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 Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars 
 It's easy to see why Holly Black is considered one of the best modern YA authors. Despite the fact that many think paranormal fiction is a long overdue fad, she manages to make each of her novels feel fresh and exciting. The Darkest Part Of The Forest reads like a Grimm fairytale; it's magical, immersive and deliciously creepy. I remember feeling overcome with the same sense of wonder while reading DPotF, as when I had read Black's Spiderwick Chronicles years ago; in a way this is Spiderwick for more mature readers. 
 The boy in the coffin has always been apart of Fairfold and it's mysterious history. The residents know that faeries exist, but that they refuse to get involved in their seedy world of danger. Ben and Hazel have both always been in love with the boy in the coffin, spending hours in the forest with his lifeless body. When the boy in the coffin goes missing, life in Fairfold becomes topsy-turvy. 
 You instantly feel the tension and danger in TDPoTF because the setting is so atmospheric and real that it almosts feels like a main character. There is so much back-story about Fairfold that readers will feel like they're familiar with this locale and they'll never want to leave the forest. Even when I knew the forest was full of unspeakable perils, I was still caught up in the allure of the fae and wanted to be within their grasp. 
 The fairies in this novel are the classic cold, calculating figures we know, but at the same time they're completely original and an invention of Black's mind. You'll love them and despite them all within a few pages and it's admirable how in-depth their characters are. 
 The Darkest Part Of The Forest is a slow, gorgeous and lyrical novel that I really enjoyed reading right from the start. The opening chapters greeted me with a mix of that familiar fairy-tale feel in a modern setting and I needed to know what happened to the boy in the coffin. I was charmed by this novel for most of this one, but towards the middle portion to the end I started to get a bit fed-up. After several climatic chapters, there was just waiting too much waiting for something to happen. I did enjoy the ending, but I didn't care for it as much as I would have liked. 
 This novel features two couples that I fell for and both are extremely distinct from each other. Even though I loved Hazel and her beau, it just couldn't compare to Ben's romance. At of deference for my fellow readers and in fear of spoiling anything, I'm not referring to their partners by name.It was a bit upsetting that Ben's GLBT romance was clearly the superior one and that it was overshadowed by Hazel's. I just felt so many emotions while reading Ben's and while Hazel's was well-written and interesting, it just wasn't as poignant. 
 Holly Black's return to the world of fairies is definitely a triumphant one and I can't wait to read the rest of her backlist. I'm not a huge fan of novels about the fae, but Black made me rethink my opinion and that I should give these stories another chance. Explore the darkest part of the forest because I think you'll like what you find there!!