The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert by Marissa Posada

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Justification: I chose this book because it was chosen as a finalist for the 2019 Indies choice Award. I also really liked the summary. Dark fairy tales, mystery, and a supernatural world are all elements to a wonderful story. Who hasn't wanted to travel to other realms and see what is out there? I wanted to know if Alice would find her mom.

Evaluation: As a fairy tale story it is expected to contain figurative language. A good example is when Alice is describing the bad luck that seems to follow where ever she travels to. She kept a look out, "like bad luck could take human form and trail you in a mini van...You couldn't outsmart it, you could only keep going when it had you in its sights." It is crazy to think that bad luck would follow someone so persistently. Another example is the headache Alice had before meeting Ness. "...I tilted my head back to squint at the sun, letting the last flares of headache sear themselves like needles in my brain." Ouch.

This book has examples of dialogue. Through other character's dialogue we are able to see what kind of person Alice comes across as. At the beginning of the story, Harold, her step dad, says that she looks at him like he is a monster. Alice is super protective of her mother and believes that Harold isn't worthy to touch her mom. The reader is also able to see what Alice was like by her stepsister's description. "You were scary as fuck...you looked like a haunted china doll." Alice changes by the end, but these descriptions explain a lot of Alice's origins.

This book had examples of drawing a line in the sand. One example is the story of Three-Times-Alice. It is said that the child won't survive, but being the title character it is obvious that isn't true. Another example is when Alice and Finch are trying to find Ella, Alice's mother, Alice tells Finch they aren't in a fairy tale, turns out she is. Another example is when Alice is trying to break her story. The Storyteller implies that Alice will never make it back to her mother, but she does.

Response: I related personally because I feel I am also close to my mother. I don't know what I would do if she was taken from me. I agree with the author's view on family and that the story some else writes for you is not set in stone. People have the freedom to change their story either for better or worse. I really enjoyed the text as entertainment. This was an interesting twist on fairy tales. Most characters are trying to escape our boring existence and join in a story. The main character in this story is trying to do the opposite.

Conclusion: This story has examples of figurative language, dialogue, land drawing a line in the sand. This book stakes an interesting twist on traditional fairy tales that isn't expected. I would give this five stars. I recommend this to anyone who is tired of traditional fairy tales.

APA Citation: Albert, M. (2018). The hazel wood: A novel. New York: Flatiron Books.