The Night Country by Melissa Albert

The Night Country is honestly not as compelling as The Hazel Wood. It's not bad, but the feeling I had while reading The Hazel Wood just doesn't exist with The Night Country. I think that's as it should be, The Hazel Wood feeling as complete as it did in the end and all. While The Night Country picks up where The Hazel Wood left off, I don't feel like The Night Country is as necessary to the whole story as it would like to think. It was a fun enough romp through the next steps in Alice and Ellery's stories. I did enjoy meeting Sophia and getting her story and the story of The Night Country in universe. I also really loved Edgar and his bookshop. I would like to go to there. I just wasn't as drawn into the world as I was with The Hazel Wood.

I did have a single note as I was reading: "Be sure" always, always that refrain. Every fairytale world. Walk through the door, take the power offered you, be sure. When I said The Hazel Wood has Seanan McGuire vibes, I wasn't expecting the second book to throw "Be Sure" in my face. It's not bad, and McGuire doesn't have the rights or whatever to the phrase, but damn.

But yeah... The Night Country had some enjoyable bits. The characters from The Hinterland are, ya know, a mixed bag of weird and wonderfully creepy. I hope to get to know some of them better when I read Tales From the Hinterland. But for now they're just set-dressing in Alice's story.

Favorite Lines

"If you poke around too long in the dark, you've only got yourself to blame for what you find." - Alice Prosperpine

"A book is always a door." - Iolanthe 

 

 The Boy Who Didn't Come Home

I was expecting and Ellery Finch post-The Hazel Wood story. This is not that. This is his story during The Hazel Wood. It has the same feel I was missing in The Night Country. I definitely enjoyed it.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I absolutely loved The Hazel Wood. It felt very much along the same vein as a cross between Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series and her Indexing series, though it definitely has its own vibe. Got both the kiddo out of their own world thing and fairy tale characters interacting with the "real world" thing going on, but enough twists and story beats to be interesting in its own right. The Hazel Wood is also one of the few stories I've read recently that feels finished and doesn't end abruptly. Even knowing there's a second book doesn't mar that at all. Definitely a plus.

I liked Melissa Albert's use of fairy tale tropes. Expertly crafted together in ways I both expected and didn't. I also enjoyed the couple of stories from the in-universe Tales From the Hinterland we got to experience. They were delightfully dark and twisted in just the right way. I cannot, though, quite wrap my head around why a character with god-like powers, like the Spinner, would want to craft a world where all the terrible things just keep happening over and over... but, then, she is described as sociopathic so... yeah. That's a whole... other thing.

It really feels like discussing The Hazel Wood without spoilers is hard. Even looking back on the first half of the book with knowledge gained by actually finishing it feels like a mine-field. I think The Hinterland is neat and an interesting way to look at fairy tale universes. They do always seem to come from some really twisted brains.

I feel like I have to talk a little about Ellery Finch, though he does disappear for reasons for most of the second half of the book. At first, I was all on-board with his character and then his fate befell him and a bit of an icky feeling set in. Not because of his character, but because of what happened to his Character, if that makes sense... ah, that nasty spoilers thing rears its ugly head... anyway... perils of being Black in a horror-bent story... yeah. That was a thing for a minute, although its not dwelt upon by Alice in the way my brain dwelt on it at all. She grieves, I do a little wince. But it's overall fine... *clamps down on spoilers* Ellery was fine. Very not-like-other-popular-boys coded with a tang of fanboy thrown in.

The Hazel Wood is very good. Definitely fun for fairy tale nerds (like me) and probably the scholars among us, too. I cannot wait until my copies of The Night Country and Tales From the Hinterland arrive. 

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Spoiler Free Reread Review

Dealing with Dragons had been one of my favorite books since the first time I read it as a kid. It was more than likely my first introduction to the “Fractured Fairy Tale” sub-genre. I remember feeling so smart when I realized Cimorene’s aunt was Sleeping Beauty. I am very happy to say that Dealing with Dragons holds up. It’s got a very nice pace, enjoyable characters, world-building that’s not heavy-handed nor too light. I love it so, so much.

Cimorene is probably my favorite princess character ever. She’s no-nonsense, determined, curious, clever, and unafraid of work. I guess she technically falls into the “not like other girls” category, given that all the other princesses are apparently blonde, blue eyed, and waifish. This is not a problem for me as Cimorene doesn’t exude that “not like other girls” aura… if that makes sense.

Morwen, though not featured heavily in this book, is witchy life goals. I would like nothing more than to live in a secluded house with a ton of cats… and internet, which does not exist in that world so… whatever. I really like Morwen.

I like the way the world-building is done, first through the narration and then through Cimorene learning while doing her Dragon Princess duties. I’m definitely in love with the entire way the fairy tale world is fleshed out. All the fairies, dragons, giants, etc. existing and coexisting somehow. Chef’s kiss. Actually quite glad none of it is overly delved into, because I also have a feeling there’s a very real dark side to all this… but Dealing with Dragons isn’t that kind of book.

I’ve largely run out of things to say about Dealing with Dragons. I feel like it’s a really good book that stands the test of time. Prefect for the younger generations and still enjoyable for rereading as an adult. 

Favorite Lines

"I didn't ask what you'd said about it," the frog snapped. "I asked what you're going to do. Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things."

"No soapsuds! It's demeaning." - Zemenar

"It certainly does," the escort dragon said. "It said all, and I meant all. If I'd meant 'all the humans,' I'd have said 'all the humans,' or maybe 'some of you' or 'you over there' or 'all you non-dragons' or --" - Frax