Alice in Wonderland meets The Matrix meets The Brothers Grimm Fairytales.... ⭐️⭐️⭐
The Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a 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 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.
To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began . .
The Review:
I think this might be one of the strangest books I've ever read and I'm not sure how to review it, or really what I make of it. I was attracted to this book by its beautiful cover and its promise of a dark & scary supernatural world. However it was more 'twisted fairytales' than it was 'ghosts and ghouls'.
First off - this book is incredibly well written. Any criticism I have is not of Albert's writing but more that the plot really wasn't my 'type of thing'. Her storytelling though, is on point. It's testament to the strength of her writing that I stayed with a story that normally I wouldn't enjoy. It's quirky, unsettling and at times just downright random.
I don't usually read many books that have a 'magical' element to them and I'm not really one for alternate dimensions. I prefer my thrillers either based in the world that I live in, or one so fantastical and removed that you can suspend disbelief. For me, this book tried to do both and I wasn't on board for all of it. To that end, I really enjoyed the narrative set in 'our world' and I liked the road trip element of Alice's search for her mother. I also enjoyed her awkward friendship with Finch, although I am glad that the author didn't take that too far down the clichéd teenage romance cul de sac.
When I got to the actual supernatural/fairytale part, I felt a bit like I had walked onto the set of David Bowie's Labyrinth, and, while yes, that is a cult classic, it brought back the uncontrollable urge to scream "What the F*** is going on?!...I'm so confused!" It was heavily reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland - I guess the point is it's not supposed to make a lot of sense, you're just meant to enjoy the randomness of the journey. Turns out I like to have the map....
And so I think the blame on this one lands at my door. Definitely not my type of book, but I can see that if you like magical, lyrical prose in Young Adult fiction, then it would be right up your street.
The Hazel Wood is published on 8th Feb 2018 by Penguin Random House UK.
Thanks to the Publisher and to Netgalley for the preview copy in exchange for this honest review.