Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity.
The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown.
But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a sinister mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.
Blending magic, heart-pounding suspense, and a dash of folklore, The Woodcutter is an extraordinary retelling of the realm of fairy tales.
The Woodcutter by Katey Danley
Published: November 2012
Edition: Kindle Edition
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 346
Rating: 
How I Came to Read the Novel
It was suggested to me in the Kindle Store.
My Thoughts
The premise of this book sounded promising, but the delivery of it was not at all what I expected. Danley writes in cryptic narrator voice that almost requires a reader to come with prior knowledge of all the fairy tales she alludes to in her book. Some of these fairy tales are easy to recognize such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Jack and the Beanstalk. Others are not as easy to identify as they delve into Nordic mythology rather than fairy tales. This mixing of story traditions was a nice idea, but unfortunately they did not meld for me as perhaps they were intended to.
Very little context was provided for the reader for stories that are perhaps not as common which lead to a frustrating read. On top of that, the sentences were choppy and the descriptions not always apt. The narrative did not flow as smoothly and it made me feel as if the the different episodic encounters with different fae creatures, villains, and fairy tales characters were forced into one long jumbled mess.
Needless to say, my reading experience was not a happy one and I do not know if I will pick up another Danley novel again.
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