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Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.
Staff Pick
Creepy and suspenseful, The Hazel Wood is the story of Alice, her mother Ella, and a book of dark fairy tales that just might be true. When Ella disappears and characters from the stories begin to appear, Alice may find more than she bargained for. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
"The Hazel Wood will be your next literary obsession." --Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval
"Thoroughly, creepily captivating." --Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling
"This is one of the best books I've read in years." --Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places
"Absolutely breathtaking." --Seanan McGuire, author of Every Heart a Doorway
Welcome to the Hazel Wood--a fiercely stunning contemporary fantasy perfect for fans of The Magicians
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away--by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: "Stay away from the Hazel Wood."
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother's cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began--and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong
Review
“A can’t-miss, dark, and creepy new take on fairy tales that will have you glued to the page until the very end.” BuzzFeed
Review
“One of those rare young adult fantasy novels that holds a self-contained world in only a few hundred pages. If the novel’s heroine is a teenage girl, then her story will appeal to readers of all ages, with its intrigue and strange fairy tale magic and very grown up writing.” Esquire
Review
“An eerie, assured first novel. Albert occasionally entwines the haunting tales of the grandmother’s book through this mesmerizing narrative, creatinga fantasy as lush and twisty as ivy.” The Washington Post
Synopsis
Welcome to Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood--the fiercely stunning New York Times bestseller with seven starred reviews everyone is raving about
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away--by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: "Stay away from the Hazel Wood."
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother's cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began--and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.
About the Author
Melissa Albert is the founding editor of the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog and the managing editor of BN.com. She has written for McSweeney’s, Time Out Chicago, MTV, and more. Melissa is from Illinois and lives in Brooklyn. The Hazel Wood is her first novel.