Teen Tuesday: Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. November, 2021. 9781338673876. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. Fairy tales were not originally children's stories. What do you think communities did before the age of television to entertain themselves at night? They gathered by the fire and told stories. Over the years they became diluted and "Disneyfied," but earlier, they could be dark and gruesome. Into the Bloodred Woods follows this storytelling tradition. While wholly original, the author has woven familiar fairy tale characters and motifs into this intense and gripping tale.

There was a kingdom surrounded by woods that was ruled by a king who was still mourning the death of his wife, the queen. The couple had two children, a boy and a girl. They were twins, but the girl was born first, making her the heir to the throne and her brother burned with jealousy. The girl, Ursula, wanted to rule and spent her childhood doing her best to learn everything she needed to know about ruling a kingdom. At night, she slept in a gilded cage. Why? She was a werebeast, she shifted shape and her animal aspect was a huge bear. Werebeasts were forbidden in the kingdom. If a child was born one, he or she was taken from their parents and the parents were thrown into the dungeon, never to be seen again. The children were locked into cages to entertain the villagers. They were reviled.

The prince, Albrecht, is obsessed with machinery and is constantly inventing and ingratiating himself to his father by besting Ursula when he tests them. He's furious that his sister was born first. He's conniving and cruel and despises the werebeasts.

The story shifts third-person POV between the twins as well as another brother and sister who live deep in the forest. Hans and Greta's parents are gravely ill and the two are caring for them the best they can, but death is inevitable. Hans promises his sister that he will always be there for her. He is a were and his animal aspect is a wolf. Hans also has a friend in the forest named Capella, who lives nearby with her mother. Capella only knows Hans in his wolf form.

Ms. Brockenbrough deftly weaves these four strands of story with an occasional fifth, that of a blind storyteller into a fast-paced, compelling tale. The writing is lush. The setting is vivid and the characters are keenly drawn. This is not a tale for the squeamish. There is disease, death, violence and plenty of gore. If you are a fan of traditional fairy tales undiluted by Disney, you will adore this book. This is one for the reread pile for me. Highly recommended!