The Darkest Part of the Forest Review

The Darkest Part of the Forest
By Holly Black
Publication date: Jan. 13, 2015
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 336 pages
Source: Publisher

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?

— Goodreads.com description

I love it when characters are supposed to be evil…but end up surprisingly good!

And I love it when there is weird faerie business going on.

And a beautiful LGBTQ relationship. And positive sibling love.

And funny writing and a thrilling plot and great charcterization.

The Darkest Part of the Forest has it all. Not to mention a beautiful cover (made out of actual plants)! This one was a nice, pleasant surprise for me. I’ve read Holly Black books before and just didn’t “get” them. But this time? Aha! I get it now! Totally enjoyable, and perfect for fans of Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series.

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Anna Reads

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