, reading some of the details can give you goosebumps.
More by accident than design, our heroine changes her own life and the lives of those who share a roof with her.
I will leave you with a chillingly revealing quote:
"By November, the bodies of the city's living have become the graves of the dead."
Many thanks to my friend Esta for bringing this story to my attention!
We are in Breisach in the 17th century. The war that has been raging outside for some time is getting closer. The imperial city is under siege. We follow a young woman as she tries to survive the hostility of the war, the excruciating hunger, and the brutality of her husband. As the story progresses, the atmosphere becomes darker and bloodier.
This is a grim short story that may make you feel uncomfortable. The themes involved are definitely disturbing. The narration is intense. It is no surprise that hunger and fear can push people people to the edge. Still, reading some of the details can give you goosebumps.
More by accident than design, our heroine changes her own life and the lives of those who share a roof with her.
I will leave you with a chillingly revealing quote:
"By November, the bodies of the city's living have become the graves of the dead."
Many thanks to my friend Esta for bringing this story to my attention!
August 15, 2024
This short story is more grimdark than (dark) fantasy. Then again, some of the origins of fairy tales were cautionary tales. This short story, which is based on elements of military history, demonstrates what happens when entitlement and abuse becomes the microcosm of the macrocosm. Readers learn how and why the Witch became the Witch who built a gingerbread house to lure children so she could eat them. This is a story about different types of survival and the circumstances and the consequences of survival. Unfortunately, there are several parts of this story that are still ongoing in the real world in modern society.
I’ve been waiting for the “right time” (a.k.a. “free time”) to read the author’s debut novel, “After the Forest.” The novel takes place after the events of the story everyone is familiar with; however, readers are treated to this very believable and very spoiler free short story which serves as the prequel to both the book and the fairy tale. In other words, the story everyone knows is what’s in between the short story and the novel by the same author. I’ll be reading the novel sooner rather than later!
This short story is available to read for free on Reactormag.com (formerly Tor.com).
I’ve been waiting for the “right time” (a.k.a. “free time”) to read the author’s debut novel, “After the Forest.” The novel takes place after the events of the story everyone is familiar with; however, readers are treated to this very believable and very spoiler free short story which serves as the prequel to both the book and the fairy tale. In other words, the story everyone knows is what’s in between the short story and the novel by the same author. I’ll be reading the novel sooner rather than later!
This short story is available to read for free on Reactormag.com (formerly Tor.com).
August 24, 2024
Wow! What a great little short story! I had a blast returning to fairytale Rhineland in this dark origin story of the witch from Hansel and Gretel and in some ways, a retelling of The Juniper Tree. 🌳
The story follows Junia, a young girl who finds herself an orphan and in the care of her uncle Johannes and his son, Cord. Sadly, her good days are long behind her when Johannes dies and Cord takes over. Physically and sexually abused by her cousin, Junia has to learn to survive while literally being used as a slave to Cord’s workplace and her growing family; all this while also trying to survive a siege of the city. 🏰
Woods does a fantastic job keeping the creepy and dark elements of German folktales while still providing a wonderful space for female characters to shine. I honestly loved Junia’s descent into wickedness and honestly wish we, the readers, got more than 31 pages of plot. 🥲
The short story is easily accessible on Reactor and I HIGHLY suggest every who has read After the Forest to read it, and even those who haven't gotten to Woods' debut yet, this is still worth your time as it is considered a prequel of sorts! ❤️
The story follows Junia, a young girl who finds herself an orphan and in the care of her uncle Johannes and his son, Cord. Sadly, her good days are long behind her when Johannes dies and Cord takes over. Physically and sexually abused by her cousin, Junia has to learn to survive while literally being used as a slave to Cord’s workplace and her growing family; all this while also trying to survive a siege of the city. 🏰
Woods does a fantastic job keeping the creepy and dark elements of German folktales while still providing a wonderful space for female characters to shine. I honestly loved Junia’s descent into wickedness and honestly wish we, the readers, got more than 31 pages of plot. 🥲
The short story is easily accessible on Reactor and I HIGHLY suggest every who has read After the Forest to read it, and even those who haven't gotten to Woods' debut yet, this is still worth your time as it is considered a prequel of sorts! ❤️
November 1, 2024
Evo šta se desi kad ženi ubiješ mačku...
Juniper Tree je možda i najmračnija bajka braće Grim i upravo je njene motive Kell Woods iskoristila za prequel njenog romana After the Forest , koji me oduševio pre nekih godinu dana, a Before the Forest je samo potvrda da se Kell Woods razume u bajke i da ume da ih piše. BtF je villain origin story o kojoj ne bih previše otkrivala. Reći ću samo da je postignuta idealna mera za kratku priču da bude interesantna, poučna, jeziva, informativna i psihološki potkovana.
Juniper Tree je možda i najmračnija bajka braće Grim i upravo je njene motive Kell Woods iskoristila za prequel njenog romana After the Forest , koji me oduševio pre nekih godinu dana, a Before the Forest je samo potvrda da se Kell Woods razume u bajke i da ume da ih piše. BtF je villain origin story o kojoj ne bih previše otkrivala. Reći ću samo da je postignuta idealna mera za kratku priču da bude interesantna, poučna, jeziva, informativna i psihološki potkovana.
October 26, 2024
4.5
Grimdark origin story of the Gingerbread-house witch.
Beautifully written, devastatingly brutal. Do note the trigger warnings.
Grimdark origin story of the Gingerbread-house witch.
Beautifully written, devastatingly brutal. Do note the trigger warnings.
August 20, 2024
I don't usually read short stories outside of collections and anthologies, but an episode about short stories from the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct has encouraged me to sample online magazines like
Reactor
(plus, I couldn't resist the beautiful non-AI generated illustrations). "Before the Forest" by Kell Woods is a prequel to the author's debut novel, After the Forest, which is a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, and tells the origin story of Junia, the woman who becomes the witch in the forest. Woods successfully marries the dark elements of the original fairy tale with the Thirty Years' War and traces them to cycles of domestic violence that are all too familiar across time. I'm interested in what becomes of Junia in the main story.
September 5, 2024
Loved this little backstory of a witch!
August 16, 2024
Darker than I expected. Much darker then After the Forest, but a good rounding out to the witch character.
September 24, 2024
I enjoyed this story. Kell Woods invites readers back to the enchanting realm of her renowned novel, "After the Forest," with a compelling and poetic standalone. Delving into the backstory of a young witch, Junia, amidst the siege of Breisach, the narrative unfolds transformative events leading up to her iconic gingerbread cottage era. The tale explores themes of domestic violence, sexual assault, animal harm, and cannibalism in a grim and imaginative setting.
August 18, 2024
A pretty brutal and dark read, I didn't exactly enjoy the slow grinding down of the main character and didn't feel triumphant at the end, but I did really enjoy the writing style, enough so to make me interested in reading the novel that's part of the world this is from. Dark fairy tales are always interesting to me.
September 4, 2024
This short story was so interesting to read right after reading After the Forest. Junia's challenges are similar to Greta's, but much more severe, and she ends up in the forest. As a well-written short story, it is deliciously creepy.
August 19, 2024
Captivating
Once you start to read you cannot stop. I was drawn into Junia’s world and looked to her for a way out… wonderful storytelling. Deep rich imagery. Captivating.
Once you start to read you cannot stop. I was drawn into Junia’s world and looked to her for a way out… wonderful storytelling. Deep rich imagery. Captivating.
August 29, 2024
A truly dark fantasy! It is scary and wye opening how people change and morals go out the window when it is all about survival.
September 7, 2024
It was uncomfortably graphic for me.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews