Title: GRETEL
Author: Christopher Coleman
Type of Book: EBook
Length: 297 pages
Genre: Horror
Release Date: October 31, 2015
ASIN: B01605OOL4
Price: $3.03 USD
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
GRETEL is a dark and twisted tale that examines the deepest, darkest and most evil parts of the human psyche.
I think the cover of GRETEL is absolutely perfect. The blueish colour draws the eye and urges them to look at the book. The twisted trees give off a creepy and scary vibe and, the font used for the title adds a touch of mystery as does the light coming from the group.
As you can probably guess by the title, this book is an updated, modern day version of the fairy tale of “Hansel and Gretel.” However, it definitely strays from the storyline that most people know. This is good, otherwise this book would not be very interesting at all.
As you might expect, this dark and twisted tale features the brother/sister pair: Hansel and Gretel. But, the character names as well as the fact that a “witch” lives in a nearby forest are the only real similarities to the original fairy tale. This story is a thousand times better and also a thousand times more twisted.
Anika Morgan had gone to visit her elderly father for a ten day trip and was happy to be heading home to her own life and to her children.
Anika’s life revolved around her husband, Heinrich, her fourteen year old daughter, Gretel and her eight year old son, Hansel and she was content with the way her life was playing out.
Their life was not one of opulence or of abundance, but they were happy. They had their small house and they had some land to call their own and Anika knew that they were more fortunate than many others who lived in the Backwoods.
But, Anika never made it home from her father’s house – a trip that should have only taken a few hours turned into the most gruelling, horrific and long time of her life.
Gretel wanted to have faith that her mother would be found one day, but as time wore on, it became harder and harder to stay optimistic. Add to that, the fact that her father had fallen ill and you get the eerie sense that something bad is about to happen.
This modern take on an old classic is extremely well written and readers will be riveted. The author, Christopher Coleman, does a fabulous job of creating characters that are so realistic that the reader will become invested in their trials and tribulations and will not be able to put the book down until they know what happens next.
There have been quite a few books written in the past few years that are based on the fairy tales we all grew up with. I have read a few of them and unfortunately I always seem to decipher the entire plot before I have even read the first half of the book. I find this very frustrating. As an avid reader it seems to happen all the time. This book does NOT follow that pattern which is a huge plus in my opinion.
This book will have readers riveted to their tablet screens and they will be unable to put it down. The action and emotion will find its way deep into the reader’s heart and mind and Gretel’s character will stay with readers long after the book’s conclusion.
I give GRETEL a rating of 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Check out the book trailer:
https://youtu.be/VPf8GO9_C9I
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Most of them she killed while they slept. Many were buried on this very property. Sadly, none of their innards were used for blending.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christopher Coleman lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. He received his degree in English Literature from the University of Maryland and has been writing professionally for over five years. GRETEL is his debut novel.
To stay in touch with him, subscribe to his newsletter or connect with him on Facebook or Twitter or Goodreads.
Visit his website:
Amie's Book Reviews 