Review: The Darkest Part Of The Forest by Holly Black
About
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?
Review
When I first saw The Darkest Part Of The Forest I wasn’t sure if I should pick it up. I had heard mixed reviews with Holly Black’s Coldest Girl In Cold Town and I didn’t know much about her other books. I had thought about reading Holly’s Modern Faerie Tales trilogy but never put it on my TBR (like The Darkest Part Of The Forest) or put much thought into her books.But somehow when I saw The Darkest Part Of The Forest at my local library I checked it out and I am SO happy I did! This book was stunning and amazing! I will definitely pick up another Holly Black book soon!
The plot fantastically original (Is that a word?). I mean humans and fae in our world, not a fantasy world! The town isn't even hidden! In books like The Mortal Instruments, the world is hidden which can get un original and boring.But if I really wanted to I could walk right into Fairfold (If it was real) Even though the plot was amazing it doesn’t matter if you read the blurb or if you didn’t the horned boy WAS GOING TO WAKE UP! And it was super obvious! This part of the book is in the blurb so it is not considered a spoiler:
“Down a path worn into the woods, past a stream and a hollowed-out log full of pill bugs and termites, was a glass coffin. It rested right on the ground, and in it slept a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives.”
A 5-year-old could figure it out! But, anyway it had to happen so I don’t take this part as a big deal or a con since it was in the blurb/synopsis there for predictable since the first page! On the subject of the horned boy, he was a little of a let down considering the huge and magical buildup that seemed to float around him all hours of the day. I mean he was so mysterious without even being conscious, it was deliciously wonderful that Holly Black could do that and leave us wondering all night what his deal was! But once he woke up it fractured a bit of the story. Even so, you could still put the pieces back together very easily!
Hazel and Ben: I didn’t notice how much I cared about Hazel and Ben until about page 70 and up! I mean I liked them but WOW I applauded Hazel once I knew more about her and could sympathize with her! I loved her awesome, brave and confident personality. Who you can’t help but like and TOTALLY root for! I felt so bad for her certain situation (I will not spoil!) and were close to tears (I am not a book crier) during different parts of the book, especially when Hazel was in trouble.
You can still see she was growing up like a NORMAL teenager which most YA books don’t include, but even so she was still mature for her age! Like any sane human being that roams the earth she really had to fight for what she believed in! I loved how Holly Black really made her practice before she got good at fighting, she wasn’t going to get any beginners luck and I LOVED THAT! Holly Black didn’t special snowflake her like she could off.
I really liked Ben too because he wasn’t one dimensional (Hazel wasn’t either) and they really seemed to have a realistic sibling relationship that I can relate too (Because I have a twin) Hazel and Ben’s motives I could agree with most of the time and it was interesting to see aspects of them in different parts of their life. I always loved how you learned more about them as the book went on.
The pacing of the book was very enjoyable. It wasn’t to slow or too fast, it was just right. I can not stand slow books, but The Darkest Part Of The Forest was the perfect speed for me.
Like most standalones it had a sweet and sour ending but it is standalone. You need to include buckets of intrigue, suspense and answered questions in only 300+ pages while ending the book with no hard feelings. It is not easy and I respect any author who's writing a standalone with the difficulty that comes with the end of a book.
