Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest
Author: Holly Black
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: BEA 2014
Review by: Jenn

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?

3 stars out of 5 stars

The Darkest Part of the Forest was a really interesting read for me. I don't typically read stories that deal with faeries but I was so sucked into the story and into the writing that my reading experience went by fairly quickly. As my first Holly Black novel, I can say that her writing was very captivating and eloquent and I look forward to reading more of her books.

At the beginning of the book, I felt like the plot moved a little slow for my taste but after a while, it picked up and I couldn't put the book down. I had to know what Ben and Hazel were getting themselves into and how the boy with horns was going to play into their dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It not my favorite subject, what with the faeries and their backstory. I did enjoy it for what it was, which is a great written book, and interesting characters.