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The Darkest Part of the Forest
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
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The Darkest Part of the Forest
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Publisher's Summary
A girl makes a secret sacrifice to the faerie king in this lush New York Times best-selling fantasy by author Holly Black.
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 her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Since they were children, Hazel and Ben 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.
The Darkest Part of the Forest is best-selling author Holly Black's triumphant return to the opulent, enchanting faerie tales that launched her YA career.
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What listeners say about The Darkest Part of the Forest
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nina z
- 2022-03-30
Felt a little rushed but was good overall
The story just felt a little bit rushed. I would have liked a little bit more detail on what things were and maybe a little bit of backstory on how humans and Fairy Tail creatures came to coexist. Overall I give it five stars anyway because it wasn't boring at all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zombie Tomatoes
- 2021-08-04
Great Book
Holly Black is one of my favoutite authors, she captures the otherwoldlyness of the fae so well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Booknerd70
- 2021-03-18
Just the right amount of creepy and dark...
This review is my second experience reading Holly Black. This book, written prior to the Folk of the Air series, is in the same world, but the characters are different. I absolutely loved the Folk of the Air series and so I really wanted to read more. The Darkest Part of the Forest is a Young Adult stand-alone book narrated by Lauren Fortgang. She also narrated the popular Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It is an entertaining and dark read, and even though I enjoyed it, I didn’t LOVE it, like The Folk of the Air Series. There is a small smattering of swear words throughout, so parents of younger, well-read kids use discretion.
The Darkest Part of the Forest stars: siblings Hazel and Ben Evans who live in the mysterious town of Fairfold. Fairfold is different because, unlike other towns, the people of Fairfold have assimilated life sharing the town with the Fair Folk. That’s right, fairies. Life in Fairfold has gone on pretty uneventfully, except for the handful of occasions the Fair Folk cause mischief. Sometimes tourists go missing, but that is just life in Fairfold. The locals know the rules and if you’re a tourist, well, you better not act like one. Then one day, that all changed, and the town is in danger from secrets that could destroy its very existence.
This story is just the right amount of dark and creepy at times, and the audio just heightens that feeling.
Enjoy!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Manda French
- 2020-12-03
great story and narrator
The narrator carried the story along consistent with the theme of the author and characters.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miranda
- 2020-10-21
loved it
i loved this audo book deff felt like i was in the world ... love holly black
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- K
- 2020-10-16
It was good
It was good. It's not amazing, or deep or profound, but a nice little weekend vacation into its world. A fun little detour from normal life and into a world of youth and adventure and fairy tails.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E
- 2019-08-30
Great, modern faerie tale
Holly Black's story is a fun, modern faerie tale. Her creative story was enjoyable fun, with clever and layered twists and turns; whenever I had to stop, I couldn't wait to come back to it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-04-28
loved it? glad it followed rules of fae
the story was fairly unpredictable and I loved the boy with the horns in the coffin, cute
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-03-03
Great
Loved it, as I do most holly black books. I really wished this somehow tied into her cruel prince books but oh well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 2018-09-19
One of my favourites!
Really enjoyed this! The story is definitely YA and typical Holly Black; a bit darker. Loved the plot, found it interesting and engaging. The narrator is one of my favourites after this. She does an amazing job bringing the characters distinctly to life. So happy I was able to enjoy it in audio form thanks #Audible1! It’s one I’ll definitely get a few listens out of.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julie
- 2015-05-08
Holly Black does it again
A dark tale with a fast moving storyline. The pieces of the puzzle are all there for you to put them together, but will you? Lauren Fortgang does a great job as a reader and most of her character voices are fitting. Mostly. I really appreciate a stand alone fantasy tale that leaves me sated just as much as most trilogies do.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erzebet
- 2018-10-19
Another Perfect Adaptation of Classic Fairytales
Holly Black has, from her first book, been a master at weaving classic fairytale (the truly classic kind, not the Disney retellings many of us grew up with) into stories set in the Modern age. she doesn't create a new world so much as tease the reader with the idea that, right at the edge of the reality we know, lurks a world of magic and ancient beings that has always been there.
My boyfriend and I listened to this audio book last week on a road trip. He is not a fan of audio books but agreed to try one while it was my turn to drive, and chose this from my collection almost at random. He's never read a Holly Black novel, but this book has converted him, to both wanting to read her other books and to wanting to give audio books a try in the future. We did not finish the book during drive but he insisted we finish before the whole trip was over, choosing this book over his podcasts or movies. He was absolutely hooked until the very end.
The story is delightfully dark, a tale of family and love and the bonds those create, but without ever feeling heavy. All the characters are complex, with goals and flaws and pasts that have made them who they are and shape the choices they make as the story unfolds. The Narrator brings out every emotion and nuance in the characters, not just reading the lines but acting them out.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure, who wants to believe that there is magic all around but just out of sight, and who is ok with knowing that fairies may have wings and may sparkle but also probably may bite.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kate
- 2015-02-02
Beautiful
This is my favorite book of all time. I reread it every year. Highly recommended!!
10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Wrena
- 2015-01-28
Good listen
It's racy enough to interest the teens and wholesome enough to listen as a family. Good story with lots of twists.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Christina
- 2019-04-28
should have been listed as a children's book.
it wasn't horrible, I just think it was for a much younger age group. maybe ages 10-12.
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DedeB!
- 2015-03-07
The Horned Boy
Was not what I expected but anticipated every drive to school to drop my daughter off and pick her up again as listening to this audio book is greatly
9 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- lauren
- 2015-01-24
just not a book i enjoyed
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
People into mixed romance would like this book
What was most disappointing about Holly Black’s story?
It was rather predictable.
What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?
She had a wonderful voice for the characters. Acting with all the emotions and voices. Very well done.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Darkest Part of the Forest?
All of the scenes were needed to make a complete book.
Any additional comments?
I wouldnt recommend this book if you don't like the image of men together. Just not my cup of tea :)
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TC
- 2019-01-23
Great as usual
I love the way Holly writes! She describes without boring or overdoing it. You can picture the people and worlds they live in. She sucks you in and make it hard to stop listening!! This is a creative and imaginative book. Thought maybe another story could have come after this one...maybe someday.
The narrator is great as well! Had me hooked!
8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- V. May
- 2015-03-26
Cute Story- Awesome Narration!
Fans of YA fiction like Mortal Instruments and Divergent will love this cute fairytale re-telling! This narrator is fantastic- 2nd series I've heard by her and she's still surprising me with new accents!
6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- chelsea barnes
- 2020-01-26
meh
I didn't love it, but it was nice to venture back to Fairfold and hear some familiar names from other stories. Cruel Prince kept me so on edge, it is hard to beat.
4 people found this helpful