Author: Holly Black
Genre: Fantasy; Magic
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once. At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking. Until one day, he does… As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?
Review: I read this book before leaving for summer vacation last year and fell in love with the fantasy genre again. I hadn't read much in this genre since Harry Potter and then realized how much I loved it (hence while I have a TON of fantasy books on this blog). Hazel is a fun character to follow. She acts like a typical teenage girl -- and I think I'd know, since I've been one and work with them on the daily). You'll be interested to know that this is more than just a story about a teenage girl. This is about a character who wants to save the world. It's got magic and a bit of romance (LGBT and cis romance) and a bit of drama and then more magic.
Reading Level: If you like adventure and faeries, you'll like this book. I'd recommend it to most of my readers. It's a little long for newer or less confident readers, but it is SO good you'll want to struggle through it.