I wanted to like this, but there were several reasons I could not get into this. The first and most major for me was that I could not get into this world. I found the world building to be severely lacking and otherwise drab and boring. The author would spend a long time describing certain parts of the world that, to me, felt unnecessary whereas she would not give good detail for Derry's interactions and relations to the world. I wanted to enjoy this, but was left feeling wanting more than what I was given, and not in a good way.

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HMH books for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hmm.. I'm kind of conflicted on how to rate this one. I definetly enjoyed it. I thought it was super similar to The River Has Teeth, Wilder Girls and most notably Girls with Sharp Sticks. I think that, if I hadn't read any of those books I would have loved this way more, but I felt like it took quite a lot from those stories, and made it feel less unique than I was hoping.

That being said, I still felt there were lots of positive aspects, so let's dive right into the review!

The characters of this book were very good. I liked the 'found family' ish part of it really great! Derry as a main character was.. okay. I liked her overall, but I found her to be kind of 'meh' at times. I didn't like how she became super ruthless at the end, and how she was constantly thinking that she was a badass. All the other siblings were more interesting to me! My favorite would have to be Winnie :) Without spoiling anything, I'm just going to say that Frank isn't my favorite.

In terms of representation, I was very impressed! In this book we had asexual, bisexual, and gay characters, along with one character who uses they/them pronouns. I liked how there was also diversity in race: there were white characters, but also black and brown characters. This book does a great job of representing all different body shapes, too. I appreciated these things a lot, it's always great to see these important elements brought into fantasy!

The setup and story was where I had the biggest problems. This book is basically 'girls with sharp sticks' with just a dash of 'wilder girls'. Let me just say that I loved both of those books, but I liked them individually, as their own unique stories. I just felt that, with this one, there weren't that many aspects that seemed wholly original.

I found the writing and pacing to be very good! Not too long, but not stunted. I read the entire book in one day, I really couldn't put it down. It reads almost like an action-horror movie, you find your heart racing and need to put it down to breathe, haha!

At the end of the day, this book is quite the wild ride, and though I had some problems with it, I don't regret reading it.

Anticipation: 4.5: I love the cover!
Enjoyment: 4: THIS WAS CRAZY

--> 4 stars

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.

Find it on Bookshop.

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*

Derry lives in a house in the woods with her eight siblings, and their seemingly adoptive father/teacher Frank. Frank took them in when each of their parents didn't want them because they couldn't handle the magic that was being exhibited. Or did they? He's often cruel and always restrictive, but he keeps them safe from the outside world, a world he's told them would kill them without remorse if it knew they existed. When one of Derry's sisters goes missing, she's certain into the mysterious forest, and then another, and then a third, it breaks open the life they thought they had in a way that will change their future forever.

This was a propulsive, disturbing, challenging, and ultimately hopeful book. It contained so many of my favourite things: found family, lots of queer representation (there are two confirmed ace characters, both a trans character and a trans nb character, and several of the other sisters are suggested to be under the queer umbrella, including at least one bi character); a fat main character, revenge upon an evil man. There is definitely more violence and gore than I was expecting, but it worked well with the tone of the rest of the book, was realistic, and represented real stakes, even in a world with magic. Derry was an exquisitely flawed character, making poor decisions but also invested in the safety of her family. My one big qualm is that I wish we'd gotten a little bit more meat of the other siblings' character development. At one point, the siblings are watching The Little Mermaid, and I couldn't help thinking that the siblings in this book felt a bit like Ariel's sisters, in that we don't learn a whole lot about them. I do think by the end I had a better picture of most of them, and perhaps that is fodder for future books from Hollowell, but that was my main gripe. My biggest recommendation is to look into content warnings before picking it up, so you can be prepared for some of that content. Overall, an exquisitely paced and engaging book, and a spectacular debut.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings for emotional and physical abuse, death/gore, violence, forced confinement, mentions of anxiety/depression.

Derry and her siblings–only a few of whom are related by blood–were abandoned by their parents to live with Frank, a man who helps them strengthen their magical abilities. Frank is mercurial and emotionally manipulative to the point of abuse, but the siblings are accustomed to his behavior. For them, it's normal, and he's protecting them. Right?

Things begin to go wrong when Jane, the eldest sister, disappears one night. Derry follows her out into the forest outside the lake house, but by that time, Jane is gone without a trace. When another sister goes missing, and things with Frank become worse than ever, Derry investigates the occurrences.

And all the while, the forest calls to her.

What a fantastic debut novel from Sarah Hollowell! The descriptions of magic and the forest are beautiful, dazzling, they completely draw you into the setting. The magic system isn't very defined, but as none of the characters seem to have any real working knowledge of it anyway, that can slide. All of the magic seems to be of the innate sort, rather than the kind one can learn.

Frank is written very convincingly. He's emotionally abusive, unpredictable, and borderline physically abusive. There are some very upsetting scenes, but nothing felt gratuitous. It's well done, striking the balance between over-writing that part to take advantage of the "shock factor" and making sure that he's without a doubt abusive. Though the extremity of some of his actions–the time-out room in particular–did somewhat stretch my ability to believe that they wouldn't try to leave sooner.

I loved how inclusive this story is. The siblings are all different skin colors and despite most of them being girls, there is a nonbinary sibling–Violet–and Irene is transgender. They're also all different sexualities. At some points, it does feel a bit like the author is waving and shouting "Here's representation!!" but honestly, it's great even with the occasional heavy-handedness. I love seeing myself on the page, and this gave me that. The author also goes into their mental health and any disabilities they have–for example, Brooke is deaf and the siblings' use of ASL is an important part of the plot.

The novel is written in first person POV from Derry's perspective. While I was reading, I really felt like I had a direct line into Derry's thoughts, but it wasn't overwhelming. For the most part, first person isn't my cup of tea, but this was done well.

I enjoyed this one! It's perfect for a YA reader who likes stories with magic that are heavily focused on girls. There isn't a romance here, but there is a lot of platonic love between the siblings. It's dark, and there's some scenes that could be considered horror-adjacent, but nothing overly scary. I will definitely be recommending this to people.

A Dark and Starless Forest is a witchy story focused on Derry and her eight siblings. They’re all living in a secluded house by the lake with only Frank as their guardian. One day, one of her siblings goes missing in the forest and it’s up to Derry to piece together what is going on. As truths come to light, we learn not everything is what it seems.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was the strong familial bond. Although, they all come from different backgrounds, their love for one another was impenetrable.
I was also really fond of how much diversity was in this. We have representation for different races, sexualities, genders, body types, and mental health struggles. There was also a character who mostly communicated through the use of sign language, which I know we don’t get often.

The reason I couldn’t give this story a higher rating was because it dragged a bit too much for my enjoyment. Adding to that, I feel we didn’t really get to know any characters throughly, it was all surface level. I wish we could’ve learned more about them individually and saw more of their magical abilities.

All in all, I appreciate this take on a witchy ‘sisterhood’ story. It wasn’t a new favorite, but I am interested to see what the author does next.

*thank you NetGalley for the ARC and all opinions are my own*

This book had me on my toes the whole time. I could not, at any point, predict what would happen. I was hooked into this story immediately and stayed up late in the night to finish it.
I found myself relating to Derry’s character in so many ways. She is plus size , cares about her sisters, but is inherently suspicious of things. I loved reading about her relationship with the siblings and their magic. I loved the entire idea of a magical foster home and this book did not disappoint.
The world building in this book was simple and easy to understand which helped focus the plot very well. The writing style flowed so well in this story that I found myself , as Derry would say, “entrenched” in this magical mystery.

"A Dark and Starless Night" made me so happy for so many reasons. First, we have a beautiful fat protagonist on the cover, looking witchy and wonderful. Then, her fat is mentioned casually as a descriptor (AS IT SHOULD BE), and not as anything negative or "bad". THEN- we have a cast of family members who is perhaps the most diverse set of folks I have ever read about. But the ABSOLUTE BEST PART- is that none of this is written with any kind of heavy handed emphasis. Hallowell writes them as they ARE and crafts a world where acceptance is just like breathing. Trans characters, Deaf characters, Fat characters, Disabled characters, Black characters- these aspects are discussed, but they are not the PRIMARY PLOT. As a teacher and a reader, I cannot even begin to emphasize how beautiful it is to read something like that.

The story itself revolves around Derry and her siblings, all of whom exhibit different forms of magical powers. They live in a house surrounded by an ominous and forbidden forest. They are overseen and taught by a man named Frank (the sole man in the the story), who seems quite controlling, but argues its in order to protect those he oversees- from the forest, from outside people, from everything.

When Derry's siblings start to go missing, however, she breaks the rules and enters the forest in search of answers...and that's when it all starts to go down.

I adored this novel, and will be recommending it to my students and basically everyone else. While the ending feels slightly uneven at times- maybe a little rushed?- overall, this is a book I sort of want to become a series, that's how invested I was.

#YA #book #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreflection #magic #dark #horror #inclusive #trans #nonbinary #deaf #ADarkandStarlessForest #NetGalley

A Dark and Starless Forest was a whirlwind of mystery, magic, and darkness. The diverse characters, including a fat main character, was a joy to read, and I couldn't put this book down. Derry's constant struggle with the darkness she felt inside her was so refreshing to read, as I find many YA heroines to have that pure and good trope that has become tiresome. Not only was the plot thrilling, Derry's voice is a well needed one in the YA world.

I love the fat main character, the queer representation, and the interesting plot. I would recommend for ages 13/14 and up.

What an amazing work of magical realism! Derry and her siblings live in a house on the edge of a forest. Frank, their caretaker, tells them that people in the outside world hate witches (alchemists, conjurers, whatever term appears on the dictionary page) and that the lake house is the only safe place for them. Something deep in the forest beckoned to Derry and she finds herself face-to-face with Clare, a ghost (possibly or something else). Derry soon discovers that all Frank has been doing is using fear and manipulation to keep the siblings under his control. When one, then two, of the siblings goes missing, Derry follows the pull of the forest and discovers that the truth about herself, her life since she came to the lake house. and her beloved siblings has been carefully orchestrated by Frank to keep their powers to himself. Derry discovers the power within herself to do what she was born to do, protect her family. Such a powerful story of who we choose to be our family. The only downside of this amazing book is that I was left wanting more. I want to know about the time before and what will happen to Derry and her siblings.

The story follows Derry has she tries to find out what's happened to here sisters and why they are disappearing into the forest.
I loved this book, beautiful cover, complex characters, the villain you love to hate, mystery, magic! LQBTQ+ characters, a fat woman as the main character in a story that doesn't revolve around her weight or how insecure she is about her body, because she's not, she perfectly content to exist at the size she does and I just love it so much.
Aside from all that, I could not put this book down as the story was gripping in a way every mystery should be. I needed to keep reading to find out what was happing and when I finally got to the reveal, it wasn't disappointing or anti-climatic, it was worth it. The ending was satisfying, there is still more I want to know and I hope there will be another book but there also doesn't need to be.
I really enjoyed it from Derry's perspective but I think it would have been interesting to also see the story play out from some of the other sisters POVs, Maybe even Franks or the forests at certain points, even just for a sentence or two.

I would recommend reading this book and I hope other people enjoy it as much as I did. I think if you have ever had someone in your life that made you feel powerless and small, then you will.

While applying for an ARC of this book on NetGalley, I was curious and intrigued by the description. When I discovered I was approved, I was so excited and couldn't wait to dig in, and I did just that! Boy, did I sink my teeth into this book! I found it so hard to put down and when it couldn't be avoided, I was counting down the minutes and thinking of it as I was anxiously anticipating my return to it's pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of the magic element in this book. It was explanatory enough to not leave too many questions yet vague enough to leave an air of mystery and not overtake the whole story. I feel like the focus of this narrative is not so much the magic but the hurdles that these siblings have to overcome. and the bonding that ensues. This book could be triggering for those who have suffered from abuse, depression, anxiety, etc. however it also provides insight to those who have not been through these hardships. Parts of the story are disturbing and have you counting your blessings. Others have you grinning from ear to ear with an "Atta Girl". I delighted in watching our main character, Derry, flourish and grow into her maturity, strength, resilience, and powers! She was such a relatable character that I think most people will be able to connect with and fall for. I also loved how diverse and inclusive this book was! It included and embraced different ethnicities, body types, genders, sexualities and handicaps seamlessly without it coming off obligatory. This was a truly harrowing tale that invoked a myriad of emotions but left me feeling satiated and better for having read it.

This book is pure magic--tender, angry, hopeful, mysterious--with a story so engrossing it's difficult not to consume it one sitting. Readers will happily journey alongside protagonist Derry and will love her siblings are dearly as she does. Highly recommended to any fan of fantasy, especially if they like to be scared.

This book was super spooky but really interesting! I was never bored throughout the entire book and I could not wait to see what happens next. The author did an awesome job at the suspense in the story which made it really good. I will be purchasing this book for my library.