The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Darkest Part of the Forest is a standalone fantasy book written by the American author Holly Black. It was published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on January 13, 2015. It has a good blend of romance and adventure.

Plot
Hazel and her brother Ben live in Fairfold, a mysterious town surrounded by faerie life and magic. Hazel and Ben know how dangerous the faeries' can be, but the tourists don't know. Hazel and Ben used to be a monster hunting team, but that ended when Ben didn't want to go through with it anymore.

In the woods lies a glass coffin, which contains a resting boy with horns protruding from his head. Hazel and Ben would visit the boy when they could, and after years of them visiting him he never woke. One night however, he does wake. What follows is the adventure of a girl, her brother, her love interest, and her brother's love interest all searching for what they desire in the midst of a mystery and machination.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It's nicely well written and the characters are well-fleshed out. For example, Hazel is a great mix of a teenage girl and brave adventurer that has relatable romantic issues and turmoil. The reader gets a good sense of why she does and feels certain things.
 * 2) There is well-handled LGBTQ+ representation. Specifically, there are two gay characters, Ben and Severin, who don't feel forced and their love for each other feels real.
 * 3) Speaking of romance, the book explores teenage love and it's rather relatable. The book's representation of teenagers is not exactly accurate for everyone but is still accurate for a lot.
 * 4) The plot and pacing of the book is quite flavorful.
 * 5) It's objectively a book about being where you need to be. The main characters are different and some come from different places, but ultimately they become a family.
 * 6) There are no plot-holes or apparent loose ends.
 * 7) There is a good sense of mystery throughout the whole book, and this will please readers that like mysteries. It's also quite unpredictable, so that readers stay surprised.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Hazel has a strange hobby of kissing boys, which isn't necessarily bad, but this can put off many readers.
 * 2) It can be rather scary for some readers.