The Darkest Part of the Forest

I fell hard for Holly Black after reading [b:White Cat 6087756 White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) Holly Black https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358274572s/6087756.jpg 6264661], and since I have a tender spot in my heart for faeries and creepy little towns this felt like a good fit. The Darkest Part of the Forest is not as tightly wound as the books I've read from Black in the past, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.I think that Hazel is the kind of main character we want in YA, but as such doesn't always fit into a YA book. Since she was a little girl, she always wanted to be a knight. She wanted to vanquish evil faeries, while her brother hypnotized them with his music. Her longing to be this person, to remain strong in an environment that is apathetic at best to her well-being, leads her to make a very foolish decision. One that makes her into the kind of protagonist that I keep seeing over and over in YA - the girl afraid of herself.Maybe it has to do with the coming of age aspects of YA lit. Maybe it has to do with as women we are brought up to keep ourselves, our bodies, our best qualities, at arm's length. We grow up with a misunderstanding of ourselves and our desires, and when those things manifest themselves despite all our best efforts, the only way to respond is fear. Hazel, in a way, becomes a young woman's worst nightmare - she becomes someone else when she goes to sleep.But Hazel is both afraid and not afraid, because she is what she is - a knight. She's the girl who falls in love with the rejected changeling, not the prince. She's the one who marches right into faery court to figure out what's going on. She faces a monster head on even though she knows she can't stop it. She's a very fun, satisfying character to see through the eyes of, but sometimes things were a little less dire as a result. I never really worried about Hazel. That's nice to read, but not as riveting.The setting is great, the mythos and folktale nature of the town immediately takes you in. The supporting characters are delightful. Jack is simultaneously relatable and mysterious, and I totally get why Hazel adores him. Her brother's romance with Severin, the horned boy, is a thin side plot, but it's just enough to feel sexy and interesting. The overall story is on the thin side, to be fair. There a lot of characters, back stories and motivation to pack into 300 pages. All that means though is that it makes for a swift, lighthearted read, and considering that the mythology of faeries can get into some pretty heavy territory, I think that's perfectly fine.

“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... home.”

This book focuses on a town called Fairfold. The town is right next to a forest filled with faeries. Within the forest lies a “glass” coffin with a strange horned boy. The coffin has been there since everyone can remember. Our two main characters Hazel and Ben have grown up talking to the coffin and the boy inside falling in love with him along the way. They are knights to his prince. Then one morning the town wakes up to find the coffin broken and the boy gone. We later learn that the boy's name is Severin.

The characters in this book were amazing. We had Hazel who has never let anyone in and kisses every boy in sight. We have Ben her brother who also happens to be gay. There is Jack, Ben's best friend and Hazel's old crush, who also happens to be a changeling. And finally we have the horned boy Severin. You also have the townspeople and the tourists who all play a role in what it means to live Fairfold with the faeries in the forest.

The characters alone were interesting, but what I really liked was the relationships between the characters. A lot of the story focused on the sibling relationship between Ben and Hazel. This was not a simple romance between different characters in the book. It was more about Ben and Hazel and what they were willing to do for each other. And of course it was about saving the town from the faeries and their mischief.

Part of this review needs to focus on the sheer awesomeness of this book. It is just over 300 pages but still has incredible world building and an amazing story. Holly Black's ability to write a paranormal stand-alone book is astounding. Not only do I love her writing, I also appreciate what she did with this book. It had the faerie lore along with modern culture.

I've always loved fairy lore and for me Holly Black is one of the best when it comes to fairy books. I loved this book. It was the right mixture of creepy, dark, and happy.

One of the first books in a long time that I just didn't want to put down. For years I've loved Black's portrayal of faeries in modern American settings (namely her Tithe series [b:Tithe 46777 Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1) Holly Black https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342120818s/46777.jpg 1460966], and short stories in various anthologies) and this was not disappointing. I fall for her characters almost immediately along with the world they live in. When I finished the last page, I was left a mortal who had tasted the fae's elderflower and honey wine only to wake back up on top of the hill. This has a few clich??s and some tried-and-true story lines (Sleeping Beauty meets every crossroads selling your soul type tragedy) but in a fresh enough voice and with unique characters and portrayal of folklore monsters that you don't think about that until you try to review the book. In her epilogue, Black even lists over a dozen books that she got her information and inspiration from so while nothing in it is particularly new it's still a world woven with golden thread.

I am actually confused about my reaction to this book. I finished it because it was good enough that I wanted to continue but now after a few hours have passed, I can't seem to recollect many remarkable things about it. The writing and descriptions are actually good and these are things that I usually don't notice. It was also quite interesting to see a different dark side of the Fair Folk because I am used to the handsome warriors from the SJM world. Even though I didn't really like the characters of Ben and Hazel individually, I really loved their sibling relationship and the bond that they share despite keeping a lot of secrets from each other. I also liked Severin and Jack but felt that I didn't get enough time to get to know them properly. The romances here are kinda instalove even though “technically” they are not. There are a couple scenes with the monster which are the only ones I think were very well written and I felt invested in. The ending also felt very simple, so I don't have an overall satisfactory feeling. Probably recommend for anyone who wants to read a simple standalone fantasy novel involving the Fair Folk.

So... This was not what I was expecting. I'm sure plenty of folks say that that have read The Cruel Prince Trilogy and then pick this up. I know it was set in Elfhame, but it just didn't feel like it. I was intrigued by the story. The monster in the woods and the prince in the glass coffin/case. There's just something about this story that feels so off it's hard to out a finger on it. I feel like reading the Cruel Prince, I knew it was YA going in, but it didn't feel like YA. I couldn't put it down, but this book, even being set in the same world, was so different, but not in a good way. This is classic YA. As a ripe 26-year-old, this was just not my cup of tea. Which makes me so sad when I loved the Cruel Prince, another YA by Holly Black. I feel like if I was 12 or 13 again, I would have liked this. Reading as an adult, I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at some parts, but being intrigued at others.

I liked the idea of the boy in the glass casket, and the story behind him and the monster in the woods. Hazel wanting to be a knight and Ben being gifted in music. These are all great concepts. Such a great start to a story about the Folk. It didn't take off like I would have wanted. We learn about Ben and Hazel's childhood through the book, other Folk secrets I won't describe, but the book felt so rushed. The end was wrapped up nicely, but there was so much to explore with this. We barely saw the Folk, or got to know our Prince. I'm not even going to sit here and front. I wanted to hear more about Ben and Severin, and even Jack. Their story was so much more interesting than Hazel's. Jack was always hungry. I want to know more about changelings. We hear about them all the time, but I'd have loved to follow his story and how years from now, if he's still living that human life or how he navigates in Faerie. I'd have loved to hear about Ben's story learning to play and control his music. The Folk he plays for or how he visited the High king & High Queen of Elfhame to play for them; what his life is like in Faerie with his lover. I would have LOVED to hear more about Severin, and his sister, Sorrow. To hear how he carries on after the end of the story, what he gets up to in his time or challenges he faces. What he and his lover may face in the future. I would love to read a story about someone else besides a human girl finding her way into Faerie. We've got plenty of them. Can we find some about the Folk and follow them instead? We've heard Hazel's story before. Multiple times. There was nothing special about her story. It was almost a mirror reflection of my girl, Jude, whose story was much better.

The kisses were rather annoying. They were all over the place, and very much YA. I can't complain about those too much. They felt very YA, and then some were rather... explicit. There was one scene where Jack's pants were low on his waist and then another scene where they were low again and he reaches down to button them back up. I'm not sure how to feel about them since Hazel is 16. We all know what teens get up to these days, but the book used, 'make-out' and other times 'hook-up', but they were really just talking about kissing. It was kind of hard to follow when the book started as PG and then kept veering left and then back to PG. Just something I thought was weird for this book.

There was adequate representation in this book. I love seeing black folks represented. Jack and Carter, and their parents were nice to see in this book. Do I love Jack's mom being described as the same shade as the bark on trees? No. I tried to liken it to the saying,"White as paper", but I don't think that's taken well either. Regardless it was nice seeing different humans in this book besides just white, and the Folk being a range of descriptions. Additionally we had some queer rep in here as well. Ben is gay and later we find out that Severin, our prince, loves him. Additionally, there are times when Ben thinks back to previous dates with boys or kissing boys. The longer I sit here writing this, the less I like this book... It wasn't good. I wish I had those hours of my life back honestly.

Overall the plot & characters were there. The execution was not even with so much potential. The same story as every other Fae book with a human girl and a fae MC. Very much YA. Will not read again or recommend. Nowhere near as good as The Cruel Prince Trilogy.

Loved it and not surprised. Holly Black never disappoints me.

4.5

The reason I picked up The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black was because I was on a Faerie kick after reading another book. If anything, the beautiful cover would make you want to pick it up and check out the synopsis. The synopsis is what made me want to read it because of a mysterious Faerie Prince stuck in a glass coffin in the woods. I've read a few of Holly Black's other books so I knew this one would not disappoint me.

The Darkest Part of the Forest was strangely beautiful from the writing, characters, and the Fae history itself. I really enjoyed reading and finding out little mysterious secrets about all of the different characters and about the town itself. Not everyone is how they seem in this book which is what makes it interesting and makes you want to keep reading.

The history of the forest and the Faerie folk in the town of Fairfold was well developed and you would learn something new about the town with every chapter. Since we mostly follow the main character, Hazel, you don't know much outside of the mortal world than what she has heard from other mortals. The book is in third person so you do get the opportunity every once in a while to get inside of the other characters minds. This happens only when something major happens that Hazel would not know about or Holly Black wants us to learn about it through the other characters point of view. I quite enjoyed reading in other characters POV, especially Jack's.

The main character, Hazel, was everything I hoped she would be and more. There were so many twists and turns with her story and I really enjoyed the plot twist for her character. Hazel is a very kickass character and she seems to be the knight in this story most of the time. She is always looking out for everyone that she loves and is willing to do anything for them.

Between all of the characters, I would have to say Jack was my favorite. He was that perfect combination of Fae and mortal to interest the reader. I would of loved a book all about him and his POV. We do get a few chapters (or maybe one) in his POV. I quite enjoyed how he seemed so carefree in the beginning of the book through Hazel's eyes then you realize throughout the book he is a misunderstood and we actually don't know a lot about him.

I think I would mostly give this book a 4.5/5 stars because it was very good and everything in the book was very well developed. It is a very nice standalone novel and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys Faerie books, romance (Even LGBT), and some action scenes. The story is kind of predictable but I enjoyed it because it was a fun read! I see a lot of potential in this book and would enjoy another one in this world.

VIDEO REVIEW COMING FRIDAY, MAY 22nd! Where I will discuss the book in depth!

http://charami.com/2018/04/23/gelezen-in-maart-2/

i wish this wasn't a stand alone!!!!!!!!!! i love everything holly black writes

Easy to tell them is a Holly Black book, but I like it much better than the others I've read. The characters are strong and likable, the dialog is witty and fun and the plot is good. I love the fantasy mixed with modern world setting. The ending feels very rushed. There seems to be a big build up of problems the a rapid unwinding to “happily ever after”.

i read this in preparation for the cruel prince but eh......

it wasn't that bad, but it was boring. it had a interesting premise but it was badly executed
the romance was predictable like from page 1 and felt insta love-y
plus, LGBT characters don't need coming out arcs!! let us exist without justifying our existence!!!

I'm writing this review to figure out my rating. XD I picked this up specifically because I was curious about Holly Black, but I knew that some of her adult books cross lines that I don't want to read (I'm full up on betrayal, lol).

And as a fairy tale-loving drama-fearing weenie, I . . . was interested. I liked the ending and I loved the way the characters came together. The setting was stuffed full enough of atmosphere to burst. The folklore was wide-ranging and fun to see used in a modern tale.

However, for the first half of the book, I didn't care too much for the characters. I had a little trouble keeping some of them straight, and I didn't see enough emotion (other than angst) to really hold on to as a reader. It was almost as if, perhaps, the story started in the wrong place. I wonder if I might have felt more invested had there been a prologue containing one particularly important scene, and then more character discussion rather than flashbacks. Perhaps that might have been contrary to the author's style, though.

Suffice it to say, this was a good travel read and the ending was satisfying. If you're soft-hearted like me, you may find yourself a bit turned off by parts of the beginning and skimming a few bits at the end, but other than that you can get a great feel for how the folklore is brought into the modern world and some sweet proclamations of love.

Now I understand all the recs I've checked before reading this book

I think out of the recent YA books I've read recently, this one was probably my favourite. The writing was better than ‘Nightfall,' and the world made more sense than ‘Daughters Unto Devils.' It was not perfect, no, but it was more mature than either of those books.

Mostly, I enjoyed the fairy tale elements. The characters are fine. They're likable, but none stood out as a favorite character for me. They aren't strong characters, but they are adequate. Still, I had a lovely time reading this, I was charmed, and I was moved by Ben's storyline. I enjoyed the mystery of the plot, and I really, really, really got into all the folkloric elements.

So, yes, this was a charming book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd read more of Ms Black.