The Deathly Grimm (The Forest Grimm #2)
Kathryn Purdie
Wednesday Books
Published March 25, 2025
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About The Deathly Grimm
The spellbinding sequel to Kathryn Purdie’s bestselling dark fairytale, where our main characters must return to the forest—and its monsters.
The story hasn’t ended yet.
After surviving the Forest Grimm and defeating the Wolf, Clara and Axel have made it back to their village, the one place they can be safe behind the forest’s borders. But when the forest itself begins luring in more villagers, it’s clear that Clara and Axel have only treated the symptoms of the forest’s curse, not the cause—and it’s getting worse.
Burdened with visions of the past and learning to navigate her fragile new relationship with Axel, Clara finds herself entering the forest with Axel yet again to discover the truth once and for all: the identity of the murderer who caused the curse. As they fight murderous woodsmen with incomprehensible riddles, ladies who will drag you into an eternal dance, and ghosts with the power to wield the forest against them, Clara and Axel realize the stakes are higher than ever. If they don’t survive the dark, deadly twists of the forest once more, not only will they never escape, they may also no longer have a home to escape to.
Romantic, eerie, and beautiful, The Deathly Grimm is the triumphant conclusion to Kathryn Purdie’s bestselling Forest Grimm duology.
My Review
More twisted fairytales! More Scary forest! And more romantic tension! This book delivered all of the things I wanted more of after reading the first one in the duology. One of my favorite things about the first book was the appearance of familiar fairytales twisted into something new and more like a curse rather than a sweet story that promises a happily-ever-after.
The only thing that I struggled with was the miscommunication between Axel and Clara. Like, I understood that his fixation with finding his dad didn’t mesh well with Clara’s mission to undo the curse on the village. I found it frustrating that the divergent goals went on for so much of the story. However, I can see how that tension worked to isolate Clara and make space for some of the story’s other elements.
I also appreciated the disability representation. Clara describes a spine issue that sounds a bit like scoliosis. She wears a lift in one shoe to make it easier to walk, and someone gives her a corset that operates like a back brace. I love Clara as a character, and I appreciate the representation even more after reading Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda LeDuc, which examines how disabled characters appear in classic fairytales.
Even despite the miscommunication between Clara and Axel, I devoured this book. I think I read two-thirds of it in one evening. It’s a wild ride of a story that cleverly weaves together scenes featuring familiar fairytales. The satisfying conclusion made me want to go back and start the duology all over again.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 13 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. The characters discuss having sex, but decide to wait.
Spiritual Content
A curse draws people into a dangerous magical forest, where they may die or become Lost. The Lost forget their identities and become fairytale characters, acting out twisted stories in a loop. Clara’s grandmother can use magic to appear as a powerful wolf. A spell book offered each villager one wish until a page was stolen.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. Brief battle violence. Scenes include brief descriptions of poisoning, manipulation, and torture.
Drug Content
A potion puts others under a spell that makes them act out of character.
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I’ve had this series on your radar for a while. You’re making me think I should reserve book 1 at the library.