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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
amachonis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
whatkatyread87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an amazing Grimm type fairytale story. Loved the stories included.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
laurscorze's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
gskramstad's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Self harm and Blood
taural41's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
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 pasthellsploss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
The Hinterland is so elusive it took the author 200 pages to get there only to rush into an unsatisfying conclusion before we've barely even scratched the surface of a new world. Spent so much time trying to make you interested in the main characters only to have them be the two most insufferable pair in the book you'll wish the Jersey-Shore girl was the main character instead at least she was funny.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death and Police brutality
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
A wild ride of a book about the sometimes dangerously blurry line between the "real" world and the world of stories. If you like your fairy tales on the creepy side, this one's for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
zpitts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood