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  • The Darkest Part of the Forest

  • Written by: Holly Black
  • Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
  • Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (72 ratings)

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The Darkest Part of the Forest cover art

The Darkest Part of the Forest

Written by: Holly Black
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
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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.

©2015 Holly Black (P)2015 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Teens with a yen for dark, futuristic novels, and maybe even a few Anne Rice readers, will find this a refreshing take on vampire lit. As always, Black's writing is quick paced and thought-provoking. A must-have for any teen collection." ( School Library Journal)
"With rapid-fire dialogue, lavish details, and a wildly imagined world, this will enthrall Black's fans from start to finish and leave them hoping for another bone-chilling vicarious tour of Coldtown." ( Booklist)
"You may be ready to put a stake in vampire lit, but read this first: It's dark and dangerous, bloody, and brilliant." ( Kirkus)

What listeners say about The Darkest Part of the Forest

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Holly Black is one of my favoutite authors, she captures the otherwoldlyness of the fae so well.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story and narrator

The narrator carried the story along consistent with the theme of the author and characters.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

i loved this audo book deff felt like i was in the world ... love holly black

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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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