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 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.

The Hazel Wood is one of the most highly anticipated young adult books of 2018. It is a dark and twisted fairy tale that features a magical fantasy realm full of fairy tale characters. I ended up giving this book 4/5 stars. I noticed on Goodreads that it’s title says The Hazel Wood #1, so hopefully there will be a sequel to this urban fantasy!

What I liked
This cover is incredible. I love the style and the colors really set the dark theme of the story. The images featured in the title all have meaning and fit in as important aspects of the plot. It’s like a tapestry of the events that unfold. The writing was also gorgeous! Albert’s writing style is unique and vivd and reads almost like poetry.

Every moment that passed without word from Ella made the chasm beneath my feet yawn wider.

They mystery of the story was very exciting. The reader was just as much in the dark as Alice and eager to get to the bottom of what was happening. I really enjoyed the dark tone of The Hazel Wood. It had fairy tales brought to life, only they weren’t happy Disney fairy tales. They were much more Grimm Brothers, only darker.



The countless references throughout the book were also enjoyable. The author referred to fandoms, books, movies, and music. Pop culture references drive some people crazy in books, but I thought they helped with the setting and to portray Alice and Finch as just normal teenagers living in our world.

The concept of books merging with reality is always exciting to bookworms! That was an aspect of this story that I absolutely loved. It was reminded me a bit of The Book Jumper with a twist. I think every reader tries to imagine what it would be like if they could enter their own book. This story showed the downside of that fantasy!

What I didn’t like
I found the characters to be very unlikeable. They weren’t supposed to be likable, and I understand why they were that way. It’s just difficult for me to really get sucked into a book when I don’t particularly like the characters. The only character that I really started to like was Finch, but I don’t think his character was explored as much as it could have been. The dialogue hinted at a hidden dark side of his personality a couple times, but never went more into it. I also thought his fortune was a bit too convenient. It almost seemed like when authors kill off parents so they don’t have to explain why they aren’t concerned about the protagonist’s activities. Finch seemed to be loaded so they didn’t have to go searching for money and distract from the main plot.

I thought the pacing was a bit wonky at parts as well. It’s over halfway through the book before the real action starts to happen. I really wish they had focused more on the events of the second half and less of the searching! It was so much more exciting and immersive. I also struggled to follow a couple of times when action was happening so quickly I got a bit lost.

Why you should read it
Despite my complaints, this book really was amazing. The setting was unique, the tone wasn’t fluffy, and I can’t get past how incredible the writing was. I really hope Melissa Albert writes more! If you like dark stories, twists, and/or fairy tales you will like this book. Not to mention there is so much hype surrounding The Hazel Wood, you will definitely have people to discuss it with. It also addresses the trauma that the characters have to face after the story is over, which I don’t think is done enough!

"And while they're being told, stories create the energy
that makes this world go. They keep our stars in place.
They make our grass grow."

This is one of those titles that I have so much to say, but I don't want to include spoilers for unexpected readers... That being said, I am including a section at the bottom of this review for those who have read the title already and want to hear my thoughts (or those who do not mind minor spoilers--I promise not to give away anything that, in my opinion, would 'ruin' the story line for you).



Alice and her mother Ella have been in a constant cat-and-mouse chase with bad luck for as long as Alice can remember. They have moved more times than she can count and spent much of her life on the road, trying to outrun the strange shadow of misfortune that seems to incessantly follow them. Ella is fierce and protective, and their constant need to stick together and soldier on has made them into a tightly bonded mother-daughter pair.

Alice's grandmother, Althea Proserpine, is the author of a rare book called Tales from the Hinterland, an anthology of sorts, full of dark, sinister, and eerie fairy tales that take place in a mythical world called the Hinterland. With a small but loyal fan base, along with Althea's strange reclusive retreat into her estate called Hazel Wood, Althea and her book have become a 'cult classic' of sorts. A cloud of mystery seems to loom around everything to do with Althea and her work.

When Ella receives notification that Althea has passed away, the is filled with relief. To her, this is the sign that all of their misfortunes are over. They don't have to run anymore. They don't have to hide anymore. Things going to change for her and Alice and they are never looking back.

However, when Alice starts noticing strange things happening around her and strange people following her, a sense of paranoia is the least of her worries. She soon arrives home to find the place ransacked, her mother missing, and a strange message-of-sorts from an unknown sender. Aided by Ellery Finch, a schoolmate, friend, and Althea Proserpine fanatic, Alice sets out on a mission to track down her mother. But when even stranger occurrences cross into their paths and the Hinterland starts to seem all too real-- Alice and Ellery have to use their limited resources to find their way to the Hazel Wood and face dark dangers.



After I read this book, I knew that it was going to take some time to process. Because there were a few sections of the book that were a little hard for me to press onward, I wasn't sure how in the world I was going to be able to effectively apply a rating to this novel. I hung out with my younger sister that evening-- a fellow literary soul that I love to discuss books with -- and, no joke, gave her the longest oral summary of the book I have ever given. Talking through the events of the book and, in a way, experiencing them again, really helped me find some cohesiveness to my thoughts and appreciate the things that I loved about this novel.

There were a couple of small sections in the book that went a little too far into the depths of strange and bizarre at an almost overwhelming rate. In those areas of the book I was just really trying to power through and get to the next scene change because I was dying to see what would happen. In the moment, yes that was annoying to me, but overall.. in the grand scheme of things.. I don't feel like it has really effected how I feel about the novel as a whole at all.

Melissa Albert has a very talented way of weaving words together to formulate these powerful and poetic sentences, sprinkled over with a touch of whimsical and then topped off with a large dollop of strange. She is a wordsmith of the dark and eerie and I did so much highlighting (digital copy) during my reading. The impressive way that she intertwined the layout of the characters and the events that unfold, along with multiple backstories and mini-stories squeezed into the tight spaces between the plot happenings made this a fun story to sit around and discuss after my reading was complete.

Like many other readers and reviewers have stated, the short stories in this novel were so entertaining. I loved them and I was entirely too giddy when I saw on Goodreads that the author has all intentions of gracing us with an entire installment of Tales from the Hinterland. You best bet that I will be one of the first people in line (metaphorically speaking... lets be real, Amazon is my BFF) for this title. The short stories were dark, eerie, suspenseful, and so very engaging. I wanted MORE, and thankfully, Melissa Albert is going to come through on this need!!!

As you can probably figure out on your own (or have heard), this novel gives a nice nod to Alice in Wonderland, but other than a few small and strange scenes, I never really thought about that while I was reading. When I finished the novel, I looked back and was thinking "ohhh... I can really see it now!!", which was really neat. I don't consider this a retelling or a spin-off... It just seems to give a polite hat-tip to the classic and then go about its merry way, paving its own way into a unique story line.

I am always looking for interesting themes and discussion points that could be further analyzed and discussed with others when I a read a novel. One of the more interesting aspects of this novel was some of the thin threads of 'time' and 'free will' themes that were integrated into the story line. I don't think that Melissa Albert chose Finch's tattoo without reason--"Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt."--a famous quote by Kurt Vonnegut, pulled from the classic Slaughterhouse-Five. The concepts of time repeating it self over and over again, stories that exist within a loop of their own existence-- are both concepts that The Hazel Wood and Slaughterhouse-Five embrace. Time travel, memories, and the coexistence of past, present, and future-- the parallels that exist between these novel's at their very core is such an interesting conversation piece and I give Melissa a true standing ovation for her provision of some literary substance for me to ponder on.

One common complaint/con that I have seen reviewers discuss about The Hazel Wood is a lack of depth to characters and/or the inability to connect to (or even like) the main character, Alice. While I do agree that she is not a particularly lovable character---hang on... soldier on.. I promise that when you get to the end of the novel and you look back and think about the whys of this story.. you will see that this characteristic was very important to Alice's character and the story line as a whole.

There is a second installment to this series that appears to be in the works, but this novel would really be a great standalone. There were no loose ends, no big cliffhanger, and I felt very satisfied at the close of the novel. However, there are several characters that I had a lingering desire to know more about and I would love to see their own stories and adventures unfold on the pages of a novel. I can't wait to see what Melissa does with the second novel in this series. I am sure that it will not disappoint.

All in all--I highly recommend this title if this is a genre you enjoy. It made me think.. which I love. It is dark and twisty and strange and beautiful and I could see myself picking it up for a second read in the future.





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HERE IS THE SECTION I WARNED YOU ABOUT!!!!!
For those who have already read this novel or who do not mind spoilers.

I REPEAT... May contain minor spoilers!



Okay... there is one scene that I really loved and I think could spark some engaging conversations. During the last portion of the novel, Alice has the following words with another character:

"'You broke your story. It's not worth being told now.'
'It was never my story,' I said. 'It was yours.'"

This was so powerful to me!! As someone who loves teaching and discussing novels with young adults (even though I couldn't teach this title.. because, language), I can really appreciate the hidden meanings and depth of these words. I have taught so many children that have come from abusive situations, lived through unspeakable events, and frankly, just had the 'odds' of society stacked against them. Young adults who were in self-contained educational settings due to the interference that their emotional behavioral disabilities had on their day to day lives (and of course I thought of these students when I read through Alice's struggles with anger and anxiety). When people are being told what they cannot accomplish, places they cannot go, milestones they will not reach, careers they cannot achieve, events they cannot overcome--- how POWERFUL it is to hear an individual say that they are going to rise above and write their own story. You are the writer in your story and this novel can so embrace that beautiful theme.

There is also a fantastic theme of family in this novel that you cannot fully appreciate without knowing the full family dynamics of Alice and Ella's situation and seeing their bond on the pages of The Hazel Wood. This sense of family being what you make it, instead of being just what you were born into, is so powerful. My grandmother is a foster parent and I have watched as so many children have come into her home to be loved, healed, and held--eventually finding their place with a family that shows the same love and devotion that you see between Ella and Alice. This really touched my heart and I think it could broach some important conversations with young adults.





**Thank you to the author, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a advanced DRC in exchange for an honest review. This provision in no way effects my opinions or rating. 

**Amazon review to follow release.

For all of Alice’s seventeen years, she and her mother have been moving from one place to another. Her childhood is a blur of long car rides, the novels she read in different places, and the love of her mother. When Alice tries to ask about people like her grandmother, a reclusive author of a book of fairy tales that has a strong cult following, her mother won’t answer. So when they get news of her grandmother’s death in her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice longs to go. When her mother disappears, Alice and her classmate Finch set out to rescue her from the Hinterland, the setting of her grandmother’s book. Can Alice and Finch survive the dangers of a fairy tale world made real?

As a longtime fan of fairy tales, I loved this book. I particularly appreciated the fanged and bloody approach to these stories, ones that have echoes of traditional tales but are also entirely unique. Albert bridges Alice’s grandmother’s book into the novel cleverly, offering glimpses of the stories but never giving them all to the reader or to Alice. They are tantalizing peeks at the stories that are warnings mixed with welcomes. The entire novel is like this, beckoning readers in but also offering cruelty as a reward.

Alice is an equally fascinating figure who is deliciously flawed, filled with an anger that hovers just under her skin. She sees her mother as the one person she has in life, thanks in large part to their nomad lifestyle, as they flee the dangers that suddenly appear. The writing throughout the book is incredibly beautiful, angry and fiery. Albert weavers new metaphors with an ease that is deceptive, creating magic in the real world before moving on to do it in a fairy tale as well.

A great read, this blend of fairy tale and horror is completely intoxicating. Appropriate for ages 13-17.

I think it’s fair to say there has been some mild hype surrounded The Hazel Wood. I mean, that gorgeous cover and the synopsis are kind of hard to resist so it makes sense. BUT, is the book worth it? This is a slightly complex question to answer because I ~know~ this book won’t be for everyone. To be honest, I also kind of avoided reminding myself what the book was about before I read it because I dreaded the hype getting the better of me and my tastes. I came out pleasantly surprised.

The Hazel Wood is part urban fantasy, part fairy tale and part a book about stories. If someone had told me that before I read the book, I would be intrigued but also nervous because that seems like too much for a book to be BUT Albert manages to pull it off.

Last year, I read Vassa in the Night, which was a gorgeously written book but flew right over my head. I literally had NO idea what was going on half the time. And maybe you think my use of literally is obnoxious but I literally could not give a fuck. The Hazel Wood kind of gives me the same whimsical, lyrical vibe but it is much more easier to follow.

The Hazel Wood is a fairy tale about fairy tales. It is a dark novel about dark things but its rooted in its humanity and the humanity of its characters. Part of me just wants to read this novel as an exploration of the human psyche. Yeah I went there. I am sorry. I am really not that kind of reviewer but something about this book really made me wish it was.

Alice is on the run from something? Bad luck? She has grown up on the run but when they (and we don’t really find out who they are for quite some time) take her mother, she has to go out and figure out the secrets from her past that her mother is hiding. Obviously, there is a great character arc and Alice really comes into herself as a character.

There is not a romance in this novel in the traditional sense but I do really think that the ‘romance’ of this book is the love between a mother and daughter. Alice, is not alone though while she is hunting for her mother, she makes new friends (even though she didn’t really start out wanting to) and learns more about where she comes from.

So clearly, I adored this book so why not the 5 stars? Because I hate giving books 5 stars. But also. I think that because the book’s hyperfocus on Alice was occasionally a hinderance. The book was so much about Alice that it couldn’t really be about anything else? Does that even make sense?

I am glad that there will be sequels because there is so much more to be had of this world and I WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT IT. Overall, this book won’t be for everyone, that much is clear, but I really did enjoy it and read it in one sitting. Fantasies are HARD to read in one sitting so that should say it all.