The Darkest Part of the Forest in Reads With Friends

Apr 30, 2014 Karin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, favorites, faeries, ebooks, 2014-reads

Totally AMAZING @hollyblack. You did a great job on this one. So clever and a PERFECT ending.

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Dec 06, 2014 Megs rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ok, I'm going to try my best not to let this review dissolve into a fangirling mess. But Holly Black is one of my very favourite YA authors, even since I read Tithe way back when I actually was a young adult. One of the problems with a favourite author is that tiny doubting corner of my brain that is always asking "Is this the book that won't measure up to my expectations?"

Well, this book wasn't it. After being introduced to vampires in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Darkest Part of the Fores Ok, I'm going to try my best not to let this review dissolve into a fangirling mess. But Holly Black is one of my very favourite YA authors, even since I read Tithe way back when I actually was a young adult. One of the problems with a favourite author is that tiny doubting corner of my brain that is always asking "Is this the book that won't measure up to my expectations?"

Well, this book wasn't it. After being introduced to vampires in The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Darkest Part of the Forest returns to the Faeries that starred in Holly Black's A Modern Faerie Tale series. I really loved this because, as I mentioned, I feel in love with Tithe as a teen (possibly because it was one of the first books I read with swearing and drinking and all that. What a rebel). So to go back to Faerie was really fun for me.

One of my favourite parts of this story was the setting of Fairfold. This is a unique town where the mortals are aware of and generally co-exist with the Faeries. However, tourists visit every year to catch a glimpse of these magical folk and every year, a few tourists don't make it home. It is equal parts terrifying and enthralling. I haven't yet decided if I would visit this place if it existed.

This story centers on pair of siblings, Hazel and Ben. Because Hazel and Ben's parents were extremely irresponsible, they spent their childhood running wild through the woods and at some point actually beginning hunting down magical monsters, Hazel with a sword and Ben with his gift for music. However, an accident forces them to stop and they do their best to be normal in such a strange place, at least until the terrible monster that lives in the darkest part of the forest begins to terrorize the town.

I really enjoyed the character of Hazel. Like all of Holly Black's heroines I've read, Hazel is deliciously flawed. I love Black's ability to craft such imperfect characters and make me fall in love with them all the same. I enjoyed Ben as well, despite his struggles and pain. I also loved Jack and how he embodied such a lovely combination of familiar and strange all in one. The only minor flaw I found in the book was in the character of Severin. I just really wish we had gotten to see more of him and gotten to know his personality a bit better.

Without giving anything away, there were a couple interesting twists throughout and a very exciting conclusion. I just wish for a second book, because I really didn't want to say goodbye to these characters. ...more

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Dec 26, 2014 Alreem rated it really liked it

There’s a monster in our wood.
She’ll get you if you’re not good.
Drag you under leaves and sticks.
Punish you for all your tricks.
A nest of hair and gnawed bone.
You are never, ever coming…

The Darkest Part of the Forest is a stand alone book by Holly Black, this book is about a town where people learned to live with fairies, or more accurately learned to live and avoid fairies. The fairies in this book aren’t sweet, kind or helpful … they may help you but you will have to give them something in ret ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Eve rated it it was amazing

http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...

I have several Holly Black books. I have heard amazing things about them and the plots all seemed interesting to me, hence me buying them. Still I hadn’t picked one up to read for various reasons and time constraints. Then a friend and I decided to start doing a read-along every other Sunday (while I’m at work) and discuss as we read after doing it by coincidence one Sunday. We compiled a list of some books we both own but have yet to read and we picked T http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...

I have several Holly Black books. I have heard amazing things about them and the plots all seemed interesting to me, hence me buying them. Still I hadn’t picked one up to read for various reasons and time constraints. Then a friend and I decided to start doing a read-along every other Sunday (while I’m at work) and discuss as we read after doing it by coincidence one Sunday. We compiled a list of some books we both own but have yet to read and we picked The Darkest Part of the Forest, my first Holly Black book to read and I want to share my thoughts on it with you my happy readers.

I was intrigued by the book based on the cover and the plot line. Most intriguing thing about it was that it was a stand-alone fantasy story and wasn't 500+ pages long. This I hear is harder to master. Color me excited. The basic plot, if you are unaware, centers around a small town where humans and fae exist side by side. The fae attract tourists which is good for the towns business but they can also be dangerous. The center of attraction is a glass coffin in the woods. In it rests a boy with horns and pointed ears. We follow Hazel, who once thought she and her brother Ben were supposed to be a knight and a bard to battle all evil. A child's fairytale it seems. They also, along with many, fancy themselves in love with the boy in the coffin. The fantasy of it all, having slept for generations never waking. Until one day he does. The world is turned upside down for our town as Hazel tries to put the pieces together that only she can know.

I liked the way the fantasy of the fae world was blended into the current/modern world like I know it. The magic balanced the line between the mystical and understandable. Enough was explained to follow along and make inferences but it still held onto enough to make it…well magical. There is so much happening in this book so the reader is never bored. Not for a minute. Where did the sleeping horned boy go? How did he get out? What does it all mean?

Those are just some of the many questions you get to discover in this mystery. Plus we have our would be hero ready for a battle, she was after all supposed to be a knight. Holly Black also found a way to weave in just the right amount of romance too. I didn’t even know I was growing attached to certain characters as a couple until I couldn't imagine it otherwise.

One thing I found very intriguing is the small town prejudices. Maybe it's just because I lived in a small town for a vast majority of my life but it felt so real. Especially in the south where you are judged on who your family is and where you go to church. Watching how someone is treated as an outcast for no reason other than something they are 100% unable to change is insane. Seeing the way this character deals with the adversity and not let others opinion of him turn him into a monster. That resonated for me. The characters are all so complex each having their own growths and quests to go on be it internally or externally. Hazel was very loving and compassionate, she wanted to be a good sister, be a knight and fight off fae, and figure out a way to make it happen. Ben, the way he progresses in the story, reading his story and what has happened made me tear up. Same goes for Jack.

The Darkest Part of the Forest has so many twists and turns I don't want to risk spoiling it by saying to much so I'll just say that I gave it 5 stars. It was an interesting and unique story that weaved everything within it so seamlessly and beautifully I felt I could go there and visit and see the glass coffin and the fae. Highly recommend and now I can't wait to continue with other works by this author that I own.

...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Bogdana rated it it was amazing

The Darkest Part of the Forest was one of my Most Anticipated Books for 2015. I previously read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and was blown away by Holly Black’s writing style. Having read both of these books, I now see a pattern. Not only does she write beautifully, but she has the ability to draw the reader into the world she creates. Her stories have a dark and twisted element that I must admit I love. I never thought I would be interested in reading a book about fae, but Black’s story had me The Darkest Part of the Forest was one of my Most Anticipated Books for 2015. I previously read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and was blown away by Holly Black’s writing style. Having read both of these books, I now see a pattern. Not only does she write beautifully, but she has the ability to draw the reader into the world she creates. Her stories have a dark and twisted element that I must admit I love. I never thought I would be interested in reading a book about fae, but Black’s story had me hooked from the first blurb released for this book.

Black’s fae are beautifully written. She sometimes uses antonyms to describe them, and while that could be confusing, it actually works at providing a full picture. The fae are described to be beautiful, and creepy looking; they cannot lie but they have a way with words, playing a double meaning word game, and they are very cunning; they are peaceful but can be dangerous.

The story focuses on Hazel and her brother Ben, who live in Fairfold, a small strange town where fae and humans live alongside one another. The fae attract tourism, so the town people of Fairfold for the most part are not weary of the fae. However, perhaps they should be…

Hazel and Ben have lived in Fairfold for most of their lives. The small town of Fairfold is tucked away in a forest, which also holds a glass coffin. In the casket sleeps a horned boy, who Hazel and Ben have been in love with since early childhood. They both are very protective of the horned boy and they both like to share their stories with him. For many generations the boy has been a fixture of the forest in the little town of Fairfold. Until one day the coffin is empty. Nobody knows who opened the coffin, how they managed to do it, or where the horned boy is. Early in the book we are also introduced to Ben’s best friend, Jack, who is a changeling, but has been raised by a human family.

As the story develops, the town becomes more and more terrified of the faeries, friendships are tested, the bond between Hazel and Ben is tested as more and more secrets they hold come into light, and the peaceful relationship between the fae and humans becomes more strained.

Black’s characters are all flawed and broken in some ways which makes them easier to relate to. She does not shy away from equally highlighting their strengths and their weaknesses. All the characters she focused on are very well developed, making it impossible to pick favorites.

The story is filled with secrets, love, power, magic, and adventure. The underlying question at the core of the book is ‘what sacrifices are you willing to make for those you find worthy’? My only complaint about this book was the length. I did not want it to end as soon as it did; however, the book did offer a very satisfying ending. I found this book to be much darker than your typical young-adult novels, but it is something I came to expect from Holly Black. The combination of modern day with fairy folklore is absolutely fascinating. This is without a doubt one of the best reads of 2015 for me. ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Lauren rated it it was ok

I think Holly Black and I might break up reading wise. This was a 2.75 star read for me. While it wasn't bad I didn't quite like it either. I needed something more gripping to keep my attention. This was my second book by Ms. Black and sadly most likely my last. ...more

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