Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Gretel #3

Hansel

Rate this book
The evil witch's plague on the Back Country is over, but a new terror now lurks in a distant land.

Years have passed since Marlene's death, and Gretel, unable to cope with her mother's descent into madness, has fled the Back Country for the solitude and anonymity of the Old World. But one quiet day in the remote village of Stedwick, Gretel is taken by Gromus, an ageless mythical figure known only by locals, but whose reputation and power is steadily growing.

It is now up to Hansel to save his sister and the ancient land of their ancestors from a horror as old as the book that unleashed it to the world.

Audiobook

First published August 1, 2017

223 people are currently reading
374 people want to read

About the author

Christopher Coleman

23 books144 followers
Christopher Coleman lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in English Literature. A fan of classic and modern horror and thriller movies, his favorite movies are Rosemary's Baby and The Ring. When he's not writing fiction, you can find him reading, taking his kids to and from various sporting activities or watching horror movies with his wife who shares his affinity for the horror genre. His books will creep you out and leave you scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
195 (43%)
4 stars
162 (36%)
3 stars
75 (16%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Amber J (Thereadingwitch).
1,174 reviews86 followers
April 20, 2019
This was not my favorite of the series. I think that if it had just started off on or around the time that is left off from the last book it would have been much better, but right away on the first page its tells the big secret. That Hansel killed his mom Anika. Which is the best part of the book and in my opinion a huge spoiler. As for the current events in the book. It felt more like it had nothing to do with the rest of the series, and in the end I was very dissapointed in this book. I am hoping that the next book Anika Rising will be much better.
Profile Image for Cat Freeman.
188 reviews12 followers
July 25, 2018
Another great book in this series! This time written from Hansel's point of view, giving a whole new take on the story. I feel like the series does a great job being a true horror without going too far over the edge into torture porn, which I do not enjoy. For me, it's been just the right amount of brutal.

I'm ready to start book 4, and based on the way this one ended, I am assuming there are several more to come in this series. I hope that's the case! All in all, a great read!

*5 Stars
70 reviews3 followers
May 9, 2018
Before Hansel left to go the village of where his sister had been abducted by Gromus, he stopped at a tavern and spoke with the bartender with whom had seen the ugliest ‘thing’ ever. Gus, the bartender, told Hansel about the worst night he’d ever experienced in his life, when Gromus had come into his bar and basically stopped time. It wasn’t like he was even a real man but a creature of some sort. Gus told Hansel he’d better be ever so careful if he was going to come in contact with this ‘thing’.

Hansel has now gone on his own to the Old World, the place of his and Gretel’s birth’s. He’s gone there to look for his sister, as she’s written him a letter that was to have been followed by another which he never received. Gretel had told him in the letter that she was worried because she was having feelings of being taken by Gromus, another supposedly mythical creature that lived in the Old World. It was said that he was the son of Tanja, which made him Marlene’s brother. However, this wasn’t something that Hansel knew as of yet. In the first city he landed, he was greeted by a shotgun in his face, and, “Who are you, what do you want?” It was customary now for the villagers to do such a thing due to the simple fact that robbers and killers ran amok. With Gromus coming and killing people, that’s what had been happening. Hansel put his hands in the air showing he wanted nothing. He just stated that he was looking for his sister. When he mentioned the name of Gromus, he’d immediately been asked to leave. The man didn’t want him around. When his granddaughter came out from the back of the store asking who was there, Hansel was almost immediately relieved. Possibly she could help. Her name was Maja, she’d grown up in the small village and knew it quite well. Maja also knew of Gromus. She and her grandfather took Hansel to the place where Gretel had been living while in the village and Hansel spoke to the man, Cezar, who’d been the innkeeper. After finding out what had happened that night when Gretel was taken, Hansel was more determined than ever to find his sister.

When Hansel had asked for help in finding his sister, he certainly didn’t expect help from Maja, but she was the only person who’d end up going along. Together they went up the mountain in hopes of coming across a specific person she was looking for to guide them to Gromus. Little did either of them know, they both had the same person in mind. After finding Noah, he insisted they get Oskar to join in on their journey as well, being that he also helped Anika when she was there looking to find a cure for her sickness. So off the four of them went, further up the mountain in search of the creature that kidnapped Gretel.

This book wasn’t nearly as adventurous as the first two but I’ve come this far!! I must go on...one more to go!!
271 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2020
This is the third in the series of Chistopher Coleman's creative Hansel & Gretel series. It takes the familiar Grimm's fairy tale and gives it an even nastier and darker twist. I am enjoying how the tale unfolds, While each book can be read on its own, it really is worthwhile to read them in order.

While the second book focused on Gretel, this installment shines the spotlight on her younger brother Hansel. The book is a combination of flashbacks to his experiences with his deteriorating mother Anika and his search for Gretel, who has returned to the Old World. I enjoy how the story unfolds, and tension that builds to the climactic showdown with the evil and seemingly invincible Gromus.

Sadly -- and this is a spoiler alert -- the ending is a major letdown. Throughout the book Gromus was presented as a formidable, awe-inspiring and fear-inducing menace. I wondered just how Hansel would overcome such an evil presence. We discover that Gromus had been haunting and terrorizing the region for centuries, kidnapping boys and girls to harvest their organs in the making of his life-perpetuating potions. He even destroys an entire village single-handedly, with the hapless citizens apparently being unable to stop his ghoulish massacre. Get the picture? Terrifying and seemingly invincible.

So how does the powerless Hansel overcome this hideous creature? A shotgun blast. Really? If it was that easy, why hadn't someone done it in the preceding three centuries? I was extremely disappointed in the outcome and how easily Gromus was dispatched.

Hopefully the next installment will make amends for this unsatisfying resolution.
Profile Image for Brandie Lea Slicer.
337 reviews4 followers
March 7, 2019
Love this series!

I just love this series I’ve read Gretel, Marcela’s Revenge, just finished Hansel and I’m getting ready to read Anika Rising. ————————Spoiler Alert and Fan Girl Questions++++++++++++++++++++++——————————————————————-

I just have some fan girl questions and wonder if anyone knows? I adore this series! After reading Hansel I was expecting the next book to lead with Hansel, Gretel, Noah, and Maja’s next adventure to start on their quests to locate the missing Orphism books to return to the hidden village...and possibly reunite with Petyr?

He kind of fell out of the plot and and it never really explained how Gretel just left Uni (I guess?) and went to the Old World?

I know this is at the Author’s whim (as he is the Creator of this fantastic universe), so I hope the muse visits you sir and you are inspired to weave more worlds for us that include Gretel, Hansel and their friends! I see that the next book (which I’m going to start immediately!) centers around Anika Rising (literally) a day after she supposedly drowned.

I was pretty suspicious of the drowning “ death” anyway to be honest. Because so far as we’ve seen the only way to truly kill someone with the ancient blood is to obliterate their heads!

All in all this series had me riveted from the beginning! There’s plenty of horror! But also ; wisdom, compassion, humor, life lessons, suspense, thrills, and just so much fun to read that you almost hate to reach the end because it’s like you’re leaving a group of friends. My highest mark for a great read! Bravo !
Profile Image for Michelle Allen.
18 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2025
Hansel pulled me into its depths in a way I never expected. Unlike the previous books, this installment forced me to confront fear in its most raw, psychological form. It wasn’t just about dark magic or survival—it was about fate, about the terrifying realization that some horrors are unavoidable.

Reading Hansel made me reflect on how we all get thrust into situations we never saw coming—ones that test our resilience, that reshape us, that leave scars whether we like it or not. Hansel’s journey felt deeply personal, mirroring the way life sometimes traps us in places we never planned to be, forcing us to fight even when we feel powerless.

Coleman’s ability to build tension and craft an atmosphere of unease is incredible. The suffocating sense of dread, the way fate lingers over every moment—it reminded me that sometimes, survival isn’t just physical, it’s emotional, it’s psychological. And that’s what makes this book so gripping.

If you’re looking for a read that pulls you into the dark, makes you think, and leaves its mark long after you turn the last page, Hansel delivers.

⭐ Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy and horror!
Profile Image for Shamina.
618 reviews18 followers
November 16, 2021
This was a much shorter book, but it was faster paced than the first two. I liked the faster pace and the pov of Hansel instead of Gretel. I was a little confused about Hansel’s age. I thought he was about 8 when Anika first disappeared. From this book though it seems like he was 11-12ish.

I’m still confused about the setting of the books as well. Is it a fantasy world or Earth? If it’s Earth it almost seems like a different dimension. They have cars and phones, but no airplanes? It could be the early 20th century, but the cars of the system have computers. Geographically it almost seems like the Old World is North America and the New World is Europe. Or it’s not Earth at all.

I didn’t like Gretel much in this one. She abandons her little brother with a violent mad woman. Then gets angry when he has to defend himself! The shorter story does feel a little unpolished or… unfinished. Where is Peter? When did Gretel go to the Old World? How old is everyone at this point?

Ah well, still a good story.
Profile Image for Bonnie Dale Keck.
4,677 reviews58 followers
July 27, 2017
Kindle Unlmited but got this as one of my here a free book, early, hope you read it and maybe review.

The evil witch's plague on the Back Country is over, but a new terror now lurks in a distant land.Years have passed since Marlene's death, and Gretel, unable to cope with her mother's descent into madness, has fled the Back Country for the solitude and anonymity of the Old World. But one quiet day in the remote village of Stedwick, Gretel is taken by Gromus, an ageless mythical figure known only by locals, but whose reputation and power is steadily growing.It is now up to Hansel to save his sister and the ancient land of their ancestors from a horror as old as the book that unleashed it to the world.

Gretel (Gretel, #1)
Marlene's Revenge (Gretel #2)
Hansel (Gretel #3)
69 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2019
Good story, writing is good

Although the writing is good, it really needs editing, but do not let that stop you from reading this book! The story unfolds nicely, going from the past to the present and back again until both are complete. This is a satisfying continuation of the Hansel and Gretel retelling, without the gingerbread house still. I gave it two stars because of the small errors that even honest friends who read a lot should be able to point out.
Coleman is still one of the few self-published authors I’ve found who are worth reading over and over again. Read his books, everyone!
One more thing - I like how he lets you know gore is involved without going into detail. That takes skill. Well done.
Profile Image for Heidi.
520 reviews5 followers
August 10, 2017
It felt like I was waiting forever for this book to finally release! I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series and anxiously awaited this one! I really liked this addition to the series, it is well written and creative. I felt it was a bit rushed, unlike the first two books, and craved more information on Gromus and his backstory as well as some of the happenings in the storyline. I did enjoy how there are two stories in one; there is the story of Hansel and Gretel's mother after the potion, as well as the hunt for Gretel and Gromus. Overall another great book by Christopher Coleman, who I have to thank for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book!
Profile Image for TE.
240 reviews3 followers
October 8, 2017
Hansel is the third book in the Gretel series. It's a little bit different from the first two books in that it isn't as gory and that Gretel doesn't play as big of a role. The whole thing is from Hansel's point of view. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past, tying up loose ends from book two and showing what led to the current situation. It's almost like getting two stories in one. I thought it was neat the way the author built the suspense so that both parts of the story (past & present) climaxed at the same time. Hansel is a pretty good "boogeyman" story and a nice way to round out the series.

For those who want to know: This one has violence.
Profile Image for Sharon Leung.
583 reviews32 followers
October 8, 2020
Gripping

I am loving this series so far. Hansel , gretel, and the origins books are a great combination and the friend story make along the way, are a incredible. All the characters are unique in there own way each bringing certain qualities to each adventure. Old characters and new ones joining in, bringing the quest a new freshness. Looking forward to the next book in the series and seeing where they go next. A great adventure/quest with many twists and some gruesome characters to fight. Definitely recommend.
100 reviews2 followers
June 23, 2018
OMG

I fall more in love with this series with each book I read. I can’t even tell you how the author has taken such a classic tale and made it into so much more.

He’s really taken Hansel & Gretel to characters that are believable and you feel connected with. It’s like reading history on how these two fictional characters came to be who they are.

Love it, if you aren’t reading the series you are missing out!!
414 reviews1 follower
September 1, 2018
Danger continues in another form...

Book III starts with Hansel arriving in the Old Country looking for his sister, Gretel, who has been kidnapped by Gromus the brother of Marlene who was killer by their mother. Will Hansel and his new friends be able to save Gretel before the same gate as their mother's recalls her?

The evil continues with determine destruction of innocents. Edge of your seat thriller. Violent content.

Jo-Ann Doyle
Profile Image for Jim Kratzok.
1,070 reviews3 followers
February 5, 2020
A gripping story!

The saga continues... Gretel is on the Old Country, Hansel has been living with his damaged mother in their home. Annika is out of her potion and starts to become very creepy. When Gretel doesn't send word to Hansel when she said she would he knows she's in trouble and sets out for the Old Country to find her, discovering an immense evil in the process.

I'll be starting the next book in the series ASAP!
Profile Image for Rebecca English.
15 reviews
October 11, 2017
Was a great read just wished the ending would not have been extinguished so fast and easy

I enjoyed thus trilogy it definitely makes a person wonder. Is witchcraft real??? Pick up the first book and you will be frothing at the mouth to finish thus last book! ..... Rebecca in Carmichael, California
Profile Image for Tammy Reed.
12 reviews
November 29, 2017
A New Twist!

I'm always looking for a new and exciting take on fairytales...and this series hit the jackpot!!
I couldn't put them down until I had finished the entire set...and then was upset it was over.
I recommend these books who have a love for a different side of an old story.
Profile Image for Sara ✨ Next Book Review Blog ✨.
2,120 reviews5 followers
April 19, 2019
*********** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ***********

Tim Campbell was a good narrator. I haven't listened to him previously but I thought he did good.
Really incredible in storytelling. I'm really shocked by how much fantasy and creativity Christopher Coleman adds to his story. He really develops an amazing land!
Profile Image for Lacey.
1,490 reviews28 followers
January 3, 2020
This one flowed much more quickly. I think the change in narrative to Hansel really helped. He's just more approachable then Gretel. And he's had to endure their hardships while at a younger age where he's been unable to do anything about the situation. And that ending definitely hooked me. I might actually be tempted to continue this series after all.
Profile Image for Vikki Morrison.
26 reviews
August 12, 2020
A continuation of the book, Gretel, this book follows along in the series. I love the way the author allows the reader to see a character's side of the story. There were so many twists and turns that I wasn't sure how it would turn out. As with the first book, I couldn't put this book down. Can't wait to read the first book!
Profile Image for Cattie Whaley.
301 reviews2 followers
February 12, 2024
Great read

Finally returning to this storyline, to learn of Hansel's side of the story. Gretel seems to be missing, along with a bunch of other people. It's up to Hansel to track her down but the creature that has taken her may not be human! We meet some new characters and have the return of some old ones in this great story. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Ayomikun.
219 reviews
August 2, 2024
Debating between 2.5 or 3 stars. It was good don't get me wrong but the beginning and middle were pretty slow.

The ending was really solid though, had my heart pumping and that Hansel, Anika, Mrs Klahr scene on the lake???? exquisite

Deffo reading the next one, can't wait to have Hansel and Gretel together again (and hopefully Petr too!)

Profile Image for Tam French.
167 reviews
August 5, 2017
Disappointed

Was thoroughly disappointed in this book. Not nearly as much excitement or drama as the previous two books. The only "gruesome" scene was in Lyria. Gromus could have been more developed and his ending could have been better written.
Profile Image for Darlene Agnos.
3 reviews
August 9, 2017
I really enjoyed this third installment of the Gretel series. I found it well written and the story entertaining. If there are future story lines, I know I will want to read them as well. Chris Coleman is a good writer with an interesting imagination
Profile Image for Lori Niemuth.
130 reviews4 followers
September 13, 2017
Wonderful story!

I've been hooked on these characters since the first chapter of book one. Loved the tightness of the storyline and how each book was written from the viewpoint of a different member of the Morgan family. Highly recommend this series!
170 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2017
Weird, well written, suspenseful

The premise of this book series is truly unique.. Read them in sequence for best effect.. The characters are amazing.. No matter what you've read before this story will surprise you..
246 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2018
Great book

If you read the first 2 books, then Hansel has to be read.....it's so good!! Hansel takes care of his mother and Gretel works at the orchard until she goes to the old country. Read it to find out the rest of the story.
61 reviews2 followers
September 20, 2018
Good

Good story but feels like it jumped too far ahead in time. Giving the reader notice that a huge time jump with missing characters would be following would've been helpful. Very detailed going into the book but ending felt rushed.
Profile Image for Sally.
11 reviews18 followers
April 26, 2020
A thrilling story

I really enjoyed this book! Christopher Coleman is A great story teller, he makes you feel like you are right there with the characters, feeling what they feel. I am now on to the fourth book in the series and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Profile Image for Lindsey Hawkins Gould.
335 reviews4 followers
June 16, 2020
Better than the second book

I enjoyed this much more than the second book and thought that the first person narrative made it more engaging. I like the characters and look forward to reading more of their story in book four.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.