The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Hardcover, 359 pages // Published January 30th 2018 by Flatiron Books
Alice Proserpine has grown accustomed to her transient life. Her and her mother have always seemed to have a way of finding trouble. Or rather, trouble has always had a way of finding them, which has kept them constantly on the road and distinctly away from her famous grandmother and her estate, The Hazel Wood.
Everything changes when her grandmother, a reclusive author of dark fairy tales, dies and Alice’s mother is stolen by a man who claims to be from the Hinterland, the setting for her grandmother’s cult fairy tales. Her mother’s only message is to “stay away from The Hazel Wood.”
Enlisting the help of one of her classmates Ellery, who just so happens to be obsessed with these tales and has actually read them (unlike Alice), they set off for the Hinterland. What follows is a thrilling journey within these fantastical, frightening tales that illuminates Alice’s past and informs her future.
Readers will love our main character Alice. She is so incredibly strong-willed and clever, never failing to take risks or ask difficult questions of those around her. Alice is not a classically likable protagonist, but she sure is interesting.
At once a rescue mission for her mother and an exploration of her own family history, THE HAZEL WOOD takes the reader on a dangerous, twisting adventure into the fairy tales themselves. It is dark, atmospheric, and absolutely addicting. Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Stephanie Garber.
I’ve had this on my list for awhile, it sounds so eerie and interesting!