The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (5-Feb-2015) Paperback

A wonderful faery story that only Mrs. Black can tell, and certainly is the best at! Her characters are relatable but still feel like new acquaintances. Even the non-humans are well written and feel real. I just love her work!

Intricate and everything that is Holly Black. A story that leaves you feeling like you are moving away from a good friend and wishing there was a way to prolong the goodbye. The kind of book you will reread and find so many details you missed that it will make the story new again. You will not be disappointed (unless you have terrible taste in books and zero sense of imagination).

This book is literally amazing. I literally read the entire book in one day because I could just not put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. The descriptions were incredible because I could literally almost imagine everything. Thank you Holly Black for writing such an amazing book.

Oh. My. God. Brandon Sanderson is a genius! This book was so amazing! I listened to the audiobook and I’ve never listened to one before, and this was a great introduction. I loved the plot and the magic system was extremely interesting. The characters developed and changed as the book went on, and if I had to choose a favorite character I don’t think I could do it because I love them all so much in different ways! I actually laughed out loud at parts of the audiobook because the dialogue between some characters was so witty and it was just…I really have no words that can describe how I feel about this book right now!

The ending was fantastic and Brandon Sanderson better get working on that second book because I need it in my life now. He is quickly becoming my favorite author, and I’ve ordered more of his books because his writing and the worlds he creates are absolutely fantastic.

DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy or political scheming!

THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST invites readers in with its opening lines that have this wonderful, magical, fairytale quality to them. They lead readers into a world that is beautiful and alluring, dark and dangerous. They speak of a story that promises to be different and interesting and imaginative. They captivate readers who will remain enthralled until the story’s close.

Holly Black sets the stage with her enchanting and spellbinding prologue that introduces a boy who slumbers in a glass coffin in the woods. A boy with horns and pointed ears who never ages, who can’t be woken, and whose coffin can’t be broken. A boy who fascinates everyone who sees him, but especially Hazel and her brother Ben who have both shared with him, their sleeping prince, their most intimate secrets.

The story unfolds at first as if Fairfold is an ordinary town and its residents ordinary folks. But bit by bit it becomes apparent that it and they are anything but. It is a town and people plagued by faery mischief. One that must follow certain rules and look the other way when the occasional tourist pays the price for not heeding them.

It is in this town where the horned boy slumbers. Where Hazel and Ben used to play at being knights, battling the faeries who meant to do the most harm. Where a changeling lives side-by-side with the boy he was meant to be swapped for. And where a bargain was struck that set events in motion that will change everything.

Adventure, mystery and a touch of romance await readers in THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST, along with a wide assortment of weird and wonderful faeries, some of whom have ethereal beauty, others who are grotesque, frightening and are truly the stuff of nightmares. All of whom are tricksy.

Hazel is this story’s incredibly brave and clever and free-spirited heroine, with the position of hero left up for grabs between her brother Ben, his best friend Jack, and the once-sleeping boy in the coffin. When given the chance to try and save Fairfold and the people she cares about from the faery threat, she’s eager to embark upon the quest, pick up her sword, and do whatever needs to be done. Even if it means journeying into Faery.

Author Holly Black creates magic with her words. She envelops readers in the strange and intriguing world she imagined. She beguiles. She frightens. She bewitches. Readers will delight in the fact that they get to journey to the darkest part of the forest, meet the author’s newest characters, and step into their world, even if its just for a short while in this gorgeous, extraordinary, and absolutely riveting tale.

Black just keeps getting better and better. I love the girl hero/knight motif, the importance of family and friendship and yes, love . . . I loved the eeriness and darkness and beauty of the tale. Delicious.

Holly Black is one of my favorite authors! Her character development is so authentic and you really become invested and lost in her story telling. The world she creates is so mysterious and intriguing unlike anyone else.

Holly Black is one of my favorite authors! Her character development is so authentic and you really become invested and lost in her story telling. The world she creates is so mysterious and intriguing unlike anyone else.

Holly Black, back at it again with the modern faerie tales. Once more among twists and turns of lush mythology and fantasy, blended intricately with all that it is to be a human only just finding oneself.

This book reminded me of all my childhood fantasies and took me into another world. I loved the main characters who are multidimensional. You cheer for them and travel with them through their failures and successes.

I love a book that can make me wonder what the next chapter will reveal even when I'm at work.

Give it a try and be transported to a strange, eerie and fascinating place.

I love fairy tales so when I read the description of this book, I was intrigued. And then from the very first page, I was enthralled...So much so that I didn't want it to end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Okay, not great. I generally like her work, but I don't think this is one of her best.

Characters are okay all told, plot is good, writing - as always - is solid.

Best part: I love that her fey are different species and not just regular people with pointed ears. She develops that well. I like the way she blends worlds too, different and well done.

Worst part: I didn't much like Ben's character. I don't think being gay makes you a wuss. I think you can be strong and gay too. He felt more like a stereotype and less like a person to me. He was too much of the story to be so flat.

So yeah. Okay. If I was giving a letter grade, it would get a C.

Modern faerie tales I liked better: Maggie Stiefvater's The Faerie Queen's Lament, also The War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.

This novel was disappointingly weak, in all aspects, especially plot and dialogue. The use of folklore was also very superficial, she used info about fairies that you can google and read on Wikipedia. If you're in junior high, you may still be able to enjoy this book and not be bothered in the same way I was.
There were some goods things about this story. I mean, it's cute. The overall world-building lacked details and originality. It's weird that the author is using bits of folklore from all over the UK and Ireland and placing those creatures in the modern USA. That doesn't work for me as a reader because the American continent already had it's own folklore creatures. Why would the Elder King dwell in a forest in the midwest? Perhaps that won't bother you as much as it bothered me, but I felt it was strange. This author apparently does that a lot in her books.
Also, the author does a good at writing Pro LGTB characters.

Love Holly Black and everything she writes! And I was so excited that she wrote another novel about faeries, since it's been years since the Tithe series came out. If you are a fan of Holly Black, this is a must read.

Okay, not great. I generally like her work, but I don't think this is one of her best.

Characters are okay all told, plot is good, writing - as always - is solid.

Best part: I love that her fey are different species and not just regular people with pointed ears. She develops that well. I like the way she blends worlds too, different and well done.

Worst part: I didn't much like Ben's character. I don't think being gay makes you a wuss. I think you can be strong and gay too. He felt more like a stereotype and less like a person to me. He was too much of the story to be so flat.

So yeah. Okay. If I was giving a letter grade, it would get a C.

Modern faerie tales I liked better: Maggie Stiefvater's The Faerie Queen's Lament, also The War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.

This novel was disappointingly weak, in all aspects, especially plot and dialogue. The use of folklore was also very superficial, she used info about fairies that you can google and read on Wikipedia. If you're in junior high, you may still be able to enjoy this book and not be bothered in the same way I was.
There were some goods things about this story. I mean, it's cute. The overall world-building lacked details and originality. It's weird that the author is using bits of folklore from all over the UK and Ireland and placing those creatures in the modern USA. That doesn't work for me as a reader because the American continent already had it's own folklore creatures. Why would the Elder King dwell in a forest in the midwest? Perhaps that won't bother you as much as it bothered me, but I felt it was strange. This author apparently does that a lot in her books.
Also, the author does a good at writing Pro LGTB characters.

Love Holly Black and everything she writes! And I was so excited that she wrote another novel about faeries, since it's been years since the Tithe series came out. If you are a fan of Holly Black, this is a must read.

Dark, delicious, and devouring. This book gives me chills and writes a whole new definition for page turner. I would recommend this to everyone (even the weird guy on the metro). I love Holly Black's dark twist on the fey.

I read this book before leaving for summer vacation last year and fell in love with the fantasy genre again. I hadn't read much in this genre since Harry Potter and then realized how much I loved it (hence while I have a TON of fantasy books on this blog). Hazel is a fun character to follow. She acts like a typical teenage girl -- and I think I'd know, since I've been one and work with them on the daily). You'll be interested to know that this is more than just a story about a teenage girl. This is about a character who wants to save the world. It's got magic and a bit of romance (LGBT and cis romance) and a bit of drama and then more magic.