There’s such a mystery around them, it’s hard to explain without spoiling some of the book.Īnother plus in the novel was the destruction of stereotypes. Another thing that interested me about the world was all the lore around the faeries and the superstitions around them. It feels kind of like a different time there, where people believe in superstitions and are warned what to do and not to do around the faeries if you were to ever come across one. It’s a modern fantasy without being a modern fantasy, if that makes sense. Fairfold is set in modern times within modern places (Philadelphia is mentioned a few times), but it’s like it’s own little world in itself. The first thing I noticed was the world-building. This was my first time reading Holly Black’s writing and I found it quite enjoyable along with the plot and all of the characters.

I was drawn between giving this novel either a three or four stars out of five, and as I thought about it I became inclined to give it closer to a four. They eventually grew out of this, like all children do, but what happens when the horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin finally awakens? What happens when Hazel and Ben get wrapped up in the mess? Siblings Hazel and Ben Evans used to tell stories of this horned boy when they were little: how he was their prince and that they always had to either rescue or stop him as a knight and bard. It’s also a place of tourism, and deep in the forest the greatest attraction is a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black is almost like a fairy tale-or should I say faerie tale? The setting takes place in a town called Fairfold, and in this town faeries and humans live together in almost harmony.

The darkest part of the forest