The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Pages: 324

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Notes for Parents: Contains violence, some under-age drinking, and other mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Since they were children, Hazel and Ben have been telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin: that he is a prince and they are valiant knights. But as Hazel grows up, she puts aside those stories. Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake.

Until one day he does…

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction in 2015.

What’s good?

Set in contemporary time, this is a dark fantasy where the existence of faerie folk is accepted by the town, but they are considered to be dangerous and cruel. The world-building is well done and the plot is complex but easy to understand. Exciting action scenes and tense moments create a good pace in the second half. This story has magic curses, exciting battles, royalty, knights, swords, secret revels, power struggles, a town under threat, and a monster in the forest. It also touches on issues of racism, xenophobia, ethics, and the LGBTQ community.

Best Part: The boy in the glass coffin.

What isn’t good?

Something’s missing and I’m not sure what. Perhaps with all the good stuff it has, I was disappointed that it wasn’t more…intense? The first half is good, but not as exciting as the second half. The characters are interesting, but I didn’t really care about them as much as I should have.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺ (3.5/5)

The story has a fantastic premise that drew me in right away. The town’s cautious relationship with the fae (fairy folk) was intriguing, Jack’s history was fascinating, and Severin’s story was captivating…and yet. For some reason I just couldn’t connect with Hazel, the main character. Her friend Leonie was more interesting! Regardless, I still really enjoyed the story. Recommended.

Black, Holly. The Darkest Part of the Forest. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2015.