1.5 stars.

*

The Hazel Wood is a creepy Fantasy novel that mostly lacks the Fantasy aspect. The novel has an intriguing and unique premise, yet fails at the execution. The slow pace drags the story down, the characters are one-dimensional and flat, the flowery prose makes it so no one says what they really mean, and the plot oddly frames kidnapping as a nice and fun adventure.

Melissa Albert’s writing is good, when she’s writing about dark fairy tales. Unfortunately, only two of those are told in full throughout the novel. The rest of the story gets bogged down with the main character, Alice, and her unlikable personality. Finch, the only person of color in the book, is constantly mistreated by Alice and only serves as a little more than a prop to move Alice’s arc forward.

Minor spoilers about The Hazel Wood below!

This is such a disappointment. I’m a huge fan of creepy and eerie Fantasy books, so I was super excited when I found out about The Hazel Wood. For me, the problems start right at the beginning: the first 20% or so kind of feel like a constant flashback as we get a recap of Alice’s life with her mother, Ella. This does set up their relationship rather nicely, but the infodump this early on hurts the overall pace of the novel.

The pace, in truth, is soooo slooooow. Pretty much nothing happens during the first half of the book. It takes the plot so long to get moving that it’s very hard to care about anything once things do start to get tense. The Fantasy aspect also takes about 70% of the book to arrive, which hurt the world-building in regard to the Hinterland. Everything is kind of shallow and vague and past the point of rising any interest.

Alice, both as a character and as a narrator, is extremely hard to like. She refuses to acknowledge her mistakes, she’s incredibly self-centered, and she doesn’t think she has any kind of privileged because she grew up poor. This last one is incredibly evident when Finch tries to have a conversation with her about racial profiling and Alice, upon being called out, not only refuses to accept that Finch has a point and she’s made a mistake, but she actually tries to crash the car and possibly kill them both in an attempt to run away from the conversation. This is never addressed throughout the story. Alice never apologizes. She keeps treating Finch like shit and telling him to shut up whenever he tries to have a conversation.

In the end, The Hazel Wood did not work for me. The slow pace and undeveloped characters make it hard to care about the story, and the only two or so dark fairy tales we get to read about aren’t enough to carry the rest of the novel. This had potential, but sadly didn’t meet any of my expectations.

<i>I received an advanced ebook copy of THE HAZEL WOOD from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.</i>

This was a 3, 3.5 star read for me. I liked it, it was OK. I really didn't know what to expect going in, but I guess what I expected was not entirely what I got. I'll talk more about this as I break down my review, but I wasn't entirely satisfied by the ending OR what happened with Ellery Finch in general, and the main character was pretty dull

<spoilers>

<b>THREE FAVORITE THINGS</b>

<b>• Ellery Finch is a good character.</b>
We don't get characters like Finch every day. I really loved him, although his intentions were not always good. His heart was, and he cared for Alice, and he was oddly obsessed with fairy tales for a teenager. I would've loved to see him on the journey WITH Alice through the Hinterland, but he was unfortunately "killed" before we got to that point.

<b>• Alice's journey through the Hinterland is probably the most interesting part of the story.</b> Needless to say, it's at the end. Of course it is. But the Hinterland is the most fascinating part of this story, and I tried to absorb every minute Alice was truly in it once she learned who she really was and what really happened to her. This is such a creepy, dark, sad, angry fairy world, but I love the descriptions of the "refugees" and the Spinner and everything around them.

<b>• Alice's actual origin story.</b> This ties in with the Hinterland, but the fact that Alice IS of the Hinterland and that Ella stole her from her Story is AMAZING. I expected there had to be some crazy, dark reason she was named Alice after the story Alice-Three-Times, but I didn't expect that it was because she WAS Alice.

<b>THINGS I COULD'VE LIVED WITHOUT</b>

<b>• A lot of the fairytales were hinted at but not quite explained, and others were expanded on thoroughly, although I didn't understand why.</b>

We spent a lot of time hearing Finch tell us two different stories – one about a door and one about Alice-Three-Times – while other stories that seem to matter to the plot as well or are at least incredibly interesting are only mentioned and passed over while Alice is in Hinterland and on her adventure with Finch before she gets there. For example, Finch starts talking about Night Women, but then tells the story about the door (I don't remember the name). The Night Women are then mentioned a handful more times but never explained. I know I can't have every Story in Hinterland explained to me, but because this isn't a fairyland I'm familiar with, I wish I had more.

<b>• Ellery Finch's ending.</b>

No, I did not need Alice and Finch to fall in love. Although I would've liked it.

What I did need was something more satisfying than him being gone for a good chunk of the book, return to save Alice and then stay in the Hinterland forever as a refugee (probably) because he found a girl he wanted to stay for. It was unsatisfying and it felt wrong to me that no one in Alice's world cared that he was gone, except for Alice.

So. The Hazel Wood. This is a book that, if I passed it in the bookstore I'd immediately pick it up for that cover alone. And then I'd read the synopsis and be hooked.

Then I'd read the book and be horribly disappointed. 

I'm not sure what ruined the book for me -- my own expectations or the hype (which just served to raise those expectations even more).

Meet Alice. She's got anger management issues. There wasn't much about her that I found worth being interested in. Not someone I want to root for. Her friend Finch, I could get behind. The boy is obsessed with her grandmother's book of fairy tales and wants to find the magic. I liked him. I cared about him.

Does Finch get a book? That'd be great. I'd read that.

So Alice is going along with her mother and you get these random flashbacks to her past and all these potentially creepy moments in her history. You'd think that'd make the story a bit more interesting, right?

Eh, not really. The Hazel Wood is written in what I can only describe as a unique style. Very fairy tale-esque at times but not terribly interesting. I LOVE fairy tales so you'd think I'd have liked it but I wanted more than just the tales. I wanted a story and, frankly, it took way too long to get to the real heart of this one and when I thought it'd gotten there, I realized I still had half the book which seemed to ramble and become a separate thing entirely. It really felt like this was two books mashed into one.

This slow SLOW build to all the tension gave me plenty of time to figure out all the plot twists. Sometimes I enjoy that, I feel clever for having figured it out early. But I pretty much called all the ones in this book well in advance so when I got to a particularly "exciting" scene, it fell flat. 

In general, this book was just kind of average for me from a plot perspective. It definitely took a different path from what I expected based on the synopsis, and after a while felt more like rambling than a cohesive story (especially for a standalone), and the ending left me unsatisfied. Unless there's a second book in the works that hasn't been announced, I don't see why so many of the storylines was left as open as they were. There's still room for the story to go somewhere and, to me, it hasn't really ended and I haven't felt that sense of closure.

And yet. . . the writing had a magical element to it. I don't think it worked for me in terms of this novel but on its own, I loved it. There were points in the story where one character would re-tell one of the tales that Alice's grandmother wrote in her book. Those moments were magical because the author used that enchanting voice to bring those short fairy tales to life. If Albert wrote out the Hinterland fairy tales and published it, I would buy that in a heartbeat.

This is a book that, perhaps, on a reread I would come to appreciate it more and I do think that I may purchase a copy in the future when the price has gone down, but for now, I'm just disappointed in it.

I'm not really sure how to rate or feel about this book.

The first 80% of the book was great, especially once the Hinterland really started popping up in the real world. I adore fairy tales and anything related to fairy tales and was in love with the creepy, dark fairy tale elements of the novel. I liked the mystique around her grandmother, and Finch was a good secondary character. The actual tales from The Tales of the Hinterland were my favorite part. I would read a collection of those tales many times over.

I think my problem with the last 20% of the book comes from the shift in the plot and the narrative. Her journey through the Hazel Wood into the Hinterland/Halfway Wood was superb and stunning and so fantastic and had all the fairy tale things I love, but once we got there and she started on her journey, it lost a little of the magic for me. It all makes narrative sense, but just wasn't really what I was wanting or expecting out of the book. Some things were glossed over, like her time reliving her time as Alice and the reunion with her mom was a little anti-climatic.

The writing was pretty solid, but it was missing a little something (voice maybe?) to make it stand out in my memory. The dialogue and/or the character's interactions didn't always feel authentic to me. The descriptions were awesome though.

Overall, this is a good book sure to please fantasy and fairy-tale fans despite its uneven ending.

Alice lives on the road with her mom. They travel from city to city, state to state, running from what seems to be an unavoidable spell of bad luck. A flooded apartment, mysteriously killed landlords, motel fires. When Alice's grandmother, the infamous author of Tales from the Hinterlands, dies, Alice's mother believes their luck has changed. They settle down in New York, her mother gets married and Alice begins to experience real life. Unfortunately, their bad luck catches up to them sooner than expected. Alice's mother is kidnapped and everything seems to circle around her grandmother, the Hinterlands and her estate, The Hazel Wood. 

I initially chose this book to read because of it's beautiful cover (seriously, look at that. It's art!) and the deliciously vague summary. I love a book that can pull me in with a couple of sentences and not spoil anything for me. I enjoy stumbling through the plot looking for clues and clear path, much like our protagonist. This book did not disappoint. I sat down and read it in a day, too drawn in by the story to want to do anything else. When I finally did put it down, I sighed, looked at my husband and said: "Isn't it lovely to read a good book." 

Alice, the main character and narrator, is incredibly clear and bright on the page. Her voice is definite and unique. She's full of anger and curiosity and everything in between. She keeps herself at a distance from everyone else around her but holds the reader close. We're dropped into her mind immediately and don't let go. She has an authority and true sense of purpose that is sometimes lacking from first-person point of view. Through her eyes, we clearly see her mother, Ella, and her friend, Finch. They're just as sharp and understandable as Alice herself. They're also all well-rounded characters, Alice included, which is sometimes difficult to pull off with our protagonists. Each character is obviously flawed but that makes them relatable and easier to understand to the average reader. 

As I hinted at before, the plot of the book is engulfing. I don't want to give away too much, but I was on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. It's haunting and inviting and lovely in its own twisted way. Do be warned though, it is a long book. There were more than a few times that I thought we had to be closer to some sort of conclusion because we had already been through so much and the end seemed to be in sight, only to realize I was about halfway. It can be exhausting. I don't recommend tackling it in a day like I did unless you're too drawn in to pull yourself out. This book is best slowly digested and pondered before moving forward. What saved it from its dense nature is the incredible twists we take as we travel through. One or two I was able to predict, but on the whole, I was gasping and clutching my pearls at each new revelation. It helps that Melissa Albert is deadly with her use of tension. 

I don't usually get to say this about the books I read, but this was a simply beautiful book to read. There were so many moments of just well written internal monologues of Alice examining her life and the world around her. These types of monologues are sometimes difficult to pull off, but Albert did it. I highlighted so many lines that made me pause and appreciate the level of craft that went into creating a book of this quality. It may be a young adult fantasy, but it reads like a character-driven literary work that I really admire. 

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert is a gorgeously written, hauntingly addictive and immensely satisfying read. If you're a fan of The Magicians and Tithe this is a must read for you. It's available to read on January 30th but you can pre-order it now through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel or ask your local bookstore to order it for you. You'll want to be the first of your friends to say you've read this book, trust me!

*Review to be posted the blog on 1/11/2o18*


Hey all! I have wanted to get my hands on this book forever, and I was finally able to via Netgalley. The cover is absolutely gorgeous -- but did the story live up to it? Keep reading to find out!


Title: The Hazel Wood

Author: Melissa Albert

Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary

The Hazel Wood follows the story of Alice, the granddaughter of an author who writes dark fairy tales and her journey to find the Hinterland, the subject of her grandma's stories. She sets out on a journey to confront what she never knew was possible or real along with an admirer of her grandma's book.

Likes

The best thing about this book, for me, were the tellings of Alice's grandma's stories by Finch. I loved how dark and twisted they were and I was enthralled with them. I almost wish the entire book had more of them because the ones I read enveloped me. I also really love the cover and I think that it does justice to the nature of the story, with how spooky it is. I also liked the twists with Alice as she tried to understand and explore her grandma's world. She didn't have too much of a relationship with her but her being able to learn through Finch and uncover the truth about secrets about her were mysterious and interesting.

Dislikes

All of that being said, I can't say I liked this book. I feel like I enjoyed the short stories within the book more than the actual dialogue. The stories were more interesting and then the dialogue fell flat because of it. I needed more from the actual plot line of the book just like I got from the dark fairytales. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters except Alice and even then it wasn't as emotionally jarring. I would be interested in reading a book that was completely full of the fairy tales, similar to Bardugo's Language of Thorns, because they were that good. I also think that the book was hyped up way too much for me and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much.  

Recommendation

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dark fairy tales and who isn't afraid of a little mischief along the way.

Happy reading! ~ Taylor

This young adult book is a twisty, dark fairy tale that reminded me of both The Thirteenth Tale and The Book of Lost Things, two of my favorite books.

Alice Proserpine has been on the run most of her life with her mother, unsure exactly what they are running from, but knowing that no matter where they go, bad luck always finds them.

When her mother disappears, Alice has to learn the secrets of her family's past. Her grandmother wrote collection of dark and disturbing fairy tales that few people have ever read but many are obsessed with. Despite her mother's warning to "Stay away from the Hazel Wood", Alice has to team up with Ellery Finch, a classmate, who is also a huge fan of the Hinterland stories, and go to her grandmother's estate, the Hazel Wood to try and get her mother back.

Along the way, she will learn the truth of herself and her story.

This was an awesome read. I wouldn't even necessarily classify it as YA, except that the protagonist is a teenager. I was drawn in by Alice's story as she examined her past for clues and explored her grandmother's literary legacy to learn about where she comes from.

I highly recommend this book!

was so excited about this book, The Hazel Wood, and it has this gorgeous cover (Thanks so much to Flatiron Books for sending me a copy for review and this does not change my rating or review). It's a dark retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story, and because I love retellings, I was eager to see how this one matched up.
Alice is always on the run. Her grandmother is famous for writing a book of dark fairy tales and lived in the estate the Hazel Wood, where she passed away, and Alice's mother is kidnapped by someone from the Hinterland, which comes from the imagination of her deceased grandmother, or does it?
There are lots of great things about this book. I liked the idea of dark fairy tales and getting sucked into a nightmarish world maybe similar to the movie Pan's Labyrinth, which I loved. Alice is an interesting character, and I liked some of the twists that occur later in the book. I actually really love dark fairy tales, so I enjoyed when a fairy tale from the Hinterland book was told.

I’m not exactly sure where to start with this book… the writing is amazing. So beautiful and mesmerizing and the story is dark and creepy and haunting.

For as long as she can remember, it has always been Alice and her mother. They’ve spent most of her life on the road traveling from city to city never settling. Over the years, she’s heard about her grandmother, a reclusive author of a classic book of dark fairy tales… but she’s never read them and her mother won’t tell her anything about them. When Alice’s grandmother dies alone at the estate The Hazel Wood, she finds that her mother has been stolen away, and the only way to find her is to go to the one place her mother forbid her to ever try to find.

Alice also has no choice but to enlist the help of one her grandmother’s fans… Ellery Finch. He’s a superfan who has read the fairytales and knows what Alice will need to go through to find her mother. But Ellery has his own reasons for wanting to help Alice.

I was completely blown away by the intricacies of this story… the twists and turns that were unexpected were so well done, and I can’t even tell you much about it without giving something away.

If you are a fan of dark fairytales and creepy stories where there isn’t always a happy ending, then this is the book for you. Albert will have you drooling over her words, and entranced with her stories and vivid imagery. The unique fairytales were a wonderful addition to an already intriguing plot and I honestly would have loved to have had more of them within the story.

If you’re a fan of something a little different… something a bit darker than the usual YA read, I highly recommend checking out The Hazel Wood when it arrives in January.

When I opened The Hazel Wood I never expected to read what was written within these pages. Suspense. Intrigue. Mystery. A darkness underlining that makes you want to look away but you can’t. You have to keep reading. You need to know how this fairy tale is going to end. It’s so addicting that you can’t put it down and the whole time you’re looking around wondering if the Hinterland are coming for you. Watching. Always watching.

Ella and Alice became my family. My best friends. I grew so attached to them that I felt a loss when I finished this amazing book. Where they went I was there.

I could see the Hazel Wood, Halfway Wood and Hinterland. I could smell The Briar King. Every detail was explicit. The characters were no different. They had so much depth. I loved some and hated more. In whole this book was remarkably written. I really hope Melissa visits more of these characters in the future. I’m a fan for life. The Hazel Wood is one of my top reads of 2018.

Hauntingly beautiful, mesmerizing, dark, and twisted. The Hazel Wood is an unforgettable fairy tale wonder. I feel like I have no words.

The Hazel Wood is as dark and creepy as the Grimm fairy tales its main character Alice has spent her childhood reading. The author's vivid description pulls you first into Alice's life in New York City and then into the stranger world of Hazel Wood and beyond. Alice's thirst for the truth about herself and drive to find her mother propel the story forward, and obstacles met at every turn and keep the pages turning quickly. I particularly liked the stories within this story--excerpts from her grandmother's book provide glimpses of the twisted characters and deeds that lie ahead on Alice's path. The Hazel Wood is a great pick for fans of Stranger Things and Holly Black's novels.

Review will be posted on thewingedpen.com on Tuesday.

Short Summary: Alice and her mother have spent their lives on the road, trying to evade Alice’s grandmother and the bad luck that shadows their every step, but when her mother is kidnapped and taken to the Hinterland (a supernatural world that her grandmother created in her fairy tales) Alice is forced to confront the fact that these fairy tales might be real.

Thoughts: The blend of dark fantasy/fairy tales in a contemporary world was so fascinating and Alice’s character is incredibly likable; however, the mystery (and the story itself) unraveled a bit at the end and wasn’t as coherent a closure as I would have liked.

Verdict: Interesting fairy tale world, solid opening, mediocre ending: still definitely worth a read.

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

Creepy, atmospheric with just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. I really liked it!

Hauntingly gorgeous this story was everything I wanted in a book. It left me breathless.
If you are a fan of dark fantasy worlds, you'll eat this up for breakfast.
You just have to read it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the publisher for sharing this with me and to Melissa Albert for sharing her gift with the world!

What I Liked

First off I will say that The Hazel Wood is nothing like I have read previously. I was expecting a generic fairytale laced story turned evil, but I got something different…better. I will add that the fairy tale aspect does not overly come out to play right away. I know for some people who have read the description are under the impression this will happen, but I enjoyed the slow build. For me this made the story better. The way the story was structure I was waiting for it, waiting for those who live at The Hazel Wood to strike. The suspense I felt throughout this book was immense.

Another thing I enjoyed were the characters and their relationships. I felt like the characters stayed true to themselves even when the plot took twists and turn down the rabbit hole. When I was surprised by their actions or their reactions, it still felt like something the character would do. I also enjoyed the relationships and dynamics between Alice, her mother, Finch, and many more characters I don’t want to spoil. The relationships felt real because they showed their faults and everything wasn’t perfect. I find that sometimes relationships are not realistic in books because they are just so perfect. But this book showed dynamic relationships, both over all positive ones and negative ones. I will admit I found myself hating a particular character and I was not expecting myself to feel that strongly.

Lastly, Writing was beautiful – I could picture everything. I could picture Alice riding in cars, sleeping in motels and bedroom. I could see The Hazel Wood and all the normal and magical twisted places she visits. Her writing was laced with imagery and it worked very well. A nice little bonus is that Melissa Albert makes references to many literary works, both modern and classic works. I appreciated each ones of these from Harry Potter to Wilkie Collins.

What I Didn’t Like

One of the negatives of this book was there were a few times I felt that things were a little to easy, but I felt it did not take away from the story in any way. This was the only fault I found and as you can see, it is a pretty minor one.

Overall Thoughts

This was one of my favorite fairytale inspired stories. I ended up staying up past midnight to finish it and I have not done that in a long time. The writing was beautiful, the build up was perfect, and the characters and dynamics were done very well. If you are even slightly interested in this book I suggest you pick it up either from the store or your local library once it comes out. I would be surprised if you ended up disappointed.

*I received this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Whoa. This book is poetic, heartbreaking, terrifying, deliciously creepy, captivating. It is gloriously complex with strange and wonderful characters. I was so surprised by how mesmerized I was by this peculiar fairytale twist.

Fantastic read for fans of faery and their stories. I enjoyed the references to fantasy academia that only true fans would get. This is a dark and disturbing adventure that makes one wonder, 'what is my story' and 'can I change it?'

It started off a little slow but once the world of The Hazel Wood really opened up, it was delightfully dark and twisted in all the right ways.

I was instantly attracted to Albert's debut the moment Flatiron (consistently one of my favourite lines now) offered it for review. I glossed over the fact that it's being categorized as young adult, and now I'm glad I did. Again, as I've mentioned previously, I am in fact incredibly jealous of kids reading young adult fiction right now; there's so much excellence out there. I've absolutely nothing against YA and I've read some excellent YA; it's just that I tend towards darker adult books and I've been trying to not accept nearly so many advanced reader's copies the last few months, so had I realized when I requested this that it was YA, I might not have.

But fortunately I did. Honestly, I'm torn a slight bit between 3 and 4 (goodreads) stars. But because I quite enjoyed it, this is a highly deserving debut, and because I can't quite articulate my reasons for my indecision, I'm hitting four stars. There was something not quite there that I wanted from The Hazel Wood but I can't quite say precisely what it is. Maybe because it is YA, it doesn't have quite the same level of darkness as I might have otherwise wanted? I'm not entirely sure that's it, though, because it actually is pretty gritty and deep shades of gray, and I've certainly read "adult" books that didn't live up as well as this one.

I believe it's more that I wanted more depth. More establishment of the relationship between the protagonist, Alice, and her mother early in the book so that I cared more that her mother disappeared (I'm not considering this a spoiler because it happens within the first chapter or two). More exploration of the both the "real" world and the world Alice enters while searching for her mother. More flashbacks or scenes where Alice's purported anger issues (which ultimately are intended to have bearing on the story) are exhibited or justified.

However, I'm going for the four stars because ultimately I was invested and intrigued by the world and storyline (so clearly lovingly) created by Albert. I don't feel it's a spoiler to indicate that while searching for her mother, Alice enters an alternate world, and that world is lovely, sinister, and ugly and beautiful. I won't say much more, but I will say that I enjoyed the turns the book took (though I was at one point disorientingly confused as to why Alice wasn't more disorientingly confused).

I love that readers of young adult have such a diverse and wide-ranging choice of novels for the last decade or more (I've guessing a large portion of the credit goes to J.K. Rowling). I imagine that had this novel been available to me when I was within that literal age range in which most young adult readers fall, I would've been fairly obsessed with it. As it is, I can absolutely recommend this first novel and I would also love the opportunity to read something by Albert geared towards adults (though will also keep her on my radar to see what else she does, regardless of the age range). Dark, magical, adventurous!

Please note that Flatiron Books provided an advanced copy and that The Hazel Wood will be released in the States on January 30, 2018. As well, there's a note in my advanced copy about the illustrations in the book. Although the cover is gorgeous, there aren't actually an interior illustrations in my copy, so I cannot comments on any within the published version.