The darkest part of the forest by Holly Black
Indigo, 2015. ISBN 9781780621739
(Age: 15+) Recommended for fantasy readers. Faeries. Hazel and her
brother Ben live in the strange town of Fairfold. In the woods is a
glass coffin where a boy with pointed ears and horns on his head
lies. When Hazel and Ben were children they had woven strange
stories around the boy, hoping that they would be the ones to wake
him up, Holly as a knight and Ben with his music. No one can break
the glass and his resting place has become a party site for the
local teens, including Jack the changeling boy. Tourists come to
look at the coffin and wonder about the magic in the town. Hazel
still dreams of being a knight, but she is plagued by the nightmare
of what will happen to her because she has promised the Alderking
seven years of her life in exchange for a favour for her brother.
Then Severin the prince in the coffin is woken up and things begin
to happen.
Holly Black is a master of the faerie genre. The darkest part of
the forest appears to be a stand-alone and is not as dark as
her Modern Faerie Tales series, but it still portrays a
strange, dangerous and menacing world led by an evil fae king.
Although rather slow to start, the pace soon quickens as Holly is
forced to face what her promise might mean for herself and for those
she loves. Suspense is built up as the reader is taken on thrilling
trips into the woods at night to meet the court of the fae. At home
in Fairfold, suspense is also built up as Hazel tries to work out
the mystery surrounding the horned boy, and comes to grips with her
relationship with her brother Ben, his best friend Jack and the
horned boy.
The four main characters are well rounded. The reader gains a clear
picture of what home life was like for Ben and Holly when they were
small and their parents were living a bohemian life, careless of
their children's welfare. Jack is a changeling and never quite fits
in his family or at school although his brother Carter includes him
in everything and Severin the elfin prince has many problems to
overcome.
With a mystery to solve with clues around what Holly is doing at
night, a touch of romance and some scary moments, this will be a
treat for fans of Holly Black and readers who enjoy retellings of
fairy tales.
Pat Pledger