I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a bit of an enigma for me, I finished it a few days ago and I'm still not sure what to think about it, or whether I even liked. I'm giving it a 4/5, because it was well written, and I think my disconnect with it was no real fault of the author, I just personally couldn't connect.

It starts off extremely slow, and it isn't until the halfway point that things really start going. I found it to be a bit of a slogging read, especially in the beginning, mostly due to the writing style- which I found to be trying to hard to be mysterious, elusive and deep. I know this style of raining down metaphors and similes and speaking in vague mysterious tones is incredibly popular, but it is not and never has been my "thing". Don't get me wrong, I love a good plot twist, but I really have no love for books that try to be deep. Depth should come from the story, and the connections the reader makes to it, not from overwrought prose. That is my personal opinion anyway.

The characters felt under developed. Even though it was written in the first person, I couldn't connect to Alice. I'm a little tired of the "push the world away angry protagonist", and wish I could have seen her long for connections a little more. Instead she only seems to truly care about one person- her mother, and everyone else matters very little to her, thus because of the first person perspective, they become under developed to the reader.

I liked the book a little more when she finally made it to the Hinterland, but I found the world building there to be a little anemic, the fabric of the world was there, but threadbare and faded. I wanted it to be more magical. That's not to say I wanted it to be less dark, I do enjoy a good dark fairy tale, but I found it to be empty and paper thin, dull where it should be gleaming with malice.

I enjoyed the Story Spinner, and the general concepts surrounding the Stories. The way the Hinterland acted to keep Stories on their path was well done, and I wish we could have seen more of that aspect.

The one character I was really interested in was Ellery Finch, and I think by the end he was done a great disservice by the author. I did not understand some of his choices at all in the last part of the book, and without going into specifics, I did not like the ending at all. If there was a sequel, I wouldn't pick it up.

I couldn't justify giving it less than a 4 though, because I can see that it would appeal to certain readers, it just didn't appeal to me. If I was rating it entirely on personal enjoyment, and not overall quality, it'd be a high 2 for me. It's not a book I have any desire to read again.

I wolfed this book down during a vacation. It's portal fantasy, but with a twist, and portal fantasies and fairy tales are my jam. It didn't feel especially YA to me, although I suppose there's no real reason it couldn't be marketed that way. The themes of regret and loss felt more adult to me. There's more Elizabeth Hand in this book than there is of "The Magicians", although there's a bit of that too.

Alice and her mom, Ella, have been on the move for all of Alice's life. When Alice was young, she was kidnapped. She's got the sense that her mom keeps them moving so that her kidnapper won't find them again, but also that it's more than that, somehow. Back in the day, Alice's grandmother wrote as series of short story/fairy tales set in the Hinterlands that brought her notoriety. Since the book came out, the grandmother has lived as a recluse in the Hazel Wood. Hiding? Lurking? Who knows?

I really enjoyed the writing craft in this book. Alice is an unhappy girl and she's not an especially nice person. I liked that about her! She wasn't sassy, she was damaged, and the difference is that between an overdone trope and an original character. I was interested in Alice instead of annoyed- and annoyed is an emotion I often get with YA main characters. There was more depth to her darkness.

I also really dropped into the descriptions. From the coffee shop where Alice works to her companion Ellery Finch's bedroom/library to a road trip to the boonies, everything felt real and lived-in. It felt beautiful and dark, which is how I like my fairy tales. The author managed to evoke a sense of foreignness and dread from small details.

Alice's grandmother's books are almost impossible to find. Alice herself has never been able to get her hands on a copy. Ellery Finch, though, is a big fan of the Hinterlands and has the stories memorized. Alice must pull the details she needs to survive from Finch's memory. The stories are dark and gothic, not really stories with morals but stories about survival. The moral of the stories, I suppose, is that whatever it takes to survive, you do.

Part of the point of the story is that the reality of a world and the romance of the idea of a world are not the same. You can't really be a tourist in Fairyland- Fairyland doesn't care if you're visiting for fun. I am so very guilty of wanting to fall into the books that I love and experience them firsthand. Despite all the warnings, I still want to fall into the world of the Hazel Wood and I'm looking forward to the next book that takes me there.

Thanks to Flatiron for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's no secret that I enjoy fairytale retellings - especially when they're dark. Yes, we all grew up loving the fairytales with the "And they lived happily ever after" stories, but this one is not like that at all. If you've read the old school Grimm tales then that is what you can be expecting here.

Alice is 17 and her entire life has been traveling on the road with her mother. They've always barely been a couple steps ahead of bad luck chasing them. Well, as if their lives weren't riddled with enough bad luck, Alice learns that her grandmother has passed away in her estate known as the Hazel Wood. Her grandmother was known for her dark fairytales that had a huge cult following. These stories took place in a supernatural world called the Hinterland. While coming to terms with her grandmother's death, her mother Ella is taken from her into Hinterland. She leaves behind a note reading, "Stay away from the Hazel Wood."

Alice has made it her mission to stay far away from her grandmother's cultish fans, but she finds that she must team up with her fellow classmate. Ellery Finch is a longtime Hinterland superfan but are his intentions purely to help Alice find her mother? Together, they venture into the Hazel Wood and then further into Hinterland to try and save her mother, but what will she learn along the way?

If you love dark fairytales then this is one that needs to be on your list. It may start out a little slower for some readers at the beginning but you'll find yourself so intrigued and slowly pulled in that you won't want it to stop. Like my #CJSReads ladies, I need more Hinterland! I want to know more about this universe and other stories.

This was beautifully written and was a very easy read. Despite being categorized as a YA novel, this one didn't feel too YA, if that makes sense! If you want something dark with fantasy, then you should venture into the Hazel Wood.

I give this a solid 4/5 stars!

I wanted to love this dark fantasy, but there was something I found lacking. It shows a lot of promise thought and this is definitely an author I to watch out for in the future.

This was so epic!! I am a total fan of fairy tales and fairy tale reimagining’s. But not necessarily contemporary reads but I have found a happy median my contemporary reads just need to have twisted tales weaved through them. Now onto the bookThe Hazel Wood is definitely a darker read than what the cover suggests. And I loved that the fairy tales/ stories that were featured in the book were inclined to favour the original fairy tales that were penned by Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm brothers. Ones that teach us lessons. I also really enjoyed how the author made up her own stories but also tied in with the originals I think I really helped with the atmosphere and plot of the story especially at the end. The characters were very believable Alice and Ella showed a very authentic mother and daughter relationship. I loved the flashbacks to Alice’s childhood she genuinely acted like a child not comprehending the sacrifices her mother made and when she does find out it shows her growth as a person especially since this is a standalone and the author doesn’t have the luxury of showing growth with other novels. Now there are hints that there might be a romance blossoming but that does not come to fruition and its more put on the back burner this more focuses on the mother daughter relationship. All in all this book has a great blend of contemporary notes with a great mystery and terrifying stories to create a unique read many will enjoy. P.S I hope the author publishes a novel just on the stories told and untold in The Hazel Wood would be pretty awesome and terrifying

The Hazel Wood takes a page from traditional Fairy Tales, with it’s dark and twisty story. I loved, loved the writing style of Melissa Albert. It has that lyrical quality that makes you want to just read anything she writes. The plot is fantastic as it is dark. It left me with that feeling when I was finished reading that even though the story was done, you still feel an attachment to it.

I admit, the story had a slow start for me. I think I just lack patience anymore. I’m ready to get moving, like I want to climb into the story and go searching for things. Like a particular book. The writing, however, was perfect all the way through. So even though it felt slow starting, I enjoyed the writing so much that I would have kept reading anyway. Which of course I’m glad I did, because once it picked up. I was hooked.

It’s hard to find a way to describe the plot because there are so many different components. The more that Alice tumbles down her own rabbit hole. The more stones are overturned. I loved the way that the Fairy Tales are woven into the plot and the fact that it’s Tales of the Hinterland. So it’s not stories that we, as the reader, have heard before. So every little scrap of information is like one that you are starving for, just like Alice. It’s one of those tales that leaves you feeling a little haunted after reading but you don’t want to go into much depth about in order to keep from giving anything away.

Alice and her mother, Ella are nomads. They move from place to place and it’s not as if they are running from someone in particular. To Alice, they are running from bad luck. Alice dreams of getting to know her famous grandmother Alethea Porsepine, but her mother Ella wants nothing to do with the past. Alice is such an interesting character because she doesn’t seem bitter about moving, I think she has adopted this idea that Ella is all she needs. That they find strength in one another. So when her mother is taken, it’s a whole new world for Alice to have to possibly rely on someone else for help. Her character growth and her relationship with Ella is one the really interesting parts of the book.

Ellory Finch is rich, which I think sometimes Alice uses that against him. He’s also a super fan of her grandmothers stories and her best resource to finding her mother. They go from an tentative acquaintance to a stronger bond as they travel together. I liked him, he was different.

If you are a fan of Fairy Tales, this is one for you to definitely read. If you are not, read it anyway because it’s not a retelling of the tales you know.

Simply put. I thought this book was amazing. 5 stars. 2 thumbs up. A+: 100%. And any other way I can express perfect. Alice Prosperine is a girl who's lived a strange life of instability, with a mother who moves house every few months once their "bad luck" catches up with them. Lurking in the background is a hauntingly weird grandmother Alice has never actually met, the infamous tome of dark fairytales that has almost been forgotten by the world but seems to bring nothing good to those who still remember it and her grandmother's home which these fairytales paid for, known as The Hazel Wood. Once Alice's grandmother passes away her mother believes them safe from whatever has been chasing them for Alice's entire life, she remarries and attempts to settle down in NYC creating a normal life for Alice. Which is where all hell breaks loose and our story pretty much begins. What follows is an addictively enchanting tale that channels The Black Forest through upstate NY. The Grimm Brothers would have loved this book. I enjoyed this book so much that in spite have being given an e-galley copy for review I will absolutely still go out and buy a hardcopy to physically keep on my shelves and to reread later. That is really the highest praise I can give a book seeing as I really have to no time for rereading with a to be read pile like mine or room for any more books but if it's worth it I'll find a way!! This book is worth it.

Alice has been on the road for most of her life. She and her mother have been trying to stay a step ahead of the bad luck that seems to follow them where ever they go. That bad luck gets much worse when Alice learns that her grandmother, the author of an out-of-print book of dark fairy-tales called Tales from the Hinterland, has died at her upstate New York estate named the Hazel Wood - her mother has been kidnapped by a figure claiming to be from the Hinterland, the setting of her grandmother's book. Alice only has one lead, a message from her mother telling her to "Stay away from the Hazel Wood." Alice has no idea where to start if she wants to find her mother - she'd never met her grandmother, never knew exactly where she called home, and had never even read her book (as per her mother's orders). She's always dodging her grandmother's obsessive fans, but now she realizes that she'll have to turn to Ellery Finch, a superfan and her classmate who just may have his own motives, if she ever wants to see her mom again.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert might just be the best YA debut novel I read all year, and although it's still January, this is certainly going to be one of my favorite reads of 2018. She sets the bar incredibly high with her darkly whimsical fairy-tale-esque style, compelling characters, slightly off-kilter pacing (which works very well in this case), and wonderful world-building. I actually went into this story knowing very little aside from the description. Usually, I enjoy reading other reviews and going a little more in-depth, but I think it's actually beneficial going into this familiar feeling yet incredibly unique story (mostly) blind. In my case, I was completely hooked right from the opening chapters - tonally it's exactly up my alley and I just had to know more about Alice and her world. I liked getting to know Alice and Finch (who feels like he might be at home with the Raven Boys) as they travel. While Alice isn't exactly likable, she's a fascinating and flawed character to follow as she leads the story. I also particularly love that we get to see a couple of the stories from Tales from the Hinterland within this story.

Melissa Albert's debut YA novel, The Hazel Wood, is an atmospheric, dark, and unsettling fantasy that would be perfect for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and perhaps even Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. I can't wait to see what she will do next with the currently untitled sequel that's due out next year. If you like dark YA fantasy and fairy-tales, you absolutely need to give this debut a shot.

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron Books, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My actual review is probably closer to 3.5 stars, but I really don’t like giving half-stars, so 4 stars it is.

Alice and her mother Ella have always been on the move, dogged by bad luck wherever they go. They receive a letter that Alice’s grandmother, Althea Proserpine, an author of a cult-classic book of dark fairytales, has died at her estate, the Hazel Wood, and Ella believes their bad luck is finally over.

Alice does, too, until Ella is abducted, seemingly by figures from the Hinterland, the fictional world where Althea’s book is set. Ella leaves Alice with only one message: Stay away from the Hazel Wood.

So naturally, that’s where Alice must go to find answers and her mother, but she has to find the elusive estate first. Along with Hinterland super-fan, Ellery Finch, who has his own reasons for helping Alice, the two embark on a journey to locate both the Hazel Wood and the Hinterland and discover the truth about Alice’s eerie upbringing.

I was really expecting to love The Hazel Wood. It sounded like it was going to be a creepy and otherworldly story where nothing is as it seems at first glance. It sounded like it would be a story about stories, about dark fairytales that we all forgot and in truth weren’t supposed to know in the first place. I can honestly say that this book was about that, eventually. When we got there.

The pacing of the book unfortunately counted against it and was one of the reasons why I liked the book but didn't end up loving it. The first 20% was mostly Alice telling the reader about her life and upbringing, which, cool, good information to have. But there was so much of it. It felt like reading a voice over narration, like something from Fight Club or Trainspotting. Readers wouldn’t know about any of the relationships between Alice and the other characters in the book if Alice wasn’t stopping scenes at every turn to break down the history for you. That got exhausting after a while. When was the story going to happen?

Alice learning that her mom was stolen away is when the novel finally gets going. I enjoyed this part immensely, not just because things were happening, but also because Ellery Finch was thrown into the mix.

As a black teenager, Finch added a lot more to the narrative with his knowledge and quirky demeanor. He and Alice clashed at times but were ultimately a good team. As Finch tells Alice about these fairytales she never got to read and they try to figure out where the Hazel Wood is, more and more freaky stuff begins happening to them.

Their reactions and how they handle all these creepy, bizarre situations show you what kind of characters they are, pulling you in so that you’d be eager for what happened to them next. Would they figure things out in time? Would they be alright? What chilling thing is going to happen next? I got increasingly nervous for them the closer to the Hazel Wood they got, especially since Finch was clearly hiding something.

However, the reveal of what that something was and the succeeding events was where the novel reached its climax and began going downhill for me. And it wasn’t supposed to.

That was supposed to happen after Alice reached the Hazel Wood and entered the Hinterland, not before. This fantasy world that had been built up throughout the novel ended up being flat, and we spent far too little time there. It was supposed to be a magical moment, and it just wasn’t.

I hoped things would pick up, but the story never came alive again. I was further let down when the ending came too easy and was far too rushed.

I did like how Finch and Alice chose to follow their own paths instead of giving everything up for each other—for what would have essentially been only a teenage crush. Still, I didn’t feel resolved by the book’s ending at all and became more dissatisfied as time went on. Something was missing, and I couldn’t grasp it.

That’s when I realized what it was. A happy ending. Not something sugary sweet and “they lived happily ever after.” The happy ending I’m talking about is peace. Alice never seemed happy or at peace with her decisions, and that gave the ending a very strange tone that, as a reader, I didn't feel good or content about.

I don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t like anything about this book because that simply isn’t true. I actually liked the majority of the story from the 20% to 80% mark. I loved how creeped out I got by the mystery behind it all. I loved the emphasis on stories, how Alice centered her memories around them, and how integral storytelling was to her own being. I loved the message that some stories are dangerous and need to be carefully handled. I loved how savage and unconventional the stories from the Hinterland are and how they aren’t meant to teach a lesson or impart a warning or make you feel good about yourself. They are just what they are.

It's just that some things could have been told better. The book is decent, and I'd recommend for other people to give it a try because I know there are people who will love this book. However, at the same time, I'm haunted by the idea of how great it could’ve been.

I’m also not sure why there’s going to be a second novel after this one. Alice’s story, and the Hinterland’s, seemed wrapped up even though I wasn’t happy with those wrappings. I’m not sure what other character she’s going to follow and what else needs to be told. Maybe if the next one is about Finch’s future or Althea’s past, I’ll read it because that could be interesting.

If nothing else, I will be picking up Tales from the Hinterland for sure. I love me some dark original fairytales, and I need to know how a certain one ends.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 Dark and Twisted Stars! After reading this book, I had a very difficult time deciding how I felt about this story. I don't know if I hated it or loved it. To be a bit honest I am a bit confused, still.
I will start off with the things that didn't really do it for me and that there was some things in the end that I felt like "Really?!" I felt some of the things that held significance for me in the beginning just went a starnge direction but this book was definitely a strange one. I also didn't like Alice's anger issues even though I sympathised with her as well but some of it just made me uncomfortable.
To the good and positive about this book! This story was beautifully written and was definitely one of a kind. I really enjoyed the dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland and I want a real life copy of Tales of the Hinterland! This story got chillingly and creepily good in some parts! I was stunned by descriptions and gore it carried. I loved Ellery Finch! His character was my fave and loved his kind soul and need for escape. Overall, I really liked this book and do think many will LOVE it!
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was unexpected. I read it in one day because it needed to be read-I couldn't put it down. I was surprised at all turns. A truly unique book, with stories within stories. It reminded me of The Thirteenth Tale. Must read for advanced teens and adults too. I've gushed to all that would listen that they need to check out this book-and I got coworkers and teens who come to my library to read it and they love it too!
The ending is delicious and unexpected and I can’t wait for the movie.

A dark otherworldly tale that sucks you so deep into its universe that you can’t come out. Seriously, every time I had to stop reading this book I had a really hard time coming back into reality. The bump in the night. That shadow on the wall. Is there something there? It was something about Albert’s writing that I couldn’t tear my body from the story. The world building is crazy good, plus it has a very unique plot. Her writing is some of the most magical that I have seen in a very long time!

I rated this book 3 stars for a few different reasons. The story itself, while being magical, was very depressing. I know it was advertised as a dark fairy tale, but wow, it was twisted and full of crazy murderous happenings. I had a really hard time going to sleep after reading this one! Not gonna lie, I found it thoroughly creepy. It just wasn't my flavor. As well as the main character, Alice, whom I hated. She was extremely angry and really mean. I wanted to punch her so many times. And it got annoying that almost every page mentioned how angry she was. Okay, we get it. I really don't mean to bash on her, because you understand her anger about 60% of the way through the book. So, really it's the last half of the book that got most of the stars. 

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes dark, twisted, there are no good guys, fairy tales. Like I mentioned before, the writing is deeply moving and there are some major twists and turns that take you for a grand ol' ride!

The Hazel Wood has major crossover appeal for both YA and adult readers. It is a fantasy written like an old school fairytale. It has all the dark and haunting aspects while still having the magic those tales hold. This is a story sure to thrill and excite. You're in for a creepy delight. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy dark fairytales.

Alice Proserpine has always led a drifter’s life with her mother Ella. They scrape by on the edge of homelessness, constantly moving from place to place, staying with friends until they wear out their welcome, bad luck relentlessly dogging their footsteps wherever they go. And they never speak about Ella’s mother Althea, a reclusive author who lives in a grand, nearly impossible to find estate called the Hazel Wood, and who was famous for Tales from the Hinterland, a mysterious, nearly impossible to find collection of dark and bloody fairy tales. All Alice knows about this tantalizing book (before her mother snatched it away from her, never to be seen again) is the titles of the stories, including the intriguingly named “Alice-Three-Times.”

When Ella gets word that Althea has died, she’s determined to stop running from life. She marries a rich New Yorker after a whirlwind courtship and she and Alice try ― or not ― to adjust to a different lifestyle. Alice is seething with anger and frustration most of the time, and Ella’s marriage rapidly begins fraying.

Then their lives get upended again, but in a way that blindsides Alice: Ella is kidnapped by two people who say they are from the Hinterland. She disappears without a trace, leaving behind only a message for Alice: “Stay the hell away from the Hazel Wood.” Which message, of course, Alice has absolutely no intention of heeding. Alice enlists her friend Ellery Finch, a longtime fan of Tales from the Hinterland, to help her in her search. But she has no idea where to find the Hazel Wood, or what awaits her there.

The Hazel Wood begins as a quirky, bleak urban fantasy set in our contemporary world. In the first half of the book the plot unrolls at a leisurely pace, enlivened only by Ella’s kidnapping, Alice’s search for the Hazel Wood, and some occasional run-ins with suspicious dark characters. But the murky horror of the Hazel Wood and the Hinterland cast a gloom over every page, reinforced by Finch’s occasional retelling of some of the stories from the copy of Tales of the Hinterland that he read long ago.

The pace picks up in the second half when the novel suddenly shifts gears to a dark fairy tale type of setting. I enjoyed the creativity and fantasy of this part of the novel much more than the first part, though I was underwhelmed at a couple of key points: the climactic scene and the ending both struck me as weak.

Melissa Albert’s writing, though Alice’s first person narrative voice, was a major plus for me. Her language is lush and evocative, though I’ll admit it sometimes sidles toward purple prose:

There was a funny glitter in [Ella’s] eyes as she watched herself in the mirror. I thought of that later, when she came home with a twin glitter on her ring finger: a rock as big as the Ritz.

My memory of that night is tattered, a movie screen clawed to pieces. The glint of the ring lodged in my eye like a shard of demon glass, and the anger overwhelmed me.

The main character, Alice, is rude, inconsiderate, foul-mouthed and, more often than not, angry; certainly not an easy character to appreciate. Her main good point is her deep devotion and love for Ella. I wasn’t as irritated by her as Ray and Jana (my FanLit co-reviewers) were, partly because the reason for her irascible nature, when finally disclosed, was an unusual and compelling one. Still, the amount of swearing (a Kindle search informs me that there are 22 F-bombs in this book) was a definite turn-off for me for a YA fantasy.

At one point Finch tells Alice:

"I got my hands on Althea’s book. And it was perfect. There are no lessons in it. There’s just this harsh, horrible world touched with beautiful magic, where shitty things happen. And they don’t happen for a reason, or in threes, or in a way that looks like justice. They’re set in a place that has no rules and doesn’t want any."
Much the same could be said of this book: It’s harsh and flawed but there’s creativity and beauty in it. Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed The Hazel Wood.

This was a late addition to the reading list. I got approved for it while I had moved on to my next book. It was one that I really wanted to read, so I put on my reading pants and got to it.

The story focuses on 17 year old Alice. Her grandmother made a name for herself writing dark fairy tales. Alice and her mother move from place to place, seeming to be on the run from something. As usual, I don’t want to give the story away. Because that is part of the fun of reading the book, right?

I really enjoyed this book. I was worried about getting through it quickly since I only had a week to read it (on top of working and packing to move). But it was not a problem. It was easy to get through, and it was easy to get absorbed in.

It’s got a fairy-tale, adventure, magical vibe to it. It kinda has a Neil Gaiman-ish feel to it. Rooted in this world but also in another fantasy world.

It is inventive, and the characters are well crafted. Honestly I had no idea what was going to happen next.

I will say, I did find Alice to be a little bit annoying in the beginning, however, it becomes clear why she is that way as the book progresses. So if you have the same experience, just go with it.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and fun read.

I recommend this highly and gave it a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

Full disclosure: I received this eARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. (Thanks NetGalley!)

This is a YA novel. The main character Alice is 12 years old. She and her mother Ella move around three times a year to escape what they call bad luck. Her grandmother Althea is a world-renowned author of a collection of fairy tales calls Tales from the Hinterlands. Copies are rare and hard to come by and Alice has never read them. She has also never met her grandmother, but hopes she will reach out.

Suddenly her mom receives a letter that Althea has died, and makes a statement about how they are finally free from the bad luck. Ella marries quickly and attempts to give Alice a normal life. After about a year of supposed normalcy the bad luck returns, and after school one day Alice finds herself in her new home that now smells terrible, is missing all the people that are supposed to be there, and an envelope containing a single paper from Tales of the Hinterlands has been left on her pillow: the title page to the tale “Alice-Three-Times.”

She runs to her newfound friend Finch, who happens to be a fan of the stories, and he helps her search for clues. They decipher that characters from the stories have leaked into their reality and are very dangerous. He agrees to help her to stay safe and to try to find her mom and the Hazel Wood, where her grandmother lived.

This book is an absolutely riveting mystery. In terms of familiar things it seems to combine elements of Stranger Than Fiction with Jumanji-type suspense. During parts where the story gets a little flat the suspense from earlier parts kept me reading because I had to know what was going to happen next. Is she in the book or is the book out to get her? Is she the personification of one of the characters from the books or is she the hero that needs to save the world from them? What lies in wait for her and Finch in the Hazel Wood?

Melissa Albert wraps you around her pen so tightly and subtly that you are trapped in the story before you realize it and you must continue on to the finish. To do otherwise would be to deprive your senses and curiosity of the rich adventure which is laid out, ripe for the taking. Go get you some.

On the run for her whole life, and not understanding why, Alice and her mother finally stay in one place when they get news that Alice's grandmother has died. Unfortunately, staying in one place for Alice might turn out to be fatal. Trying to survive, Alice learns that fairy tales are real - and they aren't shiny happy things, but dark and murderous...and they're after her.

I was curious about The Hazel Wood after it got a lot of attention, and I really enjoyed the story. It was definitely a different - and very dark - take on the classic fairy tale trope. Don't expect a happy ending, here. But do expect a twisted tale that is fun to read.

Wonderful! This book is kind of a... gothic contemporary fantasy fairy tale, if that makes sense. It is set in our real world, but is dark, and has fantastical elements in it as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Alice Crewe is somewhat of a mystery - her only family is her mother, Alice Prosperine, who keeps moving her from place to place, and her memory of anything except what is happening exactly right now is a bit fuzzy. The whole story has sort of a soft-focus air, which contrasts wonderfully with the sharp and clear darker elements that are described. Figuring out what was going on was super fun, and the ambiance and mood that the author managed to create were fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tales... or psychological thrillers.