The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on January 13th 2015
Pages: 336
Format:ARC
Source:Borrowed
Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.
Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.
Until one day, he does…
As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?
*I was lucky enough to borrow this book from Wednesday Wright via Mimi Zane. Thank you both so much!
This was my first foray into Holly Black’s work, and it certainly will not be my last. I won’t lie, I was wary about the Faerie situation. (It seems like I am wary about a lot of stuff, no?) But it wasn’t a completely magical world, it was set in a very contemporary setting in the town of Fairfold, where humans know that the fae live among them. I love this, because you don’t feel completely out of place in the world Black has created. Instead, there are typical high school parties coexisting with a sleeping faerie in a glass casket. Relationship, friendship, and family drama continues all while the Folk are conducting their business, but the writing and world building make the whole thing feel completely believable.
Hazel and Ben are wonderful characters, so incredibly flawed and messy, but for good reason. Their family is kind of a disaster in general, with their parents far more worried about their own lives than those of their children. Since they’ve nothing better to do, Hazel and Ben spend much of their younger years being enthralled with the Folk, and are captivated by the boy in the coffin. Obviously, this will come into play, though I won’t say how.
The plot of this book was great because it had many elements to it. There was a mysterious element, romances, family issues, character evolution, diversity, and of course, faerie politics. The writing was beautiful, and the book flowed quite well. I cannot go into full details about the plot, because there were a lot of events, even early on in the book, that would spoil things. It is best to go in without knowing much, but I found the plot to certainly hold my interest.
If I were to have a gripe, it would be that I did want to feel a bit more toward Hazel. While I was sympathetic toward her, I didn’t feel completely connected. I also felt that while the end was sufficient (more than, really, as I quite enjoyed it) and neither too neatly wrapped nor too open, it was a bit abrupt. But really, these are minor compared to how much I enjoyed the rest of the book.
Bottom Line: I will definitely be reading more of Holly Black’s work. Honestly, I was sad when I had to pass this book along, because I wanted to keep it! Even though some of the elements in the book were dark, The Darkest Part of the Forest was an absolutely enthralling book that I don’t hesitate to recommend.
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Oh I have preordered this book and can’t wait to read it. I love Holly Black!
It is really good! Definitely worth a pre-order!
I read Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and I didn’t like it as much as I expected but this one… it kind of sounds better and more interesting. I’m definitely keeping my eyes out for this one and give Holly Black another try 🙂 Greta review!
Thanks! I have The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, but I have been a bit hesitant to read it, since I have heard mixed reviews. But this one was a definite win, even if you aren’t really into the faerie thing!
I can see what you’re saying about the ending; I did have to read it once or twice to really make sure I understood what was happening. But the epilogue!!! That made up for everything 😀
Oh, I agree! I LOVED the ending, I just wanted a bit more of it!
I’M STILL SCARRED BY THAT ONE HOLLY BLACK BOOK FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL. It’s ok, I’m over it. I would love to read Holly Black. I think she does a really good job with that Urban fantasy/paranormal theme, from what I heard. I’m glad you really enjoyed this Shannon! I hope you enjoy her other books as well!
Hahah don’t be too scared, this one isn’t scary, I promise! She really does do well, this is certainly her niche!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one too! I agree. The writing and world building made the book believable. It was pulled off so well. 🙂 Great review!
I agree! I never thought it would feel so plausible! And thanks 🙂
I am so glad you liked this book! I read The Coldest Girl in Cold Town and it wasn’t bad but this is better. I might read her White Cat series next.
Great review! The tour was a success 🙂 Happy Reading
It was indeed a success! Great job! Hmm, I am curious enough about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown to give it a shot, but I don’t think I will like it as much as this, just based on the synopsis. It will have to wait too, because I have a ton of ARCs to get to first!
Great review Shannon! I have heard amazing things about Holly Black’s writing, and The Darkest Part of the Forest definitely seems like my type of book. Glad you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it when/if you read it 🙂
I’m really excited for this one! It sounds really interesting and now I’m curious about the Boy in the coffin 🙂
It is quite interesting! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Yay! I can’t wait to check this one out. I’ve only read Doll Bones by Holly Black (as an audiobook, which I really liked), but I preordered this one because I think it sounds wonderful. I’m really excited about this one.
It is great, her writing is so, so good. I am glad you ordered it, can’t wait to hear what you think of it! Hope you love it 🙂
Congrats on getting to read this early! I really wanted to read this one so I’m glad it got your stamp of approval. I like the combination of the real and the fantastical too. Thanks for not spoiling anything, it’s enough to know that the plot is good. I’m curious about that ending now.