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lawbooks600's review
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: 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 pasthellsploss's review
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
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: Blood and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Body horror, Suicide, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide attempt
vanidorr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Abandonment, Suicide, and Kidnapping
ilaxaria's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Kidnapping
karolinaxyz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Details:
Narrated by Rebecca Soler
Unabridged
I really enjoyed the dark fairytale atmosphere this went with. I think the story was compelling and entertaining.
I love stories within stories and this book handled (what can sometimes be a confusing structure) really well.
There are some threads of relationships I would have preferred more closure on, but overall this was a solid read. I think I'd be interested in picking up the other books set in this world.
Narrated by Rebecca Soler
Unabridged
I really enjoyed the dark fairytale atmosphere this went with. I think the story was compelling and entertaining.
I love stories within stories and this book handled (what can sometimes be a confusing structure) really well.
There are some threads of relationships I would have preferred more closure on, but overall this was a solid read. I think I'd be interested in picking up the other books set in this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Death
Moderate: Violence and Self harm
el13's review
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: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
zimmerlemon's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
The writing style of this was really great early on, it really hooked me! Things unfolded in a really interesting way. My one qualm is that I’m a little bit of a romance nut and I was bummed about Finch kind of going away on his own journey, but it makes enough sense for his character that I’m not tooooo mad about it. Just would’ve been really cute for them to have more afterwards bc of how loyal he was while she was in her story. But this sets other things up better so I’ll get over it lol
-
From the middle onwards might lose you unless you're ready to just vibe.
-
From the middle onwards might lose you unless you're ready to just vibe.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death, Abandonment, and Blood
paperquilt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship