Welcome to Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood–the fiercely stunning New York Times bestseller everyone is raving about! Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, … fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away–by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother’s stories are set. Alice’s only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother’s tales began–and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.
Don’t miss the New York Times bestselling sequel to The Hazel Wood, The Night Country, out now, or Tales from the Hinterland, coming January 12, 2021!
more
A truly magical story. I thought it was based off a real person in history — that’s how real this writer’s work is. You could get dizzy off her writing style, it’s intoxicating. This was the book that made me realize magical realism is where it’s at.
Thought the back story could have been more developed
Before I get into the book review, I need to talk about the book cover. I have the green softcover version and I LOVE it. I love me some kick ass artwork.
As for the book, it is a yes from me. The first half was slow but not dead or boring. I certainly wanted to continue and see what was up. Maybe it shouldn’t have been slow for that much of the book but it was, and I kept reading so I won’t take points off for that. After that things really kicked off and it got a bit dark and twisty which is how I like my fairy tales. It also didn’t end on a cliffhanger which, being honest, I seem to have gotten used to. So that was refreshing. But there’s a second book so clearly some thing more happens.
None of the characters stole my heart and soul…which is fine. I don’t go into every book looking to leave with a new book boyfriend or girlfriend so it’s okay. That doesn’t mean that I hated them. I didn’t. They were just okay to me. PLUS I really enjoyed reading some of the Tales from the Hinterland stories!! I don’t know why I yelled that. But such is my excitement.
This is one of my new favorite books. It’s a little spooky, you very gradually find out what’s going on, fantasy rooted in the real world and SO well written.
A delightful read… hey just saw there is a book 2… In my cart!
This book wasn’t really for me. I got lost in the writing quite a bit and it got too surreal that I couldn’t understand how or why things were happening. I could mostly predict what was going on before the great reveal, but it didn’t make much sense in many ways to me. I don’t really recommend it, but you never know… it may be for you.
This book was much darker than I expected and the MC is somewhat apathetic and unlikeable but this is definitely a must read. The reading is a little slow, but the tale is dark and twisted and kept me coming back to know more.
This was a unique read full of great descriptions and fascinating setting. The writer has a storytelling voice, which really adds to the book. It makes circumstances relatable, though one hasn’t gone through what the characters have. The expletives pulled me out of the story, but they do in most books, so it’s nothing against this one in particular. The ending didn’t wow me. But the beginning and middle were great. Some found this a dark read due to the nature of the fairy tales, and there are some things I can see being triggers for some readers. So keep that in mind before reading this if you have sensitivities with themes relating to self-harm, and of course violence against youth in general.
This book is dedicated to anyone who loves mystery and adventure. This book is amazing!!! Love it.
I had some reservations about this book just because it was sooooo slow getting started. About halfway through it picked up though and was easier going. Also….plot twist…SO ANGRY about that. So definitely worth the read if you can get through the first few chapters.
I’m not usually a reader of dark stories, but this was recommended and I am glad I read it. Gorgeous writing and an unusual premise. It’s definitely a dark tale- I had to put it down a few times to gather my wits- but I couldn’t leave it be. Intriguing and quite haunting- I recommend it!
Audiobook, borrowed from library.
Either a mid 3 or low 4 star read for me. There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this read and some things I thought it lacked or missed out on.
Majority of the novel (it feels) is spent on Finch and Alice’s journey to find Ella – Alice’s mother. Their journey, taking up a significant portion of the beginning of the novel, is pretty peripheral in the grand scheme of things. It’s a drawn out build up for what feels to be a wrapped up quickly ending. Some of the writing misses the mark or is just downright humerous – for instance, I have no idea what “dead coffee” tastes like.
On the other hand, I did enjoy a good bit of the ending. Going into the Hinterland (that’s as spoilery as I’ll get with this review) was quite the adventure. I would have loved more time spent amongst these fairy tales because they were oh so twisted. The time spent in the Hinterland is where The Hazel Wood shines, and I really wanted more of that and those characters.
Not really sure how a sequel to The Hazel Wood is going to play out or if it’s really necessary, but I’m intrigued.
Who doesn’t love a modern fairy tale with lots of twists and turns? So captivated by this one!
From the very beginning, this story had me hooked. It never let up from the first page to the last. Though it’s filled with twists and turns it’s never difficult to follow. The Hazel Wood is the story of a portal to another world – a world that exists only as stories. The main character, Alice, must find her way in and then back out of this other world – the Hinterland – in order to reclaim her life. Everything there is so thoroughly un-here that in less capable hands, the story could have been confusing or unbelievable. Yet, Albert has done such a masterful job of world building that this reader never once had a “yeah, right!” moment. I was totally immersed in this story and very satisfied with the ending. A highly recommened read for anyone who enjoys fantasy.
So this book was like a fairy tale on acid. It was convoluted, distorted and difficult to read. The first half was slow and hard to follow, the second half made little sence and was bot very satisfying. I wanted more from it, from the back story and the characters; and less from the blindingly biring details. I just don’t think thus book was for me. If I could read the story within the story (the dark fairy tales) I would have a much better rating.
The Hazel Wood is well-written and interesting. I enjoyed the characters, especially the interaction between Alice and her stepsister; they had a cook snark-type repartee that is fun to read. The idea of portals between our world and a fairy tale world is intriguing. My honest rating on The Hazel Wood would probably be 3.5 stars. The book is enjoyable, but something about it didn’t click with me. Though I finished it, I didn’t feel all that invested.
I really enjoyed The Hazel Wood despite myself. I went into it having no idea what the ultimate story was to be about outside an association with fairy tales. It was unlike a lot of YA, which often has as one of its primary goals to tie a ribbon around all the characters romantic lives. This is a story of love, no doubt, but it is the deep and everlasting bond between daughter and mother. I found this very compelling. It is also a love story about the connection a reader has with their cherished tales and tropes. It provided fresh insight into how we all wish we could live as our most favorite characters when we really should be so happy we can be voyeurs. After all, the Hazel Wood makes clear our beloved stories are often set in dark worlds where their authors must constantly hurt their characters to tell a compelling tale. It tells us our own lives are our story, and, ultimately, we should wish most to live the story we are making.
It was a bit like Pinocchio with a gender twist. And on crack. Albert’s similes were fresh and cutting, the heroine’s journey compelling, exciting. This is not a romance read. I loved it.
This YA fantasy enthralls with unexpected plot twists, compelling characters, and a 17 year old heroine worthy of the adventure into another world.
What if you found out your life was part of a fairy tale? And not the happily ever after kind of fairy tale. Very good book. Will keep you interested until the end.