After The Hazel Wood, Ellery Finch became a fan favorite. In “The Boy Who Didn’t Come Home”, readers will find out what Finch has been up to since The Hazel Wood ended, and before The Night Country begins.
I received this short little story from the publisher as a gift for preordering The Night Country. My review is completely and honest and voluntary, I was in no way compensated for this review.
The Boy Who Didn't Come Home is Melissa Albert's short little story about Ellery Finch, the boy who believed in the Hinterland and the tales that came from there. While the Goodreads description says this takes place after The Hazel Wood, it seemed to me that it more so took place DURING the first book. This is basically Finch's shortened version of the story as seen from his perspective.
Finch sees a lot of crazy things in this world. Yet when he realizes something has happened to Alice, that she's in fact, Alice-Three-Times, a being of the Hinterland. Finch is determined to bring her back to the home she knows.
I'll admit, my memory of The Hazel Wood was dicey. On top of that, I remembered struggling with that one too. There was just so much weirdness, and I think it had to do with not knowing these Tales of the Hinterland, though Melissa is rumored to be writing that book too! I still can't put my finger on what exactly makes this world so hard for me to grasp, I really chalk it up to not knowing much about these other fairy tales that the story surrounds itself around.
Though the story of this one seems pretty clear, it's what Finch was up to when he wasn't on the page with Alice. It was still rather interesting, because I still remember not being clear on Finch's character and if he was even someone I was meant to root for. Apparently the fan base for him was bigger than I thought since he got his own little story. It will be interesting to see how things turn out in this next installment!
My last take on this one is that if you were a fan of The Hazel Wood and grew to love Finch, then be sure to preorder The Night Country and submit your receipt to obtain this exclusive short story. Though it wasn't entirely what I had expected based on the short description from Goodreads, it was still a fun little read!
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
I haven't read The Hazel Wood yet, although I have a copy. I wonder if I'd be confused too about the world inside. I'm glad this short story helped you better understand Finch.
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