This was a fantastic read. The prose was beautiful, and really made you feel like you were apart of the world. Most importantly, the premise was original and really engaging. Initially I thought that I would want to know more about the various stories (especially how they ended) but after finishing The Hazel Wood, I'm content. It really impresses me when an author can tie up a story so succinctly and wholly.

“There are no lessons in it. There's just this harsh, horrible world touched with beautiful magic, where shity 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...”

...and now this place lives inside of me.

Once upon a time I read a book called One Hundred Years of Solitude, and was introduced to the ambrosial world of magical realism. It changed the way I read, and contemplated, and imagined. It provoked within me a hunger that demanded more from every literary thing I consumed. In those warm, summer days of halcyon youth, Gabo's book changed my reading life forever.

Taking up the mantle is Melissa Albert's debut novel, The Hazel Wood. It is a ferocious fairy tale so richly told that it pulses with its own anima as it demands a little piece of your own. It is a cleverly crafted powerhouse, the caliber of writing is phenomenal, the world-building is extraordinary, and the main character, Alice, is gritty, sharp, and fierce AF.

There is no way you can read this book and it not change you in some way. There's no way to read this book again and have even it be the same.

There are very few writers this day and age who can get you to discern magic, and Albert weaves an articulate trance, atmospheric enough to carry over into your every day. It is gripping, nightmarish, sets your nerves on edge, kicks you in the chest, and the whole thing just clamors with a vibrancy that keeps you revved till the very end...and beyond...I'm still having palpitations...

Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood is astounding! Absolutely, 100%, hands-down, one of the best books I have ever read.

I would like to thank Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and didn't know if the story would keep me entertained, but I did. It felt like watching a noir film on the page, a supernatural mystery I wanted to solve. It had a very eerie and suspenseful feel to it, which kept my attention. The characters could have had more depth. Unfortunately, Alice does feel like a special snowflake and Finch her encyclopedia sidekick. But, is a good book I would recommend to people who like dark fantasy.

First, the cover of this book is gorgeous. This was a very strange book, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It kept me captivated. It was unlike anything I have read in a while!

I didn't finish this. It just didn't hold my attention.

It began well with the mysterious grandmother and the strange disappearance of Alice's step family but it soon became convoluted.

Well first I'd like to thank Netgally infinitely for giving me an advanced copy of this book. I can't even express how much I appreciated it.

I looooved this book. Everything about it was unexpected. It was darker than I thought, more grown up, smarter and a lot of twisty bits I didn't see coming. The whole thing was surprising in the most wonderful way. I love fairy tales and I really love dark fairy tales so I'm always impressed when somebody can write one that adults can appreciate, but keeps it's sense of magic and wonder. I this Melissa Albert pulled it off in this one.

Sadly, this book didn't live up to it's hype. It starts out magical and wonderfully written. It sucks the reader right in. But about 5% in it loses that charm and it falls into familiar patterns of other books. Girl meets boy, something horrible happens and boy and girl must go fix it, leaving behind all actual responsibility and families like its nothing. Except worse, Finch is completely used just for his money. Because he's rich, it allowed Alice to go searching for her mom despite the book leading up to the fact Alice had been forced to survive in pretty had conditions but doesn't actually use that. Finch is only good for his money and turn leaves him one dimensional. Worse, he becomes a villain and a sacrifice so the main character can live. Being the one Person of Color actually important in this story, I was honestly disgusted between this and how Alice treats him after an encounter with a police officer, having her brush off the fact Finch could have actually been hurt and ignoring the facts of why he's scared. Alice became that white person.

The story itself is interesting. Alice's mom disappears and Alice must find her and what the Hinterland and Hazel Wood truly are. It turns out the stories her grandmother wrote are real and Alice just happens to be one. She ends up back in the world of her story and trapped in a loop of it which has no happy ending. Until she's saved from it. The thing is, it's extremely unsatisfying to have read. Some things are resolved but a lot isn't. The ending felt rushed and not fleshed out completely. Nothing about the ending felt like a true ending and it dragged on a bit. Characters get left behind, including Finch.

The writing itself like I mentioned before was beautiful in spots, but the rest of it felt like someone was trying too hard to find that rhythm again and couldn't. Things got repeated and over analyzed and described. Some parts needed more description and didn't get it. It was inconsistent.

I had high hopes for this book and was left pretty disappointed instead.

I really enjoyed this book! It was weird and just the type of weird I want when reading a book like this. I honestly liked that there was little dialogue, too!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for sending me an uncorrected proof to read and review. If you’re interested in reading this book, it will be released on January 30th, 2018.

This was one on my most anticipated book's of 2018 and i'm so sad that I was disappointed with how the story fell flat. I was hoping for a dark magical story and there were elements but I wanted more. The book moves at a pretty slow pace and i struggled to stay invested. It was interesting, but I found a lot of the time I would get bored and distracted easily. What I did like was the cover ohmygod its gorgeous that's what first drew me to this book. Secondly the writing, it was whimsical and flowed nicely.

My issues with this book firstly was the plot. I felt really confused and tried to follow what was happening but I found myself just not caring what happened to the characters. Secondly I didn't feel a connection to any of the character's. I felt for Alice having her mother go missing but that was about all. I didn't connect with her personality and Finch I found was annoying. He made Alice's problem his way of jumping into the adventure and tried to make it about himself.

I realize this is an unpopular opinion compared to other reviews who are rating the book 4 or 5 stars, but honestly I'm surprised at my reaction too. I was really looking forward to this book but maybe it just wasn't the right time for me to read it.

I'd normally write a review for a book with comparison titles in mind. For The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert, I can't. I cannot compare it to anything because it is unlike anything I've ever read. The Hazel Wood stands alone. This title is the most original thing I've read in recent memory. I mean this all as complementary to the author. I'm easily seduced by a books characters, but by the concept is entirely different because it's all been done before. Not so with The Hazel Wood. I can't say enough how fresh and original this is. Now that that is all out of the way, on with the actual review.

I read The Hazel Wood over the course of three scary nights. The Hazel Wood is dark, deep and terrifying. I called my sister each morning on my way to work to tell her about The Hazel Wood, a book that typically wouldn't be something I'd pick up, nor her, but I tell her, "This is something you HAVE to read! As soon as it's out, I'm buying it for you! You. Will. Love. It!"

The Hazel Wood isn't your typical fairy tale or folk lure kind of book. It takes on a different spin and is something all its own.

The story begins with Alice and her mother, Ella. Ella has spent Alice's entire life running from The Hazel Wood, a place she grew up and at all costs continues to run from in a Hotel California kind of way, you can check out but you can never leave. Eventually, The Hazel Wood catches up with Ella and Alice.

While Ella has spent Alice's entire life running from The Hazel Wood, Alice has spent her entire life daydreaming about The Hazel Wood and while scared, embraces the idea and eventual reality of running toward The Hazel Wood. This happens quickly and once there ... the terror begins. The Hazel Wood is a world full of lush and dark terror that makes you terrified to turn the pages and terrified not to.

I'll not give any spoilers. The only thing I can hope for is that The Hazel Wood is not a stand alone title. I want more. I want to know more about these creepy tales of sinister deeds and unhappy endings, and that's saying something for this reader who almost always needs a happily ever after to be satisfied.

The Hazel Wood is perfect for everyone. I would caution against reading it at night as I did. I never thought of myself as someone easily spooked or frightened, but I found myself at 2:00 am pulling the covers up closer to my chin and looking to the side of my bed to make sure my large German Shepherd was sleeping dutifully beside me as I knew she would be able to sense Twice Killed Katherine or any of the other creepy characters that might pop up from underneath my bed.

The Hazel Wood is unique and sinister, but imperfect. The first 150 pages drag, and while the story digs deep into the psyche of the main character, the supporting characters--especially Alice's mother, Ella--were enigmas. That being said, I did appreciate it for its occasional unsettling scenes, and would definitely consider it a pick for readers of scary fairy tales like Vassa in the Night.

A very well written dark fairytale urban fantasy novel. Albert is creative and detailed in her writing. There were some things about the book that didn't make a ton of sense, but that is to be expected to a degree, with fairytale worlds. I really loved how a-typical the "romance" was, in that there was almost none and no HEA. I liked Alice for being a difficult female character. It's refreshing. Would definitely recommend.

Everybody is talking about this book, so of course I was a bit skeptical by the time I started reading it. I kept putting it off because I didn't think it'd live up to the hype and I'm typically on the fence about fairytale stories. But I was sooooo wrong. This book is amazing. Albert's writing is astounding and she's created a whole other world that's entirely its own while still falling firmly in the world of fairy tales. Alice gets to go on her own adventure on her own terms and then (most importantly!) does NOT end up in a relationship. In fact, there's no relationship at any point in the book. Alice's main love was for her mother and she didn't let anything get in the way of it, even when she was told about her mother's true relationship to her. And I really love that Alice didn't stress out over her relationship with Ella. Ella is her mother and even when people tried to get in the way she just stuck to her feelings rather than having a dramatic rejection of the woman who raised her.

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait to recommend it to everyone.

This is quite possibly one of the best books I've read this year. Beautiful writing, interesting characters, dark fairy tales...I couldn't ask for more.

Bad luck follows Alice and her mother, Ella. Alice isn’t totally sure why, but she knows it has something to do with her grandmother, who wrote a book of seriously dark fairytales that developed a cult following. After said grandmother dies and leaves her equally cult-famous estate, the Hazel Wood, to Ella, Ella thinks that the bad luck will stop coming, and they settle in Brooklyn, New York. But Ella was wrong. One day, Alice comes home from school to find that her mother’s been kidnapped, and the maloderous trail left along with a note from her mother (“Stay away from the Hazel Wood”) leads Alice to believe that the kidnapper was someone from the Hinterlands – the fictional world where her grandmother’s stories were set. And so Alice sets off to do exactly what her mother warned against. She’s going to find Hazel Wood.

This book was almost great. It was definitely quite chilling and I really enjoy creepy books when done well. This was done well. In fact, I actually put the book down for a few days after one character (who I didn’t even like!) is brutally murdered by another character in a nonchalant fashion. A few of Alice’s grandmother’s fairy tales are told in the book, and they are disturbing in the best way. In addition to the creepiness factor, Alice is a well drawn if not entirely likable character, though there are reasons behind her unlikability that unfold deliciously slowly. Most of the secondary and tertiary characters get little in the way of development and as a result, I didn’t care much for or about them. There are definitely some awesome feminist overtones (the women in this story rescue themselves), and I liked the added element of questioning what it means to be part of a story. The writing itself was excellent – spare at times, expressive at others.

While I obviously liked the book, there were a couple of huge problems for me(warning: there are a few very mild spoilers here). First, Alice spends the first half of the book trying to find the Hazel Wood, and that part could have been about 50% shorter, especially as it is pretty clear from the beginning that Alice will eventually end up there. As a result, the second (and far superior) part of the book felt really rushed. There were also a few premise things that required massive suspension of disbelief. For example, when Ella does decide to settle down, she does it pretty close to the Hazel Wood. This makes no sense as she has basically spent her entire adult life trying to keep Alice away from the estate. There are a few other illogical things like that which really hampered my enjoyment of the book.

For me, the first half of the book was just ok, but I loved the second half. If you’ve read Roses and Rot by Kat Howard and enjoyed it, pick this one up. If you are in the mood for a very dark fairy tale inspired story, you won’t go wrong here. If you are just looking for something a bit disturbing, this is your book. In other words, despite its issues, it’s worth a read. I’ll definitely be trying this author’s next book. 3 stars – I liked it.
Thanks to Dutton Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the eARC.

Note: Two weeks from the publication date, I'll post this review on Goodreads and our staff review page: https://ppld.org/book-reviews/staff

Self-rescuing princess for the win. And not in a frilly pink princess way- but a dark goth princess that can kick butt. It was so dark and twisty and is for sure a one sitting read. I love fairy tales and it compares to the original Grimm Tales in scariness. I read this as a DRC, but I'll be buying it when it is published.

I received a copy of this novel from netgalley in return for an honest review


This book was fucking brilliant and amazing. I loved everything about it. I thought the characters were flawed but relate-able and they learned lessons and grew.

The world building was creepy, dark and flawless. The plot line drew me in and didn't want to let me go. I found myself thinking about this book for days after reading it and have already recommended it to friends.

As much as I enjoyed this book I enjoyed the book inside the book more. What I wouldn't give for the author to published Tales from the Hinterland and all the awful fairy tales inside like Alice-three-times-three or Twice Dead Katherine.

There's no love story in this book except for the love shown between mother and daughter; which was cruel and touching.

I am so glad I was able to get an ARC copy of this, as it doesn't come out till 2018 and now I will have to buy a physical version.

I read an ARC of THE HAZEL WOOD and was blown away. Melissa Albert is a master of voice and I was absolutely 100% drawn into Alice’s twisted journey. THW is a story that manages to weave strange, and beautiful, and haunting, together in a way that left me feeling dizzy--and very much like I was experiencing all the mysteries right alongside Alice. Definitely add this one to your TBR. You won't be disappointed!

I loved this book! Alice was a fascinating character. Don’t want to give away too much but I really love the world Melissa Albert created. It was amazing and it was really hard up put down this book.