The Darkest Part of the Forest Review

I have not read all of Holly Black's written works, but I've covered a good deal, and it's safe to say that I'm a fan. I *loved* Black's Curseworkers series. I really liked The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Doll Bones was delightful.  The Iron Trial, Black's collaboration with Cassandra Clare... I prefer to think that never happened. I was expecting great things from Black's newest offering, The Darkest Part of the Forest.  Perhaps because of my high expectations I wound up being more than a little disappointed.

It's hard to dispute that Black, at this point in her career, is a very good writer.  Her prose is flowing, her descriptions are vivid, her characters are dimensional, her imagination is crazy (good).  Her writing has a dark, creepy aspect to it, while retaining an elemental sweetness.  All of these nice things can be found in The Darkest Part of the Forest.  Why, then, was I underwhelmed? Even a little irritated?

For one thing, as a stand-alone, this novel seemed a tad crowded.  There was a lot going on, and in order to resolve everything at the end, some subplots and character arcs wound up feeling rushed, abbreviated, and underdeveloped.  This was a huge problem for me.  I love to be moved by books, but the emotional core of The Darkest Part of the Forest was compromised due to sparse development.  The greatest example of this shortcoming was the highly buzzed-over male/male romance of the book.  I was so annoyed.  That love plot was obviously supposed to be a modern take on Snow White, but what is updated about insta-love? Simply more time needed to be devoted to that storyline and others.

Another thing — Black loves, loves, to withhold information.  This device worked like gangbusters in the Curseworkers series, keeping me on the edge of my seat.  As used in The Darkest Part of the Forest, the plot became mired and clogged.  All of the big reveals were saved for late in the book — too much, too late.

Also, more personally, I am sooo tired of the fae.  I need a vacation from these mythical beings.  They're so very overused and one-note. I'm not sure if Black was attempting a new spin on this subject matter.  I honesty can't tell.  If she was trying, I can't say that she succeeded.

At the end of it, I'm still a Holly Black fan.  I'll still pick up her next (solo) published work, without question, but I'm more wary now than I was before.