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One of The Observer's Best Children's Books of 2018!
Fans of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Children of Blood and Bone have been getting lost in The Hazel Wood..."The Hazel Wood kept me up all night. I had every light burning and the covers pulled tight around me as I fell completely into the dark and beautiful world within its pages. Terrifying, magical, and surprisingly funny, it's one of the very best books I've read in years". -Jennifer Niven, author of All The Bright Places
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Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels.
But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate - the Hazel Wood - Alice learns how bad her luck can really get.
Her mother is stolen, by a figure who claims to come from the cruel supernatural world from her grandmother's stories.
Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD.
To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began . . .
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"This book will be your next obsession. Welcome to the Hazel Wood, where bad luck is a living thing, princesses are doomed, and every page contains a wondrously terrible adventure - it's not safe inside these pages, but once you enter, you may never want to leave." - Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
"Realism and fantasy blue in this strange and bewitching tale" The Observer
Melissa Albert has created a world as dark, twisted and magical as Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter. Will you escape the Hazel Wood?
- ISBN10 125014793X
- ISBN13 9781250147936
- Publish Date 26 March 2019 (first published 30 January 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Flatiron Books
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
If you like your urban fantasy with a little bite, this one is for you.
Full review at https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog
sa090
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Recently, I’m finding that books that contain a long journey are books I really enjoy reading. I enjoyed Beneath the Darkest Stars, I enjoyed Unearthed and I enjoyed this once again in the Hazel Wood. The difference between each and every one of them is that each journey obviously happens in a different setting, that right there is the beauty of this experience to me. I like it when an author takes me through their world, even if it’s mostly set in real life like the Hazel Wood, there’s bound to be something to gain from journeying through it with them. In this book it got me to know about the characters more so than anything else, specifically Alice, tbh I couldn’t care less about Finch because I feel like I’ve seen way too many characters like him that it doesn’t really excites me or anything anymore. Alice isn’t that largely different than most of the characters I read about either, but there was still something incredibly intriguing about her and her personality that just made me want to follow her so I can find out.
I think if I really have to praise two aspects of it that remained the case for the majority of the book, the first would be how creepy Melissa Albert made this feel. The characters aren’t like the stupid ones in horror movies who at a certain part of the movie when they die you go “You deserved it you idiot”, they’re actually trying their best to make sense of the situation and it just adds this eerie feel to the book that makes it difficult to stop reading at times. The few stories of the Hinterland that she added in the story increased that feeling because of how dark these fairytales are, despite one of them feeling somewhat out of place. It made me super excited to read the Tales from the Hinterland itself for sure but for the story here, it wouldn’t have changed a thing if it wasn’t there.
The second aspect would be how I couldn’t pin down how it would end, I’m very good at predicting things, but in the Hazel Wood, although I had multiple scenarios, I couldn’t pin it down at all. It’s exciting when you really don’t know how it’ll end. There’s a “secret’ in the book that’s easily solvable thanks to how Melissa Albert goes by it, but the ending itself was difficult to pin down. This book also reminded me of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, the blend of fairytales with real life is an awesome mix that I like a little too much. This book is not about that in the same extent or even the same context but there is a certain thing to it that reminds me of the before mentioned, it’s probably why I ended up liking this book that much subconsciously.
So, what is wrong here? Well, for instance the book has some ideas that I find kind of weird with how “Okay” they are being treated which boils down to an individual’s beliefs if you will so it might be just me. More importantly though, the book had this big sense of “Convenience” that I didn’t enjoy much at some points, felt like it made things way too easy after all of that journeying. After I finished reading it though and took a day to think harder about it, the whole “Convenience” vibe I got from the book felt like this incredibly clever idea that I’m starting to think it might’ve been an intentional one. I may be thinking a little too hard about this, but at the moment it kind of feels like it was.
The instance with the three things the red-haired guy gave her? That felt like it’s a sort of a foreshadow to what Alice really is, she’s a literal story so it’s not strange that characters get these special items to use in their quest, isn’t it? While it delivers that feeling of convenience given that I was thinking of her as a normal individual till she entered the Hinterland, I sat here thinking that maybe, just maybe Melissa Albert might’ve added that in to stay true to Alice’s real origins as a story. Which again is something I find to be really clever, if it was true anyway lol
She’s signed a deal for a sequel and for a full copy of “Tales From the Hinterland” which I’m excited to read about, I’m not sure where we’re going from here since this felt fitting as a standalone but I’m looking forward to it regardless.
Final rating: 4/5
Empress of Sass
This book was a bit of an enigma for me, I finished it a few days ago and I'm still not sure what to think about it, or whether I even liked. I'm giving it a 4/5, because it was well written, and I think my disconnect with it was no real fault of the author, I just personally couldn't connect.
It starts off extremely slow, and it isn't until the halfway point that things really start going. I found it to be a bit of a slogging read, especially in the beginning, mostly due to the writing style- which I found to be trying to hard to be mysterious, elusive and deep. I know this style of raining down metaphors and similes and speaking in vague mysterious tones is incredibly popular, but it is not and never has been my "thing". Don't get me wrong, I love a good plot twist, but I really have no love for books that try to be deep. Depth should come from the story, and the connections the reader makes to it, not from overwrought prose. That is my personal opinion anyway.
The characters felt under developed. Even though it was written in the first person, I couldn't connect to Alice. I'm a little tired of the "push the world away angry protagonist", and wish I could have seen her long for connections a little more. Instead she only seems to truly care about one person- her mother, and everyone else matters very little to her, thus because of the first person perspective, they become under developed to the reader.
I liked the book a little more when she finally made it to the Hinterland, but I found the world building there to be a little anemic, the fabric of the world was there, but threadbare and faded. I wanted it to be more magical. That's not to say I wanted it to be less dark, I do enjoy a good dark fairy tale, but I found it to be empty and paper thin, dull where it should be gleaming with malice.
I enjoyed the Story Spinner, and the general concepts surrounding the Stories. The way the Hinterland acted to keep Stories on their path was well done, and I wish we could have seen more of that aspect.
The one character I was really interested in was Ellery Finch, and I think by the end he was done a great disservice by the author. I did not understand some of his choices at all in the last part of the book, and without going into specifics, I did not like the ending at all. If there was a sequel, I wouldn't pick it up.
I couldn't justify giving it less than a 4 though, because I can see that it would appeal to certain readers, it just didn't appeal to me. If I was rating it entirely on personal enjoyment, and not overall quality, it'd be a high 2 for me. It's not a book I have any desire to read again.
Beth C.
bookishzelda
I admit, the story had a slow start for me. I think I just lack patience anymore. I’m ready to get moving, like I want to climb into the story and go searching for things. Like a particular book. The writing, however, was perfect all the way through. So even though it felt slow starting, I enjoyed the writing so much that I would have kept reading anyway. Which of course I’m glad I did, because once it picked up. I was hooked.
It’s hard to find a way to describe the plot because there are so many different components. The more that Alice tumbles down her own rabbit hole. The more stones are overturned. I loved the way that the Fairy Tales are woven into the plot and the fact that it’s Tales of the Hinterland. So it’s not stories that we, as the reader, have heard before. So every little scrap of information is like one that you are starving for, just like Alice. It’s one of those tales that leaves you feeling a little haunted after reading but you don’t want to go into much depth about in order to keep from giving anything away.
Alice and her mother, Ella are nomads. They move from place to place and it’s not as if they are running from someone in particular. To Alice, they are running from bad luck. Alice dreams of getting to know her famous grandmother Alethea Porsepine, but her mother Ella wants nothing to do with the past. Alice is such an interesting character because she doesn’t seem bitter about moving, I think she has adopted this idea that Ella is all she needs. That they find strength in one another. So when her mother is taken, it’s a whole new world for Alice to have to possibly rely on someone else for help. Her character growth and her relationship with Ella is one the really interesting parts of the book.
Ellory Finch is rich, which I think sometimes Alice uses that against him. He’s also a super fan of her grandmothers stories and her best resource to finding her mother. They go from an tentative acquaintance to a stronger bond as they travel together. I liked him, he was different.
If you are a fan of Fairy Tales, this is one for you to definitely read. If you are not, read it anyway because it’s not a retelling of the tales you know.
cornerfolds
The Hazel Wood caught my eye months ago, back when I first read the synopsis on Goodreads. I scrambled to trade for it as soon as possible... and it sat on my shelf for months before I finally worked up to reading it. The hype was strong and unfortunately it just didn't live up to it, mostly because, as I'll explain more, this fantasy novel doesn't contain much fantasy.
Alice is the MC of this story and she is... not that great, to be honest. I wanted to sympathize with Alice. She's had a rough backstory and her mom has been stolen away. She just isn't very sympathetic. Alice is a bit rude to everyone around her, including people who are trying to do everything they can to help. Finch, for example. I really loved Finch and thought he was a great side character and not-fully-realized love interest. You read that right! There isn't a lot of romance in The Hazel Wood, which could be either a pro or a con, depending on your preference. Personally, I would've preferred a bit more of a fleshed out relationship between Finch and Alice, even if it wasn't fully romantic. As the story was told, their interaction kind of just made me dislike Alice more.
There are tons of other super interesting characters in The Hazel Wood, but none of them are around for long enough to get to know. I really wished we could've learned more about the crazy fan who finally made it to the Wood or even some of the creepier, more fantasy-ish characters. Honestly, I'd have settled for more about Alice's elusive grandmother!
Now, allow me to talk about the story and why I feel like this book might have been falsely advertised just a bit. The Hazel Wood has been marketed as a fantasy book about a dark and creepy fantasy wood that Alice has to find. The problem is, it takes most of the book for this to actually happen. For the majority of The Hazel Wood, there is no Wood, just Alice and Finch talking about it. They talk and ride in the car and have run-ins with police officers and ride some more. This is more contemporary, maybe urban fantasy until almost the ending and that just wasn't enough for me. Once Alice finally made it to the Hazel Wood, things started to get more interesting and I just wish we'd had more of THAT. (You know, fantasy in a fantasy book?)
Likewise, the world building was fantastic! Once we got to The Hazel Wood, that is. Up until then, I guess it was okay? But it was just a normal city. I didn't feel particularly creeped out, which is how a lot of people have said this book made them feel. When the fantasy finally happened, it was great! I loved how uneasy I felt about the Wood and Althea's house and everything that came after. I loved the Hinterland and the Stories and every.single.thing. There just wasn't enough to love.
My other issue with The Hazel Wood was with the pacing, and honestly that probably ties back into the lack of fantasy. I don't read contemporary books because they bore me out of my mind, which is exactly how I felt with this. It took me forever to read because I could barely slug through each chapter... until they got to the Wood - I know I must sound like a broken record! A lot did happen, but I didn't feel any real sense of urgency or danger that kept me turning the pages.
I've heard that there will be another book in this series (was this originally planned?) and I honestly have no idea where the author could possibly take it. If it's back to the Wood, I may give it a chance! Melissa Albert does know how to craft a good fairy tale, as evidenced by last chunk of this book and I would love to read anything she writes in the future if it's actually fantasy. Unfortunately, this just... isn't. If you enjoy contemporary AND fantasy, this is probably a book you will love! But if, like me, you can't stand contemporary fiction, you may want to steer clear.
Briana @ Pages Unbound
tweetybugshouse
Stephanie
Needless to say, you must read this book.