(Review) The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Publication Date: January 15, 2015

Pages: 336 (hardcover)

Genre: Young Adult

My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: 

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 Review: 

I've apparently had this book on my TBR list since 2015 and just realized it. I picked it up recently from the library because I love reading about magic (I've been on a kick this summer) and it sounded like it'd be just right. 

Hazel and Ben are great characters. They have a strong sibling bond that has less do with monsters and more to do with the fact that their parents kind of suck. Growing up in the town of Fairfold isn't easy for anyone really. The Fae are supposed to respect the humans that live there, but it isn't always the case. Case in point: one of their best friends, Jack, is a changeling. 

Weird things start to happen to Hazel with the horned boy in the coffin wakes up after centuries. She loses bits of time, wakes up with a bed filled with dirt, and keeps getting weird messages. All the while she keeps this from Ben and her relationship with Jack begins to blossom. 

I liked this storyline enough, but felt like it could have been more. Though Hazel is a great character, for most of the book she just feels like an impulsive little girl who wants to get her way. There's a whole other side of her that we don't even know about and I would have loved to have had some of those scenes of Sir Hazel. 

The relationships built in this book are great, however. From Jack and Hazel to Ben and Severin. There was always part of me that was guessing if someone was going to turn out to be the bad guy, so the suspense was there. 

All in all, it quenched my magical thirst and I'm glad I finally picked it up.