The Darkest Part of the Forest
A girl makes a secret sacrifice to the faerie king in this lush New York Times bestselling fantasy by author Holly Black
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. 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.
The Darkest Part of the Forest is bestselling author Holly Black's triumphant return to the opulent, enchanting faerie tales that launched her YA career.
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Community Reviews
"In the woods is a glass coffin. And in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears pointed as knives"
I loved Holly Black's books especially with the hype of Cruel Prince, so when I saw this book hanging in book event in my town I definitely need to get it.
This book was magical, but kind of dark. but hey, I enjoy it.
It's a fantasy story about a fairy and human exist side by side. The story focusing on Hazel and her brother, Ben where they live in Fairfold. And the story begins with Hazel and Ben telling each other stories about the horned boy who sleeps in the glass coffin; that he is a prince.
They love the sleeping horned boy as they often gone on adventures together to searching the lost tourists and slay monsters until they found out the sleeping horned boy is awake...
I love the vibe they having in this book, they seems to have some kind of magical, urban-fantasy with the touch of darkenss into it. You could also potrays a lot in this book like how the monsters gonna be, or the environment which I totally enjoy.
Characters
The only thing that kinda drift me off is I haven't got the strong connection I have with Hazel, whom I hate in every chapter. For me she's so unlikeable, I don't even have to take another look when she said she occasionally always kissing every boy in town just because the thing she did in the past like the bargain with the creature for the reason which I though is very unnecesary for her to do it.
But Ben in the other hand, is very likeable. I love his naiveness, his softness, his pure heart and sooo hugable. He seems the kind of person who potrays as the side character who always in trouble. But NO! He got the biggest role in the story and I like it very much.
the other characters? not so much entertaining like Jack, eho happens to be a changeling adopted by humans which I was wished this book would focus more on him rather than just his pwer and bloodline etc. But okay.
And then, Severi the horned boy. I kiinda like him with his strong heart but also full of love. kinda almost like grey characters in the first but... okay.
The Plot
This book have so many great deep scenes like grief, power, and sadness that could change people in so many ways.
The story also have kinda fast pacing but not too fast that could ruin the feelings inside. Holly Black would still play with your emotion through the scene and then make you eager to know the rest of it.
But the one thing that didn't suit me is some of the unnecessary past written in this book like "yea, I know let's get over it" kind of feeling while reading it in some scenes.
But still I love every deep messages contained in this book. You can always pick the deep meaning in every scene. I love it.
We Love until we do not. For us, love doesn't fade gradually. It snaps like a branch bent too far
I loved Holly Black's books especially with the hype of Cruel Prince, so when I saw this book hanging in book event in my town I definitely need to get it.
This book was magical, but kind of dark. but hey, I enjoy it.
It's a fantasy story about a fairy and human exist side by side. The story focusing on Hazel and her brother, Ben where they live in Fairfold. And the story begins with Hazel and Ben telling each other stories about the horned boy who sleeps in the glass coffin; that he is a prince.
They love the sleeping horned boy as they often gone on adventures together to searching the lost tourists and slay monsters until they found out the sleeping horned boy is awake...
I love the vibe they having in this book, they seems to have some kind of magical, urban-fantasy with the touch of darkenss into it. You could also potrays a lot in this book like how the monsters gonna be, or the environment which I totally enjoy.
Characters
The only thing that kinda drift me off is I haven't got the strong connection I have with Hazel, whom I hate in every chapter. For me she's so unlikeable, I don't even have to take another look when she said she occasionally always kissing every boy in town just because the thing she did in the past like the bargain with the creature for the reason which I though is very unnecesary for her to do it.
But Ben in the other hand, is very likeable. I love his naiveness, his softness, his pure heart and sooo hugable. He seems the kind of person who potrays as the side character who always in trouble. But NO! He got the biggest role in the story and I like it very much.
the other characters? not so much entertaining like Jack, eho happens to be a changeling adopted by humans which I was wished this book would focus more on him rather than just his pwer and bloodline etc. But okay.
And then, Severi the horned boy. I kiinda like him with his strong heart but also full of love. kinda almost like grey characters in the first but... okay.
The Plot
This book have so many great deep scenes like grief, power, and sadness that could change people in so many ways.
The story also have kinda fast pacing but not too fast that could ruin the feelings inside. Holly Black would still play with your emotion through the scene and then make you eager to know the rest of it.
But the one thing that didn't suit me is some of the unnecessary past written in this book like "yea, I know let's get over it" kind of feeling while reading it in some scenes.
But still I love every deep messages contained in this book. You can always pick the deep meaning in every scene. I love it.
We Love until we do not. For us, love doesn't fade gradually. It snaps like a branch bent too far
I really loved the writing style in the book. I love reading 3rd person POV. Holly Black is fantastic at writing paranormal standalones.
Hazel and Ben live in a town on the edge of Faerieland. But not the nice faeries. They Fey, the Sidhe, not the nice Botticelli cupid fairies from Renaissance paintings or even the slightly mischievous pixies from Disney. These are the faeries that steal your children. These are the faeries that take your life away from you with cunning and trickery. These are the faeries that slit your throat open and use your blood to decorate their homes. These are the more interesting, in my mind. I find them way more fascinating and I have been intrigued by them ever since I was little and I read a story about a girl whose brother was almost stolen by faeries and she tricked them into giving him back. Honestly, I think that was what I liked best about this story -- the sense of foreboding and wariness. The sense that you were most likely going to be tricked and you'd best just try to get the best trick possible.
Fortunately, it was more than just the right kind of faerie. The characters of Ben and Hazel were interesting and compelling, twisted with their own secrets and the malformed attempts to protect each other. There was Jack, the changeling who'd been kept alongside new human brother. Can you really trust someone who's from the outside? Or does growing up alongside you negate their foreignness? There was the horned prince in the glass coffin, a delightful alternate to Snow White. There was saving and being saved. There was kissing of everybody. There was sorrow and finding gifts in curses and finding curses in gifts.
The only thing that makes this book a 4.5 for me instead of a 5 was that the whole cursing and bargaining felt clumsy to me. It was hard for me to keep things straight, and I so wanted it to slot into place, right at the end, for me and the characters, like puzzle pieces. I've read books like that before, where you know there's an easy solution you can't see and then boom, it hits you and the characters all at the same time. It's like finding the perfect position of your body in a difficult yoga pose. The heavens open up and the angelic choir sings. I love it. I don't know how to do it properly, or I'd already be published. And I'm not even sure it's something you can really teach; it's just how to put things together. And Ms. Black didn't really have it together. Thus, the ending felt a little incomplete.
But aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it practically in one sitting, enchanted by the faeries and the boy in the glass coffin and the mystery. I already want to go back to such a faerie world, even though I know I'd surely make a bad bargain. Still, it's the kind of magic I like best.
Fortunately, it was more than just the right kind of faerie. The characters of Ben and Hazel were interesting and compelling, twisted with their own secrets and the malformed attempts to protect each other. There was Jack, the changeling who'd been kept alongside new human brother. Can you really trust someone who's from the outside? Or does growing up alongside you negate their foreignness? There was the horned prince in the glass coffin, a delightful alternate to Snow White. There was saving and being saved. There was kissing of everybody. There was sorrow and finding gifts in curses and finding curses in gifts.
The only thing that makes this book a 4.5 for me instead of a 5 was that the whole cursing and bargaining felt clumsy to me. It was hard for me to keep things straight, and I so wanted it to slot into place, right at the end, for me and the characters, like puzzle pieces. I've read books like that before, where you know there's an easy solution you can't see and then boom, it hits you and the characters all at the same time. It's like finding the perfect position of your body in a difficult yoga pose. The heavens open up and the angelic choir sings. I love it. I don't know how to do it properly, or I'd already be published. And I'm not even sure it's something you can really teach; it's just how to put things together. And Ms. Black didn't really have it together. Thus, the ending felt a little incomplete.
But aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it practically in one sitting, enchanted by the faeries and the boy in the glass coffin and the mystery. I already want to go back to such a faerie world, even though I know I'd surely make a bad bargain. Still, it's the kind of magic I like best.
A beautiful somber world, with damp moss and tears shed from self discovery. The fantasy in the worlds written by Holly Black is dark and dangerous, with just the perfect amount of alluring.
not your usual kind of fantasy. i'd rather say it's an example of magical realism - which i like as a genre (probably most of all genres). though it's probably the only fascinating thing about this book. i didn't really relate to either of the characters and found the story a bit slow - not boring but not exciting, as well
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