I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. It was a retelling - from the blurb it mentions the story being a cross between Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper. It definitely was a cross between those two stories too.

It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.

It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as I’d like.

I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause it’s taken me a bit to process it.

I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
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This is an outstanding novel which is a combination of a couple of fairy-tales, plus, some original ideas. It was very captivating and enticing to the very last page.

Folklore along with facts has wrought fear and superstitions on communities in this medieval-type setting. Young girls have gone missing for decades. Evil abounds in the surrounding forests. People are being deceived. Superstitions and fear cause friends to become foes.

Things are not always as they seem and heroes can be found in unusual and unexpected places.

Will evil and deceit win? Somethings cannot be undone. One can never go back without often facing devastating change.

The ending of this book is solid yet with one page, it has a strong lead into the next book of the series.

There is a wide cast of characters who are well-defined and feel very real.. The exciting scenes never cease and are easily visualized.

In the audiobook, Narrator, Lynn Bradford, does an outstanding job in delivering a beguiling, gripping performance, despite a large number of character "voices".

This would be another terrific movie series for family viewing.
This was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review. ( )