Brilliant story full of dark magic. Not as strong as the first title but the world continuation was definitely appreciated

The sequel to The Hazel Wood- which was all kinds of trippy and interesting- The Night Country is very different to its predecessor. That’s because Alice, along with her friends, helped to destroy the Hinterland, the land where stories are from. That is, the bad stories: the Brother’s Grimm type creepy stories.

Now all those characters are out in the real world and having trouble adjusting to it. Alice is trying to fit in, but not everybody is. Our heroine here is more grown-up, wiser and less angry; she’s one of the most unlikeable, dark and sinister YA heroines out there, but I like that. It makes for an interesting ride, and that’s definitely what we get here: lashings of darkness, ornate descriptions and best of all, a mysterious killer getting rid of former Hinterlanders. It’s just as thrilling as the first installment, and just as unpredictable. If you like your fairytales twisted, there’s no better place to be.

There’s something about Melissa Albert’s writing style. It’s darkly seductive. She has a real talent for spinning a fairytale that keeps you unsettled and on the edge of your seat.

The Night Country has the same creeping pull of its predecessor. There’s a feeling of dread and a total inability to predict what’s coming or where the next plot twist will come from. Perfect for fans of old legends and dark retellings!

All my thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't wait for this! The Hazel Wood was one of my fave reads from early last year so I needed more of Alice and Ellery Finch! And maybe was looking forward to a little large there!!!

I must say I think the author is a genius with the darkness of this story (and the world!), just so creative and captivating. 

I would just love to visit The Hinterland (which reminds me, I have an inspired by candle, I'll get it out and pretend!!!)

I also hear Tales of the Hinterland will be released and I am so up for it!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read The Hazel Wood yet but I heard so much praise about Melissa Albert that I didn't want to miss the chance on the Night Country. This book is dark and I kind of loved that. 

The first thing that I noticed was the writing style, so easy to slip in, so easy to forget and let that movie enrol right in front of your eyes. I enjoyed her metaphors and similies. I noticed she uses "cat" references a lot and as a cat lover this really resonated with me.

The story was chilling and kept me guessing. I don't usually read dark theme books so this made me want to put it down because it made me feel ... scared? More like worried. But then I needed to know what will happen, how will this all end? So I kept reading.

After reading the sequel to of Alice's story I am actually contemplating to go back to the first book and read the beginning too.

I really struggled with this book unfortunately, I've now even tried the audiobook but it's just not that enjoyable for me. I think Melissa Albert's books are a bit of a miss for me, although I found The Hazel Wood intriguing it wasn't amazing and then this sequel has left me disappointed.

The Hazel Wood was one of my favourite discoveries last year - a creepy, twisting tale that took all the dark elements of fairy tales and ran with it. So I was excited to pick up The Night Country and to see where the characters went next.

The Night Country retains that creeping sense of dread that was so effective in the first book - the feeling of eyes watching you in the darkness, of danger always being just out of sight. Hinterlanders are being murdered and Alice needs to figure out who is doing it, and like last time, pulling on those threads leads her to some dark and terrifying places.

The concept of a Night Country, and what is required to create one, is pure fairytale horror and glee. I loved the idea of it, even as it terrified me. Such a great concept. The depth of creativity, and reverence for the spikier edges of fairy tales, in these books is delightful.

I love the writing style, too. Even though the proof copy, annoying, had every ‘fl’ and ‘fi’ deleted in it, it couldn’t detract from the atmospheric, lyrical telling of the story.

Overall, a wonderful conclusion to Alice’s story. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for whatever Melissa Albert writes next.

The highly anticipated sequel to Melissa Albert’s beloved, New York Times bestselling debut The Hazel Wood!

In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang.

With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home… 

So, it’s not every day that I have the chance to read both the first and second book in a series and because this is the sequel, we’ll be a bit… careful about potential spoilers, but I’ll do my best!

First thing to get out of the way: THAT COVER. Oh be still my heart, it is a thing of beauty. I mean, The Hazelwood had a pretty neat cover too but this one, oh this one is just *chef’s kiss*

I both loved and got irritated by The Hazelwood, you can see why in my review here, but there was no way that I wasn’t going to pick up the second one – I had to see where the story was going to go. This one was so much darker and creepier than the first one I did have moments where the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I was like nope, lol.
I enjoyed this, but it did still leave me with questions, which I hope will be answered in the third book and there wasn’t nearly enough Finch for my liking! I’d love it if Melissa Albert could do a Cassie Clare and just release loads of stories set in this world so we can really delve into the background of the different stories and learn more about this world and Aletha.

Unfortunately I am no longer interested in reading this book, therefore I will not be reviewing it any further.

The sequel to the Hazel Wood. And I liked it, Alice coming to terms with what's happened, but also not being able to let go of that part of her life. I loved the different worlds and other fairytales and how they were connected. A great second book

I absolutely adored #TheHazelWood from #MelissaAlbert, it was a total reinterpretation of the fairytale genre,  deliciously dark and introduced a fabulous new heroine in Alice Three Times. I approached #TheNightCountry with excitement but also with trepidation on whether Albert could surpass her magnificent debut. I am pleased to say she did, with bells on.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I love Melissa Albert’ writing. It is spot on, it’s lyrical and oozes with rich language that literally conjures magic. No spoilers here but this book which is  part fantasy, part murder mystery explores what happens to the ex-stories when they are unthethered from their storybook world and have to live in our reality. It has more gritty-ness than the first book but as the first book there are still plenty of twists and turns along the way, you think you know where it’s going but there is always a surprise or two. I can’t wait to see where Melissa Albert goes next.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Dark, creepy, atmospheric twisted fairytale brilliance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I know that the first book had mixed reviews, but I really really liked it, so when I got the copy of this one I was really excited. Melissa Albert has a unique style and I love how she did this amazing dark fairytale. It was so beautifully written.

Somehow I liked "The Night Country" even less than the first part in the series. The best part of the first part in the series were the weird fairytales included and "The Night Country" doesn't offer anything similar. Instead, the story just drags on and gets more ridiculous each page.

While I love what I've read of this book and will definitely be picking up a physical copy, the e-arc version has letters missing from words to the point that reading it became too difficult. I'm about 10% in and loving where the story is going -- the tone is gorgeously fairytale, just like The Hazel Wood, and being back in this world is the best -- but I just can't finish the arc with this formatting. I'll definitely be picking up a copy though!

A really interesting read! I was totally absorbed in this world and without giving any spoilers, it's a wonderfully crafted sequel!

This sequel was so exciting, and I loved getting to revisit the characters of the Hinterland. I think the nature of the story and how the last book ended meant that the adventurous kick was a bit lacking compared to book one, but it was still an enjoyable read. Plus those US hardcovers are gorgeous.

A wonderfully enchanting sequel that I could not put down.  Melissa is a fab writer and I look forward to reading more by her.

I hadn’t realised just how much The Hazel Wood had stayed with me until I picked up The Night Country and was instantly sucked back in. All the sinister feelings The Hazel Wood had generated came flooding back before anything had even happened. The Stories that resided in the Hinterland were terrifying enough when they stayed where the belonged, but to discover that the very worst of the ex-Stories had followed Alice back to the human realm was a truly horrifying thought.

I enjoyed the “whodunit” element to Alice’s story – this is something that you don’t often see in YA fantasy, and it added an unusual twist. It was Finch’s story that I truly loved in this book though. The telling of it had an almost fairy tale style to it, and even as the Hinterland unravelled around him, it retained a certain innocence that wasn’t present in Alice’s dark and twisty life. The mirrored styles of each of their stories enhanced each other and balanced the book beautifully. Everything around Finch’s adventures, from using books as doors to other worlds, to the way he communicates with Alice was just filled with wonder.

As the story built towards its climax, my heart was in my throat as I couldn’t see any way there was going to be the happy ending I longed for. Did I get my happily ever after, or did they all die in the end? You’ll just have to read it to find out.

The Night Country really is a satisfying sequel to a book that made my Top Ten of books I read in 2019, and I have a suspicion that it could be making its own appearance in this years Top Ten.

I wanted to love this so much!!! I devoured the first one and couldn't wait to see what was coming next, but in the end I found the storyline slow and lacking in that sinister glamour that made the first book so addictive. Generally speaking its still a very good book, Melissa is a wonderfully descriptive writer and there are amazing moments (usually including Sophia). However, part of me wonders if perhaps the Hazel wood was better as a stand alone, or if perhaps a prequel would have been more satisfying. The removal from dark fantasy adventure to a combination of fantasy, murder mystery and romance-ish left me mildly disappointed. Part of what made the first book so wonderful was the real world blending with the Hinterland but it failed to have the same appeal in this installment.

As sharp, as beautiful, as poisonously enchanting as the first book. There are stories, and there are Stories. There are refugees from endless glittering enchanting tales trying to live ordinary lives. How can a girl who once fell in love with death deal with day to day humdrum? How can a sharp-toothed predator live on coffee and take-out, and not dream of ruby red blood.
I had thought that Hazel Wood and contained everything that I needed in a story. The princess is saved, and reunited with her beloved mother. The trapped are set free from an eternity. A boy full of wishes gets to travel the realms of magic....
I didn’t realise how much I needed to know what happened after the ever after. 

Albert’s writing reminds me of the kinds of cocktails that you buy in hipster bars, sweet, Shaft, dreamily coloured, with floating flowers, and the kind of bite that creeps up on you.