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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
While The Night Country continues the intriguing world-building and dark fairy tale atmosphere established in The Hazel Wood, it falls short in a few areas. The pacing feels uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag. The plot, while intriguing, lacks the same level of suspense and mystery as its predecessor.
The characters, particularly Alice, remain compelling, but their development feels limited. The exploration of the Hinterland and its inhabitants is fascinating, but the overall plot resolution feels somewhat anticlimactic.
While The Night Country is a solid sequel, it doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessor. Fans of the series will likely enjoy it, but it may not be as universally appealing as the first book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Honestly, I remember enjoying the Hazelwood but not really any details about it. I must say that that really didn't dampen my enjoyment of this book. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the heavy dose of nihilism going on in all the former fairy tale folks in the city, and I thought the whole 'night country' concept was a little overblown but overall enjoyed this one and would be ready to hop back into this world again.
Many thanks to Flatiron Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
There'd been four deaths now.
One was a warning,
Two a coincidence,
And three completely the fairy-tale set.
But four.
Four was a door.
An invitation to something more.
Okay....
So...
I am, to put it simply, disappointed. But unfortunately, my thoughts and emotions are never simple so let me explain why I am disappointed.
I read The Hazel Wood around one and a half years ago and I absolutely adored it. It's on my all-time favorites shelf. I absolutely adored it. But this book.... it just didn't meet my expectations.
I think the first issue with The Night Country is that it followed an amazing book. It's really hard to live up to a book as great as The Hazel Wood.
Another thing that took away from my enjoyment was Alice, the main character. For some reason, she annoyed me a lot more in this book than in the first one so either I have faulty memory or I was more patient when I read The Hazel Wood.
Also, whereas the first book had a rather urgent, dark, and mysterious tone, The Night Country had a very grim, almost depressing tone. At least, that's what I picked up. I could be totally off base.
But, of course, there were quite a few things I did love so let's end on a high note.
This book, in my opinion, was a hecka lot creepier than the first one. There were quite a few scenes that had me on the edge of my seat.
Also, I really loved the world-building that took place throughout the novel. If you thought that there was nothing else about this world to be explored, you'd wrong. This fascinating world was dived (doven? dove) into even more than in the first book.
There were also some pretty cool twists at the end!
Overall, on it's own this book was okay. The problem comes when I think about it's stupendous predecessor. Compared to which, it falls short.
Bottom Line:
3.5 stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers):
Educational Value (0/0)
Positive Messages (0/0)
Violence (5/5) - [Body horror, Stabs, Fights, Blood, Death]
Sex (1/5) - [Innuendos and brief sexual themes]
Language (4/5) - [F**k, sh*t, d*mn]
Drinking/Drugs (4/5) - [Medicinal and Recreational Drug use, Alcohol consumption]
Trigger and Content Warnings - Body horror, Gore, Darkness, Spiders & other bugs, Murder, Dismemberment
Publication Date: January 7th, 2020
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
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review to come
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OMG IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL
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edit: A COVER! WE HAVE A COVER THIS IS NOT A DRILLLL!!!
OMMMGGGG!!!! A TITLE!!! DFDHEDGAJNSIFNE
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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
I loved the beginning of the first book and the ending of this one. All the in between stuff wasn't quite there for me.