A review by catbrigand
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

4.0

I almost didn't read this because the reviews were so polarizing and I figured I have enough to read without worrying about whether I'm going to hate something. I'm glad I didn't give up on it. The Hazel Wood is a creepy, sinister pseudo-fairy tale. I think the strength lies in the two breakaway chapters that tell two of the fairy tales from Tales from the Hinterland, and I'm glad to see that the author is working on properly writing them out. The second half of the book feels a bit disconnected from the first. The end is a little too tidy. I appreciate the gutsy decision not to make the ending a happy and resolved romance (and honestly, Finch deserves better than Alice). Finch is, in my opinion, a more interesting and developed character than Alice, but still less developed than I would have liked. I spent the first half disliking Alice--she's so angry and flat--but the reasons for this are explained, even if she doesn't have fantastic development. In all, this is a creepy, beautifully written book. Knocked off a star because the end dissatisfied me and the two halves of the book were mismatched, but I'm looking forward to the sequel.