lusimusi's review against another edition
3.0
The Hazel Wood should have been a standalone, I just couldn't see the point of this book. I don't really dislike it but for me this book shouldn't have existed.
emilyhames's review against another edition
4.0
ARC kindly provided to me by Penguin NZ in exchange for an honest review.
I was surprised, I enjoyed The Night Country more than the first book, The Hazel Wood.
In this story, we follow the main character Alice, who had previously escaped the fairy-tale world The Hinterland, and is now trying to solve a new mystery: who is murdering her fellow story-tale companions? Although the book is slow-paced, the mystery is gripping, keeping me enthralled throughout. The plot of both books is unpredictable - a rare occurrence in YA fantasy, and thus refreshing. The slow pace also gives thanks to the author's prose, which weaves a magical world of fairytales, reminiscent of the Grimm brothers. I found myself reading each word carefully, resulting in carefully constructed world-building (or world's in this case) and a diverse range of truly terrifying characters.
I think fans of the first book in this series will be pleased to see the growth of the main characters (especially Ellery Finch), and the final outcome for the Hinterland and it's inhabitants.
I would recommend for fans of YA, dark contemporary, fantasy and magical realism.
I was surprised, I enjoyed The Night Country more than the first book, The Hazel Wood.
In this story, we follow the main character Alice, who had previously escaped the fairy-tale world The Hinterland, and is now trying to solve a new mystery: who is murdering her fellow story-tale companions? Although the book is slow-paced, the mystery is gripping, keeping me enthralled throughout. The plot of both books is unpredictable - a rare occurrence in YA fantasy, and thus refreshing. The slow pace also gives thanks to the author's prose, which weaves a magical world of fairytales, reminiscent of the Grimm brothers. I found myself reading each word carefully, resulting in carefully constructed world-building (or world's in this case) and a diverse range of truly terrifying characters.
I think fans of the first book in this series will be pleased to see the growth of the main characters (especially Ellery Finch), and the final outcome for the Hinterland and it's inhabitants.
I would recommend for fans of YA, dark contemporary, fantasy and magical realism.
twiinklex's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't a fan of The Hazel Wood and this was no better. Not helped by the fact that I couldn't really remember what happened in the first book (cos it was so boring and insignificant, just like this one) so half the time I had no idea what they were talking about in The Night Country. I didn't care for any of the characters either.
The ending was very well-written though. Doubt I will pick up a sequel, if any, though I am still looking forward to the upcoming Tales from the Hinterland.
The ending was very well-written though. Doubt I will pick up a sequel, if any, though I am still looking forward to the upcoming Tales from the Hinterland.
kba76's review against another edition
5.0
Plunged back into the world of The Hazel Wood, it was a real experience to follow Alice once she’s been saved from her story.
The characters who’ve escaped from the Hinterland are all marked in some way, and they can see when they look at each other some of these marks. It could, theoretically, be possible for these ex-stories to live on earth peacefully. Unfortunately, someone has other ideas.
In the opening chapter Alice talks about their changed circumstances when she refers to them being prey rather than predators. Their vulnerability is evident, and when ex-Hinterlanders start appearing with body parts missing it is evident that someone is trying to recreate their own story.
Alongside this focus on Alice and just who/what she is, we also get to see Finch travelling through worlds to try and salvage his own story.
The stories are interleaved and I was left guessing exactly how they’d link until quite late on. My sympathy for Alice definitely grew as the book progressed and I loved the ending.
Though I’ve pre-ordered my copy - and can’t wait to read it again - I’m grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
The characters who’ve escaped from the Hinterland are all marked in some way, and they can see when they look at each other some of these marks. It could, theoretically, be possible for these ex-stories to live on earth peacefully. Unfortunately, someone has other ideas.
In the opening chapter Alice talks about their changed circumstances when she refers to them being prey rather than predators. Their vulnerability is evident, and when ex-Hinterlanders start appearing with body parts missing it is evident that someone is trying to recreate their own story.
Alongside this focus on Alice and just who/what she is, we also get to see Finch travelling through worlds to try and salvage his own story.
The stories are interleaved and I was left guessing exactly how they’d link until quite late on. My sympathy for Alice definitely grew as the book progressed and I loved the ending.
Though I’ve pre-ordered my copy - and can’t wait to read it again - I’m grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
jkropik06's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars.
Though they both got 5 stars, I actually enjoyed this slightly more than The Hazelwood. This book had a much different tone than its first book, feeling a bit more dark and gritty. Alice, our main character, even felt different. That makes sense after the events of the first book, but it felt much larger than that. That was honestly one of my only issues with this, though I did enjoy it.
There were times that I was disinterested, but in general I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I won’t go into details because it’s a sequel, but basically it was a murder mystery told in an urban fantasy world.
I received an ARC from Flatiron Books.
Though they both got 5 stars, I actually enjoyed this slightly more than The Hazelwood. This book had a much different tone than its first book, feeling a bit more dark and gritty. Alice, our main character, even felt different. That makes sense after the events of the first book, but it felt much larger than that. That was honestly one of my only issues with this, though I did enjoy it.
There were times that I was disinterested, but in general I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I won’t go into details because it’s a sequel, but basically it was a murder mystery told in an urban fantasy world.
I received an ARC from Flatiron Books.
emilymahar's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Wowowowow it’s been so long since I read The Hazel Wood but I fell right back into this world and these characters. What a lovely, dark, and magical sequel!
Wowowowow it’s been so long since I read The Hazel Wood but I fell right back into this world and these characters. What a lovely, dark, and magical sequel!
alba_marie's review against another edition
5.0
{4.5 stars}
“Part of him wanted to go back home, but none of him wanted it to be like this: raw, scarred, pared down. If he went back, he wanted to be like a king in exile returned. Someone who had seen things, and wasn’t shit at processing them.”
The Night Country is set in the same universe as The Hazel Wood, and yes, it takes place after the first book, but I wouldn't really call it a sequel. More of a companion novel, or a continuation of adventures.
I really liked The Hazel Wood - but I have to admit, I think I liked this one more. I've seen other reviews saying that liked the first more because they got to watch Alice go from innocent girl to actual adult or whatever. I really don't like coming of age tales (probably why YA isn't my jam) so I guess that's why this book to be was better - Alice was already a strong woman.
Melissa Albert has a distinct writing style - descriptive, mystical, heavy, cryptic, a little bit...weird. It's an unusual style, and I find myself having to go back over to re-read paragraphs. It works for me, but it does make this a slower read, and also better suited for adult audiences rather than YA/teens.
The plot is not fast. Alice is back in NYC and Ellery is world-hopping (I know which one I'd rather be!). She's grumpy, a bit lonely, a bit out of place. Unsure of where she belongs. It's been a few years, and she's settled into life here with one foot on either side - a job at a bookstore and living with her mum, as well as friends with an ex-story, Sophia, and a sometime-member of a ex-Story counseling group run by scary Daphne.
Someone is murdering Stories and they are maybe framing Alice. Or maybe Alice is their next victim. Or maybe it's nothing to do with Alice at all because the Hinterland refugees in NYC refuse to really consider her part of their group. But Alice is scared and gets it in her mind to investigate.
Albert's writing style can be heavy and convoluted - it feels out time and place. Reading it, you sometimes can't tell if it's day or night, if 5 minutes have passed or 5 hours. Days, even, go by and you're not sure exactly how much time has passed. People's faces reshape, many character has more than one name and identity, having left their fairytale identities behind and adopted new Earth ones. It's slightly unnerving since the reader tends to feel confused and placeless - a lot like the fairytale characters wandering around NY.
Ellery, meanwhile, is hopping through worlds having all manner of named and unnamed adventures. I admit that I feel frustrated with Alice as a character, but I really like (and identify with) Ellery, and the whole time I was like, come on, reunite! Reunite they do, but not before magic love letters are sent across the dimensions in a weirdly-realistic way that was both endearing and not cringey. Their face-to-face reunion happened amidst action, meaning it was cut short, but was still very sweet.
Finding out what the Night Country actually was was very interesting and creepy, and I'd love to know more. My only complaint really is that I wanted more details about what Ellery was up to and the worlds he visited! As a (normal) traveller, I identify SO much more with him...
Overall, I enjoyed this second foray into the Hinterland universe - just as dark and scary as the first trip there!
“Part of him wanted to go back home, but none of him wanted it to be like this: raw, scarred, pared down. If he went back, he wanted to be like a king in exile returned. Someone who had seen things, and wasn’t shit at processing them.”
The Night Country is set in the same universe as The Hazel Wood, and yes, it takes place after the first book, but I wouldn't really call it a sequel. More of a companion novel, or a continuation of adventures.
I really liked The Hazel Wood - but I have to admit, I think I liked this one more. I've seen other reviews saying that liked the first more because they got to watch Alice go from innocent girl to actual adult or whatever. I really don't like coming of age tales (probably why YA isn't my jam) so I guess that's why this book to be was better - Alice was already a strong woman.
Melissa Albert has a distinct writing style - descriptive, mystical, heavy, cryptic, a little bit...weird. It's an unusual style, and I find myself having to go back over to re-read paragraphs. It works for me, but it does make this a slower read, and also better suited for adult audiences rather than YA/teens.
The plot is not fast. Alice is back in NYC and Ellery is world-hopping (I know which one I'd rather be!). She's grumpy, a bit lonely, a bit out of place. Unsure of where she belongs. It's been a few years, and she's settled into life here with one foot on either side - a job at a bookstore and living with her mum, as well as friends with an ex-story, Sophia, and a sometime-member of a ex-Story counseling group run by scary Daphne.
Someone is murdering Stories and they are maybe framing Alice. Or maybe Alice is their next victim. Or maybe it's nothing to do with Alice at all because the Hinterland refugees in NYC refuse to really consider her part of their group. But Alice is scared and gets it in her mind to investigate.
Albert's writing style can be heavy and convoluted - it feels out time and place. Reading it, you sometimes can't tell if it's day or night, if 5 minutes have passed or 5 hours. Days, even, go by and you're not sure exactly how much time has passed. People's faces reshape, many character has more than one name and identity, having left their fairytale identities behind and adopted new Earth ones. It's slightly unnerving since the reader tends to feel confused and placeless - a lot like the fairytale characters wandering around NY.
Ellery, meanwhile, is hopping through worlds having all manner of named and unnamed adventures. I admit that I feel frustrated with Alice as a character, but I really like (and identify with) Ellery, and the whole time I was like, come on, reunite! Reunite they do, but not before magic love letters are sent across the dimensions in a weirdly-realistic way that was both endearing and not cringey. Their face-to-face reunion happened amidst action, meaning it was cut short, but was still very sweet.
Finding out what the Night Country actually was was very interesting and creepy, and I'd love to know more. My only complaint really is that I wanted more details about what Ellery was up to and the worlds he visited! As a (normal) traveller, I identify SO much more with him...
Overall, I enjoyed this second foray into the Hinterland universe - just as dark and scary as the first trip there!
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know, this felt a bit messy and unnecessary to me.
cadie_quick's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 More enjoyable and less creepy than the first book but still a little disappointing
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this, but sadly I found it seemed to be missing a certain something that The Hazel Wood had, it seemed to have lost its spark, it’s magic, I think the first was so dark, gothic with the help of the stories twisted in with the tale and because the dark, gothic creepy stories are absent in this book, I think it makes a huge difference, maybe it’s just me. Don’t get me wrong I still really enjoyed this, I just wanted to explain why it’s not 5 stars which I think it would have been if these were reintroduced. The characters as always were well written and relatable, with further development in this book and some really interesting new characters introduced too. The writing is just as beautiful as the first, the plot good and strong (although gets a bit lost in the middle). It’s a really good continuation of the first book and if you’ve read The Hazel Wood, you’ll enjoy this.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion