Melissa Albert

Albert delivers a fierce, captivating contemporary fantasy about a 17-year-old girl who must venture into the world behind a pitch-dark, cult-classic collection of fairy tales to save her mother. Illustrations.

A Novel

The Hazel Wood

lauren

One of the worst books I’ve read. The writing style was way too descriptive to the point where I didn’t want to read anymore. Completely unnecessary filler words everywhere! It was very easy to see how the ending would play out, and I found the plot to be extremely messy. Not a fan at all.

cloud

eh. i enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half. i wasn’t able to keep up with what happened anymore and the ending was garbage. i was invested in every character, but alice, and you’re stuck with her the whole time. i am unsure if i will continue the series. the concept should have been killer for me, but it ended up just being meh.

Hazel Wood was an interesting take on fairytales and what it means when they come to life. Alice was a flawed main character, and while I mostly enjoyed following her story - some of the plot points were rushed and confused. 

The twist in the middle of the book did not get the proper time dedicated to it and then from there the characters were thrown aside and not really ever explained again. 

I liked the world-building but I think it could have used a bit more exploration. It was a pretty short book, so adding additional chapters to build up the plot, especially in the second half of the book. 

So, 3/5 and I would probably pick up the sequel in the future in hopes of getting the exploration I wanted from this book.

Moth

Lisa Sepulveda

While I love the premise of this book, its one that I think would make for an interesting read the writing for me really fell short while the chapters that retold the stories for the hinterland were amazing the rest of the storyline fell flat. Alice's story on earth really was one that I felt was not well written and needed more development. I personally only finished this because I am a completionist and wanted to know how the story ended. But as for me, I don't think I will be continuing on if this becomes a series.

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, 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.

Nessa Luna

Once more I wish I could give half-star ratings on Goodreads. Because this book doesn't quite feel like a 3-star book, but I also don't think it should get 2 stars. I didn't like this book too much, and I think that if I had been reading it physically, I probably would have either put it down or DNF-ed it. I didn't like Alice as the main character, but I did like Finch a lot. It also just felt way too whimsical for me, which is something I just don't like at all. I do own the sequel, but I don't know if I'm going to read it (maybe if the audiobook is on Scribd).

Hazel Wood

Beatrice

Actual rating: 2.5/5

I had some trouble making my mind up about this one, and even after I mostly, sort of decided what I thought, I found I couldn't actually put in into coherent thoughts. So this is my best attempt at trying to explain The Hazel Wood...

I started out really excited for this. I seemed just the right mix of fairytale, family drama and creepiness. And I have to say, I was hooked for the first few chapters. Very slowly, however, I started losing interest in what was happening: I just felt like we were taking an incredibly long road to get to the core of the story, and my attention waned. When we finally got to the Hinterland which, to me, sounded like the most interesting part of the story, it was over way too fast, and I felt like it didn't have as much substance to it as I would have liked.

I also had some issues with the characters, in that most of them were actually not developed at all, acting as barely more than filler. The main character, Alice, and Ellery, the rich kid who's obsessed with the book Alice's grandmother wrote, are pretty much the only characters that get some sort of in-depth analysis, and even then I had issues with them. They rarely move outside their stereotypical features and their defining characteristics remained fixed throughout the book. Alice was a very difficult character to relate to, particularly due to her bad temper and complete lack of tact, but that wasn't a major deal-breaker, as I often enjoy difficult characters. Alice, however, I just did not care for, and her change in behaviour by the end of the book felt to sudden to be called 'development' - and sorry, the explanation provided for this was just not good enough for me.

I feel like this book had great potential, and I myself was really excited for it. The author's writing style is amazing, and it was really the only thing that kept me going on in reading. The few Hinterland fairytales we did get to read throughout the book were deliciously creepy and original, and I believe the whole book could have been as good as those. As it is, however, it felt like reading a mildly original Alice in Wonderland retelling, with plenty of potential for development in terms of interesting storyline and characters, but never quite blossoming. I would definitely give the author another try, even though this one just wasn't for me.

For this and more review, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

momo-reads

This is not really YA fantasy- this is middle grade fantasy.  If it had been marketed as middle grade i would have skipped it and saved the disappointment.

I have been dreading reading this book but I put myself on a book buying ban until I’ve finished some off my TBR. I was literally so confused the entire book. From beginning to end. I will say the storyline of the book was good. I liked the idea of seeing the tale stories unravel but it was done in such a confusing way it was so hard to keep me engaged. I read this book in two days so I could get it done and I was struggling.

Kassidy May Leaver

** 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 ************ 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 . . . ************ "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 Melissa Albert has created a world as dark, twisted and magical as Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter. Will you escape the Hazel Wood?

Gillian Rose

Technically 4.5 stars.

The beginning and the end were very slow but the middle was addicting. I never wanted to put it down because it was so creepy and imaginative. I am a little disappointed that she's writing a sequel because I think it ended fine. Unless she's going to follow a different character...

fizzy

Warning: highly addictive


i love love love this book omg

Wo alles beginnt

Bruno Casali

Mesmo não gostando muito do fechamento leva 5! Afinal de contas Hazel Wood é um conto de fadas um tanto quanto peculiar!

Interesting for sure. I think because a lot of the reviewers said the second half was not that good I was expecting the worst but it wasn’t as bad as all that. The writing however definitely had some moments that made me feel like the author did not know how people actually speak to one another. Some of the word choices left me feeling like the author had just discovered a thesaurus for the first time and not in a good way? On the whole though I thought the concept was fun and I was entertained!

Kerry McHugh West

Izza

Kelsey Joëlle

The book was okay. Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either.

Janice Hopper

Stealing a child out of a fairyland may have unintended consequences.

Alice and her mother have always been moving. Bad luck seems to dog them. And it's all tied to a mysterious book of stories (Tales From the Hinterland) written by Alice's grandmother.

Because Alice's grandmother stole those stories from Hinterland.

I generally approve of stories that show that Faery/Fairyland/Elfland (it goes by different names with different authors) to be not just some slightly alternate earth populated by pointy-eared pretty people. In my world (LOL), the best depictions show that world as a strange, strange place. Beautiful, maybe, but also perilous and more dangerous than you might think. Susanna Clarke in her Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell does this really, REALLY well. This book handles it well enough. Hinterland isn't quite an Elfland. It's more of a land of stories, or rather, Stories. And the stories are embodied in people. 

Alice's mother, Ella, disappears under mysterious circumstances. Alice feels like she HAS to find here. This is the unfolding of that story.

I liked the writing pretty well. I wasn't quite as drawn in by the story as I thought I would be, though I'm not sure I can say exactly why. Maybe I just didn't feel as involved with Alice as I wanted to be.

But it's a good book, I think. Just wish it had sucked me in a bit more.

Megan Woods

Great read, although I feel that there could have been more suspense and action. It honestly lacked that extra bit of depth that would have put it at a 5-star rating. Some of the minor plots of the story seemed to be loosely-woven and the resolve seemed sort of hap-hazard.

Chloe Verhoeve

I really enjoyed the first part of this book, it was so disturbing and weird!

But about half way through I lost track of the story... For me, it was hard to follow it with all the weird scenes going on.

Courtney Gendreau

Original Review: http://www.literarychaos.com/

I really expected to love this book. I really wanted to love this book. I was so excited by the synopsis. I love retellings and fairytale based stories, and this one sounded like the kind of book I could lose myself in. Between the synopsis and all the hype in the bookish community, I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. That is to say, I found the story enjoyable, but I did not love it in the way that I had hoped I would. 

I felt like this story could have had better pacing. I really wanted more fantasy and fairytale elements. I really enjoyed the sections of the book that were set in the Hinterland, such as the fairytale chapters dispersed throughout the book, if there had been more of the story set in the Hinterland, I feel like I would have liked the story much more, but instead, the majority of the book was a road trip that I at least found rather boring. 

It also did not help that Alice is one of the least likable characters I have ever read. She was so rude, selfish, and ill-tempered. She constantly talked about her anger issues, and it often felt to me like she was making excuses for her behavior instead of trying to learn from her behavior and fixing it. I understand that her behavior is an important aspect of the story, but it did not make her character any more bearable.

Then there was the way that she treated Finch. She was so rude to him, it really irritated me. This person is helping her, and yet she was so ungrateful. I felt like she so stuck in her own pity party that she didn't notice or understand her privilege and the inequality around her. What was worse for me there seemed to be very little growth in this aspect. I wanted a good redemption arc, I wanted realization of her privilege and her selfishness. Unfortunately, I did not get that. 

I feel like this is one of those polarizing books that people either really love or really dislike. I personally fell in the middle I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. I felt like it this was over-hyped, at least for my reading tastes. This book does have good aspects to it and I can see why some people really loved this story. It just wasn't for me.

Kirsten Simkiss

This fulfilled my Sugarpop 2020 prompt for: A book with a three word title.

I really feel like this deserves 4.5 stars but I didn't think it was good enough to warrant the full 5 stars for me so I rounded down. It's a great book. It's like Inkheart, in a way, if one needed to make comparisons to other books, but much darker and more mature. I loved the way the author described things in the story and how the magic is almost a living thing on it's own, like a living tide that the characters have to fight or accept to get through the story. It was really fascinating to me.

The plot was good. Amazing? No, I don't think so, but it made for a great story. It really is structured a bit like a fairy tale, which is awesome. But it's also tremendously modern. (I am, admittedly, a massive sucker for urban fantasy type stuff.) This also has elements of horror to it, which I absolutely adored. While the main character spends a lot of time being angry, stemming from a long childhood with few meaningful connections, I actually didn't mind her much. Alice's anger was sometimes misplaced, but she accepted it. I also love the Finch became his own person. I'd love to see more of him in later books since this appears to be a series now. 

I would very much like to learn more of the other stories. You get segments of one story and one other story in full when you're told that there are twelve. I'd love to get more information on all these other storybook characters that came after Alice. I also think that they could have cut down on the middle to save more room for the end of the story. I know half the point of the story in a fairy tale is the journey, but there was almost too much journey in parts. I also have a million more questions, most of which are spoilers so I won't detail them here.

At the end of the day, I can happily say that I was definitely recommending this to others as I read it. I feel comfortable saying that I will continue to recommend this book to others in the future. I will, however, have to gauge my audience since not everyone is into dark fairy tales and these are definitely on the darker side of Grimm.

I have been steeped in lore and poured into another realm by this book. 

Beautifully composed and rendered in prose, I loved every moment of reading this. It does remind me quite a bit of Inkheart (a childhood favourite of mine) which I think may have also swayed my opinion of it.

Kate B-L

I have been steeped in lore and poured into another realm by this book. 

Beautifully composed and rendered in prose, I loved every moment of reading this. It does remind me quite a bit of Inkheart (a childhood favourite of mine) which I think may have also swayed my opinion of it.

3.5 - I liked the plot, I wouldn’t consider this one of my favorites though. To be the first book by Melissa Albert, I think she did pretty good. It was a bit confusing at times but she was able to grasp my attention as I flipped the pages. It’s creepy, brother’s grimmish, not what I expected but I don’t think it was a bad book. She kept it intriguing but it was a little bit all over the place at times.

Welcome to the Hazel Wood--the fiercely stunning contemporary fantasy everyone is raving about: "Thoroughly, creepily captivating." --Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling and Jane, Unlimited "Will be your next obsession." --Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval "Destined to be a classic." --Kami Garcia, author of The Lovely Reckless "Breathtaking." --Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway "Mesmerizing." --Karen McManus, author of One of Us Is Lying "One of the best books I've read in years." --Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places 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, 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.

Elisa Bieg

This book...hmm.

The first half was SO much better than I expected, and unputdownable. It was dark, mysterious, magical, and just kept me glued to it. I borrowed this from a friend, and I had already decided that I needed my own copy, because I’d definitely want to re-read it!

But... then things shifted, and it just became this confusing jumble of fairy tale bits, somewhat obscure metaphors, and dull storytelling, all rounded up with unconvincing world building. 
It made me long for the end of the book, and made me miss the beginning 😕

So no, I probably won’t be buying my own copy (even though both editions are beautiful!) because I found it a bit of a chore to finish it in the first place.

Nicole Dykeman

I don’t know what it was about reading this story that made me feel like a little kid again. Maybe it reminded me of the Sisters Grimm books. I really enjoyed reading it, though, and I know that any fairy tale lover will enjoy it too.

The Hazel Wood A Novel

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