Title- The Darkest Part of the Forest
Rating– 4/5
Genre- YA fantasy, part urban fantasy due to the current culture references, yet part high/epic fantasy due to all the magical creatures
POV- Third person, past tense. Three POV, but it focuses on Hazels’. On page 134, a different point of view randomly pops up
Trope- Forbidden love, evil parents, strong heroin
Similar Books/Comps– The Shadows Between Us, A Curse So Dark and Lonely
My emotions- intrigued, entertained
Characters–
Hazel- our main heroine is great at fighting monsters. She has two identities- read to find out.
Ben- Hazel’s big brother, musically gifted from a magical blessing as a child, holds secrets from his little sister, in love with Severin
Severin- an immortal boy with horns that is awakened from an eternal slumber
Jack- a magical teen boy raised by humans
Plot/Blurb-
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 Ben live where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Since they were children, they 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.
Best part- Page 297
What I’d change-
I didn’t really like the “self-slut shaming” theme that Hazel put upon herself for kissing many boys but I understand the character arc.
Quote-
“I’m not afraid of your trying to figure out what it means to be your whole self, night and day together. I’m not afraid of things getting messy … because it’s us … A relationship can be whatever you want it to be. We get to tell our own story.”
Comments-
Pg 153 was pretty cool but felt very YA
Pg 181 – awesome
Pg 210. I wanted to see some of those events instead of just retrospect. But I understand why it was written that way
Pg 276- nice twist. Kind of saw it coming, but I was also so engrossed in the story that I wasn’t trying to solve the clues but just go along for the ride. Yet the lack of sleep felt unrealistic. Of all the faeries, mobsters, & creatures … apparently the last of sleep is the part I can’t get on board with lol
Cassie Swindon 