The Hazel Wood (Hazel Wood, #1)

by Melissa Albert

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

The Hazel Wood has its ups and down, so I'd forgive those who didn't enjoy it - there are a lot of aspects of this one that felt rushed or unfinished.

The story started with potential: a girl and her mom constantly on the move, and a mysterious grandmother who wrote an impossible to find set or dark fairytales that have become cult favorites. A lot of this book is set in NYC, with the Hinterland not coming into play until about three-quarters through.

As far as world building goes, I thought Albert did a fantastic job. Her debut novel has all the thrill and magical realism of Cornelia Funke's [b:Inkheart|28194|Inkheart (Inkworld, #1)|Cornelia Funke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328866790s/28194.jpg|2628323] in its world. I'm a lost cause when it comes to the real world blending with fairytale. Her Hinterland, too, is well written. It takes place in Stories, and definitely leaves the reader wanting more.

On the other hand, the characters all have a lot of wasted potential. Our lead, Alice, is flat and unconvincing. Ellery Finch's execution (literally and figuratively) did not impress, and by the time we meet Althea Prosperpine she falls short of expectations. Character writing does not seem to be a strength of Albert's - we get a lot of talk, but not a lot of action.

Additionally, the pacing at the end of the book is weird. There's a comfortable, established pace in the NYC scenes and it works perfectly... or would have if the entire book maintained that rhythm. Instead, the pace rapidly picks up and we are rushed through the scenes in the Hinterland and definitely left wanting. It's a really fascinating world, so it's a shame we don't get to spend much time there.

As a debut with a strong foundation, I give The Hazel Wood a little slack - it's not perfect, but there's potential. This book ended really well, but it looks like there's another story in the works. I hope that Albert's character's grow a bit more, and she continues to immerse the reader in these intricate dark fairytale worlds. All my stars go to the world building - I found it so rich and compelling that I lost myself in the descriptions of the places, rather than the unfolding adventure.