Waiting on Wednesay: The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine to spotlight upcoming book releases that we're excited about.


This week's pick

Release date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages

Goodreads description:
Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?


I have a confession to make: I got a signed copy of this at ALA when I met Holly Black, and I couldn't resist. I've already read it, and I'll probably read it again closer to release before I write my review. This much in advance: it's fantastic. It's both similar to and different from Holly's other faerie books. The writing and characters are just so wonderful. Holly knows the path to my secret hidden heart.
But what do you think? Do you like the sound of the synopsis? Have you read any of Holly's other books?