The Hazel Wood

By: Melissa Albert

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, James Fouhey

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

"Highly literary, occasionally surreal, and grounded by Alice's clipped, matter-of-fact voice, it's a dark story that readers will have trouble leaving behind. HIGH-DEMAND: the buzz for this debut is deafening...." (Booklist starred review)

From rising star Melissa Albert comes a fantastical story of mythic proportions.

Welcome to The Hazel Wood - a fiercely stunning contemporary fantasy audiobook.

This program includes a bonus novella, The Boy Who Didn't Come Home, set in the world of The Hazel Wood and narrated by James Fouhey.

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away - by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: "Stay away from the Hazel Wood."

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began - and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

Praise for The Hazel Wood:

"The Hazel Wood starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best possible way...Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene...a captivating debut." (New York Times Book Review)

"The Hazel Wood will be your next obsession." (Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval)

"Thoroughly, creepily captivating." (Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling)

"This is one of the best books I've read in years." (Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places)

"A dream of a book I cannot recommend highly enough." (Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway)

©2018 Melissa Albert (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Wonderful!

I am a huge fan of fairy tales, probably way more than I should be at my age haha, and this one was wonderful! I can honestly say this is my favorite fairy tale book as of yet! Worth the read, and the audio performance was very well done. I didn't want to finish reading

Amazing book

Well-written great book for anyone who likes fantasy with a tinge of darkness. I loved the twists and turns. It’s my first time reading one of Melissa Albert’s works, but I am hooked now.

can't wait forbthe follow up!

This book holds your attention through the entire story. There are plenty of hidden twists and surprises to keep you wanting more. The reader's voice is a perfect match for this book.

Dark Fairytale

We read this for book club. Had me from the beginning. Fresh take on a fairytale. Great storyline and loved the characters. Only criticism would be the F word was used way to often.

Good story, great narrations. enjoyed it.

Big fan of fairy tails and this one was very good. Alice is the main character and until the end she really doesn't understand her part in the whole mixed up mess. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: "Stay away from the Hazel Wood."
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother's cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began - and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

Deliciously dark, fun, and modern fairy tale

If you like the darkness of Pan's Labyrinth & original Grimm's fairy tales, Leigh Bardugo's dialogue, and the bizarre inner worlds of Otessa Moshfegh's characters (but not as "adult" as Moshfegh), I think you'll enjoy The Hazel Wood.

The story moves at a fast pace, and Soler's narration coupled with Albert's weirdly specific but fantastic descriptors and nail-biting elements of mystery kept me listening for hours on end.

While this story is heavily plot driven, I'd argue that it's quite literary in its character development--I was equally frustrated with and rooting for Alice, and I could easily see and smell and hear and read the body language of every character. Albert is just that good of a writer.

The only time the plot lost traction for me was around the third act, but the story quickly recovers, leaving the reader (or in this case, listener) feeling bittersweet and wanting more.

The only thing I wanted more of from Soler's narration was greater variation in character voices. Her excellent range of tone and pace made up for this, and I still would definitely listen to anything she's narrated.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves fairy tales and folklore, wants a YA fantasy that focuses on fantasy more than romance, and is okay with the story being set in our world and portalling into others.

I'm excited to listen to the sequel, and will be eager to see what else this excellent writer produces.

Fun

This was a fun book. Dark fairy tale mishmash which put me in mind of Ready Player One and the Thursday Next books. Some clever ideas and very entertaining.

The narrator on the audio was really good. Nothing obnoxious, which is always a bonus.

Poor audio quality

The story is fine, it’s a fairytale that is told in an interesting way.

The audio is really poor though. Raspy and weird like talking through wax paper.

Good but not great

The story was cute and a bit different but overall thin. It definitely read as a young adult book.

Good but not Great

The story is interesting and somewhat unique. It was entertaining and definitely held my interest for a time. Unfortunately the ending feels rushed and not fully realized. At points it becomes kind of predictable, at other points it's not fleshed out enough to feel realistic to the characters and the story.