Holly Black Reveals The Influences Behind ‘The Darkest Part of the Forest’
“There are a few bits of folklore I drew on specifically for The Darkest Part of the Forest. I started with the idea that I was going to rewrite a Scottish folktale called ‘Kate Crackernuts,’ about a step-sister outwitting the faeries for the love of her much prettier step-sibling. I also pulled from the German Earlkönig legend for the person of the Alderking. But as the story evolved, it moved away from those initial influences as I had to figure out how to structure the story I wanted to tell. And, of course, the book was influenced by ‘Sleeping Beauty’ in that there’s no way to write a story about anyone sleeping in a glass casket in the woods without that fairy tale being in play. Even if the sleeper is a horned fairy prince.” (The Huffington Post)
