You have to really be into the book and cannot space out, because that is what I did for probably the first half. None the less I loved the world and it gave me a lot of Cassandra Clare vibes I feel like if I paid more attention then I would have given it a higher rating, but I still liked it.

I have lots of mixed emotions when it comes to THE HAZEL WOOD. There are so many things to appreciate and gush over because make no mistake - the world of Hinterland that Melissa Albert creates is equally as lush and mesmerizing as it is creepy and haunting. I absolutely fell face first into this story and I am sorry to myself for taking so long to get to this gem because it is a wonderfully done book. I want so much success to come for both this story and its writer because I know Melissa Albert to be such an endearing and lovely person and she has so much support from the book community (if you don’t know, she’s the founding editor for BNTeens), so it’s really gratifying to see how far she’s come and I could tell how much thought and devotion went into creating the world that many people have championed for after reading it.


This book sucked me in with that very first excerpt from Vanity Fair about Althea. I don’t know what it was about it - but it was just impossible not to turn the page. I was fascinated by how modern the story was - since it took place in New York, there are very familiar things to me as a native New Yorker that I loved Melissa alluding to! I don’t live in the city, so there were some other nuances that I wasn’t privvy to which I liked as well! But her portrayal of NYC is not shiny things and pretty lights, it’s grit and dirt and everything actually true about the urban jungle.

And then she delves into other parts of New York because the main character, has to travel upstate to find Hinterland. So long story short - Alice and her mother have always moved because bad luck follows them no matter what and her mother thinks it’s because of her mother (Alice’s grandmother), Althea. Althea lives in seclusion in the Hazel Wood while the world lives on with cultish fanatics who just really seem to be obsessed with her collection of stories, The Tales from the Hinterland. Althea passes away and then Alice’s mother is taken. Alice has no choice but to turn to Ellery Finch, a boy she goes to school with and who so happens to be incredibly familiar with her grandmother’s work. So they venture on a creepy and perilous journey in order to find her mother once more, but what awaits them in the Hazel Wood and Hinterland is beyond imagination!

So back to the gushing - in terms of the folklore behind Hinterland and the Hazel Wood, I was absolutely blown away by the originality the storytelling. I’m so excited for Melissa to write the actual anthology of stories because I just need this for my own collection. Make no mistake, it is seriously haunting and very Brother Grimss-esque when it comes to the tone and the overall storytelling. I love the original fairytales as they were - all grim and dark and twisted with no signs of happiness and fairydust. That’s the way that fairytales were written and I love that she follows that sort of formula.

As a protagonist, I did not necessarily like Alice at first and I think it’s nice that this sort of thing happens. She struck me as one of those characters who would just grow on me and she did. As THE HAZEL WOOD went on, I started really appreciating her character and the struggles, both emotionally and physically that she had to go through to find her mother. I mean, she was thrown into an impossible situation and really, can anyone relate to what she goes through because I know I can’t. At least on a literal level, ;). She certainly goes through a lot and I promise you that her story is really and seriously unpredictable.
Which brings me to my next point that this story is original. I certainly fell in love with all of it because there was no way I could ever predict what was going to happen next. And I think that’s because Melissa Albert is a fantastic story spinner ( ;) ) and like I said because, she put so much thought into it. I was shocked, in awe, and wanting more and I am so very happy that there is going to be another book because there are definitely some unanswered questions.

That all being said, I did not enjoy the last fourth of the books as much as I wanted to - maybe it was because I rushed through it to finish it in time for her launch or maybe I just got so lost in the details of the story that I didn’t take the time to really understand what was going on, but regardless - it was somewhat of a miss for me and I understand that when authors are picked up for a standalone and optioned for a series that writing the ending of the first books can be really tricky if no one knows there will be traction for the story.
Regardless, I am mad about this book and its characters. I am also deliriously in love with the cover art and the design of the overall look to THE HAZEL WOOD and I want a gorgeous second book to make a set. I really can’t wait to see what’s in store for Alice.

http://hungryforgoodbooks.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-hazel-wood-by-melissa-albert.html Teens love fantasy. Teens love magic with a touch of the creepy. Readers love story. Readers love books about books. Debut author Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood is all of these so I believe it will be one of the biggest Young Adult hits of 2018. The Hazel Wood feels timeless so one almost expects it to begin with the words “Long ago in a faraway land,” but it’s a contemporary novel so it begins with the thoughts of seventeen-year-old Alice, “My mother was raised on fairy tales, but I was raised on highways.” Alice and her mother Ella “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 a chance to stand still. Until the year I turned seventeen, and Althea died in the Hazel Wood. . .

Until Althea Prosperine (born Anna Parks) died all alone on the grand estate she’d named the Hazel Wood, my mother and I had spent our lives as bad luck guests. We moved at least twice a year and sometimes more, but the bad luck always found us.”

Alice had spent much of her childhood trying to learn more about her grandmother Althea, the reclusive author of a famous, yet almost impossible to find book of eerie fairy tales. The book, Tales from the Hinterland, and the movie that earned it its fame made Althea wealthy and paid for the Hazel Wood estate that so intrigued Alice. When Ella disappears after leaving a message for Alice to “stay the hell away from the Hazel Wood,” Alice begins a terrifying trek to find the estate and her mother. Helped by Finch, a wealthy, biracial friend from school, whose fanatic devotion to the book means that he may know how to locate the mysterious Hazel Wood, Alice enters the foreboding world of the Hinterland where story is paramount, but it still may not save you.

Unlike most books for teens, this one is short on romance and absent the sex that seems to pepper so many popular novels for older YA readers. Instead, it features disturbingly realistic, yet fantastic scenes of the gritty, fearless Alice’s encounters with bloody and sometimes gruesome scenes. Much of the book is laced with references to children’s literature that geeky young readers will adore as much as I did.

Until Alice set off for the Hazel Wood, I was mesmerized, then I found myself wanting to skim some of the more sinister scenes to get to the climax. I stuck with it, read every word, and was rewarded by a less than happily-ever-after ending that fit the book perfectly. I don’t think fantasy-loving teens will find the menacing atmosphere as off-putting as I did and I predict that they, like all the major critics, will give this one five stars. The writing is so atmospheric and haunting that even though the carnage was more than I wanted, I admire it immensely.

Summing it Up: Buy The Hazel Wood for fantasy-loving teens and young adults fourteen and older. Read it for a chilling glimpse into a fantasy world where story matters. Savor it for its exquisite evocation of mood and place. Illustrator Jim Tierney’s evocative cover deserves accolades for its beauty and its introduction to the novel.

Take your favorite young adult to Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL this Saturday, February 3 at 2 p.m. where the author will be in conversation with YA author Joelle Charbonneau. It’s a free event.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Diet Coke and Gummi Bears, Fiction, Book Club
Publication date: January 30. 2018
Read an Excerpt: https://us.macmillan.com/thehazelwood/melissaalbert/9781250147912/
What Others are Saying:
Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/melissa-albert/the-hazel-wood/
Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-14790-5
School Library Journal: http://www.slj.com/2017/10/reviews/books/hazel-wood-melissa-albert-slj-review/
Shelf Awareness: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=683#m12003

I feel like this was almost two separate books joined together in the middle. It really confused me with a sudden change in tone and atmosphere. I thought the book was generally enjoyable, though, but I think it had some major problems.

This book was probably the one I was most excited to receive from NetGalley, yet I have to admit it kind of let me down: it had such a tangible grasp on world-building and atmosphere at the beginning of the story, but it started to lose focus around 60% when the Hazel Wood was actually introduced, and it ended on a pretty abrupt note for me.

However, I did greatly enjoy the dynamic between Alice and Finch. They have a trusting yet highly tempestuous relationship as they're both looking for people to rely on, and this book does a great job showing how these initial notions of "love" might've been hastily conceived. Not to mention, this book is more about family love (something I always appreciate), so I thought these dynamics were ultimately well-fleshed out.

The writing was very crisp as well. The author shows a knack for flowery yet raw and straightforward prose, particularly in the chapters where Finch was chronicling certain fairy tales from Alice's grandmother's book: these excerpts evoked a deliciously creepy, dangerous, and unhinged vibe that really demonstrated the author's writing prowess, and it was by far the most intriguing and well-developed aspect of the book.

Unfortunately, this writing prowess did not translate into the Hazel Wood portion of the book. This titular setting feels tantalizingly blurry at its edges, but because Alice's observations and visceral reactions to it felt less-than-tangible, it made it difficult for me to gauge the full depth of this world. Not to mention, the plot started to accelerate around this point, so the atmosphere didn't have much time to be done justice either.

Oh, and the ending felt strangely abrupt. I won't say I was too bummed by this book simply because it ends on such a poignant note, but I was rather conflicted by what it was trying to say: Alice's adventures in the Hazel Wood were rushed, brief, and murky, so the message of this book being about Alice seemingly having gone through a life-changing experience felt disconnected from the story I'd actually read.

Bottom line, all the elements for a terrific finale were there (characters, setup, intrigue), but because the author never fully committed to a bold twist or moral at the climax, it felt like the book had skipped over a really important event, and it thus left me feeling rather thirsty and unfulfilled in the end.

This book was probably the one I was most excited to receive from NetGalley, yet I have to admit it kind of let me down: it had such a tangible grasp on world-building and atmosphere at the beginning of the story, but it started to lose focus around 60% when the Hazel Wood was actually introduced, and it ended on a pretty abrupt note for me.

However, I did greatly enjoy the dynamic between Alice and Finch. They have a trusting yet highly tempestuous relationship as they're both looking for people to rely on, and this book does a great job showing how these initial notions of "love" might've been hastily conceived. Not to mention, this book is more about family love (something I always appreciate), so I thought these dynamics were ultimately well-fleshed out.

As for the writing, it was very crisp. The author shows a knack for flowery yet raw and straightforward prose, particularly in the chapters where Finch was chronicling certain fairy tales from Alice's grandmother's book: these excerpts are deliciously creepy and by far the best aspect of the book as it evoked a raw, unhinged vibe that really demonstrated the author's writing prowess, and it hooked me right from the start.

Unfortunately, this writing prowess did not translate into the Hazel Wood portion of the book. This titular setting feels tantalizingly blurry at its edges, but because Alice's observations and visceral reactions to it felt less-than-tangible, it made it difficult for me to gauge the full depth of this world. Not to mention, the plot started to accelerate around this point, so the atmosphere didn't have much time to be done justice either.

Oh, and the ending felt strangely abrupt. I won't say I was too bummed out by this book simply because it ends on such a poignant note, but I was rather conflicted by what it was trying to say: Alice's adventures in the Hazel Wood were rushed, brief, and murky, so the message of this book being about Alice seemingly having gone through a life-changing experience felt rather disconnected from the story I'd actually read.

Bottom line, all the elements for a terrific finale were there (characters, setup, intrigue), but because the author never fully commits to a bold twist or moral at the climax, it ultimately felt like the book had skipped over really something important, and it left me feeling thirsty and unfulfilled in the end.

I had a very interesting experience with The Hazel Wood. I had a very specific vision for how I thought that the book would go and feel like, before I read the first page. I’m not sure what created this impression for me, except for maybe the synopsis, and my previous experiences with other books? And the writing style just encouraged my assumption about the book … at first. But as I continued reading, I realized that the story would go and feel different (which is not a bad thing!)

I can say, with certainty, that this was one of the most unique stories I have ever read. The writing was lyrical, and raw all at once, and just overall satisfying for me to read. It felt very fresh for me, because I have not come across a style quite like it in any of the other books that I’ve read (and much less in YA.) The Hazel Wood was dark, and ominous, and magical. The characters were great, and very well-developed. And I could even appreciate the characters who we were supposed to dislike in the story! I also really liked the main character and narrator of The Hazel Wood, Alice, despite her being very angry, cold, abrupt, and mean. I understood her frustration, and really rooted for her, and hoped that things would turn out well for her in the end.

As for the story, it was very interesting and unpredictable. I also think it’s funny that most of this book did not go or feel as I had initially expected, but that once I got used to its feel and style, everything changed, and it did turn out feeling more like I had expected. I’m sorry if that sounds very cryptic! This is what happens when I try to explain things while also trying to avoid writing spoilers, haha. What I can say, though, is that I absolutely loved the fairytales in this book, because they were unique, while also reminding me of the dark Romanian / Eastern European fairytales that I grew up on. The stories in The Hazel Wood are dark, chilling, and nothing like the fairytales that I came into contact with once we moved out of Eastern Europe.

This book was quite enjoyable to read, as Alice took me with her on quite the adventure. I love Albert’s imagination, and that she shared this story with us, and I greatly look forward to the next book to come in the series (2019), as well as the companion novel or novella that has also been listed on Goodreads (2020). I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy urban fantasy, as well as dark fairytales!

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this novel but whatever it was, was meh.

While I enjoyed this book, it was hard to get through, the pacing was slow until near the end but by the time I got there I was pretty much over it.

The story starts with the main character who is difficult to relate to, living with her family while reminiscing about how she used to move around with her mom a lot because they were constantly followed by "bad luck". Turns out (Spoiler alert) the bad luck are actually characters from a world built on stories come to life following them around.

The characters, weren't fully flushed out, and the story line felt out of step. Too much focus on the first 2/3 of the novel setting everything up and trying to build this intensive mystery feel. While the last third of the book was quickly rushed and thrown together.

I think fans of YA horror may enjoy this, but it really wasn't for me. Also this review isn't really my best but I just struggle to write anything other than "meh" over and over again.

I could not get into this book and it was a DNF for me. I found the mother-daughter relationship toxic and abusive. It only got worse when her mother married because it was insinuated that the step-father was abusive as well. The book was not interesting enough for me to overlook these toxic relationships.

The Hazel Wood to most would seem a typical hidden away house in a forest. For others though, those that really know what it is, the house is something else. The Hazel Wood is a bargaining chip, a gateway, a broken whisper of a story once told and held in reverie on one tongue, a forgotten sigh on another.

 

Mostly though the Hazel Wood is the story of Alice and how the Hazel Wood comes to be far more present in her life after her mother is notified of her grandmother’s death. Alice and her mother Ella are constantly on the move thanks to the fact that Ella’s mother is Althea Prosperpine, a writer that is as much as a recluse as she is a mystery. Upon hearing of Althea’s death, Ella is relieved and proclaims that they are finally free. Free from the bad luck and the Tales of Hinterland that seem to plague the pair considering it’s near cult like devotees. However, they aren’t as quite as free as they anticipated from Hinterland when Hinterland comes to find them. Ella is captured and upon her mother’s kidnapping, Alice discovers that her life is about to be turned upside down.

 

Alice along with her classmate Finch began the arduous trek to find the Hazel Wood and during their journey they find more then they anticipated. It isn’t just the Hazel Wood that Alice finds, but Hinterland itself for Hinterland and  the fairytale creatures are very much alive and very much real and they all are seeking Alice. It probably doesn’t help that her somewhat friend and classmate Finch is a devoted superfan of Hinterland seeking his own escape. Upon their discovery of Hinterland, Alice begins to realize that maybe her own story wasn’t written exactly as she thought and another story begins… a story of self-discovery and truth.

 

For fans of fairytales the Hazel Wood is a win. Albert writes with the dark beauty of a true Grimm’s fairytale world. There is no fluff or pretty happy endings in the world of Hinterland. Instead there is rage, there is Death, there is beauty, and there is revenge. Albert plays true to the captivating darkness of fairytales. This is not your book of Disney children’s tales but instead a book with crowns, barbs, blood, and thorns. Hinterland is savage, raw, beautiful and undeniably real. Anyone that ever speaks of true adoration for fairytales would be in sound mind to add this dark beauty to their collection. It deserves to grace your other fairytales with its haunting presence, why not add a little darkness to the happy ever after light. Until next time, enjoy the shadows and crimson of a fairytale world that is far more savage then it is sweet.

There are so many fantasy and fairy tale inspired novels out there it can be easy for a book to get lost in the shuffle. Albert does a pretty good job of distinguishing The Hazel Wood from the pack. She's exploring the darker side of fairy tales, of the world of fae. Murderous children, incest, the utter absence of love. Alice is a compelling protagonist. She's complex.
A lovely read.

While I don’t read much YA, there is something that I am a complete sucker for- fairy tales. I love everything about them: the love stories, the wicked villains and the magical realism. So, when #cjsreads discussed adding The Hazel Wood, the fantasy, twisted fairy tale novel by Melissa Albert, to our January choices, I knew I needed this book in my life.

The novel follows Alice, a seventeen-year girl who is no stranger to life on the road, and her mother Ella. When Alice’s grandmother, a famous novelist and author of the cult classic book of dark fairy tales (The Hinterland), passes away, Alice is drawn to the Hazel Wood (her grandmother’s reclusive home) in search of her mother. To retrieve her mother, Alice enlists the help of Hinterland super fan Ellery Finch to navigate this cruel, supernatural world that Alice’s grandmother created.

Now, like I said The Hazel Wood is much different from what I normally am drawn to but I was really intrigued by the synopsis. I loved the concept and the characters. By the time I was finished the first chapter I was completely hooked. I sucked into this strange, dark world and, during the first half of the book, I found myself desperate to navigate this story. Almost like an allegorical quest story, I rooted for Alice. I felt like Albert’s prose was beautiful; there is no doubt that this novel is well written.

One feature of the novel I enjoyed the most was how dark it was. The bits and pieces of the fairy tale stories that were revealed had me so intrigued. I wish there was a companion piece to this novel where I could read every story from The Hinterland! I would love that: hint, hint Melissa Albert!

I don’t want to give anything away, but I did find that I got a little bit lost during the second half of the novel. It sort of start blending genre lines and moving more into a sci-fi, fantasy, magical type of text that I struggled to navigate. However, I did feel like this ended in an interesting twist, which I appreciated.

Overall, an intriguing, dark story that will start a discussion! If you want a novel that will push you out of your comfort zone, pick up The Hazel Wood, you will not regret reading this phenomenally written story.

I absolutely adore dark fairy tales and so my expectations were high for The Hazel Wood. This book somehow surpassed them. It was an absolute delight to read and I loved how it subverted my expectations at every turn. Here are five reasons why you should read this wonderfully dark modern take on fairy tales.

1) The characters were stellar, I particularly loved Alice and Ellery.
2) The mystery was beautifully plotted and was beautifully intertwined with the fairy tales.
3) Melissa Albert's writing was gorgeous, I loved how clearly I could see the Hazel Wood and New York while reading. Both of the settings really came alive through her words.
4) It was very creepy and dark without being too much. Albert did an excellent job of walking that line.
5) The ending was absolutely perfect. I can understand why some people won't be happy with it but I adore this type of ending, particularly since I don't seen them that often.

I would highly recommend if you like darker fantasy stories! I was absolutely enchanted by The Hazel Wood and I can't wait to read this one again.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2018 January 30

BOOK REPORT for The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1) by Melissa Albert

Cover Story: Classic
BFF Charm: Caution
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Burning Brightly
Bonus Factor: Story Within A Story
Relationship Status: Happily (N)Ever After

Cover Story: Classic

This cover is gorgeous. I love that it looks like a classic tome of fairy tales, but with a modern twist: the skyscrapers and the spilled coffee. All of the elements of the cover are elements of the story, too. It’s intriguing before you read the book, and purposeful once you finish. More of this, please, publishers!

The Deal:

Alice is the granddaughter of a famous fairy-tale author: Althea Proserpine, a one-book-wonder who disappeared into obscurity, along with copies of her book. Despite a cult following that persists even today, Alice has never met her grandmother. Instead, she has to gather scraps of information about the mysterious woman from the internet, old articles, and the occasional fan.

Alice and her mother Ella have spent Alice’s entire life on the run, drifting from town to town to outrun bad luck that might have been straight out of Althea’s stories. One day, Ella gets word that Althea has died—and now, perhaps, the bad luck will end. They can finally settle down.

That is, until Ella is kidnapped and taken to the Hazel Wood—and Alice, along with her classmate Ellery Finch, is determined to rescue her mother from a fairy-tale fate.

BFF Charm: Caution

I quite liked Alice, who can be a total jerk and whose rage simmers just underneath the surface, but I’m not so sure she’d be the best friend to have. First of all, all that bad luck following her around doesn’t just affect her. Second, her temper and single-minded focus make her prickly—but a terribly compelling character.

She’s not without self-awareness, though. I loved this quote: “The feeling of knowing you’re being an asshole is as bad as feeling wronged, but without the satisfaction.” The whole book is full of observations that seem so obvious and true once she points them out.

Swoonworthy Scale: 3

Romance takes a back seat to other relationships in this book, particularly mother/daughter. Although Finch is an adorable boy, the possibility of romantic love is far less intriguing than the love between story and subject.

Talky Talk: Burning Brightly

Melissa Albert’s writing is a thing of wonder. Never have I highlighted so many passages. She expertly combines the dark, lush descriptions of displaced fairy tales with sharp-tongued, dry humor. Alice’s voice is angry, but in an understandable way—like the way you’d nod at a raging teenager and think, “Yeah, I feel you.”

But don’t take my word for it—take hers.



“The light in our apartment was all the colors of metal—blinding platinum in the morning, gold in the afternoon, bronze from the streetlights at night.”

“She spoke only to other children, mostly to make them cry.”
“My head pulsed with a three a.m. black coffee feeling.”

“Everyone is supposed to be a combination of nature and nurture, their true selves shaped by years of friends and fights and parents and dreams and things you did too young and things you overheard that you shouldn’t have and secrets you kept or couldn’t and regrets and victories and quiet prides, all the packed-together detritus that becomes what you call your life.”


To say I love Albert’s way with words is a gross understatement.

Bonus Factor: Story Within A Story

Modern fairy tale stories often have stories within stories, which, when done well, are one of my favorite things to read. Althea’s stories are creepy and dark, and I was delighted to see that Albert appears to be publishing them in a companion volume sometime in 2020.

Even better: although this is the first book in a series, the story ends in a way that will satisfy your need for closure.

Relationship Status: Happily (N)Ever After

Book, I’d heard so much about you from the rumor mill, so I was nervous that you couldn’t possibly live up to my expectations…and yet, our date was positively, well, magical. You made me laugh and sigh and nod in understanding as you said things I’d been thinking forever, but much more eloquently. I’ll be waiting by the phone for you to ask me out again, although I suspect I might have a bit of a wait. Can you put a spell on me so the time passes more quickly?

An updated version of "Alice in Wonderland" where Alice gets sucked into the Hinterland with Finch by her side. Alice grew up with her mother running from something. Alice's mother, Ella, would not talk about what happened and why they ran. When Ella disappears one day, Alice sets out to find her with the help of Finch. After being sucked into fantasy land through a wooded portal, destiny prevails as Alice sets out to finish her story and find her mother. There are many twists and turns in the story and the ending is almost like "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy wakes up.

At this time this book is a DNF and I will not be posting a review until I attempt to read it again. I found this book grating and I completely struggled with the kidnapping sequence we got at the beginning. While I can see partially how it's normal to rationalize kidnapping, I felt like the author instead romanticized it. I didn't get very far before my frustration overwhelmed me.

At this time I'm unwilling to read more of this author's work.

An interesting read, though I am not sure the description of the book really says what the book is about and caused some confused when first starting it.

Great creepy fairy tale book. I found myself wanting to know all of the stories from the Hinterland. I hope future books cover other characters' tales.

It has taken me days upon days to get to a place where my thoughts on this book are anything other than simply "a;ljfaoiejfakldsajf omg so good."

I'm such a fan of The Hazel Wood! It starts out with delectable writing, the kind you want to just wrap up in a decadent chocolate cake and absolutely devour. It's a bit of a slow start to get to the adventure portion, but the ride is just the right mix of creepy and enticing to keep you reading until you enter The Halfway Wood, the Hazel Wood, the Hinterland...

Melissa Albert is not just a talented writer but also a gifted storyteller. This book is entrancing. Read it!