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Gretel: A Fairytale Retold
Starving and lost, Hans, and his sister Gretel, are saved from a pack of bloodthirsty wolves by a woman, who seems to ask for nothing in return. Seduced by her kindness and beauty, Gretel grows closer to her, while Hans becomes ever more suspicious of her motives. Torn between her brother and a woman she has just met, Gretel soon learns she must make a choice between long held loyalty and newfound love.
‘Gretel: A Fairytale Retold’ is a six chapter novella of over 12,400 words. Retold as a fast paced, lesbian love story, this novella contains some explicit passages.
‘Gretel: A Fairytale Retold’ is a six chapter novella of over 12,400 words. Retold as a fast paced, lesbian love story, this novella contains some explicit passages.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2013
114 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Niamh Murphy
12 books156 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Niamh Murphy is a historian and novelist specialising in romantic lesbian fiction. She is passionate about experimenting with different genres and has a fondness for romantic action and adventure. She has written stories with vampires, werewolves, elves, magic, knights, sorceresses, and witches as well as contemporary and humorous stories, but always with a lesbian protagonist and a romantic element to the tale.
Visit her website for a free book: www.AuthorNiamh.com
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Niamh Murphy is a historian and novelist specialising in romantic lesbian fiction. She is passionate about experimenting with different genres and has a fondness for romantic action and adventure. She has written stories with vampires, werewolves, elves, magic, knights, sorceresses, and witches as well as contemporary and humorous stories, but always with a lesbian protagonist and a romantic element to the tale.
Visit her website for a free book: www.AuthorNiamh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
May 18, 2018
This was a really cute read.
I highly recommend for a reading slump or a quick read.
Hansel and Gretel has been re-worked wonderfully- it felt really natural when reading.
And for once, the lesbians got a happy ending!!!
I highly recommend for a reading slump or a quick read.
Hansel and Gretel has been re-worked wonderfully- it felt really natural when reading.
And for once, the lesbians got a happy ending!!!
May 24, 2019
Ha! Lovely, short story of Hansel and Gretel revisited. I think I much prefer this version.
February 4, 2019
A fair rendition of Hansel and Gretel...
Only, in this case, Hansel and Gretel are quite grown and Gretel ends up in an f/f romance with the stranger in the woods. I liked it well enough but the f/f romance aspect was on a super fast track into insta-love-ville and the short story still seemed too short.
It's a free read and a decent intro to Niamh Murphy. I'm curious enough to check out her other reads.
Only, in this case, Hansel and Gretel are quite grown and Gretel ends up in an f/f romance with the stranger in the woods. I liked it well enough but the f/f romance aspect was on a super fast track into insta-love-ville and the short story still seemed too short.
It's a free read and a decent intro to Niamh Murphy. I'm curious enough to check out her other reads.
May 27, 2019
3.75 stars
(Very) loosely based on Grimm’s Hänsel and Gretel. There are brother Hans and sister Gretel, adults not children, who set out to escape hunger and poverty by going south (rather than being abandoned in the woods). The witch is not so witchy for most of the time, but a *whispers* lesbian, so still banished from the village. She is also kick-ass and hot. Just how I like my witches. But I digress.
If you accept this as a fairy-short-tale of romance and emancipation, with some pretty explicit scenes for a fairy tale, then you’ll be as enchanted as I was.
I love fairy tales. And never more so when the girl gets the witch. Or something.
There ain’t a lot of development. But, hey, it’s typical of the genre.
I ‘bought’ it on kindle for £0.00. And it’d be worth it at 10 times that ;-)
(Very) loosely based on Grimm’s Hänsel and Gretel. There are brother Hans and sister Gretel, adults not children, who set out to escape hunger and poverty by going south (rather than being abandoned in the woods). The witch is not so witchy for most of the time, but a *whispers* lesbian, so still banished from the village. She is also kick-ass and hot. Just how I like my witches. But I digress.
If you accept this as a fairy-short-tale of romance and emancipation, with some pretty explicit scenes for a fairy tale, then you’ll be as enchanted as I was.
I love fairy tales. And never more so when the girl gets the witch. Or something.
There ain’t a lot of development. But, hey, it’s typical of the genre.
I ‘bought’ it on kindle for £0.00. And it’d be worth it at 10 times that ;-)
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June 2, 2020
June 13, 2019
3.5 stars.
What a pleasant read! My favorite character was the witch. I enjoy retellings that humanize the lone witch. The writing portrayed a woodsy feeling with a dash of enchantment. I would have liked to have seen more depth and dimension with Hans. I understand he was suppose to be the antagonist, but he also came across as annoying.
What a pleasant read! My favorite character was the witch. I enjoy retellings that humanize the lone witch. The writing portrayed a woodsy feeling with a dash of enchantment. I would have liked to have seen more depth and dimension with Hans. I understand he was suppose to be the antagonist, but he also came across as annoying.
November 28, 2018
I wanted a short read and with 76 pages, Gretel is exactly that. Throw in how this is a retelling of Hans and Gretel but with a lesbian aspect and a bit of smut, and I was sold. Definitely a good option if you want about an hour / an hour and a half of reading pleasure.
Of course, the characters aren't fleshed out properly but that's hardly something you can expect with a short novel like this. It didn't even bother me either since their characteristics were made very clear from the start and that helped.
The built-up towards the romantic / sexual scene was done very nicely. Gretel might be described as fast-paced, but I still felt like it wasn't over-the-top fast. A pleasure to read, really!
4.5 / 5
Of course, the characters aren't fleshed out properly but that's hardly something you can expect with a short novel like this. It didn't even bother me either since their characteristics were made very clear from the start and that helped.
The built-up towards the romantic / sexual scene was done very nicely. Gretel might be described as fast-paced, but I still felt like it wasn't over-the-top fast. A pleasure to read, really!
I was different... I had the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong person.. I was loved back, but sometimes love isn't enough. You need courage as well.
4.5 / 5
May 18, 2018
3.5 Stars!
July 2, 2020
A short yet steamy retelling of Hansel and Gretel, who come across a mysterious woman in the woods. While Gretel is intrigued, Hans is guarded.
October 3, 2013
This is an exquisite rendering of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. It isn’t difficult to see the similarities, but the wondrous re-working of that classic fairy tale moves it into a class of its own. The harsh and unrelenting rigidities and small-mindedness as depicted by Hans and probably the ‘other villagers’ who banished Maeve from her home community, only heighten the extraordinary love and closeness that develops between Gretel and Maeve. This story is really not to be missed!
Within this telling, Hans and Gretel have been sent away from there suffering village farther north, now barely surviving after three failed harvests. Hans and Gretel need to find work and food then hopefully return to their village and help it rebuild and prosper. Initially, the brother and sister they are cold to their bones, weakened from days with inadequate nourishment, and now facing a wolf pack preparing to take both of them down. Pretty scary stuff until an unknown woman brings down the wolf that attacked Hans with her axe and disperses the pack. She offers them shelter, if they can keep up with her as she shoulders the fallen wolf and heads back to her homestead.
Maeve, Hans and Gretel’s savior, is magnificent, mysterious, and an angel in Gretel’s eyes. Hans sees the devil at work here and brands Maeve a witch for no substantial reason. I adored Maeve. She hints at the reason she was banished to Gretel, possibly sowing the seed for Gretel’s growing affection. Are we witnessing a witch’s magic or a strong, lonely woman offering help and shelter?
This is a truly imaginative, inventive, and ingenious re-telling of such a beloved classic. I felt completely immersed as if I shared Gretel’s mind and body. I became enthralled by Maeve and yes, possibly bewitched. I applaud the brilliance of this short story and completely recommend it!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Within this telling, Hans and Gretel have been sent away from there suffering village farther north, now barely surviving after three failed harvests. Hans and Gretel need to find work and food then hopefully return to their village and help it rebuild and prosper. Initially, the brother and sister they are cold to their bones, weakened from days with inadequate nourishment, and now facing a wolf pack preparing to take both of them down. Pretty scary stuff until an unknown woman brings down the wolf that attacked Hans with her axe and disperses the pack. She offers them shelter, if they can keep up with her as she shoulders the fallen wolf and heads back to her homestead.
Maeve, Hans and Gretel’s savior, is magnificent, mysterious, and an angel in Gretel’s eyes. Hans sees the devil at work here and brands Maeve a witch for no substantial reason. I adored Maeve. She hints at the reason she was banished to Gretel, possibly sowing the seed for Gretel’s growing affection. Are we witnessing a witch’s magic or a strong, lonely woman offering help and shelter?
This is a truly imaginative, inventive, and ingenious re-telling of such a beloved classic. I felt completely immersed as if I shared Gretel’s mind and body. I became enthralled by Maeve and yes, possibly bewitched. I applaud the brilliance of this short story and completely recommend it!
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 24, 2019
I have a slight weakness for queer/lgbtqia+ retellings of fairy tales, so of course I had to read this one. It was cute, but the characters didn't have a lot of depth, it was a little bit insta-love, which I'm not a huge fan of. I thought Hans was the most well-developed character, which is not what I wanted. The writing was also very weak and sounded very young, but not as in "this is a character who is young and naive" but as in "this author has not quite refined her craft but start publishing things anyway." This story had so much potential and I just feel like it wasn't given the care and attention it needed. But that's me. I love the idea of a Hansel and Gretel lesbian retelling and the idea of the witch being an outcast from her village because she is not following society's standards of "normal" behaviour, I just wanted it written better. I hope the author continues to develop her craft, because she obviously has a great eye for ways to subvert fairytale tropes and to build them into something new.
September 10, 2019
I loved it! Such a sweet, wonderful story! It was fast paced, exciting and had a lot of wonderful twist and turns. The ending was a pleasant surprise and I laughed at the last sentence. It was fantastic! If you enjoy reading short stories, fairy tales and a lesbian stories with a happy ending, you will love this book. I liked Niamh's style so much, I started reading "Mask of the Highwaywomen" last night!!!!!
September 9, 2017
So, this was a super short but really enjoyable novella based on the story of Hansel and Gretel, a dark tale in its own right. Although there is a great deal of difference between this story and the original fairytale, there are enough elements and darkness in common to make it feel like a Grimm story.
December 12, 2017
Utterly wonderful. Y'all know what a sucker I am for gay retellings of any kind. I'd never heard of a Hansel and Gretel f/f, so when I saw this I one-clicked it.
So happy I did! My last short f/f read was really disappointing, but this has rebuilt some of my faith in the short form romance. Filled with conflict, a carefully built world, lesbians making hard choices. The prose is great!
So happy I did! My last short f/f read was really disappointing, but this has rebuilt some of my faith in the short form romance. Filled with conflict, a carefully built world, lesbians making hard choices. The prose is great!
September 8, 2020
“Sometimes love isn’t enough. You need courage as well.”
A loose retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I enjoyed this a bunch; it's short and simple but did a good job of creating an atmosphere that was tense and mysterious but also romantic. It was just a bit too simple? I think this could have kept its short length, and but still gone somewhere a little different with the plot. At one point I was getting some sinister vibes, and I think I'd have enjoyed it if the author ran with that a bit.
Still pretty enjoyable; the romantic aspect was really sweet. 3.5 stars.
A loose retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I enjoyed this a bunch; it's short and simple but did a good job of creating an atmosphere that was tense and mysterious but also romantic. It was just a bit too simple? I think this could have kept its short length, and but still gone somewhere a little different with the plot. At one point I was getting some sinister vibes, and I think I'd have enjoyed it if the author ran with that a bit.
Still pretty enjoyable; the romantic aspect was really sweet. 3.5 stars.
October 13, 2020
Looking for some lesbians cottage core romance? Well, look no further and allow yourself the pleasure of the retelling of Hansel and Gretel with some gay twist. Mushroom picking and sex against a tree while spring begins to herald its return. It's soft and cute, and really short, so treat yourself, you deserve it.
March 5, 2019
This is pretty bare bones, as is often the case with stories of this length, but I'm a sucker for lesbian fairy tale retellings so it was still pretty enjoyable. Ideally I would have liked a 'happier' ending but it was still a good short read.
July 9, 2017
Gretel is an interesting take on the old fairy tale.
The brother and sister are older than in the original, though it's never disclosed how old they are, not abandoned in the forest but forced to leave their village in hope to find work. Attacked by wolves they get saved by a mysterious woman who offers them shelter.
The story has a good flow, it's an entertaining read filled with adventure, some romance, and sex, and with just the right dollop of drama towards the end. The tale is nicely wrapped up, leaving just enough questions left for us to ponder, for the story to continue in our head without feeling unfinished.
The brother and sister are older than in the original, though it's never disclosed how old they are, not abandoned in the forest but forced to leave their village in hope to find work. Attacked by wolves they get saved by a mysterious woman who offers them shelter.
The story has a good flow, it's an entertaining read filled with adventure, some romance, and sex, and with just the right dollop of drama towards the end. The tale is nicely wrapped up, leaving just enough questions left for us to ponder, for the story to continue in our head without feeling unfinished.
November 22, 2018
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing, but this was just so cute and lovely to read.
May 16, 2021
I didn't like it. While the idea sounded good, it felt like the connection between Gretel and Maeve was pretty forced. There were also pretty much no stakes. It was tiring to go through
September 21, 2018
3.75 stars means that I really (pretty much) liked it. It's a short, quick read for a nice bit of romance.
Hans and Gretel are just about to be eaten by wolves when Maeve shows up in the nick of time to save them. Maeve, in the role traditionally assigned to the evil witch, is, in this retelling, an outcast of the neighboring village. Apparently, she had fallen in love with someone she should not have. This is a lesbian retelling of a fairy tale, so it takes little imagination to understand the nature of the unnatural relationship that earned her banishment. And, of course, Gretel is hungry not just for food, but also for a taste of "unnatural". Unfortunately, Hans sees the situation from a traditional het male perspective and proceeds to act in a way that he feels is utterly justified in his little male mind. He must do what he can to save his sister from being bewitched by the unnaturally capable woman.
The story is short so there is little time for exciting twists and turns. Instead, what you get is a fine, straight-forward, extremely competent fairytale retelling.
Hans and Gretel are just about to be eaten by wolves when Maeve shows up in the nick of time to save them. Maeve, in the role traditionally assigned to the evil witch, is, in this retelling, an outcast of the neighboring village. Apparently, she had fallen in love with someone she should not have. This is a lesbian retelling of a fairy tale, so it takes little imagination to understand the nature of the unnatural relationship that earned her banishment. And, of course, Gretel is hungry not just for food, but also for a taste of "unnatural". Unfortunately, Hans sees the situation from a traditional het male perspective and proceeds to act in a way that he feels is utterly justified in his little male mind. He must do what he can to save his sister from being bewitched by the unnaturally capable woman.
The story is short so there is little time for exciting twists and turns. Instead, what you get is a fine, straight-forward, extremely competent fairytale retelling.
March 30, 2018
An entertaining adult F/F retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I enjoy Niamh's writing and I thoroughly enjoyed this story but I have just the one regret - it was too short. Otherwise I would have given it five! I would have liked a little more character development, and a little more of Maeve and Gretel at the end as they embark on their new paranormal life together. I confess I would have liked the wolves to sort out that controlling brother of hers too. As a bonus you get a three chapter teaser of Mask of the Highwaywoman.
May 25, 2020
Wow, I loved this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was so well-written and a great, quick read. I'm not usually a fan of short stories but I quickly came to like the characters in this, and the thought of what Hans had done made a lump of lead land in my stomach. I was on his side for a while, knowing how the original fairy tale ended, but I was still quite surprised at his sudden turn. And the ending sent a shiver up my spine. Loved it! Fantastic story!
October 18, 2021
3.25 stars
Gretel, a sapphic retelling of Hansel and Gretel, is a lovely written novella whose premise and execution left me a little cold. At the same time, I liked the author’s writing style, imagery, and beautiful, often whimsical prose. The story itself, especially the romance between Gretel and Maeve, was much too rushed for me, and I didn’t care for the instant love, though with such a short read, I imagine that might be hard not to do so that I could have overlooked. However, this, coupled with the ambiguity of the ending, left me slightly uncomfortable with the romance aspects and uneasy. Still, I would consider reading other books by this author because they have a beautiful way with words, and I genuinely love queer fairy tale retellings. I think the author did a good job with this overall, and I enjoyed reading it.
Gretel, a sapphic retelling of Hansel and Gretel, is a lovely written novella whose premise and execution left me a little cold. At the same time, I liked the author’s writing style, imagery, and beautiful, often whimsical prose. The story itself, especially the romance between Gretel and Maeve, was much too rushed for me, and I didn’t care for the instant love, though with such a short read, I imagine that might be hard not to do so that I could have overlooked. However, this, coupled with the ambiguity of the ending, left me slightly uncomfortable with the romance aspects and uneasy. Still, I would consider reading other books by this author because they have a beautiful way with words, and I genuinely love queer fairy tale retellings. I think the author did a good job with this overall, and I enjoyed reading it.
July 6, 2019
Very short story. Freebie.
I liked the idea, but found the execution lacking. The characters needed to be fleshed out a little more. And the info dump at the beginning added nothing but could have added so much more flavour. This is so close to being something interesting too.
I liked the idea, but found the execution lacking. The characters needed to be fleshed out a little more. And the info dump at the beginning added nothing but could have added so much more flavour. This is so close to being something interesting too.
July 28, 2017
Very nice re-telling of the Hans and Gretel fairytale and it certainly is different from the tale we remember reading as a child. It's a short read but very entertaining. I give it 4.5 stars.
March 30, 2019
Loved it!
June 9, 2019
Fun read
Wish this was a little longer, but an interesting twist to an old fairytale. It's a fun, quick read and good intro to this author.
Wish this was a little longer, but an interesting twist to an old fairytale. It's a fun, quick read and good intro to this author.
May 10, 2020
This is a wonderful fairytale re-telling with a gorgeous feeling of world-building and history behind it. Gretel is an absolute angel. Hans though? With that name, I should've anticipated he'd be a backstabber. Really. And the twist and the end? Whoo!
The romance aspect felt a little rushed, and I'm still unsure my they got it on in the middle of the woods that has hungry wolves, but the part that stops me from giving it all five stars is how quickly Hans' leg heals. I would've liked for them to have spent at least another day in that cottage.
The romance aspect felt a little rushed, and I'm still unsure my they got it on in the middle of the woods that has hungry wolves, but the part that stops me from giving it all five stars is how quickly Hans' leg heals. I would've liked for them to have spent at least another day in that cottage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews