“Waiting
On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that
spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. Basically books that are not yet out that we
are dying to get our hands on. This
week’s pick is:
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some
divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more
beautiful than the rest. I hate him more
than all the others. I hate him so much
that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude
was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters
were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years late, Jude wants nothing more than
to belong there, despite her mortality.
But many of the fey despise humans.
Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High
King.
To
win a place at the Court, she must defy him-and face the consequences.
In
doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering
her own capacity for bloodshed. But as
civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need
to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie
itself.
Why I’m Waiting:
I
have several more Holly Black books yet to read but the ones I have read I have
really enjoyed. She seems to have a way
with Faerie and I look forward to this one!
What
are you waiting on? Tell me below what
you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it
out.
I
have a review for you today, but first a special announcement. I want to thank everyone who took part in my
last giveaway for the release of the last book in the Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee. I'm really enjoying the giveaway fun and plan
to do more in the future! That being
said a special congrats to the winner, pulled randomly via rafflecopter! Emily R who enjoyed Pooky Bear! Congrats!
You will have your lovelies soon.
Thanks again everyone for participating.
Now onto the book review.
I
have several Holly Black books.I have
heard amazing things about them and the plots all seemed interesting to me,
hence me buying them.Still I hadn’t
picked one up to read for various reasons and time constraints.Then a friend and I decided to start doing a
read-along every other Sunday (while I’m at work) and discuss as we read after
doing it by coincidence one Sunday.We
compiled a list of some books we both own but have yet to read and we picked The Darkest Part of the Forest, my first
Holly Black book to read and I want to share my thoughts on it with you my
happy readers.
I
was intrigued by the book based on the cover and the plot line. Most intriguing thing about it was that it
was a stand-alone fantasy story and wasn't 500+ pages long. This I hear is harder to master. Color me excited. The basic plot, if you are unaware, centers
around a small town where humans and fae exist side by side. The fae attract tourists which is good for
the towns business but they can also be dangerous. The center of attraction is a glass coffin in
the woods. In it rests a boy with horns
and pointed ears. We follow Hazel, who
once thought she and her brother Ben were supposed to be a knight and a bard to
battle all evil. A child's fairytale it
seems. They also, along with many, fancy
themselves in love with the boy in the coffin.
The fantasy of it all, having slept for generations never waking. Until one day he does. The world is turned upside down for our
town as Hazel tries to put the pieces together that only she can know.
I
liked the way the fantasy of the fae world was blended into the current/modern
world like I know it. The magic balanced
the line between the mystical and understandable. Enough was explained to follow along and make
inferences but it still held onto enough to make it…well magical. There is so much happening in this book so
the reader is never bored. Not for a
minute. Where did the sleeping horned
boy go? How did he get out? What does it all mean?
Those
are just some of the many questions you get to discover in this mystery. Plus we have our would be hero ready for a
battle, she was after all supposed to be a knight. Holly Black also found a way to weave in just
the right amount of romance too. I didn’t
even know I was growing attached to certain characters as a couple until I
couldn't imagine it otherwise.
One
thing I found very intriguing is the small town prejudices. Maybe it's just because I lived in a small
town for a vast majority of my life but it felt so real. Especially in the south where you are judged
on who your family is and where you go to church. Watching how someone is treated as an outcast
for no reason other than something they are 100% unable to change is
insane. Seeing the way this character
deals with the adversity and not let others opinion of him turn him into a monster. That resonated for me. The characters are all so complex each having
their own growths and quests to go on be it internally or externally. Hazel was very loving and compassionate, she
wanted to be a good sister, be a knight and fight off fae, and figure out a way
to make it happen. Ben, the way he
progresses in the story, reading his story and what has happened made me tear
up. Same goes for Jack.
The Darkest Part of the Forest has so
many twists and turns I don't want to risk spoiling it by saying to much so
I'll just say that I gave it 5 stars. It
was an interesting and unique story that weaved everything within it so
seamlessly and beautifully I felt I could go there and visit and see the glass
coffin and the fae. Highly recommend and
now I can't wait to continue with other works by this author that I own.
Rating: 5 Stars
That's
it for today. I'm hoping to get back on
some type of schedule again, I just went to night shift so I'm keeping vampire
hours again which should be good for both reading and writing time. You know the drill from here. Please leave a comment below letting me know
what you thought about the book? The
review? Things you'd like to see in the
future? Thanks for tuning in and I will
have another review up for you soon.
The CruelPrince (The Folk of the Air #1)
by Holly Black
