The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Hazel and Ben live in an unusual town, Fairfold, where magic is common and the Folk roam around. Inside that forest, a boy with horns lies in a glass coffin, in a deep, deep sleep. One day, this boy awakens, and the people of the town are eager to find him. Due to his awakened presence, a monster named Sorrow, who obeys the Alderking, terrorizes the citizens in order to find this boy. Both Hazel and Ben were both once in love with this horned boy, later known as Severin, but Hazel has another secret, one that may tear the siblings apart. Hazel risks everything and travels to land of the Folk with a Faerie, Jack, whom she falls in love with, too, to uncover answers. She also learns dark things about herself that she didn't know before. However, Hazel knows that it is up to her to save the town.

I really enjoyed this book because it was the first fantasy fiction book that I've read and enjoyed in a while. Well, I've read plenty, but they all usually have the same plots or conflicts about fighting a corrupt government, or falling in love with princes or princesses, but this one was different. There were many "oh my gosh" or "I wasn't predicting that" moments. The Darkest Part of The Forest is also a book that I can connect to, of course we don't live in a Faerie world, but the way the book talks about "being normal" is not always great and it's okay to be different, inspires the readers. I believe that anyone who enjoys reading something new would love reading this book. I hoped this book would be a part of a series, so that I can continue reading on with it, but it's not. If I were to rate this book out of 10, 10 being super amazing and 1 being absolutely horrible, I would definitely rate this book a 10.

Reviewed by Raeesah, Grade 8

Casa Verdugo Library