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

I think this was a lovely little fairytale that had elements of horror and mystery to it. Reading it in a day made sure that I was sufficiently creeped out at night. I thought the concept behind fairytales being real, and being able to cross into our world was neat!

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vedpears's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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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emilyreadsthings's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

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laurynreadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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joisaddler's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

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caytlynn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I honestly enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I was sad that Finch didn’t show up right away considering how much I loved him but the story that was building took over that want to see him. I’m glad we got his perspective eventually. I honestly loved hearing what was going on after he stayed behind. Plus his silly little letters I just loved the concept of that. I have so many questions related to the sleeping area they left but at the same time I’m kind of glad we didn’t get an explanation I feel like I wouldn’t of really liked any answer provided. Plus I am slightly curious about the other ex stories but not enough to want another book in the series by any means. I feel like this was overall a pretty good ending for this series.

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