The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (review)

At her elite New York school, Alice meets Finch, a super-fan of her grandmother's mysterious book of horror-laced fairy tales. When her grandmother dies, Alice's mother is kidnapped and characters from the ghastly tales show up on New York city streets; Finch agrees to help Alice find the Hazel Wood, where Alice's grandmother retreated shortly after her book was published. Soon enough, the two realize that they are not so much seeking the Wood as being herded there, pursued by two particularly nasty characters whose ultimate goal seems to be to kill them before they enter the Wood itself. The Wood has its own plans, however, and Alice must find a way to change the ending to her story if she ever wants to see her mother again. Though there is some violence and gore, augmented by the spot art that fronts each chapter, it's the careful interweaving of real-life horrors of stalking, child abduction, and random murders with the darkest of fey vengeance logic that makes for the creepy atmospherics in this blur of worlds. Alice's childhood memories take on a wholly different cast as she nears the Wood, drawing out the suspense as she slowly realizes who she is. Finch is more than a ride-along on her journey, bringing with him his own reasons for accompanying her and thwarting any conventional happy ending, fairy tale or otherwise. Fans of the dark supernatural will gobble this up, their only disappointment being that only two of Alice's grandmother's tales are related in full. KC