Magic lives in Fairfold, but the fantastical creatures rarely bother the human residents of the town, reserving their sometimes cruel attention for the tourists who arrive every year, mostly to snap photos of the horned prince in a glass casket. Hazel and her brother have spent their childhood visiting the prince, making up stories and telling him secrets, imagining that he will wake and save Fairfold from the monster in the woods. And one day, he does. The same day, Hazel wakes up with shards of crystal in her palms and mud caked on her feet, and a sorrowful monster, whose presence sets everyone to weeping, begins stalking the town and putting unlucky Fairfoldians into a coma-like sleep. Expertly weaving fairy-tale magic into a contemporary setting, Black slowly reveals Hazel's mysterious involvement with the fairy court and her heroic role in setting the prince free. Though there's enough backstory that this dark fantasy occasionally feels like a sequel, Black's stark, eerie tone; propulsive pacing; and fulsome world building will certainly delight her legion of fans. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-selling Black has a long list of hits, and this grim fairy tale should add to it.

Fairfold townspeople smugly believe only foolish tourists, lured by the horned prince in the unbreakable glass coffin, risk bringing harm to themselves by offending the fae. Hazel and Ben Evans, who hunt the beautiful but terrible creatures of the forest, know differently. When the coffin is shattered, Hazel's memories start breaking open, too. Author Black blends magic with the ordinary world deftly and believably.

Gr 8 Up-Fairfold is no ordinary town. Its citizens live in uneasy d&3;tente with the surrounding forest's magical Folk. Like most residents, siblings Hazel and Ben fear and desire the magic that hovers just out of reach. The Fae gifted Ben with a supernatural musical ability that he cannot control. Hazel's own bargain with the Folk causes her many sleepless nights. Fairfold's fragile equilibrium tips when Hazel frees imprisoned Prince Severin, setting in motion a war with Severin's father, the Faerie king. Hazel and Ben will have to confront long-buried secrets if they want their town to survive. Once again, Black examines the intersection between self-reliance and guilt. Neither Hazel nor Ben nor Hazel's love interest, Jack, can combat the Faerie attack until they reveal their secret desires, often transformed and augmented by Folk magic. Black deeply embeds these conflicts in her story, but anecdotes and flashbacks pull readers away from present action, curiously slowing the pacing into a dreamlike holding pattern. Action scenes pepper the story, but the author's detailed world-building continually restrains the pace. Lush settings juxtapose the wild, alien nature of Faerie against the normalcy of mortal existence. Familiar tropes like Hazel's romance with changeling Jack and her conflict with the Faerie king will not surprise readers much, although Ben's crush on Prince Severin provides interest. While not Black's best, it is still better than most teen fantasy. Pair with the faster-paced "Modern Faerie Tales" (S. &; S.), or, for a satisfying slow build and dense setting, try Robin McKinley's novels. Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

Black returns to the realm of faerie for her latest novel, and the results, as any of her fans would expect, are terrific. In Fairfold, a fictitious contemporary town that has long enjoyed an uneasy truce with the Folk, our heroine, Hazel, and her brother, Ben, have both pined since they were children for a sleeping, horned prince encased in a glass coffin in the forest. Hazel, who spent her childhood hunting some of the more monstrous Folk with a sword, also has a dark secreta bargain she made with the king of the forest that has finally caught up with her. When the glass coffin is broken and the faerie prince is released, all bets are off and the town faces peril. Will Hazel and her friends be able to save the day and themselves?Readers will definitely want to know the answers to these questions, and Black is in fine form here. Although some of peril is solved just a little bit too tidily, the ending will satisfy most teens. Frequent swearing and some drinking make this a better pick for older teens, but do not be surprised if it circulates with younger teens due to the enticing romance elements and the popularity of the author.Sean Rapacki.