Friday, March 9, 2018

THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert



The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1)

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.
 

What I thought:
Loved this dark, twisty tale. So atmospheric and the language is stunning. Alice is, maybe, a little unlikable, but I liked her just fine. I loved the mother-daughter relationship here. Finch I was meh about, but I would follow Alice anywhere. 
The ending left me wanting more. A little more. I don't know. It's hard to put my finger on exactly how I'm feeling about it, or, more specifically, hard to put it into words without being all spoiler-y. And I don't spoil. But I'm so very much looking forward to The Tales of the Hinterland, and book 2. Highly recommend.

Rating: ***** (4.5 stars)

Happy reading,
Chelly
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RATING SCALE: 
 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 
 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 
 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 
 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.
 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.
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Click on the cover to link to Goodreads and leave your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

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