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A review by mynameismarines
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
3.0
3.5 stars
I read [b:Tithe|46777|Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)|Holly Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342120818s/46777.jpg|1460966]ages ago, when it was first released and only vaguely remember struggling through the story, and probably never finishing it. (But, oh, I loved that cover.) My next Holly Black book was [b:The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|12813630|The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|Holly Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367312471s/12813630.jpg|17962903]. As I was reading this book, my impression was that I felt about it the same way I felt about Coldtown. In fact, allow me to quote that review:
I want to like this book more than I actually do. The promise is in its premise, and there are occasional spots of 4-star worth story telling. The big picture, however, falls short of that "really liked it" mark.
Yes, me! This!
I will say, though, that I liked this book better than Coldtown. Black's storytelling is often at odds, though. She excels at atmosphere and brilliant details and falters in plotting and sometimes pacing. I wanted to just immerse myself in Fairfold, but even as I tried, the plot kind of plodded along, sometimes being repetitive to a fault.
This is urban fantasy, perhaps? It's set in the US, in our time, in a town where faeries also exist. It's just an accepted fact. There was something about this magical realism, however, that didn't settle for me. I was completely thrown off by the mention of iPods and Doctor Who in one sentence and Faery Kings in another. Again, not because these things can't exist in a story together, but because there was something forced about the way Black lays it out. I found myself not quite able to suspend my disbelief or to accept this place and these characters or their starting motivations.
There were specific things I mentally noted to mention as downsides to the story, but by the end, most of them weren't 100% true. Examples:
I mentioned the repetition, and a big one is all the times Hazel and Ben's childhood was mentioned, in nearly identical language. The ways their parents were negligent. I feel like a jerk for saying, "ALRIGHT ALREADY!" about child abuse, but it got to the point that I thought I was mistakenly rereading a scene. HOWEVER, there is something at the end that softens me towards these mentions and these scenes. It's a small reveal about how Hazel dealt with this part of her life.
Next was the way the story and world were revealed. I'm usually a huge fan of authors who limit the exposition and let the world unfold by itself. Black certainly did that, almost to a detriment. I got a tad confused at the beginning and then just felt annoyed by the purposeful cliffhangers of "and her brother had no idea." or "She could never tell anyone... her secret." Again: alright already. HOWEVER, that reveal at the end also changed how I saw this. It seemed more in line with what we know about Hazel.
So, it seemed pretty square in the good and bad parts. The extra half star comes because there were some genuinely creepy moments (like the crying scene at the high school. Oof.) and because there was a lovely fairytale atmosphere throughout the whole book. The writing itself was enchanting, even if the story left something to be desired.
I read [b:Tithe|46777|Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)|Holly Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342120818s/46777.jpg|1460966]ages ago, when it was first released and only vaguely remember struggling through the story, and probably never finishing it. (But, oh, I loved that cover.) My next Holly Black book was [b:The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|12813630|The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|Holly Black|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367312471s/12813630.jpg|17962903]. As I was reading this book, my impression was that I felt about it the same way I felt about Coldtown. In fact, allow me to quote that review:
I want to like this book more than I actually do. The promise is in its premise, and there are occasional spots of 4-star worth story telling. The big picture, however, falls short of that "really liked it" mark.
Yes, me! This!
I will say, though, that I liked this book better than Coldtown. Black's storytelling is often at odds, though. She excels at atmosphere and brilliant details and falters in plotting and sometimes pacing. I wanted to just immerse myself in Fairfold, but even as I tried, the plot kind of plodded along, sometimes being repetitive to a fault.
This is urban fantasy, perhaps? It's set in the US, in our time, in a town where faeries also exist. It's just an accepted fact. There was something about this magical realism, however, that didn't settle for me. I was completely thrown off by the mention of iPods and Doctor Who in one sentence and Faery Kings in another. Again, not because these things can't exist in a story together, but because there was something forced about the way Black lays it out. I found myself not quite able to suspend my disbelief or to accept this place and these characters or their starting motivations.
There were specific things I mentally noted to mention as downsides to the story, but by the end, most of them weren't 100% true. Examples:
I mentioned the repetition, and a big one is all the times Hazel and Ben's childhood was mentioned, in nearly identical language. The ways their parents were negligent. I feel like a jerk for saying, "ALRIGHT ALREADY!" about child abuse, but it got to the point that I thought I was mistakenly rereading a scene. HOWEVER, there is something at the end that softens me towards these mentions and these scenes. It's a small reveal about how Hazel dealt with this part of her life.
Next was the way the story and world were revealed. I'm usually a huge fan of authors who limit the exposition and let the world unfold by itself. Black certainly did that, almost to a detriment. I got a tad confused at the beginning and then just felt annoyed by the purposeful cliffhangers of "and her brother had no idea." or "She could never tell anyone... her secret." Again: alright already. HOWEVER, that reveal at the end also changed how I saw this. It seemed more in line with what we know about Hazel.
So, it seemed pretty square in the good and bad parts. The extra half star comes because there were some genuinely creepy moments (like the crying scene at the high school. Oof.) and because there was a lovely fairytale atmosphere throughout the whole book. The writing itself was enchanting, even if the story left something to be desired.