In the woods is a glass coffin. It rests right on the ground, and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives…
This story follows Hazel Evans, and her brother Ben, as they live in a town not like any I have ever heard. Sure, Fairfold has shops and restaurants and schools and all of that may be very normal. However, Fairfold also has the Folk living in the forest surrounding it. The Folk are elves and fairies and hags and ogres (and so much more). They’re magical, and the people of Fairfold have learned to co-exist with these wondrous creatures, while also being wary of them.
Although the people of Fairfold live in relative peace and quiet, the tourists that visit the town to see the magic up close and personal tend not to have the same protection from the Folk. When one of the biggest tourist attractions, the horned boy in the glass coffin wakes up, Hazel, Ben, and the people of Fairfold’s lives get a whole lot messier.
And of course, it’s up to Hazel to save the day, like she had always done when her and Ben were young and they pretended to be heroes.
While I may not have liked the heroine right away, Hazel Evans really grew on me. She was bluntly honest and also secretive. It made her hard to like, but she grew on me, and I felt like her character developed the most throughout this novel.
The other characters, though, were spectacular from the very beginning. I absolutely adored Ben and Jack, and when Severin was introduced, I loved what he added to the story as well.
Ben, Hazel’s brother, was truly a delightful character. He was human, but had a blessing from the Folk, that gave him this gift of music. He was the bard to Hazel’s knight, and with this gift, he was able to understand his best friend a little bit better.
Jack, Ben’s best friend shouldn’t have even been in Fairfold. However, his mother switched him with another family’s baby. Because she could. Because Jack is a changeling and the Folk like to play tricks. The baby’s mother discovered this deceit by though, and got her baby back, but kept Jack as well as punishment. I loved Jack probably the most out of all the characters, and I knew from the beginning that he would be Hazel’s love interest.
Then there’s Severin. He’s the horned boy from the coffin, and when he’s first awoken, I was a little nervous there’d be some rivalry going on for Hazel’s affections, but there isn’t. Because Severin does care for an Evans. It’s just that it’s Ben. I absolutely loved the fact that Holly Black introduced Severin as Ben’s love interest. It didn’t feel forced, just skillfully planned, and I absolutely loved Severin and Ben’s interactions.
Although the story itself may have felt a little generic. I don’t feel like any of the concepts or tales are new or all that interesting on their own, but I did think that Holly Black’s storytelling really enhanced all of these pretty traditional lore.
I was absolutely entertained while reading this story. Especially when it took on less of a fantasy feel and moved more towards a darker tone. The way Black morphed it from one to another, and then back again, seemed effortless.
Finally, I like that this is a standalone novel. It’s been the first fantasy/paranormal that I’ve read that hasn’t been part of a series in a very long time. I love that Black was able to tell THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST in one book. It didn’t feel rushed, and it didn’t feel unfinished.
I’m looking forward to checking out Black’s other work, especially if some of her novels are similar in style to this one. I just absolutely loved this.