FOREST OF THE FORSAKEN by Joanne Brothwell-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release February 7, 2013

Forbidden love. Family betrayal. The ultimate sacrifice.

Following her mother’s death to cancer, Meg’s world crashes in around her; her father’s re-marries within weeks of their loss, her step-mother is cold and rejecting, and her new step-brother, Joey, has some rather uncommon sexual preferences. Meg’s only hope is to move away and leave her father and the dark memories behind.

When her father forces her to attend his honeymoon with this new and unwanted blended family, Meg finds herself in the remote wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, miles from civilization. Meg begins to see things in the forbidding forest—strange, unexplainable things she believes are the result of compounding stress. But when her father and step-mother disappear, leaving Meg and Joey to fend for themselves, lost and without supplies, she realizes her terrifying visions are not merely her imagination after all.

Will Meg and Joey find their way back to civilization? Or will they submit to the darkness within the Forest of the Forsaken?

In this eerie, erotic adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, the fairy tale ending may be far from happy.

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REVIEW: FOREST OF THE FORSAKEN is a dark retelling of the Grimm Brother’s (Jacob and Wilhelm) fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. German in origin, the Hansel and Gretel storyline follows two young siblings who stumble upon a cannibalistic witch living in a house made of candy, deep in the darkened forest. Forest of the Forsaken twists the original storyline such that the evil witch no longer lives in a house made of candy, but the furnishings and embellishments remind Joey and Meg of the original storyline. And true to form, the witch has big plans for Joey and Meg-and the dinner menu includes one or both.

Twenty-something Joey and Meg first met the day their parents were married. Forced to go on a family camping trip, Meg and Joey will wake up the next morning alone and abandoned. But Joey had previously suspected his mother was up to something. With forethought, he had marked their path for return. The forest is no longer beauty in its’ nature, but alive with evil and dangers as they attempt to escape from the darkness closing in. Disillusioned by betrayal and thoughts of revenge, Joey and Meg push forward only to find themselves fighting for their lives.

Meg’s initial impression of Joey is tainted, but she will soon discover that Joey hides a painful past rife with abuse and neglect. We watch as Joey’s cold exterior and even colder heart begin to melt at the hands of a young and naïve Meg, whose life had been anything but cruel. With Meg’s acceptance, Joey will learn what it is to be loved but can her love save him from the ‘wicked witch’?

FOREST OF THE FORSAKEN is a well-written, contemporary and fascinating albeit darker re-telling of Hansel and Gretel. The friendship between Joey and Meg begins out of necessity as one would probably not survive without the other, and in doing so, it brings the would-be step siblings closer. Joanne Brothwell brings together Native American folklore and medicine and, blends it together with a Germanic stylized system of healing. Quite a combination! If you are a fan of the dark paranormal fantasy with a fairy tale twist, this book was written for you.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy