Synopsis:
Alice has never met her grandmother, infamous fairy-tale writer Althea Prosperine.  Althea earned her fame decades ago by penning a single collection of fairy tales about a strange place called the Hinterland.  Afterwards, she isolated herself in her enormous estate, the Hazel Wood, cutting herself off from the rest of the world.  Alice has spent her seventeen years of life on the road; her mother moves them from place to place as mysterious bad luck seems to follow them wherever they go.  But when Althea dies, Alice’s mother is happy. Ecstatic, even. She says they can finally settle down and place roots in New York. But this decision might have been a tad too hasty.  Alice’s mother is kidnapped by someone who claims to be from the Hinterland.  Now Alice must team up with a fellow classmate--Ellery Finch--who just so happens to be an expert on the stories that her grandmother wrote. Together they will go to the Hazel Wood and uncover the truth about the Hinterland...

Plot 
The Hazel Wood reads like a fairy tale, but set in a gritty, modern world with iPhones, baristas, and high school classes.  Melissa Albert writes with a beautiful, lyrical style that is quite unique. Because of this, I was able to get into the head of the protagonist, Alice, quite quickly. I found myself understanding her and her predicament almost immediately.   

The plot and pacing of this book is phenomenal.  Albert lays out clues like bread bread crumbs, but I still didn’t know where they were leading until the twist smacked me in the face. That twist. Omg. Now I know why people were raving about this book last year. I’m doubly embarrassed for not reading this sooner. But how are you supposed to know what books are ‘must-reads’ until after they’ve already been out for a bit? 

Characters
Alice isn’t like your typical protagonist. She’s sarcastic with anger issues and she isn’t against dropping the occasional F-bomb.  She isn’t what you’d expect the main character of this type of book to be like. She’s been raised on the run--from the “curse” that seems to follow her and her mother--and her relationship with her mother is an interesting one. She loves her, while at the same time she resents her for keeping her away from her infamous grandmother and her legacy.  

Ellery Finch is a perfect love interest.  Their romance isn’t in-your-face, like you usually get in fairy tales. Ellery and Alice spend a lot of time getting to know each other, particularly while on the road trip to rescue her mother, and Albert provides so much intricate detail that it felt like I was in the car with them. As I mentioned in the Plot section, Albert has a way with words, and this is especially evidence in how she gets us invested in these characters within mere pages of their introduction.



I recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern-day fairy tale that’s like the original Grimm, not at all like the sweet and disarming Disney adaptations.  While there’s some romance, the focus is on the mysterious Hazel Wood, the Hinterland, and the ethereal fairy tales that may or may not be fiction...

Review will be posted to platforms on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.

A compelling read that leaves the reader ripping through the pages to find out what happens next! Interesting characters and nice pace to the plot.

Alice's mother has been stolen. Her grandmother, Althea Prosperpine, reclusive author of the hard to get book of fairy tales, has died alone at The Hazel Wood, an estate that she has left to Alice and her mother. Alice begins the hunt to find her mother, aided by her classmate, Ellery Finch, who is a super fan of Althea's book of fairy tales, Tales from the Hinterland. As Alice and Ellery begin their search characters from Althea's stories begin to appear on the streets of New York. And these are not your typical fairy tales; they include Twice-Killed Katherine and Alice-Three-Times, terrifying tales that chill you to the bone. Will Alice and Ellery find her mother? And if they do, will they survive the story?

The Hazel Wood feels like two different stories. There is the first half where they are figuring out what happened and looking for the Hinterland and there is the second half where they find the Hinterland and discover what lies there. The two halves don't feel incredibly cohesive. The writing is very lyrical, but the characters and plot lose some of the development. There are excerpts from Tales from the Hinterland that are incredibly creepy and interesting. Recommended fro fans of lyrical writing and Alice and Wonderland.

I wasn’t able to really get into this, unfortunately. I tried multiple times and ended up having to put it down each time. It just felt a little slow to me, which was sad because I love fairy tales and dark fantasy worlds, so by all accounts this should’ve been right up my alley. That said, I would probably give the author another try, though.

All sorts of weirdness going on in this book. Alice and her mom have bad luck following them. When he mom is taken, Alice goes on a search for the Hazel Wood where her grandmother lived to try to find her.

This book... this book right here... I wanted more, but not so much of the second half. Yup, just like that. Okay, well, not just like that, there is so much more I need to say lol. Like why was the first half of this book giving me tons of great spooky, supernatural, goosebumps in the night kinda feels while the second half just left me scratching my head and hoping it was just a cruel joke. Well, okay, I might be putting it a little too harsh, it's just that I really wanted more of...

"It's a birdcage. It's what Twice-Killed Katherine carries. This is it,' he hissed. 'This is the Hinterland!' I started to respond but the girl did something so strange and terrifying it shut both of us up for a long time.""Is he dead?' I whispered. My voice was a skeleton leaf. The man on the ground rose shakily to his feet. He was swimming in his coat and had the air of a person who had forgotten something. His hair was ash white. He staggered over the sidewalk like a zombie."

You see? That's what got me even more, to continue down the rabbit hole with Alice into a place called Hinterland. I mean, wouldn't you be a little curious and enthralled by that kind of fairy tale beginnings? Alice's story is definitely unique and a nice twist on happily ever afters with some Grimm kind of moments incorporated into the pages. Absolutely a book that would more than likely end up on my shelves of loved novels.

Then, the second half of this book happened. I know, why?? Just kidding, it wasn't bad, just not containing those Iove feels I was having with most of it. A lot of those creepy, skin crawly moments from the beginning seemed to have gotten fluffier as the story progressed. And then, well, we were thrown into Hinterland with a quick movement of pages and short explanations of much of the places I wish they had ended up more at.

"As Finch spoke, I stared into the woods. His voice was soft and soporific, relaying distant horrors. The light began like a trick. He spoke about the sisters walking through their blood door, and I blinked, blinked again, but I couldn't blink it away: a thin line of white, like the trail of a sparkler pinned between tree trunks. When Finch finished the story, I put a hand to the glass."

This book has fallen into a love/like kind of relationship with me. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because sometimes you still end up wanting more with books like those, not less. Because of the rushed parts, the not so cared for moments, the shift in vibes with the settings, I can't find myself rating it higher as of now. Doesn't mean I'm not hoping for some kind of continuation by Melissa Albert when it comes to the Hinterlands adventures. Here's to tons of wishing!

***I received this copy from Flatiron Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

I was not thrilled by this book as I expected to be. In fact, I found the first half of the book downright boring. The second half had a bit more action and more of the fairytale elements I was looking for.

Alice was pretty whiny throughout the whole story, and kind of had a tragic teen vibe the entire time. I didn't find her an appealing character, and the people that she seemed to run into played a little too heavily into the fanatic trope. Her mother was strange and seemed not to have a lot of her own stuff going on, although perhaps that was due to the faulty narration through Alice's eyes.

The setting, while initially intriguing, was not overall eerie or enchanting in the ways I was expecting. All in all I was disappointed by this story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Deliciously creepy! The fairytale elements were great, really hearkened back to classic fairytale themes. The child in me who used to read fairytales and myths exclusively was in heaven.

Would recommend to anyone who likes a strong female character, plot that moves steadily and keeps you on your toes.

Although THE HAZEL WOOD promised to be a dark, enchanting fairytale, I found myself less than enthralled with the storyline. The first half was very slow, and I found it hard to remain engaged. It does improve, but wasn't enough to save the story for me, unfortunately.

I may try and reread it in the future and see if my opinion changes.

I didn't finish this book, and I did not review it anywhere. I only write reviews for books I like. This one just never piqued my interest. I think there was too much build-up in the beginning, and I just never got interested in the story or characters.

The Hazel Wood is a compellingly fresh spin on fractured fairy tales. The story is equal parts intriguing, terrifying, and heartbreaking.

Hands down, this was one of my favorite books I read in 2018. Albert's writing and world-building was completely mesmerizing. If I could read a hundred books similar to this one, I would. The atmosphere, the fairy tales, the inspirations seeping through the cracks, and Alice's pure determination just blew me away. Definitely would recommend to anyone into lyrical prose and magic magic magic.

I had to take a break from this dark twisty fantasy because my heart was going to explode! But I’m glad I went back! Alice and her mother have always lived a pretty transient life but they have always been together and that’s what matters. When the shadows seem to creep a bit close Alice and her mom pack their bags and hit the road, the only place they always seem to avoid is The Hazel Wood, Alice’s grandmother’s estate. Alice’s grandmother is the elusive cult favorite author of the Hinterland tales, dark fairytales that seem larger than life. When Alice’s grandmother finally dies Alice's mother breathes a sigh of relief they are finally free to settle down somewhere, but are they? Seriously thrilling, I was haunted by it for weeks after I finished.

This is a dark, alternate fairy tale in which features a teen named Alice. Alice and her mom have lead a nomadic life, neither of them wanting much to do with Alice's eccentric grandmother. But one day, Alice gets pulled into her the world of her grandmother's fantasies.

I really liked the fairytales inside this book. But as a whole, it didn't keep my interest throughout my read. It started off fairly promising and the voice of the main character is really strong. But there was a lot of meandering plot wise and I found myself putting it down again and again. I do think it's a matter of "it's not the book, it's me", and would still recommend it to someone who would like a interesting modern take on Alice in Wonderland.

Creepy, tense, slow-moving but intensely atmospheric. These are the kind of fairy tales that I grew up with, not the sanitized Disney versions. More please!

I don't often dnf a book but this one was the exception to the rule. I just couldn't get into the story. I understand the reason for the whole backstory and the buildup of their current lives but waiting to find out why her mom didn't want to go to Hazel Wood or why they continued tjis constant moving around coupled with the main characters personality was just blah. It didn't keep my attention.

I just could not get in to this book. Gave it 25% and then stopped trying. Sorry :( The premise sounds cool, but it just didn't do it for me.

There are a good number of negative reviews out there for this, but I liked it. I thought it would be similar to The Book of Lost Things (one of my favorite books), with its protagonist descending into a fairytale world more Grimm than Disney. It definitely had a lot of those same creepy vibes, but this was more Alice in Wonderland than Coraline. Regardless I was very much along for the ride.

Some of the language was a bit flowery, but as someone who tends to gets really annoyed by that, I actually didn't think it was that bad. It wasn't the best writing I've ever read, but it certainly didn't reach The Star-Touched Queen levels of purple prose.

Alice was unlikable at first, but not all female heroines need to be likable. And her personality is part of the overall mystery, which had some twists I wasn't expecting. I also enjoyed Finch's character, but wish the rest of the gang had more distinct personality traits. We barely scratch the surface on the other Hinterland characters!

The best parts by far were the interstitial fairytale stories. I would 100% read a copy of Tales from the Hinterland.

I kept putting off reading this book, though I couldn't put my finger on what was turning me off. Once I started the book, I enjoyed the premise; a reclusive grandmother who is a fantasy author with a cult following but whose books are surprisingly difficult to find is basically a massive "read me" sign that calls out to bibliophiles everywhere.
I really wish this book had stopped halfway through. I think that the realism portion at the beginning is great, and I could see myself enjoying the more fantastic ending, but I was so tired by the time that the magic really got going that I couldn't get into it. This means that I really rushed through the ending just to be done, which is never a good way to read a book.

I received an egalley of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.