For a debut book, I think The Hazel Wood was an outstanding read and I’m only sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. Dark and delicious, it pulls the reader into a real-life world that becomes increasing warped and twisted as the realm of fairytales sneak in.

The story centres around seventeen-year-old Alice who has spent her entire life on the road, running from something her mum refuses to name. But when Alice’s mum is stolen away, Alice will pay any price to get her back. But when her search leads her to the The Hazel Wood, the hidden estate where her grandmother - famous author of a book of obscure fairytales - chose to reside, Alice discovers the true reason her life has been shadowed by strange incidents. Because maybe her grandmothers stories weren't so made up after all….

This is a delicious, and beautifully constructed book. Admittedly it did creep me out, but in a good way. Its the kind of story that hooks you, even as it gives you chills, but you’ll keep on reading in the hope something good will happen to chase those chills away.

It has a very layered plot. And by this I mean a real crows nest of plot threads and sharp maze turns that will keep you guessing all the way through. Not only did this make the story hard to predict, but even where guesses could be made, every storyline had its own unique twist.

Actually this shadowy storytelling reminded me a lot of Holly Black’s Tithe series, only better. Not only is THE HAZEL WOOD a book that contains stories within stories, but the main character herself is extremely complex.

While not a particularly likeable person, Alice is a compelling protagonist and I adored all the pop-culture references she would make. Normally I don't like when authors do this, but in this story it just helped make Alice so much more real, and it separated her from the otherworld of the fairytale.

But be warned, the fairytales in this story aren't the kind that come with happy endings. Creepy, gruesome, yet lyrical and vivid with imagery, they haunt the mind long after you step away from the story. Which yes, did make it a bit hard to sleep later that night.

However this book was so beautifully written. I am very excited for the second instalment of this series which with release in the autumn of 2019. I can’t wait to see what the author, Melissa Albert will do next.

The Hazel Wood is a 5 star read!

I absolutely adored this storyline. The book was depicted beautifully and I cannot wait to get my hands on a paperback copy of this. Terrific work.

Really well written and a haunting storyline. I loved the characters and in places this book broke my heart. I’d highly recommend reading!

This book sounded very intriguing. However, it felt dragged out in parts. Furthermore, the story felt occasionally lacking. It was unfortunately not what I expected.

A really enjoyable read with good twists that didn’t see coming. It was a bit slow at the start but I thoroughly enjoyed it once I got hooked by it

A quirky and unusual tale, both creepy and captivating at the same time. I found it a little slow in parts but I enjoyed the story.

Received a free copy from NetGalley

This book was not my cup of tea, the plot sounded promising enough and caught my attention but i felt the book didn't deliver

I don’t know what I was expecting with this but this wasn’t. Something that follows a more typical fairy tale path. But this, this was deliciously dark! If I didn’t have to sleep I’d have read it in one sitting!

Melissa Albert has a true talent with words, something I’m incredibly jealous of. The worlds she created were simple yet gripping, not overly described but still holding a rich world.

I want to know so much more about these characters, the ones we don’t really meet or who we find out little hints of their character. I want to submerge myself in them. And I can only hope that she lets more things slip. I also want to read ‘The Tales of the Hinterland’, honestly it sounds like my perfect type of fairy tale.

Trust me, if you like dark fairy tales with strong heroines, you will love this!

I admit this confused me a bit throughout the whole book as I had absolutely no idea where it was going, which is unusual for me.
And, I know people may think confused sounds like a bad thing, but I was happily confused as it made the journey through the book all the more enjoyable!
I adored it from start to end and it's definitely a book I'll be buying a physical copy of as I'm one to reread the best books, and I have a weakness for amazing fairytale themed stories!
Definitely 5 stars, and I'll recommend it to anyone that likes fairy tale themes/vibes, I'm just annoyed with myself for waiting so long to read this!

Now this was different from my normal reads but i endouvered it in one sitting i loved it it was magical mesmerising read it made me feel like i was walking inside the book

This was a real let down.
The story was slow which in turn made it boring.
A good idea but not thought through.
Not for me.

I listened to the audiobook of this one in the end, and I really didn't love the narrator, so I don't know if that affected my view, but I wasn't really a fan of this one in the end.

Alice wasn't raised on fairy tales, like her mother was. Instead she has been shielded from them and even from her grandmother, a famous fairy tale author. She's always dreamed of the Hazel Wood but is not allowed to see it for herself. When her mother is kidnapped, the only clue is her mother's warning - Stay away from the Hazel Wood. So of course she immediately tries to find it. In the end, the truth is more fantastical than she could have imagined.

What a boook!
Amazed, loved and shook.
Reminded me of all the fairytales atmosphere I used to feel as a child.
Very innovative.

Had its moments, but all in all, not that great of a book. Just failed to connect with the main characters, and whilst the premise was interesting, the overall feel of the book left me disengaged and ultimately unimpressed. Book was okay, not much else to say.

This book was so hyped and i was so ready for a whimsical and captivating story!
But well, i ended up quiet disappointed.
The story itself was magical and unique, at times gritty and dark and i loved that, but i couldn't click with the writing style and aside from the first half and the ending the rest of the book was quiet boring and flat for me. So thou i loved the creepy feeling i have felt for the majority of the book, boredom took over and i couldn't really care too much about the characters. It's really atmospheric but that's not enough

I was not able to download this book and thus could not read/review.

Regardless, thank you for the opportunity, it looked a good read.

The Hazel Wood was creepy and that made me like it. Sady, I couldn't stand the main character so that didn't help my overall enjoyment of the book.
The first part was okay but the second----God help me (insert roll eyes).
As you have probably guessed by now, this book wasn't exactly my cup of tea but if you like creepy and unusal stories and you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland please do give this book a go.

At the start of the story, I found Alice to be very unlikeable. She calls her mum by her name Ella,which I don't think is normal. She is seen to have anger issues,with her mum needing to calm her down. The anger issues is not what makes her unlikeable,it's the way she treats other people. She seems entitled and snobbish, like she's better than everyone else. She only talks to Finch because she needs his help,otherwise she would most likely would not have met him 'outside of school'. I feel like she took advantage of him knowing about her grandmother's book. By the end of the story she is not as unlikeable and has learnt to talk and interact with people better.

I liked Finch and felt that he genuinely liked Alice and not just because of her grandmother.

In terms of the story, I felt some parts of it were too simple. We find out one thing, it gets solved, on to the next thing. I feel like everything was solved very easily and wanted there to be a bit more tension in solving everything. I liked the fairytale element and her Grandmother's involvment. I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half. The second half is where everything got solved really easily.


Overall, I enjoyed this story and would give it 3.5/5.

(rounded up from 4.5)

Alice has spent her life on the road having to move from place to place after strange incidents and bouts of bad luck. Her mum Ella is the only family she has after being estranged from her grandmother, writer and recluse Althea Prosperine who wrote a book of fairy tales that are so rare that anyone who gets their hands on them becomes obsessed with them.

A letter arrives announcing the death of Althea and telling them that they have inherited her estate, the Hazel Wood. Ella takes this as a sign that their luck has changed and settles in New York, not wanting anything to do with her mother’s estate, but suddenly she vanishes. Strange things start to happen as Alice begins see people from her grandmother’s stories walking around the city.

Alice embarks on a treacherous journey to find her mother with the help of her friend Ellery Finch.

So I decided to take a break from my usual crime fiction and delve into a bit of fantasy, a genre I haven’t read for a while. This book is also young adult but I’d say it’s at the older end of the spectrum just because there is a bit of bad language and violence.

I love the writing style, there’s this almost poetic feel to the whole book. My favourite part had to be the very creepy fairy tales that are scattered through the book, which are really dark and twisted with no sort of moral to the story. I really hope the author releases them as a separate companion book in the future.

It took me a little time to warm up to Alice, just because I found her to be quite angry and standoffish. Her relationship with her mother could also be categorised as seriously clingy/sisterly which I always find a little cringe worthy. I did however like Ellery Finch, Alice’s friend, who hides his sadness under a smile and even though she keeps being horrible to him, he’s there when Alice needs him the most.

Yes there was the standard YA trope of the mum getting kidnapped but I can forgive that because the story is so twisty and absorbing you kind of forget.

The Hazel Wood is original, enchanting and a little mind bending too.

I know the next book is due out next year and I’m interested to see where the author will take it next as I felt that it kind of round off the story at the end of the book.