A really enjoyable read with good twists that didn’t see coming. It was a bit slow at the start but I thoroughly enjoyed it once I got hooked by it

A quirky and unusual tale, both creepy and captivating at the same time. I found it a little slow in parts but I enjoyed the story.

This is such an interesting take on the traditional fairytale and I loved it more than I expected to. I wouldn't call Alice a likeable character but she was intriguing and the development was second to none. A job well done.

Received a free copy from NetGalley

This book was not my cup of tea, the plot sounded promising enough  and caught my attention but i felt the book didn't deliver

The premise of this book was really interesting but I just found it very poorly written and I couldn’t get past the half way mark because of this

A really good book, gripping and exciting with complelling characters.  A deliciously dark fairy tale like story, I recommend.

I don’t know what I was expecting with this but this wasn’t. Something that follows a more typical fairy tale path. But this, this was deliciously dark! If I didn’t have to sleep I’d have read it in one sitting!

Melissa Albert has a true talent with words, something I’m incredibly jealous of. The worlds she created were simple yet gripping, not overly described but still holding a rich world. 

I want to know so much more about these characters, the ones we don’t really meet or who we find out little hints of their character. I want to submerge myself in them. And I can only hope that she lets more things slip. I also want to read ‘The Tales of the Hinterland’, honestly it sounds like my perfect type of fairy tale. 

Trust me, if you like dark fairy tales with strong heroines, you will love this!

I admit this confused me a bit throughout the whole book as I had absolutely no idea where it was going, which is unusual for me.
And, I know people may think confused sounds like a bad thing, but I was happily confused as it made the journey through the book all the more enjoyable!
I adored it from start to end and it's definitely a book I'll be buying a physical copy of as I'm one to reread the best books, and I have a weakness for amazing fairytale themed stories!
Definitely 5 stars, and I'll recommend it to anyone that likes fairy tale themes/vibes, I'm just annoyed with myself for waiting so long to read this!

Now this was different from my normal reads but i endouvered it in one sitting i loved it it was magical mesmerising read it made me feel like i was walking inside the book

This was a real let down.
The story was slow which in turn made it boring.
A good idea but not thought through.
Not for me.

A slow build up grownup dark fairytale. The magic and unexpected events in the book make you want to keep on reading, however It felt as if the story was a bit rushed towards the end. Sometimes the story felt abit confusing hence the 4 stars, but all in all I would recommend this book to people interested in YA and Fantasy.

This took a bit of time to get going but I really liked it once it did. Suitably dark and fairy tale-y, with a couple of shocking twists (one was fun, one was not.) I liked the main characters (loved Finch) and there was enough secretive stuff to keep me guessing. The book really came into it own when it entered the Hinterland (fairy tale world), though - I loved all the darkness, bloodiness, and the world of Stories and their stories. 

My only complaint is I found the ending REALLY unsatisfying, and hope the sequel doesn't just spend time with Finch - I want Alice's story to continue too, she deserves so much more than this book!

Clever and inventive and dark as fairy tales are meant to be. A twisty, dangerous tale.

I started reading this book with much enthusiasm, after reading the first chapter and being immediately hooked. But unfortunately, the more I got inside the world of this book, the less my enthusiasm ran, until I had to drag myself through the last ten to twelve chapters. I’m sighing in relief that this book is a standalone. I’m not saying it’s a bad book with clichéd plot and stereotypical characters.

To be honest, I still find this book a puzzle, a puzzle I do not want to venture into or solve. The beginning of the book gave me vibes of The Spiderwick Chronicles, which I’m a huge fan of (the movie, not yet read the book) and I thought it’s gonna be a fascinating tale like that. A lot of people suggested it has atmospheric spooky feel in it and so I went plummeting into it.

Little did I know I’d get lost in the book and not in a good way. I still can’t understand many parts of the story now that I’ve dragged myself to finish it. Previously, The Cruel Beauty by Rosamond Hodge made me feel this way. I think when it comes to standalone books, their plot shouldn’t be too obscure and intricate. It only ruins the tale and makes the author rush the ending.

Anyway, the story is about Alice Crews, aka Alice Prosperine, whose grandmother is the elusive enigmatic fairy tale writer, Althea Prosperine. Despite being a celebrity, Althea coops up in her upstate New York estate, The Hazel Wood, from where she never really goes out. However, the plot begins with Alice telling us how her mother, Ella, has been on the road with her for all of Alice’s lifespan, being chased by strange events caused by bad luck. When Ella goes missing, kidnapped by two strange characters from Althea’s eerie fairy tale book, Alice seeks help from a classmate, Ellery Finch, who is a fan of Althea’s book, to find her mother. Strange events begin to happen, slowly unravelling the terrifying mystery behind Althea’s book and its world, the Hinterland.

While I loved reading the first ten to twelve chapters, I slowly began to find the plot and its events somewhat loose and not interconnected. As if the events just happened to spook Alice and Finch, not to advance the plot anyhow. What made me more disappointed in the book was the unsatisfying ending, not tying up most of the loose ends.

Overall, I gave it three stars since the plot’s concept was interesting and its beginning was very intriguing, surprisingly fresh and hooking.

Still, if you don’t like muddied plot and loose ending, I’ll not suggest this book to you.

Update: I just realized this book is not a standalone. Um, maybe I'll give its sequel a try? We'll see.

I listened to the audiobook of this one in the end, and I really didn't love the narrator, so I don't know if that affected my view, but I wasn't really a fan of this one in the end.

Alice wasn't raised on fairy tales, like her mother was. Instead she has been shielded from them and even from her grandmother, a famous fairy tale author. She's always dreamed of the Hazel Wood but is not allowed to see it for herself. When her mother is kidnapped, the only clue is her mother's warning - Stay away from the Hazel Wood. So of course she immediately tries to find it. In the end, the truth is more fantastical than she could have imagined.

What a boook! 
Amazed, loved and shook. 
Reminded me of all the fairytales atmosphere I used to feel as a child. 
Very innovative.

Had its moments, but all in all, not that great of a book. Just failed to connect with the main characters, and whilst the premise was interesting, the overall feel of the book left me disengaged and ultimately unimpressed. Book was okay, not much else to say.

This book was so hyped and i was so ready for a whimsical and captivating story!
But well, i ended up quiet disappointed. 
The story itself was magical and unique, at times gritty and dark and i loved that, but i couldn't click with the writing style and aside from the first half and the ending the rest of the book was quiet boring and flat for me. So thou i loved the creepy feeling i have felt for the majority of the book, boredom took over and i couldn't really care too much about the characters. It's really atmospheric but that's not enough

I was not able to download this book and thus could not read/review. 

Regardless, thank you for the opportunity, it looked a good read.

The Hazel Wood was creepy and that made me like it.  Sady, I couldn't stand the main character so that didn't help my overall enjoyment of the book.
The first part was okay but the second----God help me (insert roll eyes).
As you have probably guessed by now, this book wasn't exactly my cup of tea but if you like creepy and unusal stories and you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland please do give this book a go.