I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Though this book sometimes feels under baked, it's always nice to see a fat protagonist in a YA novel, especially one that isn't all about weight-related issues.

I read many YA books and this one grabbed me from its first pages. It’s gorgeous, powerful writing and a story of pain, horror, and love between a found family of survivors. There are real monsters in this book, too, and they aren’t just in the forest.

I loved Derry’s character, her fierceness and resourcefulness. Love that she and other characters are fat and powerful and queer. The way the magic is described is extraordinary and enchanting. The forest itself is a fascinating and spooky setting.

There were a few details I couldn’t quite figure out toward the end, things that didn’t quite make sense, or seemed inconsistent, but it didn’t dim my enjoyment of the story or the effectiveness of the ending.

This book walked such a fine line without falling into representation soup, I was so afraid I'd start rolling my eyes as characters became nothing more than their diversity identity but thank GOODNESS that didn't happen. Characters had diverse traits but those were not all they were, they were complete characters whose traits were a part of their story but not their whole story. Great work!

4.0 stars

CW: violence, torture, murder, abuse, anxiety, depression, trauma.

This is the perfect dar, eerie, and mysterious fall read! You will enjoy this book if you enjoy this kind of books themes, vibes, and tropes:

- "Wilder Girls" by Rory Power: a group of girls in a secluded environment dealing with strange and supernatural occurrences.

- "The Trees" by Ali Shaw: mysterious and atmospheric forest setting

"The Hazel Wood" by Melissa Albert: dark and fantastical elements.

"The Girls I've Been" by Tess Sharpe: themes of family and identity.

There is quite some telling at the beginning, the representation gets a little "in-your-face" instead of being organically shown during the story, the pacing gets a little uneven in the middle, and the world could have been developed BUT, here are the several reasons why you should read it:

- queer, trans, non-binary, Black, Mexican American, and hard of hearing characters rep
- Family dynamics: Strong bonds among siblings
- Unique Magic System where each sibling possesses a distinct magical ability.
- Atmospheric Writing
- Vivid imagery (of both the forest and emotional imagery)
- Female empowerment.
- Portrait of abuse, neglect, grooming, and the psychological effects of such experiences
- No romantic subplot.

I love YA fantasy the cover is what initially made me want to read this book This characters are great ,and I loved that there was a plus size main character in a ya fantasy! Which isn’t often done and I would of loved to see this representation in the genre I love when I was a teenager

Interesting concept but didn’t quite hit the mark for me!

Okay so the cover art is beautiful! I loved that the main character was fat and this was a positive thing in the book! There is a diverse cast of characters which enhanced the story. I admit I thought this story was going to be a light read and lean more on the magic side of things but it had many real world horrors that were unexpected. Trigger warnings definitely should be looked at before reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC❤️

I love a good YA fantasy and the cover is what really drew me in! This book had characters that were well written, and pretty great world building. I loved that there was a plus size MC in a ya fantasy! I know that if I grew up with MCs that looked like me it would have made such an impact!

Thank you to NetGalley, Clarion Books (formerly HMH Children's Books), and Clarion Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book even more than I thought that I would. The cover itself was really intriguing to me and is the main reason why I requested the book. I love the whole concept.

This book follows Derry and her eight siblings who live in an isolated house located by a really creepy lake. One night her oldest sister disappears even though her and Derry had made a promise to each other that they would never go into the woods alone. While Derry is investigating her oldest sisters disappearance, another one of her sisters disappears and that leaves Derry to consider that Frank, the man that raised them, might be involved in the disappearances.

That is all that I will say about the plot because I want to avoid spoilers but seriously go pick up a copy of this book!

I also really loved the relationships between the sisters in this book. Found family is one of my absolute favorite tropes and this book has to be an example of one of my favorites involving a found family. 4.5 stars but rounded up to 5.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This was unexpectedly darker than I’d anticipated, and so very creepy! Derry and her found family of sisters are living with Frank to learn to master their magic, and because Frank says it’s not safe for people with magic in the real world. One night Derry’s eldest sister goes missing, and the truth unravels from there. So many delicious twisty surprises, and an ending that caught me by surprise! I really enjoyed this dark, YA LGBTQ+ Horror/Darl Fantasy, as it really sung to my spooky soul.

More plus size girls in fantasy please and thank you!! While this story was a lot more quiet for the first half of the book I really found myself connecting to Derry and her struggles with anxiety and feeling out of place. Her relationships with all her sisters felt so authentic and a better sibling dynamic than most authors know how to get right. It does take awhike to get into and get through at some parts but for a debut this hit it out of the ballpark

I love a good YA fantasy and I love this cover. This book had characters that were well written, great world building, and a storyline that pulled me in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I liked reading A Dark and Starless Forest. The characters were likeable and I was intrigued by the synopsis when I first came across this book. The monster was revealed a bit too quickly so I wish that had remained a mystery longer. The other thing is that sometimes the pacing was really slow, which made it hard to focus and stay interested, and at other times it went so quickly that it felt as though it was a bit rushed.

This book was a solid 3 stars for me. There were aspects I enjoyed- the magic and the sister relationships- and aspects I didn't enjoy. While the plot was developed enough I felt the pacing was a bit slow and it was hard for me to get into.

There were so many amazing things about this book. The only thing that left me wanting was that I felt like the "monster" was given away a little too soon in the story. I would've liked to take more time and have a few more red herrings with Derry as she tried to figure out how to protect her siblings.

As an older sister I connected with this book on a whole other level.. I would go to the ends of the world to protect my siblings and this is exactly what the main character did in this story. I loved the dynamic of the characters and their development. Also, I just have to point out that the cover reminds me of myself. I loved the world, looking forward to more by this author.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.