Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest is a standalone novel. In the small town of Fairfold, humans and faeries live side by side. While normally leaving the residents alone, the faeries play tricks on the tourists who come from far and wide to see the faeries and the horned prince. The boy horned boy is a wonder that mystifies both residents and tourists alike as he slumbers forever, locked in an unbreakable glass case. One day, the horned beast awakens, unleashing a monster on the town.
The character who narrates the majority of the story is Hazel Evans. As a young girl, Hazel loved to play outside with her older brother Ben. They told each other stories about the enchanted faeries and the horned boy. They pretended that the boy is a prince, that they were his brave knights, and that, someday, they would wake him. Young Hazel dreamed of being the knight from the stories, but the fun times came to an abrupt end and Hazel grew up believing the horned prince will never wake. The Darkest Part of the Forest was an exciting read. From the very beginning, Holly Black draws readers in with an earthy and mysterious setting. One seems beautiful, but hides a shadow of danger and mischief. The plot starts slow, as the alluring scenery is established, but rockets forward into a thrilling set of events. The thrilling plot works in tandem with the dark setting to create suspense and excitement. Unfortunately, this book fails to create a sense of urgency, but the characters make up for it. The story centers on a very small cast of characters. Each one is unique and interesting. As the story progresses, their past is interwoven with their present creating a beautiful and complete image of each character. Despite Hazel being the lead, each character is deeply entrenched in the story and each hides secrets that affect the others. This creates a complex storyline that is fascinating to read about. I give this 324 page book 4 stars.