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ettegoom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this up on a whim at the library, and then didn't read it until it was overdue. I nearly took it back before I read it. I'm glad I didn't.
I've been finding things a bit rough, with all the genocide, racist government policy and losing a place that was complicated and stressful but also really important to me, so grabbed this off the pile as a reprieve from non-fiction. It immediately sucked me in.
I love the hideous cruelty of the Hinterland, and can't help wishing that Stories of the Hinterland was a real book that I could read. There's something about a vicious fairy tale that makes them so much more appealing than the sanitised stories of my childhood.
I enjoyed the way that the book reminded me a little of The Seven Thousand Doors of January, yet was somehow darker and more satisfying.
I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
I've been finding things a bit rough, with all the genocide, racist government policy and losing a place that was complicated and stressful but also really important to me, so grabbed this off the pile as a reprieve from non-fiction. It immediately sucked me in.
I love the hideous cruelty of the Hinterland, and can't help wishing that Stories of the Hinterland was a real book that I could read. There's something about a vicious fairy tale that makes them so much more appealing than the sanitised stories of my childhood.
I enjoyed the way that the book reminded me a little of The Seven Thousand Doors of January, yet was somehow darker and more satisfying.
I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lawbooks600's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Five points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read The Hazel Wood's sequel, The Night Country, which I initially enjoyed but later repulsed. One year later, it was time to read The Hazel Wood, which initially looked promising until I checked the ratings and reviews, thus lowering my expectations. However, nothing could prepare me for how disappointing it was. Did I mention The Hazel Wood was also on the BookTok shelf?
It starts with the first character I see, Alice Proserpine, or Alice for short, forced to move to The Hazel Wood estate after her grandmother dies. I would classify this novel as a contemporary urban YA fantasy, which appeals to me since I like fantasy stories, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. The Hazel Wood's most prominent flaws lie in its pacing, worldbuilding and characters. For starters, the pacing is too monotonous and not engaging enough to keep me reading. It makes The Hazel Wood less like under 400 pages and more like 500 pages. All the characters are two-dimensional, and Alice is the most infuriating because how she talks to people comes off as irritating at best and frustrating at worst. The worldbuilding is nonexistent. There's no reason why everything is the way they are. I'm done with this author.
Score: Five points out of ten.
One year ago, I mistakenly read The Hazel Wood's sequel, The Night Country, which I initially enjoyed but later repulsed. One year later, it was time to read The Hazel Wood, which initially looked promising until I checked the ratings and reviews, thus lowering my expectations. However, nothing could prepare me for how disappointing it was. Did I mention The Hazel Wood was also on the BookTok shelf?
It starts with the first character I see, Alice Proserpine, or Alice for short, forced to move to The Hazel Wood estate after her grandmother dies. I would classify this novel as a contemporary urban YA fantasy, which appeals to me since I like fantasy stories, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. The Hazel Wood's most prominent flaws lie in its pacing, worldbuilding and characters. For starters, the pacing is too monotonous and not engaging enough to keep me reading. It makes The Hazel Wood less like under 400 pages and more like 500 pages. All the characters are two-dimensional, and Alice is the most infuriating because how she talks to people comes off as irritating at best and frustrating at worst. The worldbuilding is nonexistent. There's no reason why everything is the way they are. I'm done with this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Full trigger warnings: Blood depiction, physical injury and assault, death of a parent from suicide and other people in the pastelliejhnsn's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Good not great. Not enough action for the first 200 pages & unnecessary TW. Did love how dark the fairy tales were though! And the ending was fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
laurynreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
jblovegood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It's an interesting concept, though some of the story beats didn't fully make sense to me and the character development didn't feel very compelling. I still enjoyed it, but think it could have been done better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
sssssoup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it for the first time a few years ago, and I’m so glad I decided the read it again for spooky season this year.
I’m a huge fan of the dark fairy tale aspect of the story. It’s very well developed and interesting, and I love how the author incorporated a story within a story; it’s not something you see very often.
The characters are what really sell it for me. Alice is a very well rounded and complex protagonist; she may not be the most likable character, but her story is engaging and I love how well developed her backstory is. Her memories from her childhood really help to develop her personality for the audience and a lot of depth to her. Finch is one of my favorite characters from recent YA because he’s entertaining and deep at the same time. Like Alice, his trauma and backstory are very well written and really help show his depth.
The writing style is fantastic as well and it’s beautiful to read. It feels very poetic and deep yet realistic at the same time.
I’m a huge fan of the dark fairy tale aspect of the story. It’s very well developed and interesting, and I love how the author incorporated a story within a story; it’s not something you see very often.
The characters are what really sell it for me. Alice is a very well rounded and complex protagonist; she may not be the most likable character, but her story is engaging and I love how well developed her backstory is. Her memories from her childhood really help to develop her personality for the audience and a lot of depth to her. Finch is one of my favorite characters from recent YA because he’s entertaining and deep at the same time. Like Alice, his trauma and backstory are very well written and really help show his depth.
The writing style is fantastic as well and it’s beautiful to read. It feels very poetic and deep yet realistic at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Stalking, and Car accident