Fantasy

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Blood depiction, physical injury and assault, death of a parent from suicide and other people in the past
Score: Five points out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.

One year ago, I mistakenly read The Hazel Wood's sequel, The Night Country, which I initially enjoyed but later repulsed. One year later, it was time to read The Hazel Wood, which initially looked promising until I checked the ratings and reviews, thus lowering my expectations. However, nothing could prepare me for how disappointing it was. Did I mention The Hazel Wood was also on the BookTok shelf?

It starts with the first character I see, Alice Proserpine, or Alice for short, forced to move to The Hazel Wood estate after her grandmother dies. I would classify this novel as a contemporary urban YA fantasy, which appeals to me since I like fantasy stories, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. The Hazel Wood's most prominent flaws lie in its pacing, worldbuilding and characters. For starters, the pacing is too monotonous and not engaging enough to keep me reading. It makes The Hazel Wood less like under 400 pages and more like 500 pages. All the characters are two-dimensional, and Alice is the most infuriating because how she talks to people comes off as irritating at best and frustrating at worst. The worldbuilding is nonexistent. There's no reason why everything is the way they are. I'm done with this author. ( )

I gave this book 3.5 stars for review*
I did not love this book but I had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed some parts of this book but was not engaged in the whole thing. I loved the twisty/ dark setting of the various fairytales we learned about. I think I might like this book better on re-read because I think I may be less lost. I will be curious to see if we get more books. I loved the start and the end of this story the most. The middle part dragged a tad. I thought the main character was hard to connect with by I loved Finch alot! I am curious to see what happens next in this series! ( )

I gave this book 3.5 stars for review*
I did not love this book but I had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed some parts of this book but was not engaged in the whole thing. I loved the twisty/ dark setting of the various fairytales we learned about. I think I might like this book better on re-read because I think I may be less lost. I will be curious to see if we get more books. I loved the start and the end of this story the most. The middle part dragged a tad. I thought the main character was hard to connect with by I loved Finch alot! I am curious to see what happens next in this series! ( )

3.5 stars, video review: https://youtu.be/7D578eZZcjw ( )