Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Night Country: A Hazel Wood Novel

The Night Country was the dark fairytale I needed in my life right now. I’m a big fan of fairytale retellings, but Melissa Albert’s Hazel Wood universe is beyond a retelling. It’s her own collection of original Brother’s Grimm-worthy twisted fairytales and it is so good. It’s been a few years since I read The Hazel Wood and I had forgotten the chills from her world and the beauty of her writing and this novel was such a treat.

Although The Night Country is advertised as a companion novel and not a sequel, it still features Alice as our protagonist. Albert’s book-within-a-book, Tales of the Hinterland, is widely relevant in The Night Country and readers like myself who are thirsty for a return to that world will not be disappointed. Creepy, ill-intending characters shine just as brightly in New York as they ever did in the Hinterland and Alice Proserpine remains the trouble, torn young woman we met in the last book.

I won’t say The Night Country is refreshing, because it has many many disturbing images and promises of darkness. There are moments in the plot that disappointed me, but not for lack of good writing. There were many directions this story could have gone, and while I think the ending was just fine, I’m such a fan of this world that I wanted more of it. The Night Country doesn’t tie everything up with a bow – if Albert wanted to revisit these characters and the world she built – there are (in a sense) still opportunities to expand on the lore and create new tales. I think I could devour these stories forever and I wish more authors wrote similar creepy original fairytales. Then again, her originality within a tired YA tradition may be what makes The Hazel Wood and The Night Country so appealing.

Even if the storyline of this book doesn’t appeal, Albert’s writing is phenomenal. She has a way of sewing together metaphors with images I wouldn’t dream of, but are perfect. Was The Hazel Wood this good? Or has Albert’s writing improved? One way or the other, there were moments when a particularly good image stood out to me so strongly that I had to pause and appreciate it.

Something to remember if you are reading this (or The Hazel Wood). Alice is a villain. She was written as a problematic, violent characters within the world-within-a-world-within-a-world and that still stands true when she steps into New York, despite any desire she may have to be otherwise. She easy falls back into her nature and doesn’t apologize for it. If you pick up this duology, it’s important to remember that not all protagonists are heroes. Alice is deeply flawed.

For myself, I absolutely loved this. I loved the dual storylines and shadows between all the worlds we visit. I think Melissa Albert has an incredibly creative mind and her details are extraordinary. The Night Country was the mix of twisted and magical I needed at the moment, and I easily recommend this. I will read it again. Also, I do believe folks who have not read The Hazel Wood could probably jump into this one, because there’s enough backstory. I’d still recommend reading The Hazel Wood first because it will be a richer experience, but if you stumble across The Night Country, I believe there’s enough here to enjoy the story without the other book.

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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