This is the first book in The Hazel Wood series.
It is a Young Adult Novel telling the story of a seventeen year old girl named Alice. She has spent her childhood running from bad luck with her mother, however a letter informing them that her absent grandmother, the author of a cult book of fairy tales, has died gives them hope that their luck has changed. But all is not what it seems in Alice's life, and when her mother goes missing Alice sets out on a journey to her grandmothers estate, The Hazel Wood, to find her mother and herself.
Alice is a very relatable seventeen year old, even though the events in her life may not be so usual. She struggles, as many teenagers do, in figuring out who she is. She doesn't seem 100% confident in her interactions with people around her due to the nature of her life of continuously moving, and she idealises the grandmother she has never met.
The mother/ daughter relationship is explored very well between both Alice and her Mother Ella, as well as Ella and Althea (Alice's Grandmother)
For me a major theme of this book is fate, does it control us, or can we control our own destinies?
I liked the references to other books throughout.
I'd say this book is a mix between horror and fairy tale, which is a great combination in my opinion. Imagine a modern YA Grimm fairy tale, and this is pretty much what you would get. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Happy reading
Fiona
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