After the Forest

Written by Kell Woods

Narrated by Esther Wane

After the Forest is a dark and enchanting fantasy debut from Kell Woods that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic and a young woman contending with the truth of “happily ever after.”

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.

Twenty years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people starving in the aftermath of a brutal war.

Greta has a secret, though: the witch's grimoire, secreted away and whispering in Greta's ear for the past two decades, and the recipe inside that makes the best gingerbread you've ever tasted. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.

But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her mysteriously addictive gingerbread, not to mention the rumors about her childhood misadventures, is a source of gossip and suspicion.

And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta's magic—magic she is still trying to understand—may be the only thing that can save her. If it doesn't kill her first.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250291790

Kell Woods

Kell Woods is an Australian historical fantasy author. She lives in Jervis Bay near Sydney with her husband, two sons, and the most beautiful black cat in the realm. Kell studied English Literature, creative writing and librarianship, so she could always be surrounded by stories. She has worked in libraries for the past twelve years, all the while writing about made-up (and not so made-up) places, people and things you might remember from the fairy tales you read as a child.

Reviews for After the Forest

[Estelle Gassier · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really amazing story mixing lots of different tales, for a unique one to emerge. I highly recommend this one, it will make you wander, has a lot of cozy vibes and some mystery to keep the tension high.

[Daren Lewis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A continuation of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale, we find out if there really is a happily ever after.