Review of ‘The Hazel Wood’ (The Hazel Wood #1)

Synopsis

Welcome to Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood--the fiercely stunning New York Times bestseller everyone is raving about!

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."

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother's cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began--and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

Don't miss the New York Times bestselling sequel to The Hazel Wood, The Night Country, out now!

Review

Published by Flatiron Books, The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert is the first in a dark and creepy-cool series.

A fantastic fairy tale. Dark fairy tales, the ones that are richly described and full of malevolent and hauntingly beautiful richness, are always the best, and Albert achieves that to perfection.

There is something sinister lingering on the fringes of the story that makes it so eerie but captivating as well. There is a mystery lingering, this wonder of the fairy tales coming to life, this darkening sensation that puts the reader on edge alongside Alice. It makes the story unique and compelling, this unique spin on the fairy tale genre, and captures something of the Grimm Fairy Tales within it.

There is also this semblance of magical realism that makes the story progress at a steady pace. It makes the story and the journey more engaging as it moves ahead to combine reality and fairy tales. The texture of the writing, the style of word choice and structure of the story, watching it unravel through this lense of magical realism is brilliant, and Albert has done it in such a fantastic way to keep the pacing steady, to keep the eerie sensation lingering throughout the narrative.

Alice also makes an intriguing protagonist. Alice’s young life revolved around her and her mother running away from the bad luck that has hunted them since she can remember. However, now it seems as though the Hinterlands are coming alive, hunting her while she looks for her mother. Alice grows so much on this journey, learning so much about herself and those around her. Not only that, but she is learning how to treat people better as well. With a slightly frigid personality, she begins to thaw as the story goes on, highlighting just how much the journey and the fairy tales are affecting her.

Admittedly she is not a very memorable character. The initial hostility that defines her does not make her likable or relatable. However, the progress of the story gives the reader understanding, especially after some of the more intense revelations. So while she may not be memorable or highly likable, her development does highlight the skill of the author’s part to create a story that is so engaging that the characters do not matter as much as the fantasy and journey.

Final Thoughts

There is something beautiful in reading and experiencing a well-told modern fairy tale. It is creepy and phenomenal and develops in such an engaging way to make it unique and compelling. (★★★★☆)

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and son and their two cats, Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx.