Winter Pick 2015

I am starting a new feature on this blog called “Seasonal Picks”. At the end of each season, I’ll pick my favorite book among the books I read during that time and review it. So without further ado… I give you my Winter Pick…

Winter Pick 2015

The Darkest Park of the Forest by Holly Black

YA Fantasy

 

The Summary

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?

– Blurb from Goodreads

The Characters

One of the biggest things I need to fall in love with any story is to connect to the characters. There have been numerous books where the setting and plot have been compelling, but I ultimately didn’t like it because the characters were either unlikeable or unrelatable. Holly Black is wonderful at crafting very believable characters and this work is no different.

Hazel, Ben and the other character feel and sound like contemporary teenagers. Given some of their extraordinary talents (in the case of Ben and Jack) and the fantastical atmosphere, building strong characters may seem like a feat. But Black pulls it off with her usual grace and style.

As the central character, Hazel was compelling and sympathetic in her yearnings. She is flawed, complex and totally believable. I think it would be easy for any reader to see a bit of themselves reflected in her because of how utterly human she is – an aspect which is wonderful when showcased alongside the other fey characters we encounter through the story.

And speaking of the fey, Black gets major props for crafting the fey characters to be so close to the heart of faerie folklore. One thing I’ve said in the past and will say again is that Holly Black gets the fey. She understand the mercurial and capricious nature and it is evoked from every word on the page. As huge fan of faerie lore, I appreciate this very much.

The Setting

The fairy-tale-in-a-modern-day setting is rather popular in media these days. As such, it’s hard to stand out while still feeling fresh but Black does it. The story takes place in a contemporary suburban American town on the border of a faerie forest. It never once comes off as hokey or contrived – the town of Fairfold feels exactly how a town in any fairy tale would feel if set in the modern day. From the interaction from the town folk to the tourists, the way the characters interact with their environment rings true. I’ve never seen the fairy tale in modern times theme pulled off as well as I did in this story.

Overall Opinion

From a compelling setting to gripping characters, there is a sincerity in Black’s stories that makes her writing seem almost effortless. This is a beautiful modern day fairy story that pulled at my heart. I also appreciate the presence of gay characters in a YA novel that were written seamlessly and without any sense of the author trying to make a statement. I wish we could see more diverse characters like Ben in children’s literature. His sexual identity is a part of him without being the only defining aspect of his personality and I applaud Black for the way she handled him.

Overall this is a very well-written story which easily sweeps its reader into Hazel’s world. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy or faerie lore.