Hansel: The killer's story: What makes a serial killer?

by Annalee Adams

Locked away, beaten and broken, can Hansel survive his mothers wrath?

Hansel is a sweet young boy, innocent, until corrupted by the darkness of his mothers shadow.

Trapped and fighting for his survival, he is forced to maim and torture; developing a thirst for the righteous and the holy. As a born again soldier of God, he believes his path is guided by the Lord's hand. But when he takes his first kill, everything changes. Is he prepared to worship his true nature, or will he spare the only girl he’s ever loved?

Find out in this bloodthirsty serial killer thriller, featuring murder, manipulation and the key to unlocking the mind of a serial killer.

Hansel... are you safe in the shadows?

107 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2022

About the author

Annalee Adams lives in England with her Husband, two children and a zoo worth of animals. She loves a good strong cup of tea or coffee, plenty of chocolate and binge watching her shows on Netflix.

Annalee began The Celestial Rose series while at University. She spent much of her childhood engrossed in fictional stories. Starting with teenage point horror books and moving up to the works of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. However, her all-time favourite book is Lewis Carroll's, Alice in Wonderland. Which explains her mindset quite well.

Join Annalee on TikTok, she posts regular videos and is slowly getting the hang of BookTok! You can find her under the name of: @author_annaleeadams

Find out more at: www.AnnaleeAdams.biz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAnnalee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorannale...

Reviews

[Bookishme_lisamarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hansel is a very short horror novella. But, with less than 60 pages, it still manages to tell a complete,albeit very disturbing, story.

It reminds me a bit of religious horror books like Carrie. Books that manage to blend people that are doing things to be closer to God along with demonstrating absolutely psychopathic tendencies.

It's scary to think of all that is done in the name of God and religion in this world and even scarier to think there really are people out there excusing torturing and killing others because they think it is what God wants of them. That by causing harm they are purifying the souls of others.

Hansel may be a short horror story but it left its mark on me. It really made me think about real life horror beyond its pages. Absolutely worth the read. 4⭐️.

[Megan Wintrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got round to reading this! I loved the first one (Gretel) so I was very excited and intrigued about this one

This is where it all began! How the story in Gretel came to be. I absolutely loved this book, how the cage came to be, how Hansel came to be..I will say I did feel sorry for Hansel having a mother like that.

This was absolutely brilliant, I thoroughly enjoyed it..I devoured this book in one sitting it was fabulous.

The characters are great, the story is brilliant and I couldn't get enough of it.

I really hope there will be more Gruesome Tales 😍

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too disturbing for me and poor editing which distracted me.

[Jaye Winkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as the second instalment of the Gruesome Fairytales book which I received from a monthly book box. This is a short horror story written as a prequel to the first book in the collection, Gretel - loosely based on a classic fairytale storyline, of Hansel & Gretel. This tale follows our captor from Gretel, exploring his background and upbringing leading up to the situation in the first story. These stories won’t be for everyone, they are written as disturbing and uncomfortable reads so go into these remembering you are reading a horror, not a slightly darker fairytale retelling. The story is very well written, fast paced and ties in well with the Gretel.
I loved all 4 of the Gruesome Fairytale short stories!!

[Jade Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delve into the mind of a serial killer in the making in this short story! Hansel knows violence from a young age but has always been taught by his Mama they are doing Gods work, so of course he doesn’t question why they have to do it. But what happens when Mama wants to retire? Hansel is expected to take over, but first he must kill his own demons.

Trigger warning: mild descriptions of murder involving children. Written in a way that was tolerable for me, but read at your own discretion.

[Kaylee Harkness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and short novella that serves as a prequel to the authors other short story; Gretel.
The gruesome details were immaculately written. I found myself physically cringing at the details during a scene with two little girls in a tunnel and one with a chicken.
I feel like this story and it’s follow up could have been longer and could still even have a third part.
There were some typos that threw me off a little bit but overall worth the read.

[Christie Brumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine being transformed into the mind of a serial killer and that’s Hansel at its core. Hansel is your average young boy until his Mum molds him into her partner in crime down a path of murder. Oh and get this she claims its the lords work and they are his soldiers. Will he succumb to the dark path his mother has paved or will he choose another?

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way of exploring the kind of a killer. Adams created a dark and twisted environment for a young child to grow and develop into Gretels serial killer
I enjoyed this one, and the ending makes more sense if you’ve read Gretel first.

[Emmagard · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was unsure about this to start with as it’s a six year old kid. But it’s actually a fifteen year old , thinking back to his childhood. After the first few chapters I was engrossed. So if it’s a scary horror shirt read your after, then give this a go!!!

[Sharon Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure I like his mother...

This book was a gruesome backstory for Gretel and every bit as shocking and terrifying. Truly a macabre masterpiece...I dread to think where this tale ends..

[Jade Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling! I didn’t sleep after that 😱

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this should have been book 1. It was alright. The back story of how Hansel started doing what he did.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Really good backstory to help understand the first book a little more.
I will be definitely be reading more by the author.

[Emmagard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s disturbing, but I suppose that’s what a serial killers mind would be like!

[Shellie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Book Review*

This is the second in a series of short gruesome fairy tale serial killer stories by the lovely @authorannalee

Once again this was only 60 pages so as you guessed it I flew through it again. I though this one was very clever because all though its is book two it gives you background to book one.

This one was a lot more gruesome in my eyes and I live for that 🫣 it truly keeps you on the edge of your seat! The way that Adams is able to create such disturbing scenes in such a short book shows her level of writing!

I have a sneaky feeling I might race through this series! I have book three ready and waiting!

[TheseHauntedPages · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all his life Hansel has only known evil, his highly religious mother believes that it is their duty to do Gods work and purge the world of evil, whilst he also has “the devil” beaten out of him on a regular basis.

Hansel started off with potential but unfortunately it lost its way for me and as it’s such a short story it didn’t really have enough time to come full circle.

I enjoyed the evil essence of the Mama character and would love to see a book dedicated to her!

[Debz78 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hansel, a short novella that picks up where the familiar fairy tale leaves off, delves into the dark history that shaped its titular character. In this unsettling tale, we learn the truth behind Hansel's troubled nature and how the story of Gretel came to be. It's a brutal look at a boy raised by a mother who was not to be trifled with, and it's anything but sweet. A mother who has a very warped sense and believed God set her on this path!!

[Ciara Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this is book 2, it really could be read prior to book 1, Gretel, because it’s like a prequel. This is like straight up horror. Cannibalism. People that take their religious stuff too far and feel they need to take matters into their own hands to cleanse the earth of wicked people. It’s wild and crazy. Be prepared for the religious theme!

[Leanne Rathbone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t convinced by the story, the characters weren’t quite there in terms of development which I know is hard for a short story but still, this needs work. Editing and proofreading would help too.

[Helen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short horror novella that keeps the reader on edge and feeling uneasy. Not an easy thing from such a short read. This has aspects of abuse in the name of religion so this may trigger some readers. A worthwhile read.

[Ellie Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like where you're going with this.
These could be chapters from a larger book rather than individual books.

Why is everyone called Jane?
The editing really could do with a second look it's very distracting.

[Benny Doem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now that is one messed up book, but I expect that’s what it would be like with a psycho mother like that!

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick book that definitely explains more into Gretel and how it all began.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent premise

A lot of typos, unfinished words and errors. Decent prequel to the first story though. Quick read if you’re looking for something fast.

[Lisa Sparkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as messed up a Gretel. I loved it.

[Amy Moo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this was not as good as Gretel but a worthwhile read after reading it.
I feel it's needed to complete the story but the flow isn't the same as Gretel.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wish I'd DNF'd this.

It was ok but a bit boring as nothing really happened.

[Danni (_forbookssake) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a short story, Hansel certainly packs a punch. It grabs your attention from the very first page, and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The brutality is what holds your focus, and I found myself flinching at the gruesome details, which is a rare occurrence for me.

Despite the horror that he inflicted, part of me felt so sorry for Hansel. His mother had brainwashed him, abused him, and he didn’t really know any different, and that made me so sad for him. The psychological element to the story was one of my favourite elements, and deep down, I think that Hansel was actually a good kid, but his mind had been so warped by his mother that he genuinely believed that what he was doing was God’s work. The way the story concludes, I actually wish I had read this before reading Gretel, because it would have flowed so nicely together.

Both Hansel, and Gretel are fantastic horror short stories, but are not for the faint hearted. They are gut wrenching, brutal, and horrifying. Everything I could have asked for from them.