How a book can be creepy, full of imagination, magical and still be funny… Is unbelievable... this book is definitely going to be a cult classic and have a crazy band of followers, okay I might be one of them, don't judge!

Incorporating fairy tales old and new, real and made up for the purposes of this book, Hazel Wood is a fantastic and richly layered read. I had to stop and recall some of the references (such as Angela Carter), which made this book even more credible in my mind. I will be recommending this story to anyone I know who loves fantasy, fairy tales, and twisted fairy tales. Perfect for fans of :Once", Snow White and the Huntsman, and Mercedes Lackey.

There's a kind of precariousness to loving a book right from the beginning- a feeling of holding your breath as your silently whisper a mantra of <i>please be good, please don't disappoint me.</I> But then, sometimes, a book will 100% deliver and have you sitting there at the end, staring, completely gobsmacked that it just wrapped you around its little finger.

This was one of those books for me. It completely and utterly gripped me from the first page. It hit me on every level- characters, plot, language, world-building.

The story follows Alice, a 17-year-old girl who's spent her whole life moving from one place to another with her mother, trying to outrun the bad luck that always seems to dog them. It's always been just the two of them, Alice and Ella, but lurking and unspoken on the periphery has been the legend of her grandmother, Althea, a reclusive author of a single volume of dark fairy tales that burned bright for a time and then dropped into obscurity, all of the copies mysteriously gone, the movie made about it lost to time. Despite, or maybe because of, these strange disappearances, there is a huge fan following of the collection, complete with secretive message boards and conspiracy theories.

When Ella and Alice get a message that Althea has died, Ella thinks that the bad luck is finally over and decides to settle them down- but the question then it's whether or not this has just given it a chance to finally catch up to them.

The first thing I have to talk about is the writing. I love the clarity of Albert's prose- it is beautiful, sly, sharp, raw, evocative. This book is steeped in creeping dread as it unfurls, gorgeously magical but at the same time wholly real and unsentimental.

Albert's carefully crafted descriptions feel so purposeful, like they are boiled down to the perfect distillation of meaning where not a single word could be added or subtracted to make it better. The writing never distracts from the story or the pace, however, and it knows when to relax a bit and trade rigid control for some momentum.

Seriously, though, check out some of these lines:

"She sucked in smoke like it was a milk shake"
"Unspoken things bloomed at the back of my throat, then went cold."
"Everything had a revelatory crispness, like a new day seen through the lense of a coffee-feuled all-nighter."

The <i>atmosphere</i> here!

On top of the writing and the world Albert has created, we have our main character, Alice. I love the space she takes up in this world. She is not a soft ingenue hungering for approval- she is smart, sullen, and full of rage. She is apart from the rest of humanity, an insular girl that's fiercely loyal to her mother and no one else. She is unapologetically herself and screw anyone who demands she be something else- And I <i>love</i> her for it.

I don't usually do the "best of..." label, but this has got to be a contender of best book of the year for me- especially for adult novels. Sure, it's probably going to end up in the teen section, but I think this will appeal much more to adults. Anyone picking this up shouldn't expect a romance-soaked coming of age romp, but rather a grown-up fairy tale with teeth.

With the extensive pre-publication marketing for this title (which is due to release January 2018), my expectations were high.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert grabbed me from page one and kept me coming back for more. I absolutely loved the first half of the book and found myself thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading it. I craved it, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Things slowed down at the halfway point, and I found myself tiring of all the similes and metaphors. As I became hyperaware of every time the word “like” was used, I also started to notice every time the word “felt” was used. According to my Kindle, the word “like” was used over 500 times in the book. (The Kindle stopped counting at 500.) Granted, some of those “likes” were in dialogue, but most were similes. The word “felt” was used 120 times in the story.

Additionally, some of the metaphors seemed quite mixed to me, and I didn’t understand them. For example, “I felt stunned and flayed, a nerve ending exposed to cold sun.” (location 1299 in Kindle)

There were also descriptions I absolutely loved. Here are a few of my favorites:

“His tie was a loud yellow, his suit an exhausted brown.” (location 1307 in Kindle)

“A boy whose eyes were the alert, shiny color of sunlight through Coke …” (location 1086 in Kindle)

“A the moment she let go her last breath, the white light shuddered and went green. The green of infected wounds, of nightmares, of the rind of mold that crawled over week-old bread.” (location 1836 in Kindle)

“… a gray sky pressed against winter-crisped grass.” (location 2565 in Kindle)

The Hazel Wood is an adventure-filled story with constant unanswered story questions that will keep readers turning the pages to discover how the story will end.

I look forward to Melissa Albert’s next book.

{I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley, which in no way influenced by review of the book.}

This is a hard book to review.

The Hazel Wood is a dark fantasy that plays with classic fairytales. I love classic fairytales and it is clear where Albert drew her inspiration. The overall plot was interesting and was what pushed me through the book. However, I found the writing dense, the world building inconsistent and the characters...mediocre.

I cannot quite put my finger on what I do not like about our heroine, Alice, but I felt it difficult to connect with her or any of the supporting characters.

The first half of the book I found incredibly difficult to read and really had to convince myself to push through. It was not until the second half of the book that I felt more engaged with the book as the plot finally picked up. I can see how this could make a good film as the suspense will probably play off better on screen.

Overall, this book is okay... I may give it another read down the road just to see if i feel differently.

This book. I was drawn to it because of the cover (yes, I totally judged this book by its cover) and I was delighted to find an intriguing, creepy tale about fairy tales.

Reading about Alice and her mother's very transient lifestyle and the mother's refusal to contact her mother, the author of a cult-status collection of dark fairy stories from the Hinterland, sets the stage. When Alice's mother, Ella, receives word that her mother has passed away, Ella hopes that they will be free, but Alice isn't sure what they are supposed to be free from.

When Ella disappears Alice is left with no choice but to ask her classmate Ellery (who kind of comes across as a manic pixie dream guy....is that even a thing? I mean, he looks like young Bob Dylan, dresses like a hipster, and has a Vonnegut tattoo.) for help. Ellery, a fan of the Hinterland stories, soon realizes that the dangerous, dark characters from the stories are real and are coming for Alice.

Things take a freaky turn (to the point that I decided to stop reading late at night) and Alice finds herself in the Hinterland trying to save her mother and herself.

Albert's tale was original and slightly terrifying. I look forward to adding a copy to my library's collection when it comes out.

The story itself was incredibly magical, whimsical, creepy, gritty, and unique, but the writing was what really drew me in! It tells the story of Alice, who has to fight her way into a fairy tale land to rescue her mother. But that's just the premise: there are twists and surprises around every corner. The fairy tales written are so unique yet they feel timeless, like they must have existed for centuries. These creepy tales will give readers goosebumps. Its like a odd mix of The Magicians, Alice in Wonderland, The Darkest Part of the Forest, and the Raven Cycle. Mesmerizing! What a unique reading experience! I highly recommend.

Wow. This book is mysterious, beautiful, enticing, unique.... the list goes on and on. The stand out for me was the writing. It was masterfully done and simply added to the story. There's a plot here that could fall apart if not done well, but it ends up being a wonderfully eloquent book. 4.5 stars

Do you believe in fairytales? If you answered yes, do you think you could survive in a fairytale world? Alice Crewe knows nothing about the world of fairytales, called The Hinterland here, until her famous grandmother dies. Althea Proserpine wrote a mysterious, rare book of completely original tales after disappearing in the European woods for several years. All Alice knows about Althea is that she and her mother, Ella, have been running from her for years. But now she’s dead and everything changes. Ella disappears, Alice is being followed, and weird things are happening wherever Alice goes. She becomes focused on finding Ella, and the trail eventually leads her to Althea’s mysterious compound deep in the forests of upstate New York. There Alice discovers the true story behind her birth, her relationship with her mother, and her role in the Hinterland.

Everyone knows there is a dark side to fairytales, and Melissa Albert freely explores that darkness in a fresh and inventive manner in this debut novel. Albert has been writing for teens and an online audience for a long time, and that experience has resulted in a richly plotted, beautifully written, imaginative reboot of the fairytale world. What if the stories are real? What happens when the order of things is disrupted? What happens when the stories change? Alice definitely shakes things up when she gets into The Hinterland. She's the clod in the churn, the pebble in the shoe, and she is most definitely *not* the "Alice" as written into the story 'Alice-Three-Times." At one point, when she is acting all contrary to the story, she says

"I did it because a girl doing nothing in a fairytale ends up dead or worse, but a girl who makes a decision usually gets a reward."
Seems like a sensible choice to me!

Albert explores many themes here: people who use stories to escape from their real lives, people who manipulate others to affect the outcome of a story, people who challenge the status quo for love, people who *can* and *do* change. Alice and Ella are both flawed characters, but you end up loving them in spite of their flaws simply because they love each other so fiercely. The Hazel Wood is a little bit Beautiful Creatures meets The Matrix and is dead-on entertaining. Highly recommended.

Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Published by Flatiron Books
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A dark, twisted fairy tale about a girl who must risk everything to save her mother-and herself-from being trapped in the Hazel Wood. Intriguing plot, especially if you like stories that begin "once upon a time"....

An intriguing and engrossing read. I read it all in one sitting, especially enjoying the writing. Descriptions are spot on, really pulling the reader in. In a world where authors frequently describe the air as being heavy with this flower or that (and there is some of that in this book) it was refreshing to read that Alice and Ella's car smelled of the 'plasticky strawberry' of a lip smackers long ago shoved into an air vent. The author did a very good job keeping the reader (and Alice) off-kilter, after magical other-worldly encounters Dora the Explorer sleeping bags are mentioned. I especially loved the scenes in Hazel Wood, the estate. There were so many interesting story lines introduced: Althea's past, Ella's childhood, the refugees, the Stories, Alice's journey, the bad luck, Althea's books, and more.

I would recommend this book to teens and younger adult readers. I think the descriptions I read so far, most especially those calling the book extremely creepy, fit for a younger audience only. I found myself wishing many times this book had been written for an adult audience. I would have loved more time spent in the Hazel Wood house, learning the truth of Althea's life. I felt the creepy parts only skimmed instead of really digging in, which kept them from being as frightening. I would have liked deeper relationships, such as between Ella and Althea, and the Spinner and Althea. The 'refugees' could have been such an interesting concept. Once again, the romance felt skimmed for me. It was realistic, the struggle and awkwardness and confusion, but it just needed more to anchor it and make it real. I think younger audiences wont feel that way, but adult readers of magical realism may be left wanting more and not in the give me a sequel or prequel way. (Although I'd read both, hoping for a deeper look at this world.)

I absolutely loved this book. Original story beautifully told and deliciously creepy in all the best ways! Darker fairytales have always been a favorite subject of mine, and bringing it to modern day worked extremely well. Will definitely be following Melissa Albert for future novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher of Hazel Wood for the chance to read this ARC copy. I am giving an honest review in exchange.
Wow, where to begin. I read the excerpt and thought this sounds interesting. What I ended up with is an excellently, written young adult novel that is totally unlike anything I have read in recent years. Alice has grown up moving from place to place due to the bad luck that follows her. She and her mom have never settled anywhere long enough to put down roots until they receive a letter that her Grandmother has passed away. It is then that her mother decides to settle in one place, but after months of living a “normal” life her mother is mysteriously kidnapped. Now, Alice and her friend, Ellery, must take a dark path of finding out who and why they kidnapped her mother. Alice begins a journey that she may not come back from and while finding out that she has never really know who she is. Hazel Wood wraps you up and doesn’t let go. You want Alice to find out all the secrets and mysteries of who and where she comes from. I felt like vines were wrapping around me and pushing me on to finish the book. It has such a heavy mysterious feel to it. The story with its old style dark fairytale feel is absolutely perfect.

Alice has spent her life as a drifter with her mom, from couch to couch and on the road. What Alice never realized, though - until the day they stop moving - was that theirs had actually been a life on the run. And what they were running from is about to catch up with them.

I was pulled into this one from the start. I have a heart for NYC and threw myself into it, imagining Alice slinging coffee in a Brooklyn cafe with her Bowiesque artsy coworker. But something dark and fantastical starts creeping into the edges of Alice's world, and eventually takes over completely.

About halfway through, my eagerness to turn the pages turned more into a subdued curiosity. So much is shoved into this book that there is not enough time to make any of Alice's external world feel real. There is Alice and Ella's bohemian lifestyle, Ella's crumbling marriage to a wealthy New Yorker, Alice's relationship with her stepsister, her interesting cafe friend and her cafe job, the prestigious prep school, a rich boy, a lack of friends - I would have loved to see one or two of these things instead of all of them, explored more deeply. How has a drifter's childhood and a lack of friends affected Ella? Does class, money, or something else divide us? So many things were thrown in that nothing ever truly got fleshed out or explored.

I did like the protagonist's narrative voice; she was wry, snarky, and educated, and made refreshing references that you don't usually see in the YA genre (YA readers are often underestimated; trust that they can understand a broad range literary, pop, and artistic references).

A little past the halfway mark, this book becomes something else completely. It transforms into a wonderfully strange and imaginative new story, which leaves all the previous threads unfinished. It is overall eerie and creepily enchanting, but the division between the two parts left me feeling mildly unsatisfied overall, and hungry for more.

Be prepared for strange and fantastic imagery. I bet this author has the weirdest dreams at night, and vivid daydreams. I will definitely pick up more by this author; she paints things in an interesting and unique light.

Alice has grown up running to keep ahead of the bad luck that seems to follow her and her mother but sometimes not very successfully. Then one day her mom tells her their luck just took a turn for the better, Alice’s grandmother has died. You see, Ella’s mother happens to be the famous reclusive author Althea Prosperpine. Alice found a copy of her grandmother’s book of dark fairy tales once. Ella ripped it from her hands, demanding she never read them. Like any teen, Alice promptly began the search for a copy of the collection. The only thing she could ever find was an article about her grandmother in an old copy of Vanity Fair.

Having always tread a wide path around her grandmother’s fans, when Alice’s mother is stolen from their apartment, leaving behind a horrid stench and a note from Althea’s book addressed to Alice on her pillow she knows she must find Ella. How is she to find her when Ella’s instructions strictly forbade her to go to the Hazel Wood and she has never read her grandmother’s stories. Looks like she is going to have to recruit Finch, a huge fan and the closest thing to a friend that Alice has ever had.

This book will have many devoted fans just as Althea’s book. Albert moves her characters flawlessly through the many varied and veiled woods. Be wary as you traverse her netherworlds, they are heavily atmospheric and authentic. Her writing imparts you with the heavy, foggy sense of loss that is the mystique of the Hinterland, Half Wood and Hazel Wood. After finishing this plum of a novel, you will look over your shoulder often, questioning whether character in the shadows is human or from the Hinterland. This will be a hit with readers of all ages. I hope Albert likes to travel and talk to people. She is about to experience a lot of both.

Melissa Albert's breakout novel The Hazel Wood has hit the spot. Compelling, addictive, and very difficult to put down, I read it quicker than I probably should have. I have read many fairy tale remixes lately and The Hazel Wood struck me as very clever, daring, and just plain fun. Alice was a great protagonist - temperamental but easy to relate to.

What an original and different story! I loved it from the start, the cover, the summary and the eerie setting, but somewhere along the road, I kind of lost interest. But all along I was aware that I was reading something new and creative. The writing style is amazing, with so many comparisons and metaphors, I loved it!

Hazel Wood is a story-land where made-up characters live and never die. Alice lives in a real world and the only thing that she is taught from the start is to never try to learn about Hazel Wood, let alone try to find it and visit it. I flipped through the first third of the book hoping to learn more about this mythical land, but then, story became confusing and slow. Alice is a very unpleasant character, but it is all explained in the end and although I hated her throughout the book, I am glad that the writer gave her reasons to be that way.

I wish there were more fairy tales in the book because the ones that were told were so compelling and creepy. I wish the world was more defined and explained to us. I wish a different ending. But anyway, I would recommend this book!

I love everything about this book! I just hate I have to wait so long to give it to my kids!

The Hazel Wood was just about everything that I wanted it to be. It was dark and shadowy. Romantic and yet somehow lacking substantial romance. It was endearing yet vengeful. I had a hard time putting it down and stayed up way too late many nights over the past week to see what was coming next.

Our main character Alice is a bit hard to like at times, but I respect that as it made me somehow be more in her corner as she traipsed through the labyrinth of stories and memories. She was more real to me because she wasn't perfect and I loved the bit of darkness inside her. Finch was also a great character, I think his compassion really evened out Alice and her darkness. I especially loved how the focus of this novel was Alice and her "coming of age" of sorts and most importantly, her relationship with her mother. The fact that Alice felt like home was with her mother wherever she may be was really heartfelt and I enjoyed the fact that the fight Alice needed came from that love.

Melissa Albert certainly knows how to write. She has a knack for the fairytales for sure. I could feel the chill of the fog, and see the light of the Grandmother Moon. Overall I was blown away by how well the author painted these (sometimes dark) pictures. Though it was incredibly atmospheric and at times a bit unnerving, I certainly didn't find this novel to be creepy at all. It reminded me a bit of Stardust by Gaiman or The Book of Lost Things by Connolly and seeing as how I loved both of these novels immensely, that is some high praise.

Each quick observation mentioning a character and their Story had me wanting more. A book of short stories by Albert from this land would be snatched up by me in a second. I would also love to see where a certain character ends up when he or she went on to discover "other worlds." Hear my plea, Ms. Albert, please give us more!

The Hazel Wood is absolutely recommended. There is no doubt that it is one of my favorite books I have read this year. I can't wait to see what this author writes next.