The Hazel Wood
By Melissa Albert
Flatiron Books, 2018. 359 pages.
YA Fiction

Alice only has her mom, and they seem to be always on the road. Alice has a secret from her mother. She is obsessed with her estranged grandmother who lives in a place called the Hazel Wood. Her grandmother wrote a rare book that no one can seem to get a hold of. When Alice’s mom goes missing, Alice will need to investigate more into her grandmother’s life and the book she wrote in order to find clues to where her mother might be.

This book seemed really intriguing at first but it moves rather slow. It was spookier than expected. The main character is likeable and so are the supporting characters (except those you are supposed to dislike). Those who are wanting a book that feels different than most fantasy books, and also like horror, will like this book. 

If you like The Hazel Wood, you might also like:

Caraval
By Stephanie Garber
Flatiron Books, 2017. 407 pages.
YA Fiction

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their ruthless father. Now Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the legendary, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. But this year, Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor who she has just met, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season's Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

The Book of Living Secrets
By Madeleine Roux
Quill Tree Books, 2022. 380 pages
YA Fiction


No matter how different best friends Adelle and Connie are, one thing they've always had in common is their love of a little-known gothic romance novel called Moira. So when the girls are tempted by a mysterious man to enter the world of the book, they hardly suspect it will work. But suddenly they are in the world of Moira, living among characters they've obsessed about for years. Except & all is not how they remembered it. The world has been turned upside down: The lavish balls and star-crossed love affairs are now interlaced with unspeakable horrors. The girls realize that something dark is lurking behind their foray into fiction--and they will have to rewrite their own arcs if they hope to escape this nightmare with their lives 

-ALS