The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black 324 pages
The people of Fairfold have learned to live side by side with the faeries that populate the nearby forest, to the point that an understanding exists: the fae only prey on tourists, and the townsfolk try not to upset the fae. Generations of Fairfold kids have been fascinated by the horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin in the forest, though none have ever succeeded in waking him. Until now. And Hazel thinks she might have had something to do with it.
Book Review
Let me be real: I picked up this book because of the cover. And I stayed because of the faeries. I was a tiny bit annoyed at the beginning because the main character Hazel was set up to be a shallow girl who only cares about boys, but it turns out that couldn’t be further from the truth, and that’s probably the only bit that I would quibble with. I enjoyed the mesmerizing quality of the narrative, especially as it relates to the faeries. And the flashbacks to Hazel and her brother Ben’s childhood days of battling evil fae in the forests are delightful. Despite the danger the characters are in, this is a lovely, satisfying read.
