This post contains a review and a bookish manicure.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Published Jan 2015 by Hachette
Source: the publisher
Rating: 5 stars
From the blurb: Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He's the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him - but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for...
Sixteen year old Hazel Evans lives in a small town called Fairfold, a place known for its fae-inhabited woods. As long as you're a local you're safe (well, most of the time), but visitors are fair game. Hazel and her brother grew up playing in the woods, imagining ways to wake a sleeping prince, and hunting those that would hurt townsfolk. Thier games ended a long time ago, but when the town is threatened, once again Hazel must try and save them.
I've had this book on my shelf since the beginning of the year and I'm so glad I finally read it. Right from the start I adored the conversational tone of the narration, I really felt as though I was being told a modern fairy tale. I also loved Hazel, she's a wonderfully complicated main character and it was wonderful to see her growth over the length of the story.
One of my favourite aspects of paranormal tales is when they would stand on their own if you took away the magical elements, in this case if you removed the fae, we would still have a solid story about a young girl trying to figure out what she wants and who she is. A girl who has been trying to pretend that she doesn't feel inferior and ordinary compared to her beloved brother, and to forget about the neglectful behaviour her parents exhibited when their children were younger.
While we're on the subject of Hazel's parents, I loved that her mum made them kale and raisin granola bars, so I decided to whip some up! I used the Original Glo Bar recipe in the Oh She Glows cookbook, with a few modifications: puffed amaranth in place of puffed rice, raisins in place of chocolate chips, and I made a quick batch of kale chips and crumbled some into the mix - delicious!
Thank you to Hachette for my review copy.
I love the wild greenery on the cover of TDPotF and decided to do nails as tonight I'm attending the Hachette YA Bloggers Night where Holly Black will be a guest.
I started with two coats of Mode Cosmetics Midas Touch.
Then I sponged on the following: Urban Decay Smog, Ulta3 Chinchilly, Orly Take Him to the Cleaners and WnW Collecting Pollen, Ulta3 Tahitian Lime, and Ulta3 Frog Prince.
I used a fine brush and acrylic paint for the details in the greenery.