The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
I received an ARC of this book via Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
DNFing at page 185.
Hold on to your hats, kitties, because this review is about to get strange. Stranger than this book? Probably not.
What I mean is, the reason why I DNF’d this book is because…I get creeped out too easily.

It’s not that this book is horrendously terrifying. It’s because this book is such a slow burn with plot revelation that it allows time for your mind to wander. I think this is my main problem. Key points aren’t revealed fast enough, so my brain thinks up numerous alternatives…which end up being way worse than the actual ending! This is why I can’t handle horror anything. My mind is overactive enough on a daily basis–I don’t need anything creepy to prompt that type of thinking at all.
This is a perfect case of, “it’s me, not you, book with a beautiful cover and fantastic plot.” Seriously though, if it wasn’t for my ineptness with reading scary stories, this would probably be one of my favorites for this year.
I know, I’m screaming inside too.
The writing is matter-of-fact, with creativity scoring off the charts! Melissa Albert’s writing style may not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed how she depicted her characters, and slowly introduced the secrets of the Hazel Wood, also commonly known as the Hinterland.
This tale is unlike anything I’ve picked up before, to the point of where the possibilities feel endless. However, I must listen to my conscious as well, because, I have to live with it. I don’t want to be jumpy for the next few weeks (or more) because I’m always thinking about how this book creeped me out.
To be honest, some people may find this to not be creepy at all. Good for you! I’m not saying it is the creepiest book in the world–I had a similar reaction (for different reasons) when I tried to read The Raven Boys. Despite the fact that it was such a thorough piece of literature, I couldn’t stick with it.
I’m really hoping I’ll be able to change my mind and complete this book at some point. Alas, for now, I must put it down and move on to something less stimulating.