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The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)

Melissa Albert

Start date: October 5, 2018

Finish date: October 30, 2018

Discussion: Group Reads

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last updated Oct 24, 2018 06:40AM

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What Members Thought

Jun 28, 2018 Beks Counsell rated it really liked it

What a beautifully dark and alluring read this turned out to be!

“Once upon a time there was a girl who changed her fate.”

I constantly felt on edge in the most delicious way. I never knew what disturbing happenings would lie just on the next page, I was loathe to put it down. The Hazel Wood is a dark, unsettling version of a fairytale- rather like Alice in Wonderland if it was much, much darker. There was also a feel of the Grimms fairytales mixed in too. I was also faintly reminded of Miss Pere What a beautifully dark and alluring read this turned out to be!

“Once upon a time there was a girl who changed her fate.”

I constantly felt on edge in the most delicious way. I never knew what disturbing happenings would lie just on the next page, I was loathe to put it down. The Hazel Wood is a dark, unsettling version of a fairytale- rather like Alice in Wonderland if it was much, much darker. There was also a feel of the Grimms fairytales mixed in too. I was also faintly reminded of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children due to how time runs differently in the Hazel Wood and the majorly creepy kids.

I went into reading The Hazel Wood with mixed expectations. I had heard many praises and criticisms alike. The latter may have put me off reading it longer than I liked. I was wonderfully surprised by the darkness, uneasiness and disturbed edge the story took. I’d have to say my most favourite aspect of the book is the tales told from the ‘Tales From the Hinterland’. Such as ‘Three Times Alice’ which told of a girl named Alice whose “eyes were black from end to end.” It gave me an ominous feeling of fear and danger even though I knew logically it was just a story.

The story follows Alice, the granddaughter of Althea Prosperine- the author of the ‘Tales From the Hinterland’- a book of dark and twisted fairytales. After gaining unwanted attention and obsessed fans, Althea shut herself up in her estate named the Hazel Wood. Althea was a virtual stranger to Alice since for as long as she can remember, she’s always been on the move with her mother, Ella and never once been to or allowed to ask about the Hazel Wood. They can never stay in one place too long or the “bad luck” that has been following them her whole life will catch up. It’s believed the “bad luck” is because of Althea and her book.
One day Alice comes home to find her mother seemingly kidnapped and believes the only way to save her and get her back is to travel to the place she’s supposedly being held captive- The Hazel Wood. Since Alice has never been to the Hazel Wood or been able to keep her hands on her grandmother’s book long enough to read it, she enlists the help of Ellery Finch- a boy from school who also happens to be a major Althea fan who has read the book and wants to find the Hazel Wood too. On their journey they encounter strange and down-right disturbing characters from the pages of Althea’s book. Plus secrets unfold leading Alice to question everything she’s known and it becomes apparent all is never as it seems.

Alice herself isn’t a very likeable character, she’s mean and bitchy and colder than ice. Not to mention the serious rage issue she’s got going on. It wasn’t easy to connect to Alice and often felt as though she lacked character. However, her relationship with her mother is relatable and made her appear more human. It felt throughout the story that we were not only onlookers of the story but actually taking the journey with her. Always just as confused and befuddled. Her anger is actually a quality I liked about her, it’s like she woke up any time she was angry and made her more interesting.

I loved Ellery at first, being kind of a nerd and a lover of literature going as far as to get a Vonnegut quote, “Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.” His backstory gave him some depth and made my heart ache for him. By the end of the book I wanted to shake him or scream at him due to some- in my opinion- stupid choices.

The first half of the story, I felt, was rather slow and frustrating. It was more like Alice was taking a road trip whilst I was about to combust with the need for answers. The Hazel Wood would only appear if it wished to be found which made for a sluggish trip. However there were small slivers of romance between Ellery and Alice to keep me somewhat entertained, though there wasn’t enough romance to label this as a love story type. Ellery’s recitations of some of the
‘Tales From the Hinterland’ were very enjoyable.

The second half was at a much quicker pace and comfortable to read. There was more insight to Althea and the fairytales. There was more of the fairytale realm involved and I loved the insight it gave; it was bizarre, freaky and more than a touch disturbing.

The only dislike I have really is the over use of metaphors, I mean I love them but this was just too much!

All in all I found this book so intriguing and intense that after I finished into I stared into nothing just thinking about what I had just read. Whilst The Hazel Wood is based on fairytales, I would recommend it for older audiences due to the disturbing and often violent happenings in it. If you love your fairytales with more than a pinch of creepiness, a taste of violence and maybe a smidge of romance then this is the book for you! ...more

28 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2018 Hayley rated it liked it · review of another edition

3 stars

I’m torn on this book.

I really thought the concept had potential but overall it just fell flat. I was also sold that this was a YA dark fantasy mystery, a unique genre which I was thrilled to read.

Do not be fooled. It is merely a YA mystery with a bit of fantasy thrown in. The fantastical elements don’t even appear until 250 pages of the book!

So I was already disappointed at being tricked, I would almost say catfish because this could have been executed much, much better.

The beginning was ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

Oct 14, 2018 Lou rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, reviewed, 2-stars, read-in-2018, read-with-buddies, creepy-or-weird, to-group-read, dark, characters-im-planning-on-killing, disappointed

I wanted to like this so badly...
It started out promising; intriguing, dark and creepy, just what I wanted. Then, about halfway, it switched to a direction I wasn't expecting, nor wanting. Ugh, from there I just plodded through.
The characters didn't cut it for me, they were too plain and boring.
And I was expecting fantasy but it's set in our world (but does that ever clarify?) with lots of weird stuff that I didn't feel was thoroughly explained (it definitely wasn't clear anyhow)
Anyway:
Please p ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2018 Julie Anna rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy

*2.75

The overall concept of The Hazelwood is very intriguing, and while I did like that, I was not as engrossed in the novel after the halfway point. There seems to be a common consensus for those who did not like this book as either "the first part wasn't great and then it picked up" or the first part was solid and then it went down from there." I think it's very hard to pull off a book like this, where you start out like a contemporary and then enter full-blown fantasy. And while there is a tr ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 Alaina rated it really liked it

3.5 stars

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2018 Bethany rated it it was ok

WELL.
I was so excited to read this book, as soon as I got it I sat down to read. The beginning wasn't too bad, I quite enjoyed it and was very into it. BUT, then everything just went downhill quite fast for me.

The start may be seen as a little slow for some peoples liking but i enjoyed the beginning. But then once we enter the halfway wood (before Hazel Wood) everything just got So confusing. When she uses the gift of the bone from the man in the cafe i did not understand why it was a bone... ( ...more

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Jun 03, 2018 •Melanie Elizabeth• {To tea, or not to tea? ☕️} rated it really liked it

ADHDJDJDJD

THIS BOOK WAS EXCELLENT!!!!

If your looking for a novel with Inkheart and dark fairytale vibes then this is for you!

This has the right amount of modern day, fairy tale, suspense and FLIPPING GRAPHIC FAIRY TALES OKAY

I cannot give any spoilers away, but just know that once you start this book, you should finish it in one sitting since it’s SO GOOD

ITS DARK THATS ALL I CAN SAY

1 like · Like · see review