Witchkiller

By: Ashlee Latimer

Narrated by: Bronwyn James

What becomes of the girl who kills a witch? Be prepared to question everything you once knew in this Hansel & Gretel retelling for fans of Kalynn Bayron and Jennifer Donnelly.

Gretel loves her brother, Hansel, but lately she barely recognizes him. It's been months since that terrible day in the cottage, when she found her brother in grave danger and had to kill the witch. Her life has changed completely since then—she now lives in a big castle with Hansel and their father, forced to wear corsets and dance with boring, old men at balls.

One day, while wandering in the woods next to their new property, Gretel comes across a community of witches. But what she sees is nothing like the stories she's heard. These witches are healers, helping those in need.

Gretel must dig deep to find the truth of what really happened that day in the cottage. And when she's forced to confront everything she knows about her family and the world around her, she must decide where her true alliances lay.

©2025 Ashlee Latimer (P)2025 Scholastic Audio Books

Could not stop listening

I pre-ordered this audiobook months ago after seeing an ad on Instagram. From what I remembered about the ad it was about a plus-sized FMC. However, her size never really came up and has nothing to do with the story.

Either way, I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Gretal is smart and cunning and learns to trust herself without being self deprecating. It's the perfect length but could easily be turned into a series. I think it's YA because there is no spice, only pinky touches. lol
I kept looking for more by this author but I think this is her only book.

Binge worthy, bold, and beautiful!

Loved this retelling or reclaiming of the classic fairytale character Gretel. It draws you in from the very start and has great messages of the power of love, speaking truth, acceptance, understanding and letting go of fear which ultimately seeks to destroy. Beautiful coming of age story, of finding love, but more importantly learning to and discovering how to love and value one’s own self. A great message for readers of any age!

The performance and reading were also captivating, well done! She added just the right amount of emphasis and coloring to let the readers imagination take flight and soar in the story.

All and all a great listen! Finished the whole book in a single day because I got so swept up!