Review - The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Published 5th February 2015 by Indigo

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 83/50

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

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? 

My Thoughts

I've had this book on my shelf for a while now and it's always intrigued me especially as it's a standalone fantasy, of which you don't see many. Holly Black's new novel is due to be released soon and after seeing lots of fantastic reviews of that one I was inspired to pick this one up before I dived into The Cruel Prince. I've also heard The Cruel Prince is set in the same world as this one, not sure how true that is so don't quote me just yet, however, this seemed like a good place to start with her work and I don't know why I put this off for so long. I really enjoyed this book, it took me a bit longer than usual to read as I've been so busy, but I was glad to be able to savior the story. This was also the first faerie book I've read and I will definitely be diving into more.

Holly Blacks writing was exquisite. It fit the tone of the book perfectly with a great balance of wimsy and darker tones. I loved the idea of the faerie world being an extension of our own, I felt like I could immerse myself in the world easier as it was a bit more familiar. That being said, the detail and description of the faerie world was great, I thought Holly Black pulled off this immersion of the two worlds well. I loved how the faerie world was also much darker than our own. There was lots of mystery and intrigue as well as magic and I really like these aspects in fantasy novels. I also think these elements are quite hard to pull off in standalone novels but Holly Black did so very well.

I also loved all of the characters in this book. I loved Hazel, she was feisty and self assured but also completely loyal to the people she cares about. She was brave and strong willed and these are all characteristics I love to see portrayed in female protagonists. Ben was great to, I'd love to have a brother like him. I also like how Ben being gay wasn't made a big deal out of, it fit well with the story, I appreciated this. Although please note, this was a bit more of a side plot, the main focus of this book was Hazel. There was a great air of mystery surrounding Severin, The Horned Boy, and Jack and I loved seeing their stories unfold as we went through the story. I also enjoyed the feelings of acceptance surrounding the characters in Fairfold, especially Jack. Loyalty seems to be a trait in a lot of these characters, I liked that.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. I read it slowly and savored it. It was a great standalone fantasy which exuded magic and mystery and I would definitely recommend it. I can't wait to dive into The Cruel Prince very soon.  

Overall Rating