I was incredibly impressed by Premee Mohamed’s short story collection, No One Will Come Back for Us, and The Butcher of the Forest has cemented my status as a Mohamed fan. It is a gripping novella, with a strong female protagonist, and some genuinely disturbing moments.
Veris is summoned by the tyrannical ruler of the village to rescue his two children, who have gone missing in a forbidden forest. It just so happens that Veris is the only person who has entered the aforementioned forest and successfully reemerged, hence the tyrant’s request. However, that does not mean that this is an easy task, nor is it guaranteed that Veris will succeed.
The Butcher of the Forest is such an exciting novella. As soon as Veris was removed from her home to embark on this dangerous quest, it was hard for me to put this book down. Mohamed quickly creates a believable world, and an incredibly endearing character in Veris. The various creatures Veris encounters are very unsettling. Every page had something that either made me gasp in horror, or shuffle closer to the edge of my seat.
I hope that there are plans to continue Veris’s story; I’d love to spend more time with them.
The Butcher of the Forest is out right now! Go do the thing!
Huge thanks to Julia Bergen at Tor for the ARC!
California Reading 