This book was so deliciously creepy. The narrative pulls you right into the story of a girl who has been haunted by her grandmothers fame of story telling. But these aren’t your ordinary fairy tales- these tales are dark and twisted with no moral to the story, only blood and horror.

What if fairy tales were real? Not the cartoons from childhood, but the original fairy tales, ones that are dark, sometimes brutal, but always with a moral to the story. Now, imagine those fairy tales had no moral, where terrible things happened for no reason. And that the characters of those tales were set loose in our world.

I'm a fan of fantasy set in the real world, and this fit the bill nicely. It's an absorbing "what if fairy tales were real?" My one, minor complaint was the ending. Everything seemed to be wrapped up a bit quickly, and the relationship that seemed to be building was ended somewhat jarringly. Otherwise,

I’m usually not big on fantasy books so I wasn’t sure how I was gonna feel about this one. What drew me in originally was the fact that I’d seen it a few times on Instagram accounts and that the cover is absolutely stunning!! (If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a link to it’s Goodreads page--so pretty!!) However, I was pleasantly surprised. I absolutely loved this book—It was hard for me to put it down!

For one, I really enjoyed all of the characters. I did really enjoy the main character, Alice, but I absolutely adored her companion on her trip, Ellery Finch!! By far my favorite aspect of the book. I’m not even sure exactly what it was about him but his character was what kept me intrigued. However, I do wish there was a little more about her mother, Ella, and her grandmother. I felt like seeing things from their perspective would have made the book a little more interesting as I felt like we were limited by only seeing Alice's perspective.

And then the storybook characters! The story followed Alice on her journey to the Hinterland to find her mother but between the chapters, there were also stories from her grandmothers book, “Tales of the Hinterland”. The fairy tales in her grandmothers book reminded me of the Grimm Fairy Tale—twisted, puzzling types of fairy tales. I loved that the author included some of them in the story because it added a whole other dimension to the story line. Plus, it was almost like you were reading them with Alice for the first time which I thought was cool—It made me feel more in tune with the story.

Overall, I would give this book 5 stars! I loved the storyline, the characters, and just everything about it! You definitely want to add this one to your TBR

Alice has spent her whole life on the road, always looking for a place where she and her mother can settle down and escape the bad luck that seems to chase them. She is curious about her grandmother, an author famous for a book of fairy tales that Alice can never seem to track down and read. One day the fairy tale world of her grandmother's stories collides with Alice's world and she is off on a quest to find her grandmother and save her mother, if she can ever separate what is real from what is fantasy.

This is a lovely, lyrical, well-written fantasy story. It moves slowly, and at times seems to plot almost to a halt, but the writing is so beautiful it more than makes up for the slow pace. This is a book meant to be savored, not inhaled. Recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: fantasy violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: A Thousand Nights, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Every Heart a Doorway

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purposes of review.

This creepy, inside-out fairy tale kept me guessing all the way through - it was an absolute delight to read. I was worried that it set up a lot and that it was going to fall apart a bit when things started to be revealed, but that wasn't as much of a problem as I thought - the story held through and came to a really satisfying and interesting ending. It did have some lingering pacing issues (I would've liked the second half of the book to be longer and more detailed.) I loved the world - the Hinterland - as drawn in this novel, and I really loved how it was fairy tale adjacent, but terrifying in unexpected ways. It's a story about stories, really, and it does that well.

I received this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book this morning. It’s snowy and grey here, so I thought a mug of tea and a book would be a good way to spend the morning.

I finished in one sitting. I carried the book with me to walk the dogs, I ate lunch with the book in front of me. My tea went cold.

This book is a love letter to the power of fiction. Alice lives her life according to rules she’s never understood and she does it automatically. There is no dramatic shift in characterization, but rather an understanding and growth that unfurls like a bloom.

The whole book is filled with metaphors which on the surface feel like nonsense, but which makes perfect sense on a deeper level. What are ‘Captain Hook’ eyes? I couldn’t tell you, but I also know, deep inside.

If I had one criticism? The ending feels rushed. We spend a lot of time building up to it, but not a long time resolving it. It was as if Albert had the story living in her, and she was in such a hurry to tell it she almost tripped over it.

TL;DR? I had more fun reading this book than I have in a long time.

I loved loved loved this book. So many books about fairytales don't hit quite the right note, but this book manages to absolutely nail what a fairytale should be. There's an eerie feel that grows through the book, with a heroine you want to cheer for and a story that felt so unique in a genre I feel can get fairly stale. I enjoyed the mythology of the fairy tale land and enjoyed all the characters that showed up.

What a fantastic book. Like Erogon or The Golden Compass, this one has the potential to be a game-changer in contemporary literature. What a great story, beautifully written. Get this on your library lists now because the wait will be long come January.

Imagine Alice in Wonderland meets Inception. That is The Hazel Wood. The story is about a teenager named Alice whose grandmother authored a collection of dark fairy tales. The premise of the novel is that there is an alternate universe of fairy tales that is evil. Once someone becomes part of a story, he cannot leave and is doomed to repeat the story forever, unless he can find an escape.
This novel is perfect reading for Halloween. It is so scary that II had to stop reading at several parts because of the intensity of the plot. I would recommend this for fans of horror movies and stories.

I wasn't expecting this book to turn out how it did. I did enjoy the plot and it moved along at a good pace, but I was expecting a more realistic storyline. I could see this being made into a movie. The author described the worlds very well and I was able to imagine how things looked. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and wants a darker book.

Alice's mother has gone missing. The bad luck following her and her mother around has finally caught up with them, and now she must undertake a journey to find her. Alice knows that the answers she seeks likely resides in The Hazel Wood, the home of her grandmother and author of the infamous book of fairy tales: The Hinterland.

This is an amazing atmospheric novel full of dark and twisted fairy tales. Interspersed with Alice's story are some of the fairy tales recorded in The Hinterland. These fairy tales are not the fairy tales Disney told though, they are full of decapitation, blood and murder. 

It's an enjoyable read, with a few nice twists. I loved every minute of the gritty and dark journey that Alice and Finch set out on. Albert's writing was superb and she perfectly captures the creepy and haunting setting of the woods.

Melissa Albert’s tale is filled with dark and vivid writing, and its reliance on the power of stories is something that drew me into this book. It grabbed hold of me and never let me go. A page turner with twist and turns every which way, it has become one of my all-time favorite reads this year. Filled with Original Fairy Tales, A frightening adventure, and one young girls fantastical journey into the heart of story itself, The Hazel Wood is destined to become a classic in fantasy literature that will leave an impression for generations to come.

Alice and her mom it seems have always been plagued by bad luck no matter where they go. One day when Alice’s mom disappears she and a friend set out on a journey to find her. This journey, they soon discover takes them on an adventure to a place called the Hinterland. Its a place which she has only read about in her grandmother’s stories; a reclusive authoress with a cult following, who published a volume a pitch-dark fairy tales and then quietly disappeared along with most of her books. This place she soon discovers is also much more than meets the eye. It’s a place where fairytales are real, fantastical and frightening monsters roam freely, and stories are woven into the fabric of its reality.

The Hazel Wood blew my mind. I read a lot and it's very rare that a book surprises me. This kept me on my toes the whole time. I love fairy tales and Albert's writing encapsulates the beautiful darkness inherent in the originals. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

I went into this book knowing nothing, and I highly recommend that if you decide to pick it up you do the same. It made the story unfold in a much more mysterious way.

This book is atmospheric, emotional, unpredictable, and very well-written. My favorite aspect of it was the setting - every new place we went was described exquisitely but didn’t info-dump or bore me with too many details. It really just took me away every time I picked it up, I was so completely transported. It reminded me a lot of Narnia, or Fillory from The Magicians. Very fairy-tale like and magical. I truly was taken on a journey in this and that made me connect with the main character Alice so much more.

Speaking of Alice, she was the one aspect of the book I felt was a bit lacking (ultimately not lacking enough to stop me from giving the book a full 5 stars, you’ll notice). While I got to know her background and history very well - she tells so many stories of her life when she was young and growing up on the road with her mom - I don’t think her personality was as fleshed out as it could have been. But because she’s on the go all the time and this book is pretty non-stop, I didn’t really pause to think about her character traits very much while I was reading. And I think that’s the point; this book is about Alice’s journey and decisions, and there isn’t much room for character dissection along the way. So in the end i’m okay with her character.

Like I said before, this book was unpredictable. There were a couple of things that happened that I for sure never thought the author would do. I was pleasantly surprised. There are two specific events that are actually quite dark, and that just made me all the more riveted.

Overall this book is fantastic, vivid, surprisingly haunting in places, and oh-so creative. I HIGHLY recommend you get it when it comes out in January!

Spook factor was just right for this time of the year.

Alice is the granddaughter of the famous Hitherland Fairy Tales author Althea Proserpine. We enter into Alice's life as she and her mom Ella are finally trying to settle into a normal life after putting a string of bad luck behind them. Ella has recently married a wealthy man and Alice is trying to assimilate to life at a fancy NY elite private school after growing up as a nomad for the past 17 years.

That is.. until one day Alice comes home from school to find her house reeking of rot and her Mother and step-family no where to be found.

I really liked the world-building and narrative that Albert created for Alice. The imagery was grim, the characters vivid, the style reminiscent of tales I heard as a child long ago.

I thought Alice and Finch's relationship struggled a bit, it didn't feel natural but then again nothing surrounding Alice ever really did. I found Finch interesting, if there was a spin off or this was turned into a series, I hope he would be the focus of it. Additionally, I wanted more from the ending. I think it wrapped up to neat and nicely, for a morbid fairy tale the ending just didn't fit which is why this gets 4 stars instead 5.

The Hazel Wood was a very fast and easy read for me. Took about a few hours. I truly enjoyed this almost retelling of Pinocchio. Alice was a great main character to root for. I creepy tale, but it captivated my attention from the moment I started. I will definitely buy The Hazel Wood when it comes out. And I'll definitely recommend it to Barnes and Noble customers!!!

This was an amazingly creepy and creative story that I fell in love with! The description sounded like an Alice in Wonderland kind of story and it did not disappoint! I loved the adventure and suspense and already want to read it again! This would be a great book for your young adult readers that love fantasy and loved books such as ''The Darkest Part of the Forest' by Holly Black.

Hauntingly beautiful. Every time I thought to take a break after one more page, I was sucked in for another relentless hour of reading until the very end. A dark, yet captivating take on fairytales as we thought we knew them, The Hazel Wood had me at the edge of my seat and my eyes locked onto every glorious word.

The Hazel Wood is genuinely the first book I read in 2017 that I'm excited to promote. This dark, original book of fairy tales spliced with a contemporary mystery hooked me and made for a satisfying standalone read. The fairy tales hit all the notes of an original Grimm or Perrault tale, the contemporary parts were compelling, and their mixture reminded me of the best Charles de Lint novels but with an original voice that I can't wait to read more from.