Book Review- The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
Published February 2024 by Titan Books
Print length: 144 pages
Fiction. Fantasy/ dark fantasy/ dark fairy tale/ horror
When the brutal Tyrant’s children vanish into the north woods, Varis Thorn is summoned. The north woods isn’t like other forests. It overlaps with a strange and terrifying realm that lures children in, from which they never return. Varis Thorn is the only person to have ever gone into the woods and come out again alive. Charged with bringing the children back, Varis must venture again under the dark canopy, armed with a few odd charms and her memories of the last journey. The consequences are dire. If she fails, the Tyrant will murder her entire village. She has a single day to reach the heart of the north woods and retrieve the children, before the forest claims them for itself.
I read The Butcher of the Forest in a single afternoon. It is a short book, at just under one hundred and fifty pages in print, but more than that, I found I could not stop reading. The writing is dense, rich and powerful, and I was completely immersed in the world of Varis and the woods. The story left me uneasy and unsettled, needing to read further to see what would happen next. The sense of dread is palpable, and the forest itself seemed as familiar as a childhood nightmare and yet dangerously unpredictable.
The unicorn's eyes were blue and deep, and glittered like an ice-covered lake; its hide was white, with an unpleasant greenish undertone as if it were one of the soft white shelves of fungus that sprouted from the trees. “You,” it said.
The Butcher of the Forest combines fairy tale elements, such as the familiar cottage in the woods and a lost pair of children, with far darker and more disturbing horror elements. This is not a story for children. The nightmarish scenes in the woods are accompanied with the equally disturbing memories of Varis, encompassing the aftermath of war and invasion, grief, the deaths of loved ones and sexual assault. The creatures of the forest are not the only monsters in this land. Themes of trauma, conquest and oppression run right through the story.
This was the first time I had read anything by Premee Mohamed. I fell in love with her words. Her writing itself is both beautiful and visceral, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves eloquent and detailed writing. The Butcher of the Forest is macabre, mysterious and striking. The author has already published novels and short story collections, which I am excited to explore on the strength of The Butcher of the Forest.
For more information:
Author’s website:
https://www.premeemohamed.com/butcher-of-the-forest
Publisher’s website: