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![[Melissa Albert]-[The Night Country]-[Hardcover] by Melissa Albert](https://assets.thestorygraph.com/assets/placeholder-cover-a3ae92250eb3301e32dc3eabf8d50576c2f047dda89f6ee7cfa9a859cb1fd746.jpg)
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4 1/2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was SO excited for this sequel to The Hazel Wood, which was one of my absolute favorite books of 2018. This did not disappoint. Given that The Hazel Wood felt like it easily could've been a standalone novel, I was impressed with how fluidly this second book picked up the loose threads from the first in a way that actually enhanced the mythos of the Hinterland and the other worlds. If I have any complaint at all, it's that Alice's portion of the story was a little slower and less interesting until about the last quarter of the book—less romping around magical worlds, more of a murder mystery with some magic thrown in. But since we see a lot of Finch going on otherworldly adventures, I didn't feel like this took away from my enjoyment of the book.
Also, Melissa Albert spins some of the most beautiful sentences I've ever read in YA. Seriously, her descriptions are to die for. I can't wait to read Tales from the Hinterland—she was born for creepy, bloody, gory, pitch-dark fairytales.
I was SO excited for this sequel to The Hazel Wood, which was one of my absolute favorite books of 2018. This did not disappoint. Given that The Hazel Wood felt like it easily could've been a standalone novel, I was impressed with how fluidly this second book picked up the loose threads from the first in a way that actually enhanced the mythos of the Hinterland and the other worlds. If I have any complaint at all, it's that Alice's portion of the story was a little slower and less interesting until about the last quarter of the book—less romping around magical worlds, more of a murder mystery with some magic thrown in. But since we see a lot of Finch going on otherworldly adventures, I didn't feel like this took away from my enjoyment of the book.
Also, Melissa Albert spins some of the most beautiful sentences I've ever read in YA. Seriously, her descriptions are to die for. I can't wait to read Tales from the Hinterland—she was born for creepy, bloody, gory, pitch-dark fairytales.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As expected, the writing did NOT disappoint. This sequel felt more mature as the characters grew, more timeless as they were unmoored from reality (including fewer pop culture references, which I liked) and leaned even more into descriptions of the abstract. I loved the way the plot lines came together. Very satisfying read, exactly what I was hoping for.
(For anyone wanting similar reads, this fell perfectly in line with some other books I've read recently: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and The Diviners series by Libba Bray (specifically the first 2 books in that series, and Night Country reminded me of those more so than Hazel Wood)
(For anyone wanting similar reads, this fell perfectly in line with some other books I've read recently: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and The Diviners series by Libba Bray (specifically the first 2 books in that series, and Night Country reminded me of those more so than Hazel Wood)
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really great sequel! Maintains the magic with an interesting plot.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
YAY FINCH IS BACK! i would like to know a little bit more at what happened at the end but overall a good continuation of the story although seems to not flow perfectly with the ending of the last book.
Worse than the first one plot-wise, but funnier. Finch's internal monologue about being black and being like uhhh... 'This feels like victorian england they don't really rock with me like that' was hilarious.
Having the villain bevillain from last time oh no she wasn't defeated!!! How terrible that this very suspicious woman who's been suspicious the WHOLE TIME is the villain was lazy as hell. At least give the villain a cool sidekick or something. The premise, once again, fascinating, but the story doesn't hold it up.
Having the villain be