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A Dark and Starless Forest: A Locus Award Finalist Young Adult Fantasy Thriller of Family and Darkness
When her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself—in this debut YA contemporary fantasy for fans of Wilder Girls.
Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.
Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.
As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest. Frank, the man who raised them after their families abandoned them, says it’s for their own good. After all, the world isn’t safe for people with magic. And Derry feels safe—most of the time.
Until the night her eldest sister disappears. Jane and Derry swore to each other that they’d never go into the forest, not after their last trip ended in blood, but Derry is sure she saw Jane walk into the trees. When another sibling goes missing and Frank’s true colors start to show, feeling safe is no longer an option. Derry will risk anything to protect the family she has left. Even if that means returning to the forest that has started calling to Derry in her missing siblings’ voices.
As Derry spends more time amidst the trees, her magic grows more powerful . . . and so does the darkness inside her, the viciousness she wants to pretend doesn’t exist. But saving her siblings from the forest and from Frank might mean embracing the darkness. And that just might be the most dangerous thing of all.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2021
45 people are currently reading
8559 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Hollowell
5 books235 followersSarah Hollowell is a fat Hoosier writer aiming to up the magic quotient of Indiana. Her primary genre is young adult fantasy, but she also writes nonfiction and a little poetry. Her work has appeared on The NoSleep Podcast, Huffington Post, and Fireside Magazine, among others. She writes about TV and movies for Frolic, and is a contributor in the YA anthology, The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and the Fierce. Sarah is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
Sarah spends an awful lot of her non-writing time listening to podcasts, needle felting cryptids, and replaying the same five video games.
Sarah spends an awful lot of her non-writing time listening to podcasts, needle felting cryptids, and replaying the same five video games.
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maybe-to-read
February 14, 2021Look at this cover! The girl on the front isn’t a teeny tiny skinny gal. Instead she’s a size so many girls are and it’s gorgeous!!
I just had to share. Hopefully the book is as wonderful as it’s cover. This ends my fan girl moment (don’t tell anyone I’m closer to 40 than 30, lol).
I just had to share. Hopefully the book is as wonderful as it’s cover. This ends my fan girl moment (don’t tell anyone I’m closer to 40 than 30, lol).
November 10, 2022
I bought this book before I read it and I regret nothing.
Like seriously. First of all, that cover is gorgeous. It has a powerful fat girl on it and a gorgeous nighttime aesthetic. You can’t not immediately need that on your shelf. Also, I got denied for an ARC so I did need it in some form. And the book itself? Yes.
The plot follows Derry, a teenage girl with supernatural abilities and eight adopted siblings, all of them being raised by Frank. Frank hides them away from the outside world, training them so they can control their powers. They are raised in a remote lake house surrounded by woods.
When Jane, one of Derry’s siblings goes missing, the only place she could possibly be is the forest - where Jane and Derry recently had an incident that ended in blood.
I loved the atmosphere of this book. I loved the air of the lake house, the banter between siblings, the aesthetic that the forest and the magic brought to it. There was this clear tension, this underlying feeling of something that wasn’t quite right, that slowly intensified over the story.
The book built up so beautifully with that, Derry’s perspective growing more and more tense and secretive and desperate as it progressed. I loved just being able to feel things between the lines.
The writing was perfect for that. It conveyed Derry’s narration clearly, providing a perfect insight into her emotions and character, but it also managed to capture everything that was happening. It caught the intensity and secrets of the lake house.
Adding to that, the characters were developed so well.
I loved Derry. I loved her personality, her stubbornness and intelligence and the way she always did what she thought was best to protect her siblings. I loved the way she developed over the course of the book from an obedient, if not somewhat still willful, girl and protective older sister into someone who was still willful and protective but much darker and more hardened.
Adding onto the characters, the representation was amazing. This book was so diverse for having a cast of about nine or ten characters.
There was rep in all of the siblings - Irene being a trans girl and Violet being nonbinary, plus some of them using labels like demisexual, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, etc. There were also some mental health things, like depression and anxiety, brought up. And Brooke was deaf.
It was amazing to see those represented consistently. I loved reading about conversations held in sign languages, and random, everyday mentions of the siblings taking their meds in the mornings.
I also loved that Derry was openly plus-size and didn’t care about it. There wasn’t any fatphobia - she fully embraced her size, and was open about using the word “fat” to describe herself. And that was so powerful.
But she did address some of the struggles she’d had, growing up fat in a society like ours (before she came to Frank’s house). She talked about how she’d struggled to find clothes that fit right and how she’d been bullied at school. The book didn’t discount those experiences.
The most important thing about this book to me was the manipulation. The way this so clearly and yet subtly depicted grooming, mental/emotional manipulation and the effects of those things. This book delivered exactly what abuse is without it being physical. The fear, the tension, the behaviors. The tells and the warning flags. It was so perfectly done.
This book was literally dark magic. It was harsh and tense. But aside from the presence of the actual magic - which was beautiful, because I loved how creative and interesting it was pertaining to each sibling - it was so engaging and compelling and I was just buried in the plot by the middle.
It also stood out to me that there was no romance. I was expecting something to happen, but since the only characters were Frank, the doctor, and Derry and her siblings…it would have been very strange to have a romance between anyone (looking at you, Cassandra Clare).
I feel like it was really nice not to have the romance, because it would have added so many complications to the book. It just wasn’t necessary, and the book thrived without it anyway.
Overall, this book is the perfect blend between contemporary, mystery and dark fantasy. It was so beautiful and atmospheric, but also impactful and intense. I loved the characters and the way they were written, and the plot really made me feel like I was living in the lake house.
“Maybe my magic could be powerful, but not beautiful, no more beautiful than a monster. Something with fangs. With claws. Something no one can stick in a room, because it is simply too big to be contained.”
Like seriously. First of all, that cover is gorgeous. It has a powerful fat girl on it and a gorgeous nighttime aesthetic. You can’t not immediately need that on your shelf. Also, I got denied for an ARC so I did need it in some form. And the book itself? Yes.
The plot follows Derry, a teenage girl with supernatural abilities and eight adopted siblings, all of them being raised by Frank. Frank hides them away from the outside world, training them so they can control their powers. They are raised in a remote lake house surrounded by woods.
When Jane, one of Derry’s siblings goes missing, the only place she could possibly be is the forest - where Jane and Derry recently had an incident that ended in blood.
I loved the atmosphere of this book. I loved the air of the lake house, the banter between siblings, the aesthetic that the forest and the magic brought to it. There was this clear tension, this underlying feeling of something that wasn’t quite right, that slowly intensified over the story.
The book built up so beautifully with that, Derry’s perspective growing more and more tense and secretive and desperate as it progressed. I loved just being able to feel things between the lines.
The writing was perfect for that. It conveyed Derry’s narration clearly, providing a perfect insight into her emotions and character, but it also managed to capture everything that was happening. It caught the intensity and secrets of the lake house.
Adding to that, the characters were developed so well.
I loved Derry. I loved her personality, her stubbornness and intelligence and the way she always did what she thought was best to protect her siblings. I loved the way she developed over the course of the book from an obedient, if not somewhat still willful, girl and protective older sister into someone who was still willful and protective but much darker and more hardened.
Adding onto the characters, the representation was amazing. This book was so diverse for having a cast of about nine or ten characters.
There was rep in all of the siblings - Irene being a trans girl and Violet being nonbinary, plus some of them using labels like demisexual, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, etc. There were also some mental health things, like depression and anxiety, brought up. And Brooke was deaf.
It was amazing to see those represented consistently. I loved reading about conversations held in sign languages, and random, everyday mentions of the siblings taking their meds in the mornings.
I also loved that Derry was openly plus-size and didn’t care about it. There wasn’t any fatphobia - she fully embraced her size, and was open about using the word “fat” to describe herself. And that was so powerful.
But she did address some of the struggles she’d had, growing up fat in a society like ours (before she came to Frank’s house). She talked about how she’d struggled to find clothes that fit right and how she’d been bullied at school. The book didn’t discount those experiences.
The most important thing about this book to me was the manipulation. The way this so clearly and yet subtly depicted grooming, mental/emotional manipulation and the effects of those things. This book delivered exactly what abuse is without it being physical. The fear, the tension, the behaviors. The tells and the warning flags. It was so perfectly done.
This book was literally dark magic. It was harsh and tense. But aside from the presence of the actual magic - which was beautiful, because I loved how creative and interesting it was pertaining to each sibling - it was so engaging and compelling and I was just buried in the plot by the middle.
It also stood out to me that there was no romance. I was expecting something to happen, but since the only characters were Frank, the doctor, and Derry and her siblings…it would have been very strange to have a romance between anyone (looking at you, Cassandra Clare).
I feel like it was really nice not to have the romance, because it would have added so many complications to the book. It just wasn’t necessary, and the book thrived without it anyway.
Overall, this book is the perfect blend between contemporary, mystery and dark fantasy. It was so beautiful and atmospheric, but also impactful and intense. I loved the characters and the way they were written, and the plot really made me feel like I was living in the lake house.
“Maybe my magic could be powerful, but not beautiful, no more beautiful than a monster. Something with fangs. With claws. Something no one can stick in a room, because it is simply too big to be contained.”
October 1, 2021
Okay, so I went into this book expecting a fleshed out dark fantasy. Instead what I got was a story about abuse, neglect, grooming, found family, and probably the foster care system, but with magic. That's not a bad thing, and I think it's a valuable story to tell, just not the one I was anticipating. So I'm letting other readers know: this book may not be quite what you're expecting given the marketing.
That aside, A Dark and Starless Forest very much feels like a debut. A clunky beginning that info-dumps character information and diversity check boxes. (Note that I think the book taken as a whole does a reasonably good job of integrating some of that diversity into character development, particularly for queer, trans, and fat characters, and does okay with the racial diversity. But the way it's introduced reminds me of how Babysitters Club books used to begin: the tomboy, the quirky Asian, the bookish blonde etc.) There are some pacing issues, plot conveniences, character choices that don't always make sense...that sort of thing.
However, there is definitely something here that I think is going to speak to certain readers, and I'm interested to see future work from this author. This does a great job of depicting the emotional effect of ongoing neglect, psychological & physical abuse, and grooming (not sexual grooming in this case, but clearly the magic piece of it is being used as a stand-in). And I think the use of magic helps to create a bit of distance from the topics being addressed in a way that readers who have experienced trauma might find helpful to aid in processing. This mirrors the way that children who are different have been abandoned by their families, perhaps because they are queer or trans. Frank is a predator who is disturbingly good at what he does, making these children feel like they have a safe home. There's a lot to unpack here and I think if you go in knowing what you're getting, you may do better with it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
That aside, A Dark and Starless Forest very much feels like a debut. A clunky beginning that info-dumps character information and diversity check boxes. (Note that I think the book taken as a whole does a reasonably good job of integrating some of that diversity into character development, particularly for queer, trans, and fat characters, and does okay with the racial diversity. But the way it's introduced reminds me of how Babysitters Club books used to begin: the tomboy, the quirky Asian, the bookish blonde etc.) There are some pacing issues, plot conveniences, character choices that don't always make sense...that sort of thing.
However, there is definitely something here that I think is going to speak to certain readers, and I'm interested to see future work from this author. This does a great job of depicting the emotional effect of ongoing neglect, psychological & physical abuse, and grooming (not sexual grooming in this case, but clearly the magic piece of it is being used as a stand-in). And I think the use of magic helps to create a bit of distance from the topics being addressed in a way that readers who have experienced trauma might find helpful to aid in processing. This mirrors the way that children who are different have been abandoned by their families, perhaps because they are queer or trans. Frank is a predator who is disturbingly good at what he does, making these children feel like they have a safe home. There's a lot to unpack here and I think if you go in knowing what you're getting, you may do better with it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Want to read
June 1, 2020I . . . I have nine siblings (okay eight but together we're nine)
We grew up in a secluded house . . .
WHAT HAS BEEN HIDDEN FROM ME? TELL ME NOW, BOOK!!
We grew up in a secluded house . . .
WHAT HAS BEEN HIDDEN FROM ME? TELL ME NOW, BOOK!!
Want to read
January 1, 2021"When her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself"A fat girl on the cover of YA Contemporary Fantasy?! 2021 is truly bringing the blessings! This debut also sounds amazing, so I can't wait for September!
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October 29, 2021
This book was truly delightful to experience. Amazing found family vibes, unique and diverse forms of magic, mysterious and creepy plot, and pacing that will have readers flipping pages as fast as possible.
The story is much darker than I expected, but Hollowell balances it out with beautiful found family moments so the book never ends up feeling too heavy. Things get super dark, the danger feels real, but the things worth fighting for always remain the forefront of the story, which I appreciate.
Hollowell is definitely an author to watch. There are so many things to applaud about her debut, including the broad diversity of her cast. The main cast includes characters of many different races, sexualities, gender identities. There are characters who are deaf, characters who are fat, and characters dealing with many different aspects of mental health. There’s something for everyone and aside from the beginning of the book where all the characters and their traits are listed, it never comes across as anything other than a naturally occurring microcosm of individuals.
It was especially cool to see sign language featured so prominently in the story, as I feel we don’t often encounter that. I personally found great joy reading a book where the fat girl was the fully capable hero, rather than a nerdy sidekick or someone to mock.
Another great quality of this book is the intricate plotting. This story isn’t afraid to go places, unraveling a ton of additional mysteries along the way. I constantly found myself questioning the things happening, trying to map out what was connected and to anticipate what was coming next. It was all great fun. Just as soon as I thought I’d figured something out and hit a comfortable stride in the story, something exciting would happen to shake things up and drag more questions to the surface. It was a wild ride that was always difficult to put down.
I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book. Hollowell leaves a lot to our imaginations (which is fine) but I liked how each character had their own individual, seemingly random set of abilities to nurture. No ones magic was even remotely similar and some were inherently stronger than others, but that was always framed as being perfectly okay. I loved how natural and fluid it all seemed. I always really enjoy forms of green magic, so following Derry’s growth was especially enjoyable to me.
Overall, a super strong debut from an author I’m sure to check out again in the future. Great characters, exciting plot, a quick and twisty ride. Would definitely recommend without reservation.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
10/23/21 update: just finished this and it’s STUNNING! Sarah Hollowell is one to watch, for sure. Full review soon.
Initial reaction: The way I just got emotional seeing a fat girl on the cover...
*slams the Want To Read button*
The story is much darker than I expected, but Hollowell balances it out with beautiful found family moments so the book never ends up feeling too heavy. Things get super dark, the danger feels real, but the things worth fighting for always remain the forefront of the story, which I appreciate.
Hollowell is definitely an author to watch. There are so many things to applaud about her debut, including the broad diversity of her cast. The main cast includes characters of many different races, sexualities, gender identities. There are characters who are deaf, characters who are fat, and characters dealing with many different aspects of mental health. There’s something for everyone and aside from the beginning of the book where all the characters and their traits are listed, it never comes across as anything other than a naturally occurring microcosm of individuals.
It was especially cool to see sign language featured so prominently in the story, as I feel we don’t often encounter that. I personally found great joy reading a book where the fat girl was the fully capable hero, rather than a nerdy sidekick or someone to mock.
Another great quality of this book is the intricate plotting. This story isn’t afraid to go places, unraveling a ton of additional mysteries along the way. I constantly found myself questioning the things happening, trying to map out what was connected and to anticipate what was coming next. It was all great fun. Just as soon as I thought I’d figured something out and hit a comfortable stride in the story, something exciting would happen to shake things up and drag more questions to the surface. It was a wild ride that was always difficult to put down.
I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book. Hollowell leaves a lot to our imaginations (which is fine) but I liked how each character had their own individual, seemingly random set of abilities to nurture. No ones magic was even remotely similar and some were inherently stronger than others, but that was always framed as being perfectly okay. I loved how natural and fluid it all seemed. I always really enjoy forms of green magic, so following Derry’s growth was especially enjoyable to me.
Overall, a super strong debut from an author I’m sure to check out again in the future. Great characters, exciting plot, a quick and twisty ride. Would definitely recommend without reservation.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
10/23/21 update: just finished this and it’s STUNNING! Sarah Hollowell is one to watch, for sure. Full review soon.
Initial reaction: The way I just got emotional seeing a fat girl on the cover...
*slams the Want To Read button*
October 4, 2021
Content warnings: Emotional and physical abuse of children, gore.
A Dark and Starless Forest is a solid novel that falls prey to some typical issues in a debut novel.
The two biggest issues I found in the novel were the pacing and the themes. The pacing dragged in the middle and it seemed Hollowell wasn't quite sure what she needed to have Derry do. The plot needed to have Derry act in a certain way, so she did, but it didn't necessarily make sense with the events happening in said plot. The sense of urgency at having two of her sisters missing never quite sticks, since Derry and the rest of her siblings are mostly unable to go out and look for them and so have to continue living their lives as normal. Although Derry does ignore this rule, her forays into the forest become more about growing her magical powers than it does finding her sisters. Hollowell does try to explain in the story why the siblings mostly have to stay in the house, but it's not quite good enough reasoning.
The themes were close to being pinned down, but another draft of the novel would have made them clearer. Derry is surrounded by two main enemies: Frank, her adoptive father who's teaching her and her siblings how to control their magic for possibly dark purposes, and the forest that surrounds the house they live in. The atmosphere of the house was claustrophobic and oppressive, but the forest lacked the same danger and darkness. Hollowell clearly tries to state that both Frank and the forest want to use the girls for their own ends, but she doesn't quite get there in regards to the forest.
Derry is a character that some readers will probably dislike, as she's mostly passive and reacts to things instead of causing things to happen, and she's avoidant of the facts staring her in the face. However I was fine with this, as Derry is living in a situation that's almost a cult. Her family is completely cut off from the rest of the world, and whatever they know about it, they learn from Frank. Frank is emotionally abusive and gaslights the siblings often, and Derry, as a sixteen year old girl who's had to view Frank as a parental figure, is realistic in her reluctance to realize and accept that Frank is dangerous and harmful.
While the bond between Derry and most of her siblings is evident, the siblings themselves are too numerous and subsequently their characters fall to the wayside. A couple stand out, like Elle, Jane, and Winnie, while others were little more than names and attributes. I do applaud Hollowell for making her cast a good representation of diversity, but some of that was integrated into the novel better than others, such as Brooke's deafness being dealt with by all the siblings using ASL for a good chunk of the novel.
Personally, I will say that as a fat woman, it was a relief to read about a fat main character and never have her weight come up as anything other than a neutral description of herself. There are no fat jokes, no one harms her because she's fat or uses her fatness to harm her. Derry simply exists as a fat girl, and that was wonderful.
There was enough that I liked in A Dark and Starless Forest that I'll likely read what Hollowell writes next. Most of the problems in this novel are either debut issues or stylistic choices that some readers may not gel with, such as the worldbuilding beyond the house and the forest being thin to non-existent. Readers looking for a richly detailed contemporary fantasy won't find it here, but they will find a story about a girl discovering her magic and saving her siblings from an abusive man, and that's a story worth telling even with the issues.
2.75, rounded up to 3.
See more of my reviews at Red Hat Cat Reviews! I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
A Dark and Starless Forest is a solid novel that falls prey to some typical issues in a debut novel.
The two biggest issues I found in the novel were the pacing and the themes. The pacing dragged in the middle and it seemed Hollowell wasn't quite sure what she needed to have Derry do. The plot needed to have Derry act in a certain way, so she did, but it didn't necessarily make sense with the events happening in said plot. The sense of urgency at having two of her sisters missing never quite sticks, since Derry and the rest of her siblings are mostly unable to go out and look for them and so have to continue living their lives as normal. Although Derry does ignore this rule, her forays into the forest become more about growing her magical powers than it does finding her sisters. Hollowell does try to explain in the story why the siblings mostly have to stay in the house, but it's not quite good enough reasoning.
The themes were close to being pinned down, but another draft of the novel would have made them clearer. Derry is surrounded by two main enemies: Frank, her adoptive father who's teaching her and her siblings how to control their magic for possibly dark purposes, and the forest that surrounds the house they live in. The atmosphere of the house was claustrophobic and oppressive, but the forest lacked the same danger and darkness. Hollowell clearly tries to state that both Frank and the forest want to use the girls for their own ends, but she doesn't quite get there in regards to the forest.
Derry is a character that some readers will probably dislike, as she's mostly passive and reacts to things instead of causing things to happen, and she's avoidant of the facts staring her in the face. However I was fine with this, as Derry is living in a situation that's almost a cult. Her family is completely cut off from the rest of the world, and whatever they know about it, they learn from Frank. Frank is emotionally abusive and gaslights the siblings often, and Derry, as a sixteen year old girl who's had to view Frank as a parental figure, is realistic in her reluctance to realize and accept that Frank is dangerous and harmful.
While the bond between Derry and most of her siblings is evident, the siblings themselves are too numerous and subsequently their characters fall to the wayside. A couple stand out, like Elle, Jane, and Winnie, while others were little more than names and attributes. I do applaud Hollowell for making her cast a good representation of diversity, but some of that was integrated into the novel better than others, such as Brooke's deafness being dealt with by all the siblings using ASL for a good chunk of the novel.
Personally, I will say that as a fat woman, it was a relief to read about a fat main character and never have her weight come up as anything other than a neutral description of herself. There are no fat jokes, no one harms her because she's fat or uses her fatness to harm her. Derry simply exists as a fat girl, and that was wonderful.
There was enough that I liked in A Dark and Starless Forest that I'll likely read what Hollowell writes next. Most of the problems in this novel are either debut issues or stylistic choices that some readers may not gel with, such as the worldbuilding beyond the house and the forest being thin to non-existent. Readers looking for a richly detailed contemporary fantasy won't find it here, but they will find a story about a girl discovering her magic and saving her siblings from an abusive man, and that's a story worth telling even with the issues.
2.75, rounded up to 3.
See more of my reviews at Red Hat Cat Reviews! I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
February 24, 2021
*Spoiler free*
I've followed this author online for awhile before her book deal was even announced, so I was siked when it finally did! I'm of course a sucker for creepy forest stories, and this one features a fat girl main character, who must look out for her siblings as they are taken into the woods. She must also grapple with the darkness inside her as well. It sounded incredibly intriguing, and I couldn't wait to read it! Trigger warnings: emotional and physical abuse, anxiety, depression
Holy HECK, I love this book. It reads like a rush of water, a lily resting in a puddle, and there's this pain and anger that lurks beneath the surface, that blooms from thorns beneath the skin and secrets hidden behind the nice. It's so good I kind of want to scream.
I'm going to start with the writing, because this book is gorgeously, gorgeously written. It feels fresh, and light, kind of like a breeze lifting clothing off the skin. At the same time, it doesn't shy away from the horrors that this book holds. There is a terror to it, a horrifying part, and it feels like a gut punch. Little lines were slipped in there that had the breath stalling my chest. Hollowell knows how to place lines just so to get the maximum affect. Truly, this book was written so incredibly well.
The familial aspect of this book was also something that I completely fell in love with. There is such a strong sisterhood between Derry and her siblings. There are nine sisters in all, including Derry. It's a lot of characters to introduce all at once, but I found myself completely in love with all of them. They are all so different, in their powers and just who they are as people. But all of them are able to fit into the story. They all handle themselves differently, but they all love each other so, so much. That love, that bond that they have was something spectacular.
I really, really loved Derry. She is a fat, anxious girl who can do plant based magic. She was freaking awesome. It was so cool to see a fat character be badass and awesome. Her fatness wasn't the center of the story, and I thought that was really cool.
The forest, and the darkness this book holds, was also something that I thought was done really, really well. It's the kind of thing that digs, deep into the skin, into the marrow of the bones. It feels like a whirlwind of emotion. The darkness of the outside, and the darkness of the inside. The horrors that take place in both. The beauty that can be found in certain darkness, but how is twisted to be seen that way? What is twisted and what is not? It's horrifying, and terrifying.
Speaking of the forest, that was also something that I loved. I loved the hidden beauty in it, and I loved how there always seemed to be layers to it. It's a mystery that has a lot of turns, and I loved exploring all of them, from the creepy girls to the lightning bugs to the creatures.
I also adored the magic! Every person has their own unique type from plants to healing. Magic is just super cool on its own, but I loved how it intertwined with the plot of this book and how it was used in the book. Yes, I am being vague, but I don't want to spoil anything.
There were also moments in this book that were absolutely gut wrenching. I wanted to sob during multiple of them. This book knows how to pack a punch and it does that well. Just, so, so good.
This book also features Black, Mexican American, hard of hearing, trans, and non-binary characters! I can only comment on the trans and nonbinary rep, which I liked, but I am unable to comment on the rest other than that they were there.
Overall, this book stunned and floored me. It is brilliantly good, holding a darkness and a magic to it, family and the love that comes from that, the anger and the pain that blooms, and the forest. It's such a good book, and I love it so, so much.
I've followed this author online for awhile before her book deal was even announced, so I was siked when it finally did! I'm of course a sucker for creepy forest stories, and this one features a fat girl main character, who must look out for her siblings as they are taken into the woods. She must also grapple with the darkness inside her as well. It sounded incredibly intriguing, and I couldn't wait to read it! Trigger warnings: emotional and physical abuse, anxiety, depression
Holy HECK, I love this book. It reads like a rush of water, a lily resting in a puddle, and there's this pain and anger that lurks beneath the surface, that blooms from thorns beneath the skin and secrets hidden behind the nice. It's so good I kind of want to scream.
I'm going to start with the writing, because this book is gorgeously, gorgeously written. It feels fresh, and light, kind of like a breeze lifting clothing off the skin. At the same time, it doesn't shy away from the horrors that this book holds. There is a terror to it, a horrifying part, and it feels like a gut punch. Little lines were slipped in there that had the breath stalling my chest. Hollowell knows how to place lines just so to get the maximum affect. Truly, this book was written so incredibly well.
The familial aspect of this book was also something that I completely fell in love with. There is such a strong sisterhood between Derry and her siblings. There are nine sisters in all, including Derry. It's a lot of characters to introduce all at once, but I found myself completely in love with all of them. They are all so different, in their powers and just who they are as people. But all of them are able to fit into the story. They all handle themselves differently, but they all love each other so, so much. That love, that bond that they have was something spectacular.
I really, really loved Derry. She is a fat, anxious girl who can do plant based magic. She was freaking awesome. It was so cool to see a fat character be badass and awesome. Her fatness wasn't the center of the story, and I thought that was really cool.
The forest, and the darkness this book holds, was also something that I thought was done really, really well. It's the kind of thing that digs, deep into the skin, into the marrow of the bones. It feels like a whirlwind of emotion. The darkness of the outside, and the darkness of the inside. The horrors that take place in both. The beauty that can be found in certain darkness, but how is twisted to be seen that way? What is twisted and what is not? It's horrifying, and terrifying.
Speaking of the forest, that was also something that I loved. I loved the hidden beauty in it, and I loved how there always seemed to be layers to it. It's a mystery that has a lot of turns, and I loved exploring all of them, from the creepy girls to the lightning bugs to the creatures.
I also adored the magic! Every person has their own unique type from plants to healing. Magic is just super cool on its own, but I loved how it intertwined with the plot of this book and how it was used in the book. Yes, I am being vague, but I don't want to spoil anything.
There were also moments in this book that were absolutely gut wrenching. I wanted to sob during multiple of them. This book knows how to pack a punch and it does that well. Just, so, so good.
This book also features Black, Mexican American, hard of hearing, trans, and non-binary characters! I can only comment on the trans and nonbinary rep, which I liked, but I am unable to comment on the rest other than that they were there.
Overall, this book stunned and floored me. It is brilliantly good, holding a darkness and a magic to it, family and the love that comes from that, the anger and the pain that blooms, and the forest. It's such a good book, and I love it so, so much.
October 17, 2021
A really captivating witch-y book, blood-spattered and perfect for October with Halloween being almost here.
An enchanting story about the importance of family and magic. Derry lives with her eight sisters in a secluded lake house, next to a forest — things are seemingly okay till her sisters start disappearing while she develops a new kinship for the forest and discovers a new part of herself in the process of protecting her loved ones.
I enjoyed reading this quite a lot, it got me really invested and the plot is quite unique. I loved the forest, the tension and the build-up for many parts. Honestly, i loved Derry’s character development, it’s not ideal but it’s just so fitting with the whole vibe of the book and such a nice touch. The diversity is a really nice addition, too. My only concerns were that the other sisters didn’t really grow on me, only a few did just a bit, and i think there was a lot of wasted potential in that aspect, and that the ending seemed a bit rushed, while the rest of the book had a steady flow.
But I would generally recommend this ! It’s a really pleasurable read.
( thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, in exchange of an honest opinion )
An enchanting story about the importance of family and magic. Derry lives with her eight sisters in a secluded lake house, next to a forest — things are seemingly okay till her sisters start disappearing while she develops a new kinship for the forest and discovers a new part of herself in the process of protecting her loved ones.
I enjoyed reading this quite a lot, it got me really invested and the plot is quite unique. I loved the forest, the tension and the build-up for many parts. Honestly, i loved Derry’s character development, it’s not ideal but it’s just so fitting with the whole vibe of the book and such a nice touch. The diversity is a really nice addition, too. My only concerns were that the other sisters didn’t really grow on me, only a few did just a bit, and i think there was a lot of wasted potential in that aspect, and that the ending seemed a bit rushed, while the rest of the book had a steady flow.
But I would generally recommend this ! It’s a really pleasurable read.
( thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, in exchange of an honest opinion )
May 27, 2021
trigger warning
Every seems normal as the first of Derry's siblings goes missing. Since her ability is to grow plantlife, she only finds it natural that the forest starts talking to her.
This book had all the elements I want in books. Queer rep, including trans, non binary and ace. Disabled rep that impacts the daily life of the characters - we have a deaf person and sign language is frequently used. The main character is plus sized. We have a limited cast of characters in a secluded setting. There is a huge looming forest. And then, magic.
Sadly, it felt like the elements were picked rather than included. It didn't feel natural to more, more like fullfulling a quote and planning which boxes to tick. Even the found family aspect of this didn't really seep through until the very end.
I am sad about how bored I was by all this, and then we haven't even talked about the predictability of the plot.
No recommendation.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
Every seems normal as the first of Derry's siblings goes missing. Since her ability is to grow plantlife, she only finds it natural that the forest starts talking to her.
This book had all the elements I want in books. Queer rep, including trans, non binary and ace. Disabled rep that impacts the daily life of the characters - we have a deaf person and sign language is frequently used. The main character is plus sized. We have a limited cast of characters in a secluded setting. There is a huge looming forest. And then, magic.
Sadly, it felt like the elements were picked rather than included. It didn't feel natural to more, more like fullfulling a quote and planning which boxes to tick. Even the found family aspect of this didn't really seep through until the very end.
I am sad about how bored I was by all this, and then we haven't even talked about the predictability of the plot.
No recommendation.
The arc was provided by the publisher.
July 17, 2023
I really loved the sibling bonds these girls had, trapped in the middle of a forest, trying to find ways to pass the time. When they started to go missing, I really felt the loss that Derry felt, and the hole they left behind as she desperately tried to search for them.
Some of this story could be a little confusing though, as the world building is so vague. These girls are cut off from the world, and have magic, which gave it a fantasy vibe - but they had movies, like Little Mermaid, dating this closer to the present day and putting it in the real world. This felt a little jarring.
The ending was brutal, but ultimately hopeful, as the girls adjusted to a new way of life. This is a standalone, but there's so much room for a sequel to expand the world outside the forest finally, and see where the girls are now. But I'm always hopeful for a sequel!
Some of this story could be a little confusing though, as the world building is so vague. These girls are cut off from the world, and have magic, which gave it a fantasy vibe - but they had movies, like Little Mermaid, dating this closer to the present day and putting it in the real world. This felt a little jarring.
The ending was brutal, but ultimately hopeful, as the girls adjusted to a new way of life. This is a standalone, but there's so much room for a sequel to expand the world outside the forest finally, and see where the girls are now. But I'm always hopeful for a sequel!
August 12, 2024
Very upset with myself for leaving this unread for so long. Because wow, this was amazing.
I think I expected something very different, but I was drawn in from the start. It's a contemporary fantasy, and it's much much darker and more brutal than I was expecting. I was so creeped out for most of the story!
Usually I know very early on if a book will be 5 stars, but this one worked to get there. It just kept getting better and better, and the ending was phenomenal, I felt the MC's power radiating from the book.
I think I expected something very different, but I was drawn in from the start. It's a contemporary fantasy, and it's much much darker and more brutal than I was expecting. I was so creeped out for most of the story!
Usually I know very early on if a book will be 5 stars, but this one worked to get there. It just kept getting better and better, and the ending was phenomenal, I felt the MC's power radiating from the book.
November 30, 2021
i really enjoyed this one! it definitely didn't disappoint, which is great because it was one of my top anticipated reads of the fall.
the best part about this book is definitely the vast representation, including a trans character, a non-binary character, at least one aro-ace character, a lesbian character, multiple characters of color, a deaf character (and a lot of ASL usage!) and 4 plus-size characters. i really liked how their identities helped to characterize them, but they weren't the basis of their storyline (instead, their magic was!). stories that do use identity as a catalyst are definitely important, but i think it's also important to also include storylines where the story includes them, but isn't determined by them. also, the cover? absolutely gorgeous.
the plot twists in this book were easy to spot from the beginning, but it wasn't so expected that it made my eyes roll. i was .
my only issue was with derry, and i think that's just because of how she ends up at the end of the novel. instead of a gradual change, i felt like a switch flipped in the last 40 pages, and she was completely different. it could also be because i read almost 300 pages in one night though.
definitely make sure to check any tw before you start reading. enjoy! - lindsey
the best part about this book is definitely the vast representation, including a trans character, a non-binary character, at least one aro-ace character, a lesbian character, multiple characters of color, a deaf character (and a lot of ASL usage!) and 4 plus-size characters. i really liked how their identities helped to characterize them, but they weren't the basis of their storyline (instead, their magic was!). stories that do use identity as a catalyst are definitely important, but i think it's also important to also include storylines where the story includes them, but isn't determined by them. also, the cover? absolutely gorgeous.
the plot twists in this book were easy to spot from the beginning, but it wasn't so expected that it made my eyes roll. i was .
my only issue was with derry, and i think that's just because of how she ends up at the end of the novel. instead of a gradual change, i felt like a switch flipped in the last 40 pages, and she was completely different. it could also be because i read almost 300 pages in one night though.
definitely make sure to check any tw before you start reading. enjoy! - lindsey
March 6, 2021
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of A Dark and Starless Forest in exchange for an honest review.
Queer witches! Need I say more?
A Dark and Starless Forest has a beautifully diverse cast, with most (if not all) of the cast being confirmed queer (from what I remember, pan, trans, ace, and nonbinary rep are all confirmed by name). The sibling group is also really racially and body-type and one of them is Deaf so they all also use sign. Hollowell is able to demonstrate this level of diversity without it ever feeling forced or tokenizing which I really appreciated.
The story was different than I expected, but in a really wonderful way. While the girls are magical, the threats they face are more interpersonal and psychological. I really loved watching our main character develop in the face of all that and loved her journey from the beginning to end of the book. I do think a few sections felt a tad redundant but overall, this was really well done.
Queer witches! Need I say more?
A Dark and Starless Forest has a beautifully diverse cast, with most (if not all) of the cast being confirmed queer (from what I remember, pan, trans, ace, and nonbinary rep are all confirmed by name). The sibling group is also really racially and body-type and one of them is Deaf so they all also use sign. Hollowell is able to demonstrate this level of diversity without it ever feeling forced or tokenizing which I really appreciated.
The story was different than I expected, but in a really wonderful way. While the girls are magical, the threats they face are more interpersonal and psychological. I really loved watching our main character develop in the face of all that and loved her journey from the beginning to end of the book. I do think a few sections felt a tad redundant but overall, this was really well done.
October 31, 2023
this was very beautifully written but i was confused for the greater portion of it
January 23, 2022
⭐️ FAT ⭐️ GIRL ⭐️ MAGIC ⭐️
Holy shit this book was fantastic!!! It was yet another instalment in the “books I heard about on TikTok but never properly read the blurb so went into kinda clueless” series and it might be my favourite addition yet!
Derry - who is fat and magic and flawed and perfect and I love her so much and her tummy hangs low and her feelings run dark and she is strong and fierce and protective and loving and vengeful and just outrageously wonderful - is a 16yr old with powers, raised in isolation with her ‘siblings’ (a delightful collection of characters with a wonderfully diverse variety of genders, sexuality’s and races as well as their own vibrant personalities and even some Deaf rep!) under the watchful eye of their guardian. But something wicked this way comes when first one, then two of her siblings disappear. Derry must harness her burgeoning powers to protect her family and discover the cause of the anguish - but can she figure it out in time to save the ones she loves?
This was truly fan-fucking-tastic and a massive, huge, dimples, FAT thank you to Sarah Hollowell for writing this book, not only for giving me a beautiful and powerful character to relate to, but for writing a rich, engaging and emotional story for me to devour in a day!!
Particularly shout out to a scene in chapters 23/24 where I was filled with powerful rage akin to the burning passion of that random guitar guy in Mad Max: Fury Road. Epic.
Holy shit this book was fantastic!!! It was yet another instalment in the “books I heard about on TikTok but never properly read the blurb so went into kinda clueless” series and it might be my favourite addition yet!
Derry - who is fat and magic and flawed and perfect and I love her so much and her tummy hangs low and her feelings run dark and she is strong and fierce and protective and loving and vengeful and just outrageously wonderful - is a 16yr old with powers, raised in isolation with her ‘siblings’ (a delightful collection of characters with a wonderfully diverse variety of genders, sexuality’s and races as well as their own vibrant personalities and even some Deaf rep!) under the watchful eye of their guardian. But something wicked this way comes when first one, then two of her siblings disappear. Derry must harness her burgeoning powers to protect her family and discover the cause of the anguish - but can she figure it out in time to save the ones she loves?
This was truly fan-fucking-tastic and a massive, huge, dimples, FAT thank you to Sarah Hollowell for writing this book, not only for giving me a beautiful and powerful character to relate to, but for writing a rich, engaging and emotional story for me to devour in a day!!
Particularly shout out to a scene in chapters 23/24 where I was filled with powerful rage akin to the burning passion of that random guitar guy in Mad Max: Fury Road. Epic.
September 20, 2021
I liked plus size rep and found family aspect I found book to be interesting okay read.
October 1, 2021
DRC provided by Clarion Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Representation: fat queer protagonist, fat deaf queer asexual Mexican secondary character, fat non-binary pansexual Mexican secondary character, trans secondary character, Black tertiary characters, Black tertiary character with ADHD, fat asexual tertiary character.
Content Warning: anxiety, depression, violence, death, emotional and physical abuse.
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell is a dark contemporary fantasy about found families and internal journeys, starring a fabulous diverse cast of characters.
Derry is an alchemist with strong botanical powers. When her powers first manifest, she is brought to Frank, a man who takes care of people like her, protecting them from society in a secluded house and teaching them how to control and develop their powers. Years after her arrival, there are nine alchemists who live under the same roof, each with a unique power. Life goes on in the usual manner until one night, Derry wakes up and notices her roommate and best-friend Jane has disappeared. She decides to sneak into the off-limits forest that surrounds the near lake to look for her, but she is nowhere to be found, except for an ephemeral sensation Derry feels. As the days pass and Jane is still missing, Derry keeps returning to the forest, lead there by an uncontrollable desire to find her friend and an unknown urge.
I loved how this novel started slow with just a hint of eeriness, but then it turned up the volume on the macabre and it increased gradually each chapter until the atmosphere got as dark as night.
Another excellent aspect of this book was the diversity Hollowell included in the story as she featured effortlessly characters with disabilities, different sexual orientations and gender identities and body shapes. My favourite characters were Brooke, a fat and deaf girl of Mexican descent who had the strongest powers among all of the alchemists; and my sweet non-binary child Violet who had the power to create spectacular glamours.
A Dark and Starless Forest was such a frightful, yet refreshing and surprising reading experience I whole-heartedly recommend.
Representation: fat queer protagonist, fat deaf queer asexual Mexican secondary character, fat non-binary pansexual Mexican secondary character, trans secondary character, Black tertiary characters, Black tertiary character with ADHD, fat asexual tertiary character.
Content Warning: anxiety, depression, violence, death, emotional and physical abuse.
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell is a dark contemporary fantasy about found families and internal journeys, starring a fabulous diverse cast of characters.
Derry is an alchemist with strong botanical powers. When her powers first manifest, she is brought to Frank, a man who takes care of people like her, protecting them from society in a secluded house and teaching them how to control and develop their powers. Years after her arrival, there are nine alchemists who live under the same roof, each with a unique power. Life goes on in the usual manner until one night, Derry wakes up and notices her roommate and best-friend Jane has disappeared. She decides to sneak into the off-limits forest that surrounds the near lake to look for her, but she is nowhere to be found, except for an ephemeral sensation Derry feels. As the days pass and Jane is still missing, Derry keeps returning to the forest, lead there by an uncontrollable desire to find her friend and an unknown urge.
I loved how this novel started slow with just a hint of eeriness, but then it turned up the volume on the macabre and it increased gradually each chapter until the atmosphere got as dark as night.
Another excellent aspect of this book was the diversity Hollowell included in the story as she featured effortlessly characters with disabilities, different sexual orientations and gender identities and body shapes. My favourite characters were Brooke, a fat and deaf girl of Mexican descent who had the strongest powers among all of the alchemists; and my sweet non-binary child Violet who had the power to create spectacular glamours.
A Dark and Starless Forest was such a frightful, yet refreshing and surprising reading experience I whole-heartedly recommend.
January 1, 2022
OH, MY LORD! Thank you so much, Clarion Books, for this arc; I cannot tell you how much I appreciated this and how much I love this book! I received an ARC, but all my opinions are my own.
Trigger Warning: guardian abuse, mental torture, emotional torture, kidnapping, child abandonment, child abuse, murder, control, pain and fear
Something in the woods is calling...
Derry and her siblings have magic, and in a world that hates them, the best place to be is with Frank on their isolated farm. The farm lets them live and grow and seems like the perfect place on the surface, but with Frank being so overprotective, it doesn't feel like freedom- so they do what any child does, they find hidden ways to sneak out. All this comes to a head when her siblings start going missing, and doubt and darkness fills Derry's mind. Her missing siblings call her from the woods or something that sounds like them, and they say nothing is safe.
This book! THIS BOOK! This book gave me the most uncomfortable, sinister, nerve-wracking bad guy, and I have never wanted more than to go into a book to save characters more than this one. I was on edge the whole book for this character and the supernatural darkness haunting this book.
This book showed how you could have a supernatural story without the supernatural being be the worse thing to fear. That ending was VERY satisfying, even if it came with such a terrible heartbreak.
I also loved this book for the huge representation; lgbtq+ (trans and nonbinary folks, the asexual and bisexual plus pansexual), the diversity between the siblings and the found family trope-which I am a sucker for!
Trigger Warning: guardian abuse, mental torture, emotional torture, kidnapping, child abandonment, child abuse, murder, control, pain and fear
Something in the woods is calling...
Derry and her siblings have magic, and in a world that hates them, the best place to be is with Frank on their isolated farm. The farm lets them live and grow and seems like the perfect place on the surface, but with Frank being so overprotective, it doesn't feel like freedom- so they do what any child does, they find hidden ways to sneak out. All this comes to a head when her siblings start going missing, and doubt and darkness fills Derry's mind. Her missing siblings call her from the woods or something that sounds like them, and they say nothing is safe.
This book! THIS BOOK! This book gave me the most uncomfortable, sinister, nerve-wracking bad guy, and I have never wanted more than to go into a book to save characters more than this one. I was on edge the whole book for this character and the supernatural darkness haunting this book.
This book showed how you could have a supernatural story without the supernatural being be the worse thing to fear. That ending was VERY satisfying, even if it came with such a terrible heartbreak.
I also loved this book for the huge representation; lgbtq+ (trans and nonbinary folks, the asexual and bisexual plus pansexual), the diversity between the siblings and the found family trope-which I am a sucker for!
May 14, 2023
This book was definitely creepy and interesting. The cast of characters are differently abled and differently labeled. Each character is unique, but they don't realize that being different is normal. The story becomes fast paced after a slow and descriptive start, but the main character seemed whiney due to the first person POV. Some parts of the plot didn't mesh well and left me with questions, hence my 3 star review. I was satisfied with the conclusion and the growth experienced by the MC. I'm interested to see what else this author has in store.
Side note - the MC (as depicted on the cover) looks like me, lol.
If you like making new book friends, playing games, and reading reviews, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh (Book Club)
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Side note - the MC (as depicted on the cover) looks like me, lol.
If you like making new book friends, playing games, and reading reviews, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh (Book Club)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/12086...
November 7, 2021
“‘Hey, what do you think of witch?’ I ask. Jane blinks rapidly at the sudden change of subject. ‘Claire said that the first girls Frank brought here called themselves witches until he convinced them it was bad. Maybe…maybe it’s been waiting for us for to reclaim it.’
Jane’s smile starts slow, then spreads across her entire face. ‘I love it.’”
3.5 stars. This was a tough read, but not really for the reasons I expected it to be.
Derry lives in a farmhouse on the edge of a dark forest with her adopted sisters. Abandoned by their parents, they are now taken care of by a man named Frank, who is doing his best to cultivate their magic, because Derry and her siblings are alchemists. Witches, though Frank doesn't like when they use that word. But something is luring her sisters away, and Derry begins to unearth truths about Frank and his intentions that make her believe that he is more dangerous than she ever thought. Can she get her sisters back? Can she save them from the forest - from the man who would call himself their father?
This was a highly anticipated debut for me. I wanted some fat girl magic, some dark and sinister characters, a setting that made my skin crawl. And in theory, these are all here, but this is definitely more of a contemporary fantasy than horror. There were some horrific elements, but again, not in the sense of Wilder Girls or even Sawkill Girls. Spoilers ahead.
What was the most horrific of all in this book was the grooming and the mindsets of Derry and her siblings. I hated Frank from his first appearance, and when someone makes you want to gouge their eyes out and feed them to them, it makes for a hard read. There's definitely something being said for found family in this book, for standing together in sisterhood, but I feel like I wasn't prepared for exactly what this book is, somehow.
Yes, the girls (and Violet) are witches. Yes, they use their magic to protect and save each other, and yes, they band together against their oppressor. But again, this is like a contemporary book about a cult that just happens to have magic. I wish there was more of a focus on the magical elements.
I liked Derry well enough, and the cast overall is well-done. So much representation is present here, including a deaf character - something that I don't see enough in the books I read. I liked the dynamics at play, and the magic seemed pretty cool, from the glimpses we got of it.
But I guess there was just something here I didn't vibe with. It's a dark, dark book, with themes that just get darker as the book progresses. The big event in the past that's alluded to was pretty obvious from the get go, the parents' wherabouts also fairly easy to put together; nothing felt super surprising, but there was a satisfying element to the conclusion that I appreciated.
This is a decent debut. Not my favourite of the year, but that is a personal taste thing more than anything.
Jane’s smile starts slow, then spreads across her entire face. ‘I love it.’”
3.5 stars. This was a tough read, but not really for the reasons I expected it to be.
Derry lives in a farmhouse on the edge of a dark forest with her adopted sisters. Abandoned by their parents, they are now taken care of by a man named Frank, who is doing his best to cultivate their magic, because Derry and her siblings are alchemists. Witches, though Frank doesn't like when they use that word. But something is luring her sisters away, and Derry begins to unearth truths about Frank and his intentions that make her believe that he is more dangerous than she ever thought. Can she get her sisters back? Can she save them from the forest - from the man who would call himself their father?
This was a highly anticipated debut for me. I wanted some fat girl magic, some dark and sinister characters, a setting that made my skin crawl. And in theory, these are all here, but this is definitely more of a contemporary fantasy than horror. There were some horrific elements, but again, not in the sense of Wilder Girls or even Sawkill Girls. Spoilers ahead.
What was the most horrific of all in this book was the grooming and the mindsets of Derry and her siblings. I hated Frank from his first appearance, and when someone makes you want to gouge their eyes out and feed them to them, it makes for a hard read. There's definitely something being said for found family in this book, for standing together in sisterhood, but I feel like I wasn't prepared for exactly what this book is, somehow.
Yes, the girls (and Violet) are witches. Yes, they use their magic to protect and save each other, and yes, they band together against their oppressor. But again, this is like a contemporary book about a cult that just happens to have magic. I wish there was more of a focus on the magical elements.
I liked Derry well enough, and the cast overall is well-done. So much representation is present here, including a deaf character - something that I don't see enough in the books I read. I liked the dynamics at play, and the magic seemed pretty cool, from the glimpses we got of it.
But I guess there was just something here I didn't vibe with. It's a dark, dark book, with themes that just get darker as the book progresses. The big event in the past that's alluded to was pretty obvious from the get go, the parents' wherabouts also fairly easy to put together; nothing felt super surprising, but there was a satisfying element to the conclusion that I appreciated.
This is a decent debut. Not my favourite of the year, but that is a personal taste thing more than anything.
September 23, 2021
Rep: bi mc with anxiety, Black & Mexican American side characters, pan nonbinary & trans side characters
CWs: physical abuse, emotional abuse, blood, murder
CWs: physical abuse, emotional abuse, blood, murder
February 3, 2022
Ihr liebt den “Found Family” Trope und mögt starke Geschwisterbeziehungen? Dann seid ihr bei “A Dark and Starless Forest” von Sarah Hollowell (sie/ihr) genau richtig! Ein düsterer Fantasy-Roman mit vielen intersektionalen Charakteren!
[CN: Angststörung, Depression, Misshandlung von Kindern (emotional und körperlich), Mord, Suizidalität (kurze Erwähnung), Tod]
Derry und acht weitere Kinder wurden alle zu Frank gebracht, als deren magische Fähigkeiten ans Tageslicht kam. In einem abgeschottetem Haus lernen sie ihre magischen Fähigkeiten unter der Aufsicht von Frank zu kontrollieren und zu entwickeln. Sie haben sich alle eingelebt und auch einen geregelten Alltag gehabt, bis Jane plötzlich verschwindet.
Das Buch hat leicht schaurig angefangen und dann wurde es richtig bösartig und es fühlte sich wie ein Alptraum an. Für mich war es richtig spannend die Beziehungen zwischen den Geschwistern mitzuerleben und zu sehen, wie viel queere Repräsentation dabei ist! Unter den Geschwistern sind einige asexuell, pansexuell, nicht-binär und trans. Außerdem gibt es auch Charaktere, die Schwarz und Mexican American sind. Was mich aber besonders beeindruckt hat: es wird immer wieder Gebärdensprache verwendet, um sich zu verständigen, weil es auch einen gehörbehinderten Charakter gibt. Doch keine*r wurde auf Stereotypen reduziert!
Auf dem Cover ist die Protagonistin Derry abgebildet, die mehrgewichtig ist. Einige ihrer Geschwister sind ebenfalls mehrgewichtig, aber es wird nie negativ dargestellt, sondern neutral oder positiv beschrieben. Ich glaube, das ist auch das erste Mal, dass ich bei einem Fantasy-Roman eine mehrgewichtige Person auf dem Cover sehe und ich finde es richtig schön, dass es immer mehr Repräsentation gibt.
Ich liebe diese Geschwisterbeziehung. Es ist nicht alles rosig, denn sie sind auch alle unterschiedlich, aber sie helfen einander und ich konnte ihre Liebe füreinander so gut spüren. Das war richtig herzerweichend!
Ich habe einige Dinge erwartet und die kamen auch so, aber für mich ist das nicht etwas Schlechtes. Für mich bedeutet das einfach, dass die Wendung oder Enthüllung nicht komplett abwegig ist :D
[CN: Angststörung, Depression, Misshandlung von Kindern (emotional und körperlich), Mord, Suizidalität (kurze Erwähnung), Tod]
Derry und acht weitere Kinder wurden alle zu Frank gebracht, als deren magische Fähigkeiten ans Tageslicht kam. In einem abgeschottetem Haus lernen sie ihre magischen Fähigkeiten unter der Aufsicht von Frank zu kontrollieren und zu entwickeln. Sie haben sich alle eingelebt und auch einen geregelten Alltag gehabt, bis Jane plötzlich verschwindet.
Das Buch hat leicht schaurig angefangen und dann wurde es richtig bösartig und es fühlte sich wie ein Alptraum an. Für mich war es richtig spannend die Beziehungen zwischen den Geschwistern mitzuerleben und zu sehen, wie viel queere Repräsentation dabei ist! Unter den Geschwistern sind einige asexuell, pansexuell, nicht-binär und trans. Außerdem gibt es auch Charaktere, die Schwarz und Mexican American sind. Was mich aber besonders beeindruckt hat: es wird immer wieder Gebärdensprache verwendet, um sich zu verständigen, weil es auch einen gehörbehinderten Charakter gibt. Doch keine*r wurde auf Stereotypen reduziert!
Auf dem Cover ist die Protagonistin Derry abgebildet, die mehrgewichtig ist. Einige ihrer Geschwister sind ebenfalls mehrgewichtig, aber es wird nie negativ dargestellt, sondern neutral oder positiv beschrieben. Ich glaube, das ist auch das erste Mal, dass ich bei einem Fantasy-Roman eine mehrgewichtige Person auf dem Cover sehe und ich finde es richtig schön, dass es immer mehr Repräsentation gibt.
Ich liebe diese Geschwisterbeziehung. Es ist nicht alles rosig, denn sie sind auch alle unterschiedlich, aber sie helfen einander und ich konnte ihre Liebe füreinander so gut spüren. Das war richtig herzerweichend!
Ich habe einige Dinge erwartet und die kamen auch so, aber für mich ist das nicht etwas Schlechtes. Für mich bedeutet das einfach, dass die Wendung oder Enthüllung nicht komplett abwegig ist :D
September 10, 2021
I thought that I was going to fall hard for this one. I mean it has fantasy, danger, plus size representation, all the LGBTQ reps, etc. But sadly it wasn't meant to be. The writing and story just ended up being very bland for me. It felt like the author was going down a list of things to include and then mushed them all together and it just didn't work out at all.
January 7, 2023
I’m so glad it’s over 😅 It wasn’t HORRIBLE, but it was sooooooo slooooooooow. Even though it was only 360 pages, it probably could have been half that length. There was just so much detail I didn’t care about at all. It was a very unremarkable story for me personally.
October 25, 2021
I was afraid this would be TOO SPOOPY but it's not really a horror story, more of a dark fantasy kind of thing (which is more my jam). I loved the forced-found family of the adopted magic siblings, and appreciated the intersectional diversity therein. (It's nice that it has a lot of LGBTQAI+ characters including multiple asexual characters, with no romantic plots just background identities. Not that it's not also great to have YA queer romances but, you know, variety is the spice of life.)
Some aspects of the plot were a little predictable to a genre-savvy adult reader but a lot of teen fantasy readers will be thrilled to see themselves represented in a story like this.
Some aspects of the plot were a little predictable to a genre-savvy adult reader but a lot of teen fantasy readers will be thrilled to see themselves represented in a story like this.
September 14, 2021
Derry has been living in a secluded house in the woods with her siblings and their protector, Frank, for years. They don't have luxuries like cosmetics or snack foods or even new books and DVDs. They're not spoiled at all. But they're taken care of. They're safe.
Which Frank has told them is much more important in a world that fears their magic. It's the same reason he calls them alchemists instead of that more dangerous word: witches.
White, fat, sixteen-year-old Derry and her siblings dislike Frank and fear him even as Frank reminds them that he took them in when no one--not even their parents--wanted them. Derry and her siblings--eldest Jane (who is Black); Winnie (who is fat and white); Brooke (fat, Deaf, Mexican-American); white twins Elle and Irene (Irene is trans); nonbinary, Mexican-American Violet; and the youngest identical Black twins Olivia and London--have fierce bonds between them. Which makes it so much worse when first Jane and then Winnie disappear.
Frank says the girls must have died in the dense forest surrounding their home. But as Derry explores the forest she wonders if the disappearances might be tied to Frank himself.
As she learns more about Frank and her own magical affinity for growing both real and imagined plants Derry will have to decide how far she is willing to go to keep her loved ones safe in A Dark and Starless Forest (2021) by Sarah Hollowell.
Despite each sibling having distinct magical abilities, this element of the story is largely set dressing for the novel's plot which is a blend of horror and suspense sprinkled with hints about a dark moment in Derry's past that makes her reluctant to re-enter the forest in her search for Jane (and later Winnie). The novel is also notable for its focus on the bond between Derry and her siblings with a total absence of romance subplots.
Derry's first-person narration amplifies the siblings' isolation with a palpable fear of Frank and his punishments, including the dreaded time out room whose horrors are honed to each sibling's worst nightmares (blaring lights and erratic, staticky noise for Derry). The restricted narrative works to amp up the tension but leaves many questions about how the siblings' magic works and, more importantly, the implications of said magic in the outside world.
Hollowell is at pains to create an inclusive cast with some elements (Violet being nonbinary, Irene's trans identity, everyone's use of ASL--designated by single quotes around signed dialog--to communicate with Brooke) integrated into the narrative better than others. Derry's quest to find her missing siblings and save all of them from Frank drives the story but leaves little room for character development of the other siblings who are often absent from the action and remain little more than names and attributes.
Derry's moral ambiguity is unresolved by the end of the novel as she embraces darker choices to save her siblings heedless of the consequences. Questions about world building and what will come next for all of the siblings are also up in the air. A Dark and Starless Forest is a dark, inclusive blend of horror and extremely light fantasy. Ideal for readers looking for a slightly supernatural tale of suspense.
Possible Pairings: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke, Half Bad by Sally Green, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue, Wilder Girls by Rory Power, The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton, Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters
*A more condensed version of this review appeared as a review in an issue of School Library Journal*
Which Frank has told them is much more important in a world that fears their magic. It's the same reason he calls them alchemists instead of that more dangerous word: witches.
White, fat, sixteen-year-old Derry and her siblings dislike Frank and fear him even as Frank reminds them that he took them in when no one--not even their parents--wanted them. Derry and her siblings--eldest Jane (who is Black); Winnie (who is fat and white); Brooke (fat, Deaf, Mexican-American); white twins Elle and Irene (Irene is trans); nonbinary, Mexican-American Violet; and the youngest identical Black twins Olivia and London--have fierce bonds between them. Which makes it so much worse when first Jane and then Winnie disappear.
Frank says the girls must have died in the dense forest surrounding their home. But as Derry explores the forest she wonders if the disappearances might be tied to Frank himself.
As she learns more about Frank and her own magical affinity for growing both real and imagined plants Derry will have to decide how far she is willing to go to keep her loved ones safe in A Dark and Starless Forest (2021) by Sarah Hollowell.
Despite each sibling having distinct magical abilities, this element of the story is largely set dressing for the novel's plot which is a blend of horror and suspense sprinkled with hints about a dark moment in Derry's past that makes her reluctant to re-enter the forest in her search for Jane (and later Winnie). The novel is also notable for its focus on the bond between Derry and her siblings with a total absence of romance subplots.
Derry's first-person narration amplifies the siblings' isolation with a palpable fear of Frank and his punishments, including the dreaded time out room whose horrors are honed to each sibling's worst nightmares (blaring lights and erratic, staticky noise for Derry). The restricted narrative works to amp up the tension but leaves many questions about how the siblings' magic works and, more importantly, the implications of said magic in the outside world.
Hollowell is at pains to create an inclusive cast with some elements (Violet being nonbinary, Irene's trans identity, everyone's use of ASL--designated by single quotes around signed dialog--to communicate with Brooke) integrated into the narrative better than others. Derry's quest to find her missing siblings and save all of them from Frank drives the story but leaves little room for character development of the other siblings who are often absent from the action and remain little more than names and attributes.
Derry's moral ambiguity is unresolved by the end of the novel as she embraces darker choices to save her siblings heedless of the consequences. Questions about world building and what will come next for all of the siblings are also up in the air. A Dark and Starless Forest is a dark, inclusive blend of horror and extremely light fantasy. Ideal for readers looking for a slightly supernatural tale of suspense.
Possible Pairings: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke, Half Bad by Sally Green, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue, Wilder Girls by Rory Power, The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton, Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters
*A more condensed version of this review appeared as a review in an issue of School Library Journal*
May 5, 2023
Think Peregrine’s Home meets Stockholm syndrome meets a coming of age story. 😂
I wasn’t sure how I felt at first and thought it was a little predictable, but ultimately well written and touching.
Huge pro: the representation of people! The group of girls in this family are non-binary, deaf, black, fat, queer, thin, white, cis women, and diverse. Yet they’re family. Pronouns are respected and there’s sign language all throughout.
The portrayal of psychological and emotional abuse/manipulation is very well written by a perpetrator I found unique and unexpected. (Not who immediately jumps to mind if you’ve read the book)
It was a quick read and very pleasant. I felt like I was wrapped in starlight at the end.
I wasn’t sure how I felt at first and thought it was a little predictable, but ultimately well written and touching.
Huge pro: the representation of people! The group of girls in this family are non-binary, deaf, black, fat, queer, thin, white, cis women, and diverse. Yet they’re family. Pronouns are respected and there’s sign language all throughout.
The portrayal of psychological and emotional abuse/manipulation is very well written by a perpetrator I found unique and unexpected. (Not who immediately jumps to mind if you’ve read the book)
It was a quick read and very pleasant. I felt like I was wrapped in starlight at the end.
September 1, 2021
I have had this e-arc sitting on my TBR for months and I am absolutely appalled that I did not read it earlier.
Anyone who has ever heard me talk about books knows how much I love a spooky/magical forest and this has an excellent one. It also had an amazing sibling group, with tons of diverse rep that felt quite well done although I can't speak for any of it.
The vibes of this book were just so sinister and I couldn't believe how fastly I flew through it. I was desperate to know if Frank really was bad (not a spoiler) and what was going on with these magical girls.
I can't wait to reread this and annotate!
Anyone who has ever heard me talk about books knows how much I love a spooky/magical forest and this has an excellent one. It also had an amazing sibling group, with tons of diverse rep that felt quite well done although I can't speak for any of it.
The vibes of this book were just so sinister and I couldn't believe how fastly I flew through it. I was desperate to know if Frank really was bad (not a spoiler) and what was going on with these magical girls.
I can't wait to reread this and annotate!
August 24, 2021
This was just ok for me, I've heard such raving reviews and I was drawn to the cover for plus size representation which we definitely got and I was so happy to see that in a YA Fantasy but the writing was kinda bland for me and i found it slow in some parts. it was an ok read, I'm excited to see what everyone thinks when it's released
3⭐
3⭐
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