This book is a delightfully dreamy modern fairytale. I was swept away from the first page.

Absolutely adored this dark, disturbing fantasy. Multi-faceted and gorgeously wrought... feels like a comfortable old sweater and something brand new at once.

Please see review at
http://cayocosta72.wordpress.com

Electronic ARC provided by NetGalley.

It's rare that I request a book on NetGalley that I know absolutely nothing about, but this one looked so good that I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to say that "The Hazel Wood" is just as good as I hoped that it would be.

I don't want to talk too much about plot specifics because I think that this book is better experienced without knowing much about it. "The Hazel Wood" is about fairy tales, the type of fairy tales that are dark and dangerous and follow their own set of rules. Our protagonist Alice is the grand-daughter of a reclusive famous author, a woman who wrote one legendary book of fairy tales and then retired. Alice has never met her Grandmother. Instead she has spent her whole life on the road with her mother Ella, desperately trying to outrun the bad luck that seems to follow them everywhere.

"The Hazel Wood" is about stories; how we interact with them and how they influence our reality. It is about family and identity. It is also beautifully written, and frequently very creepy. This is a standalone novel--something which seems increasingly rare these days--and it does a beautiful job of telling a complete story while leaving just enough lingering to let you know that the story is still going on after the book ends. This is a great new book for readers who enjoy old fashioned fairy tales, mature storytelling, and good writing.

The Hazel Wood is vivid, brilliant, chilling, and completely satisfying. Strongly recommend for teen book clubs.