I didn't like this one. However, my reasons for disliking it - like the story itself, in my opinion - are obstinately refusing to resolve into a set of pithy comments, so I've decided to fall back on bullet points:
• I took an immediate dislike to Ms. L. Thorn. I just don't like people who conflate the very ordinary seeking of dominance/avoidance of the dominance of others with some kind of extraordinary talent or drive. They're just jerks. I was gratified to discover that no, thankfully, I wasn't required to like Ms. Thorn. But, I still wanted something fairy tale bad to happen to her. What's the point of fairy tales if bad things don't happen to jerks?
• I didn't like how all the male characters fell into one of the two most common negative male stereotypes (that is, that we're violent and dangerous or needy and incompetent. Hansel was such an annoying character who never graduated to anything more than a charicature.
• Similarly, Gretel was... flat. I don't know. I feel like I was expected to see something romantic in her series of bad choices - choices that she, herself, didn't seem to care much about. I didn't. As a result, her sudden decision to start making good choices felt... well good for you, Gretel. I just didn't see much emotional tension to hang the story on.
• As I mentioned above, I don't really feel like the story ever quite resolved. I didn't get where it was going. The parallel between the witch and Gretel in the end was just too thin.