Review: The Hazel Wood By Melissa Albert

The "Hazel Wood" by Melissa Albert was a fascinating and exciting read. The plot of this book was very interesting, it included a lot of plot twists, for example when we found out that Alice is actually adopted, or when we found out that she is a character in one of her grandmothers fairy tales. The constant addition of shocking information is what keeps this book really captivating and interesting to read. There are numerous other positive qualities included in this book. To begin with, Melissa Albert's storytelling style is very unique. She conveys her story in a dark and eerie way that entices the audience to keep on reading. The story is set in modern times in New York City with Alice and her mother, Ella. Albert blends this modern setting

Overall, this enriches the plot and adds to the complexity of it. Furthermore, something I liked about this book were the themes of family and bonds. Ella, a single mother, raised Alice on her own and they were always on the move. Alice always loved Ella and was loyal to her, but their relationship was full of hidden secrets and uncovered pasts. This added tension and intricacy to the book as Alice was always curious to learn more about her past, specifically with her grandmother. As more information about her grandmother and the fairy tales were released, Alice realised how much her mother sacrificed for her and the hard times she had to go through to ensure that she was safe and was hidden from the darkness of Hinterland. This realisation bonded Alice and her mother even more and gave Alice the determination she needed to rescue her mother from the Hinterland. Among all the positive aspects of this book there are some negative aspects and parts that I did not enjoy. In some parts of the reading it felt as if the story was either being rushed or it was not elaborate, which made it hard to keep up with what was currently