*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.

In all fairness, I have to begin with "I don't like fantasies." However, there are times when I can look past that prejudice and enjoy a story; this isn't one of those times. I found this story convoluted and unable to be untangled. Some of the text felt trite and wooden. Much of the action or description felt like it was included because the author or editor felt the text was interesting enough in itself to include in the story, even when it did nothing for the plot or characterization. I don't want to include specifics in case they are spoilers for those who might enjoy this book. But these extraneous blurbs added to my confusion about where the story was going, and even where it ended up. Not a retold-tale, not a fairy tale, just a fish-out-of-water tale that doesn't hold water for me. I probably won't include this in my HS Library collection because it doesn't stand up to tales like Miss Peregrine, Coraline, and other similar stories.

I feel like The Hazel Wood is definitely a hit or miss kind of book. Readers will either be enchanted by it or not care either way, like I did. The first half of this book was really hard for me to continue: it was slow and tiring and full of dialogue with no explanations. The second half is when things pick up and become more like the fairy-tale that the blurb promises. Most of my qualms throughout the beginning of the book was actually resolved nicely with the explanations in the end. However, the unsatisfying first half makes me want to have readers come in with hesitancy. It’s not wholly a dark story - although it is quite intense - and follows the same vein that fairy-tale stories have, where many strange things happen with a brush of an explanation. I think many readers will enjoy the writing, however, and like I said, the ending was resolved really well.

Alice is an angry narrator, and following her first person POV was extremely exasperating for the majority of the book. She comes off as very caustic and has this aggressive personality for almost no reason at all (at least, no justified until the climax). I’m good with angry narrators, but she was just so unlikable for almost the whole book, until the last 20% or so. Alice is always on the run with her mother, Ella, and basically hates everyone around her. She doesn’t really have any friends, except for this really rich peer named Finch. And she even treats him pretty bad during situations.

"My mom and I lived like vagrants, staying with friends till our welcome wore through at the elbows, perching in precarious places, then moving on. We didn’t have the luxury of being nostalgic. We didn’t have a chance to stand still."

Alice has this strong fascination with her grandmother’s book of fairy-tales, but her mother has always steered her away from it her whole life. When they get a letter that her grandmother Althea has died however, things start becoming strange. Alice’s mom gets kidnapped and she has to follow a trail of lost stories to follow the trail and find her. Alice is helped by her classmate Finch.

"I assumed Althea’s work would have a strong feminist message, allegorical undertones, a clean arc of story… But this story had no allegiance to anything. It was winding and creepy and not even that bloody. There were no heroes, no wedding. No message."

Alice and Finch follow all these clues in the first half of the book that really drags, and in my opinion, could have been cut shorter. As they reach Hazel Wood, the place of Althea’s residence, things turn darker. Throughout their adventure they’re also faced with several strange stalkers and an unending sense of distrust from Alice’s end. I think some parts of her were really too much and could have been expressed better. For example, there is this scene where Alice gets angry at a police officer and snaps back at him. Finch is telling her to go back, and she gets angry at him. He calls her privileged and she gets even more angry. If it were Finch snapping at the officer, he would have gotten more severe repercussions as his is black, but Alice finds herself immune to this explanation because she’s too angry at the world. She also calls the girl Finch lost his virginity with a “bitch,” and this quote comes to mind:

"‘And who uses a car game as an excuse to brag about having sex with some bitch in a park?’
‘Some bitch? She was my girlfriend for eight months. It’s so ugly when girls call each other that word.’
‘Oh, my god, Finch, go get a liberal arts degree.’"

Do you see why this narrator is so unlikable?

Readers understand where her coldness comes from as they continue the story, but I really feel like there was a better way to write these parts of dialogue. Even if Alice is supposed to come off as insensitive, I think she deserved to be called out, or at least regretful about what she said. (And at least fix it!) It’s not always up to the reader to go like “Wow, this is pretty wrong,” because I’m positive there will be someone out there who agrees with her. Anyway, I am calling her out in this review. This may be a fairy-tale-based story, but I feel like if an author is going to add these commentaries, it should be added better.

Finch himself is total hipster material. He also has a huge fascination with Althea’s stories and becomes heavily invested in finding Alice’s mother for unknown reasons. The friendship bent that their relationship turn is refreshing, rather than a strong romance. I still can’t get over some of their dialogue though.

The last quarter of the story was actually pretty enjoyable as everything gets unraveled and more fantastical elements are incorporated. Yes, most of it is explained through dialogue, but it comes easily and doesn’t feel like much of a cop-out. I was also expecting a deus ex machina twist, but there pleasantly isn’t. Albert answers all questions in the end and although the Hazel Wood remains mysterious, there aren’t any plot holes to poke at. Also, the mother-daughter relationship is very strong but could have been better executed if we saw more of their interactions, rather than all the flashbacks that Alice describes. Lots of telling and not showing in regards to that aspect of the story. I like that it’s a stand-alone though so everything is wrapped at the end.

I would call myself a fairy-tale lover, for darker ones and the happy ones, and The Hazel Wood is one that has aspects of both. It really reminds me of the themes of the musical Into the Woods (which I love!). Not everything gets a happy ending, we just are sometimes. There’s enchanting writing with long-forgotten stories and a missing mother like Wicked Like A Wildfire by Lana Popović. There’s a magical setting with hidden secrets like The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser. Wrapped around it is a sweet mother-daughter relationship and the countless possibilities that stories can take.

Content Warning: cutting, mild violence

I really enjoyed this book and ended up rating it 4 Crowns. It was very dark and the whole atmosphere was eery and creepy which was different from fantasy and fairytale books that I am used to. I enjoyed the story and thought it was great overall.

Welcome to the Hinterland! Holy cow! I was really drawn into this book. There was a crazy mystery that started at the beginning and ended at the Hinterland. You get this creepy feeling, as the main character is being followed and strange things start happening. Things aren't always what they seem though, and the people you think you can trust are telling lies.

The story fell apart for me a little bit toward the end. That creepy mysterious feeling that I had for three quarters of the story was suddenly gone and I didn't have that need to read the book like I did before.

In the end, I was a little let down, but the story was so well put together and unique that I couldn't help but still love it. Pick up this book and be sucked into the Hinterland.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

She's spent her whole life moving with her mother. They don't stay anywhere very long. They lived in whatever they could afford or their car. Her schooling is intermittent. And she's not sure where the danger is but her mother does. So they keep moving...

Flatiron Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published January 30th.

Alice knows she has a grandmother but she's never seen her. When she dies, she thinks they may have inherited the house and the property but her mother has no desire to claim it. So Alice goes on with life and school. She meets a boy she grows fond of. He's rich, she's poor but it seems to make no difference. But when Alice comes home from school and finds her mother gone with no note and her stepfather facing her with a gun, life as she knows it comes to an end. Her mother is missing, her stepfather throws her out, and she and her friend agree to find her mother. She's going back to Hazel Wood. The only problem is that no one knows how to find it...

This is an odd little story where the fairy tale world and our world are joined together by a bridge. The problem is that Alice doesn't realize she's the bridge, so her world gets real strange. She has strangers after her. Strangers that her grandmother wrote about in her fairy tale book. And then her friend betrays her.

It's an interesting read and you almost feel like you've fallen down Alice's rabbit hole but as the author twists the tale it turns out as well as it could. This is a mix between fantasy and horror so be sure you're ready to read it. It will keep your attention.