First off, received an ARC from NetGalley (THANK YOU!)

Love this book! How I wish it wasn't a stand-alone! How to explain - the concept of the Spinner taking control of The Hinterland reminded me a bit of Ash and Bramble by Sarah Prineas. Both depicted a dark and twisted fairy tale world. But instead of the entire world being controlled by the Story, Alice and Ella escaped and were on the run in our world. The population of The Hinterland was dark and evil - the stories did not have happy endings and the characters lived them over and over again.

I was intrigued by Althea - was she cruel or merely a victim or prisoner of her own making? Others stuck in and around The Hinterland made different choices. I would really really like to read a copy of The Hinterland (any chance of that happening Melissa Albert?).

This was fast-paced and well written. I couldn't put it down and I although I finished this morning, I am still thinking about it. I hope to see more from this author.

The Hazel Wood by @mimi_albert is a real gem and is curiously the highest rated book I've read on @goodreads with a 4.55/5. #ARCAugust

Mesmerizing and creepy, The Hazel Wood sucks you in and doesn't let you go. It's dark and brutal, but at the same time a little whimsical and hopeful. One of my favorite things is when a book talks about stories and this one does that so excellently, even making the distinction between stories and Stories. I was a little disappointed by the ending, but I can't quite put my finger on why. I didn't really know what I wanted from the ending, so I can't really say why I was disappointed at the end, just that I wanted a little bit more. That's a problem I usually have with books so I don't think anyone else would necessarily be disappointed. More than anything, though, I left this book wanting to get my hands on a copy of the dark fairytales Alice's grandmother had written - we get snippets and I may or may not have read them like bedtime stories to my fiance. I definitely recommend you pick this up when it comes out, especially if you like the darker side of fairytales.

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.

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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.