Book Review :: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
ISBN: 031621308X
on 13 January 2015
Pages: 328
Goodreads

In the woods is a glass coffin. It rests on the ground, and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives....

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Tourists drive in to see the lush wonders of Faerie and, most wonderful of all, the horned boy. But visitors fail to see the danger.
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, pretending their prince would be different from the other faeries, the ones who made cruel bargains, lurked in the shadows of trees, and doomed tourists. But as Hazel grows up, she puts aside those stories. Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake.
Until one day, he does....

As the world turns upside down, Hazel has to become the knight she once pretended to be. But as she's swept up in new love, with shifting loyalties and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Last updated on 21 June 2023

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What is The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black about?

The Darkest Part of the Forest is a story which occurs deep within an enchanted forest, in a cosy town called Fairfold. And in the town, there is an odd sight: a glass case holding a horned boy.

Hazel and her mischievous brother Ben have always known about the horned Prince Severin chilling in his fancy glass abode (Sleeping Beauty vibes, right?). When they were small, they used to dance around him as he napped, and often held battles against faeries and told their sleeping prince of wild tales.

But one day, the sleeping horned boy wakes up. And promptly goes missing. Hazel suspects she had something to do with his escape.

Now that Severin is out and about, the town is experiencing an extra dose of weirdness, and Hazel and Ben find themselves caught in the middle of it all. When Hazel realises there’s more to herself than meets the eye, and that her deal with the Alderking back in the day has consequences that are way crazier than she ever imagined, she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth and kick that monster lurking in the woods to the curb.

My Thoughts on The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Darkest Part of the Forest was a really enjoyable read.

Holly Black possesses this extraordinary talent for world-building, conjuring characters and narratives that captivate your imagination and refuse to release their grip. You definitely get sucked in, and this remains the case for The Darkest Part of the Forest.

While Hazel had her fair share of flaws when it came to matters of the heart, displaying selfish tendencies and a knack for using others without batting an eye, she was painfully aware of her actions and weaknesses. That aspect of her personality, though apparent, gradually revealed itself to be nothing more than a mask, just an act because her true feelings scared her.

“Once, there was a girl who vowed she would save everyone in the world, but forgot herself.”

Ben, who initially appeared to simply live in Hazel’s shadow, believed that, despite both of them sharing a childhood love for Severin long before meeting him in person, fate had decided that Severin would inevitably fall for Hazel, crushing Ben in the process. So sad.

Some of the other characters in the book are Jack, who is Ben’s best friend (and who happens to be a changeling), and his human brother Carter. And although they weren’t really in the story that much, I did like Jack and his connection to the faeries.

“I love you like in the storybooks. I love you like in the ballads. I love you like a lightning bolt. I’ve loved you since the third month you came and spoke with me. I loved that you made me want to laugh. I loved the way you were kind and the way you would pause when you spoke, as though you were waiting for me to answer you. I love you and I am mocking no one when I kiss you, no one at all.”

The Darkest Part of the Forest is written in the third person, and while it centres mostly on Hazel, Ben also has his moments front-and-centre, which I enjoyed.

If you love young adult books, faeries or fantasy, small towns, betrayal, loyalty, and love … then give The Darkest Part of the Forest a go. It’s a stand-alone novel, and while there is some chattered online that seems to say that Black isn’t opposed to writing a sequel, it stands alone very well.

What about you? Have you read The Darkest Part of the Forest? Let me know what you thought!