The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alice has a pretty unusual life. She and her mother are constantly haunted by “bad luck” which follows them around wrecking havoc in their life. Alice’s grandmother is a famous author whose book about the creepy Hinterland had only one print run but gained fans with an almost obsessive interest in Alice and her family. When Alice learns that her grandmother has died, it seems like the obsessive fans will finally leave her alone. But it seems like more of them appear in Alice’s daily lives and it isn’t long before Alice’s mother is kidnapped. The only lead Alice has comes from the Hinterland itself, the supposed made-up world of her grandmother’s stories. Alice has to find her way into this magical land and find her mother.
I have been intrigued by this book ever since it first came out and was really excited to read it. However a large chunk of this book is basically just a road trip. I was close to giving up completely when the road trip finally ended and things got really interesting.
I loved the Hinterland tales. They were spooky, compelling and creepy. I would love to own a copy of my own.
“The Hazel Wood” was a really interesting read even with the excruciatingly long road trip. This was a great read with amazing world-building that I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys their fairytales with a twist.

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