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mikcarrington's review against another edition
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mrichau's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
aiste_berta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
penlop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
matthewinui1's review against another edition
2.0
This book sparks anger in me... Her writing is kind of annoying (the similes every other line made her sound pretentious, like she was trying to be more sophisticated than this genre really calls for), and the plot felt rushed and patchy. I liked the concept, but the execution just wasn't there.
suziee_mckenzie's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than the first book! If you didn’t really enjoy the first one much I would recommend giving this one a go anyway as the writing is stronger and the story makes more sense.
ciphertextx's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the first one. All the weird disjointed stuff that worked well with book 1 didn't seem to work well here, I didn't even feel like this was a direct sequel until the last 100 pages. Wasn't a big fan of the plot. Found I didn't actually care much about any of the characters so the whole driving force behind everything failed to entertain me. Only character I liked (Finch), I quickly got bored of, and didn't even care much about how his story ended.
I liked some of the spooky stuff and the general idea of a night country, but I'm being kinda generous when I give this 3 stars tbh. Wish I'd liked it more.
I liked some of the spooky stuff and the general idea of a night country, but I'm being kinda generous when I give this 3 stars tbh. Wish I'd liked it more.
bnryan95's review against another edition
3.0
I remember really enjoying The Hazel Wood. The problem is that I read it almost four years ago, so it took me a little bit to remember what the heck the story was about. It helped when I finally broke down after like 50 pages and read a plot summary for a refresher.
Anyway. These books are good. They're fairy tales, but not. They're creepy, sometimes so much so that they get confusing. The descriptions of NYC were often too gritty that they were unpleasant for me as a setting. I understand that was the point, it's apparently just not my cup of tea.
I'm sort of bummed that Finch and Alice's stories didn't merge sooner so they got more scenes together, but ah well. I feel like the mystery of whether the other stories were dissolved and Alice is only alive because people of our world loved her and rooted her there was a really great way to end it. Finch being chosen by the Night Country to be a spinner when he loved travelling through other stories so much was also great.
Anyway. These books are good. They're fairy tales, but not. They're creepy, sometimes so much so that they get confusing. The descriptions of NYC were often too gritty that they were unpleasant for me as a setting. I understand that was the point, it's apparently just not my cup of tea.
I'm sort of bummed that Finch and Alice's stories didn't merge sooner so they got more scenes together, but ah well. I feel like the mystery of whether the other stories were dissolved and Alice is only alive because people of our world loved her and rooted her there was a really great way to end it. Finch being chosen by the Night Country to be a spinner when he loved travelling through other stories so much was also great.
claudiabelcin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ndideReading update:
I'm angry at myself for not taking notes on the first book in this series. I can remember the general idea, but not much about the writing style or less important details, so i can't tell if the writing style improved with time. Does anyone else feel in a trance-like state while reading this? i feel like i read the words but barely understand what i read and end up not remembering so i have to reread entire paragraph
Thoughts after finishing the book:
I feel somewhat disappointed with my experience reading this book, especially since it had so much potential to become one of my favorites. The concept, the tropes, and the overall vibe were all promising, but I just couldn’t connect with the plot or the characters. Reading this felt like having a TV show on in the background while you do other things—you’re vaguely aware of what’s happening, but your attention is elsewhere.
Perhaps I wasn’t in the right headspace for this book, or maybe the timing was off. I found myself frequently rereading paragraphs and entire pages because my mind kept drifting. It didn’t help that I struggled to remember details from the first book.
One aspect of the writing that didn’t resonate with me was the overuse of metaphors and comparisons. While many were beautifully crafted, some felt out of place and didn’t make sense in context.
That said, I’d still recommend this book to those who enjoy dark, tense, adventurous retellings. I’m sure many readers will find it quite enjoyable.
I’m also curious if others experienced the same disconnect and found their thoughts wandering while reading...
I'm angry at myself for not taking notes on the first book in this series. I can remember the general idea, but not much about the writing style or less important details, so i can't tell if the writing style improved with time. Does anyone else feel in a trance-like state while reading this? i feel like i read the words but barely understand what i read and end up not remembering so i have to reread entire paragraph
Thoughts after finishing the book:
I feel somewhat disappointed with my experience reading this book, especially since it had so much potential to become one of my favorites. The concept, the tropes, and the overall vibe were all promising, but I just couldn’t connect with the plot or the characters. Reading this felt like having a TV show on in the background while you do other things—you’re vaguely aware of what’s happening, but your attention is elsewhere.
Perhaps I wasn’t in the right headspace for this book, or maybe the timing was off. I found myself frequently rereading paragraphs and entire pages because my mind kept drifting. It didn’t help that I struggled to remember details from the first book.
One aspect of the writing that didn’t resonate with me was the overuse of metaphors and comparisons. While many were beautifully crafted, some felt out of place and didn’t make sense in context.
That said, I’d still recommend this book to those who enjoy dark, tense, adventurous retellings. I’m sure many readers will find it quite enjoyable.
I’m also curious if others experienced the same disconnect and found their thoughts wandering while reading...