The Hazel Wood: A Novel

This book is great for fairytale lovers and mystery lovers :)

You'll have to read it to understand but its up there in this level of books all on its own.

I listen to this book literally every month, I finish it, I listen to The Night Country, and then I start over. It's narrated beautifully, the storyline is amazing and the characters have depth and feeling. Please please pLEASE listen to this book, it's so good.

This book is sooooooo under hyped!!! !! ! ! !

Absolutely amazing!!! Couldn’t stop ... wish it ended differently but still. Amazing!!!

Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy fairytale. Worth every second!!!

A wonderfully compelling, gripping, beautifully-written novel that is haunting and grim at times, but still has so much light. I quickly came to care about Alice and Finch, and Alice's mom Ella, and loved the story worlds and vivid imagination. At times I didn't like Alice's actions, but other times she won me over, and the emotional depth and inner knowledge as well as vivid imagination and gorgeous writing made me love this book so much.

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.” This is where the real plot starts.
Let me just start by saying this is my opinion and my review based on what I’ve read.
Characters
Alice
Alice, the main character.....my god so annoooyyyinnggg. She is an unlikable character made to be unlikable to be liked as a flawed character but I couldn't do it. She was so arrogant and selfish sometimes I just wanted to shout at her. Also the way she treated another person of color, a boy, was just plain ignorant and fucking stupid..Alice, honey, grow the fuck up.
Writing Style
The writing itself also seems to play on pretty over substance. Most of it doesn't make sense and it's overly descriptive in a way that benefits no one other than to further confuse the reader. I repeatedly wished that the writing would just say it how it was, instead of taking me on elaborate and flowery prose of endless rambling. The writing made it difficult for me to imagine anything, and I never found myself “wowed” by anything going on — and come on, it’s so easy to “wow” your audience, especially when you’re mixing in fairytale elements. But, I mean, I’m not saying this wasn’t original — so, at least it had that. The whole idea of a fictional storybook actually being written off of real characters that walk amongst us was pretty cool. This is the first book that has made me think that the author statements/praise on the back cover are completely made up after I finished reading it. I mean, unless I have a defect copy, the fact that Stephanie Garber, Karen Mcmanus, Seanan Mcguire AND Jennifer Niven all adored this is highly suspicious, because this story is a hot mess.
Worst Part Of The Book
Alice and Finch got stopped by a cop and he told her how he was uncomfortable around them and about his skin color and literally this white girl tells him to shut up and goes off about how he is super rich and has a ton of privilege....LIKE.....???? She was gonna run their car into a fucking tree because she got to pissed at this conversation and I was so fucking iritated I put the book down and drank a glass of water.


A Positive
An aspect of the book that I actually did enjoy was the stories, they were dark and compelling and you wanted to read them. This was the only time I was engrossed in the book. They were interesting enough to keep me going, but barely.

Plot
Reading this book reminded me of every time I have to untangle my headphones - it only becomes more and more of a mess until i get so frustrated and throw them across the room. I thought that if I continued reading, the plot would become more clear and make sense, but instead it became more muddled and absurd. Once I got past the halfway mark I just wished the novel would end already, and that’s never a good sign.

Overall
Well.... I finished it. At least I didn't dnf it so I'll give it that. Like I said earlier, I think this is a book you'll either love or hate. A lot of my friends and other people on goodreads loved this book, it's just a shame I didn't enjoy it as much as others. I honestly hope others will enjoy this much more than what I initially did. Okay, so this was not a book for me.

The audiobook itself was more like 5 stars, but the story like 3, so a four star!

Need to read it again cause this was weird...lol. Not sure good or bad weird though.

The voice reading this book did a great job portraying, Alice. It was much easier to connect to her after listening to the audio for a bit, rather than try and make out her character on paper.

I take issue with the book itself. The concept was GREAT and the characters were decent enough to have been able to carry the plot-however the storytelling/writing style absolutely KILLED any and every ounce of potential this book could've had. I don't believe Melissa Albert is a terrible writer, I just think she that not even she understood the point of the story and simply wrote it because she could.

Finally, I've come across a fantasy/young adult book that leaves me wanting more!

This is what I like, my jam ? At first, it feels slower since it's the first of several books (I think three, and I hope there aren't more), so it's understandable that it serves as more of an introduction like most beginnings of trilogies/sagas. Still, it doesn't drag or become tedious, and by the second half of the book onward, everything becomes much more interesting.

To give you an idea of what you can expect: it's an OUAT but instead of Disney tales as the setting like the series, here it features dark stories inspired by the Brothers Grimm, making the plot less juvenile/childish and more young adult. Since the real-world setting of Alice is in our time, there are references to other iconic sagas of our times, like Harry Potter and Narnia, but many nods are also made to tales like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Personally, it even gave me vibes of 'Inkheart,' if you push me. I mention all this so you can get an idea of what you might find without directly mentioning anything specific about the book itself, because it's better to discover that while reading. But I assure you that if you love the fantasy genre, this book won't disappoint.

Of course, not everything is perfect. Narrative-wise, especially, and if I'm not mistaken this is the author's first book, so it's noticeable that at some points the narration falters or the pacing isn't balanced, and you get the feeling that the beginning is slower while the second half, which is truly interesting, happens much more quickly. The ending could have been more epic... These are details that, well, I haven't paid much attention to because the rest of the book, both worldbuilding and characters, are fantastic and very well interconnected.

As for the characters, I mentioned that Alice, the protagonist, is a bit of a brat HAHA. I mean, she's an unusual protagonist because creating the narrator's voice as someone rude, distrustful, and suspicious is risky as you run the risk of the reader not empathizing with the main character. But Alice's personality is very well justified, both by what we learn from the synopsis (she has lived her whole life practically with her mother, and due to constant relocations, Alice never had the chance to make friends, so she doesn't know how to relate or build relationships), as well as by other details about her that are revealed throughout the plot. However, Alice experiences a positive evolution, which is great. The other characters, both from the real world and the magical one, are full of nuances and very interesting, although if I have to highlight someone, it would be Elleryn Finch ?. (Translated from Spanish)

Fairy tales are usually sweet and gentle; this one is dark and grim. Alice has turned 17, and her way of life has been to flee with her mother from one town to another, continuously; her grandmother is a writer surrounded by mystery. Finally, she—her mother—marries, and they have settled in New York, but she suddenly disappears, leaving her daughter a letter in which she asks her to never approach the Hazelnut Forest. Alice is precisely what she will do to try to find her mother, thus plunging herself into a whirlwind of horror, uncertainty, and doubts, from which she does not know if she will emerge alive. It is a very beautiful book, but in the end, the fantasy genre is so much that it made me feel somewhat overwhelmed, as I am not a big fan of this genre, but the book is worth it. (Translated from Spanish)

I liked it. It has some impressive twists; at first, it was a little... not slow, but calm. Nevertheless, from halfway through, it was an educational read. I really enjoyed this whole world of “Stories from the Inside” and I love the relationship between Alice and Ella. It's also a story full of mysteries, where you have to piece together the puzzle as you go along. (Translated from Spanish)

I loved the author's way of writing. From the moment Alice enters the Midwood and until the end of the book, I was amazed by the description of this fantastic world.

The beginning of the book is slow but it progresses very quickly (too quickly) as we approach the end.

I believe the ending could have been better after the great story that unfolded both in the Midwood and in the Hazelwood, along with all its peculiar characters: Ellery Finch, Katherine Twice Dead, Altea and She Proserpina, the Spinner, the Spindle King, Janet and Ingrid...

I congratulate the author for creating this world, and knowing that it has been her first book is incredible, although I admit that I didn't really like the book. Too much fantasy for my taste. I give it a 5 out of 10. (Translated from Spanish)

I liked it. It has some impressive twists; at first, it was a bit... not slow, but calm. Nevertheless, from halfway through, it became an educational read. I really enjoyed the whole world of "Tales from the Inside," and I love the relationship between Alice and Ella. It's also a story full of mysteries, where you have to piece together the puzzle as you go along. I felt stupid trusting Finch. ✌?❣️ (Translated from Spanish)

Hello travelers, don't think about it, you have to read this book.

This is a book with a dark and unsettling story that becomes more chilling with each chapter. This is my overall impression of the book and despite that, it is great. Seriously, it takes fairy tales and brings them back to their true essence, turning them into horror stories like the Brothers Grimm did.

And now let's talk about the protagonist, Alice Proserpina. I loved this character; she seemed to be a strong and determined young woman who is not afraid to face whatever comes her way in order to find her mother.

On the other hand, there is Ellery Finch, a young book lover who accompanies Alice on this journey. To my immense relief (spoiler), there is no love story between them, which I appreciate because I wouldn't have wanted the story to get lost in a romantic plot and deviate from the main storyline, which was the one that truly attracted me to the book.

Furthermore, the world that Melissa Albert has created in the Hazelwood is very well constructed and conveys a great darkness, as if showing the other side of fairy tales.

Overall, I enjoyed the story very much and I highly recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

It has quite a bit of mystery and is attractive to read. It was quite scary for me to find it in the 12-year section of my town's library. It's not bad at all; personally, it shook me quite a bit, but for those who enjoy fantasy, death, and a bit of black magic and mystery, it would be recommended. ? (Translated from Spanish)

Although I liked it, I believe the ending could be improved. I hope that the second part makes it make more sense that it developed this way. Regarding the author's narrative style, I really liked that. (Translated from Spanish)

The author's writing style left me enchanted and wanting more; there are parts of the book that leave you amazed at how well it's narrated. Honestly, the book itself didn't appeal to me much, and all because of that ending... It started well, began perfectly, everything indicated it was going to be a great book, but I feel that in the end, everything got really distorted. There were scenes where I was left like, what? The plot is good, but the ending feels so empty. It could have been better. At first, I connected with Alice, a 17-year-old girl (not very normal) who lives with her mom, and they are always on the move because it seems that bad luck follows them wherever they go, leaving chaos and destruction around them.
The plot is good, but the ending did not convince me at all. If you want to read it, I would suggest looking up reviews online and seeing if it's for you. Consider yourselves warned. (Translated from Spanish)

It starts slowly (but not sluggishly) and gradually builds up to a whirlwind of fantastic worlds and nightmare scenes. Honestly, the synopsis I read first doesn’t really explain how twisted, dark, and eerie the plot is, nor does it hint at the ending, which left me... ? 5/5 ⭐ (Translated from Spanish)

I don't know why, but I expected more from this book and it disappointed me. It ended up boring me and I don't even know how I finished it. (Translated from Spanish)

The book is written in a wonderful way. The descriptions, the created atmosphere, and above all, the stories within the book captivate you. For the most part, the suspense kept me reading, and it was so good that it bothered me to have to stop reading. Because of this, my expectations for the ending were extremely high and they were not met at all.
It has a very weak conclusion, it doesn't align with the book and is quite rushed. The characters are not particularly complex; they fulfill their role in the story and that's it.
What I appreciate most about the book is the excellent way Melissa has of narrating and enveloping you. I will definitely look for more titles by her. (Translated from Spanish)