Spooky Button Book: The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black

It's well into October now...almost halfway over!

Oh well, there's still 19 days left and November. Spooky things still rule the day! "Button Books" is a bit of a book review category I'll do once in awhile when a book's premise hits all my buttons (usually a mix of fae folklore/British Isles history and a character driven narrative) and nails it.

So, to honor the scary spirit of the season, I give you an author often known for her darkly fantastic portrayals of my favorite kind of folklore.

See the description here.

Taken from Ms. Black's website.

While I make it a habit to be ridiculously early to doctor's appointments and special events, I'm late to everything else. The Darkest Part of the Forest (thus referred to as DPF) is already ancient in the reading world (2015, that's THREE WHOLE YEARS AGO), and it's the first Holly Black novel I've ever read.

Worth it.

The way she describes is lush, but streamlined. Every detail is precise and atmospheric. It reminded me of another book I read a little while ago, Roshani Chokshi's Star Touched Queen (thus referred to as STQ). The biggest difference is the tone, though. Both STQ and DPF evoked wonder and otherworldly enchantment, but DPF had that distinct tint of "these things are as fascinating as they are dangerous." While STQ nailed that when it was necessary, DPF dripped with it. The plot, the characters, the setting, everything had that distinct, messed-up-original-version-fairy-tale edge, and it was glorious.

At it's heart, DPF is about the relationship between a brother and a sister as they grow up and discover themselves. It has all the twists and intrigue a story like this should have, but it never loses that core along the way. Above everything else, that kept me reading on to the end.

​Now I need to whittle down my TBR pile enough to justify finally buying The Cruel Prince. 

If you've read it/are going to read it, let me know what you thought/think! Any recommendations for any similar books to add to the ever growing TBR pile? May your week be like a perfect fall day: warm, breezy, clear, and calm.