The Darkest Part of the Forest
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4.3 • 299 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A girl makes a secret sacrifice to the faerie king in this lush New York Times bestselling fantasy by author Holly Black. Set in the same world as The Cruel Prince!
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fairfold is a contemporary American town long beset by fairies. This isn't a secret rather it's a tourist attraction that provides the citizens with a healthy source of income (although the visitors do occasionally get eaten by the more dangerous fairies). Hazel, a local high school student, is in love with the town's biggest tourist attraction, a fairy prince who has slept for generations in a glass coffin in the forest. In this, she has a friendly rivalry going with her gay brother, Ben, who also loves the sleeping prince. Things have been unbalanced in Fairfold ever since a mortal woman refused to return a changeling who grew up to be Hazel and Ben's friend Jack to the fairies. Now even Fairfold natives are being attacked, and after someone frees the sleeping prince, Hazel rediscovers her secret debt to the fairies. Close in tone to some of Charles de Lint's work, it's an enjoyable read with well-developed characters and genuine chills, though perhaps not as original as Black's earlier supernatural excursions. Ages 12 up
Customer Reviews
Good read!
Another great book from the world of the Folk of the Air.
I finished the book in one sitting. To be fair, I also finished the Folk of the Air trilogy in one night. Something about Holly Black’s books turn me into a voracious, unstoppable reader.
I love the complexity of the characters and the mix of modernity with folklore. Definitely would recommend!
My new favorite!
I got this book thinking I was just gonna fill some time but I fell in love with it. I love each character, the mystery, the setting, it’s all wonderful. To find out there wasn’t a sequel hurt me deep in my bones. I’m going to be reading much more Holly Black in the days to come.
Holly Black is life.
Loved it!!!