Parents' Guide to

The Darkest Part of the Forest

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Teen sibs battle magic foes in convoluted fantasy.

Book Holly Black Fantasy 2015
The Darkest Part of the Forest Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

age 13+

Great teen characters and an engaging supernatural world.

What I enjoyed was the genuine teen voice offered in this book, unlike many YA authors Holly Black is up to date on what they are in to and it shows. The story involves lots of very credible supernatural monsters, and drips with spooky atmosphere. Very much a teen novel, with both violence and some erotic situations, though this never feels excessive and serves the story well. Expect all the typical YA tropes on display here, though handled better than usual.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (10 ):

Genre fans will find this a fun read, though even they may get bogged down in the tortuously convoluted cosmology and wonder if the ending is enough of a payoff for all the turmoil leading up to it. Others may lose patience. Along the way, there are some interesting vignettes of small-town life -- and how even good people often behave badly when they're scared.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate