I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For as long as she can remember, Valla’s been told her beauty would give her a life most people only dreamed of. So when the mysterious Count Leonid calls on her to be his betrothed, Valla jumps at the chance to leave her small, bleak village. The only thing standing in her way? The journey through the dangerous Gottyar Wood that many don’t survive.

Filled with deadly and cunning creatures, the Gottyar immediately delivers on its reputation with an attack that leaves Valla injured; her face torn to shreds. Barely making it to the castle in one piece, Valla is relieved to finally be safe. But things have changed. Valla’s face is no longer beautiful. And the Count is not happy…Valla thought making it through the Gottyar was a victory, but when she sees what awaits beyond the palace walls, the true battle begins.

Short and Sweet Review

Valla has always been told her beauty will take her far. When Count Leonid calls on Valla to be his betrothed, she’s excited to leave her small village life behind. The only problem is to get to the Count, Valla has to travel through Gottyar Woods which is a perilous journey. Valla makes it out to the other side but her face was cut and now she’s no longer regarded as beautiful. The Count isn’t happy to see Valla, and Valla thought her troubles would be over once she finally got out of the woods and made it to the Count but she quickly learns that she’s sorely wrong.

A Girl Walks into the Forest follows our main character Valla and we see her go from a girl who’s kind of naive to one who comes out a survivor. Valla’s been told her whole life her beauty would get her places and one of those places is out of the village and to the Count. Valla has to travel through the Gottyar Wood and that journey is dangerous and most don’t survive, but in the woods Valla gets her face torn. When we meet Count Leonid we learn very quickly that he’s very cold and distant and not in one of those ways where this could eventually lead to romance, he’s an antagonist and he stays that way. The castle also has pretty dark vibes going on and everything in that castle just feels off. When you feel like Valla gets passed a hurdle there’s always something worse on the other side. I think my favorite thing about this book is watching Valla become a survivor and have to rely on instincts she never had to rely on before. I’ve read other books by Roux and this one isn’t my favorite but it was still good.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought it would be more about the dark woods and castle but there’s a lot more emphasis on how horrible humans can be to one another. I would recommend this book if you’re in the mood for something darker with a bit of a fairytale vibe.