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lawbooks600's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, and Death
Full trigger warnings: Blood depiction, physical injury and assault, death of a parent from suicide and other people in the pastel13's review
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
laurynreadsbooks's review
- 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
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death
jblovegood's review
- 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
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, and Body horror
sssssoup's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, and Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, and Stalking