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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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
This was such a good duology. The second book was nearly as good as the first, plot-wise. It was interesting getting to see what happened to everyone after the first book, and even though we didn't see a ton of it, I liked the idea of their whole support group. The addition of the mysterious gruesome serial killer added suspense, as well.
I feel like I connected with Alice better in this book than I did in the first one. She was fairly annoying in the first book, and I didn't feel that here. This time she was a real, sympathetic person experiencing real struggles and loss. And I was eagerly anticipating the reunion of her and Finch. Actually, I think Finch's journey (including the short story that was included at the end of my edition) was the most interesting part of this book. He was still lost in another world, and following his travels was fascinating as well as exciting.
A good, solid sequel that I would recommend to anyone who loved the first book!
I feel like I connected with Alice better in this book than I did in the first one. She was fairly annoying in the first book, and I didn't feel that here. This time she was a real, sympathetic person experiencing real struggles and loss. And I was eagerly anticipating the reunion of her and Finch. Actually, I think Finch's journey (including the short story that was included at the end of my edition) was the most interesting part of this book. He was still lost in another world, and following his travels was fascinating as well as exciting.
A good, solid sequel that I would recommend to anyone who loved the first book!
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available on January 7th, 2020.
I wanted to love this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I can only muster a like. The thing that originally drew me to The Hazel Wood was the creepy, dark feel of the fairy tales (I’m still dying to know the story of Twice-Dead Katherine). This book didn’t have that feel for me. The sense of something lurking just outside of view wasn’t there. While there are some messed-up story characters, they were much more straight-forward, which lessened their impact for me.
The plot is interesting, continuing with a new threat to the Hinterland, and the ex-stories who have left the Hinterland behind. Alice is one of the few ex-stories who has managed to eke a normal human life for herself, and many others resent her for that. Also, there’s a small matter of some ritualistic-looking deaths, and no-one knows who is responsible, or who will be next.
If you have read my review of The Hazel Wood (which you can find here), you’ll know that my biggest complaint was that the relationship between Alice and Ellery felt a little one-note. Again, in this book, the relationships fell a little flat. I think that’s just a character development issue that will improve as Melissa Albert continues to write, which I hope she does. Even though I didn’t love this book, Melissa Albert is a creative voice and I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.
I wanted to love this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I can only muster a like. The thing that originally drew me to The Hazel Wood was the creepy, dark feel of the fairy tales (I’m still dying to know the story of Twice-Dead Katherine). This book didn’t have that feel for me. The sense of something lurking just outside of view wasn’t there. While there are some messed-up story characters, they were much more straight-forward, which lessened their impact for me.
The plot is interesting, continuing with a new threat to the Hinterland, and the ex-stories who have left the Hinterland behind. Alice is one of the few ex-stories who has managed to eke a normal human life for herself, and many others resent her for that. Also, there’s a small matter of some ritualistic-looking deaths, and no-one knows who is responsible, or who will be next.
If you have read my review of The Hazel Wood (which you can find here), you’ll know that my biggest complaint was that the relationship between Alice and Ellery felt a little one-note. Again, in this book, the relationships fell a little flat. I think that’s just a character development issue that will improve as Melissa Albert continues to write, which I hope she does. Even though I didn’t love this book, Melissa Albert is a creative voice and I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes