Into the Woods: Why a Dark Forgetting is Ciccarelli’s most Atmospheric Fantasy yet

 

Some fantasy novels entertain you for a few hours. Others linger like fog in the back of your mind long after the final page. Kristen Ciccarelli’s A Dark Forgetting belongs firmly in the second category — haunting, romantic, and wrapped in the kind of eerie forest magic that feels both beautiful and dangerous.

The Plot (no spoilers)

Ciccarelli has already built a loyal fanbase through the Iskari series and the wildly popular Crimson Moth books, but A Dark Forgetting may be her most immersive novel yet. Set in the mysterious woods of Edgewood, the story follows Emeline Lark, a young woman who has spent her life trying to escape the dark forest and the unsettling fae magic hidden within it. But when her grandfather disappears, Emeline is forced to return to the woods she fears most — and straight into the path of Hawthorne Fell, a brooding tithe collector with secrets of his own.

What begins as a rescue mission quickly spirals into something far more dangerous: ancient bargains, curses, forgotten memories, and a magical realm where everything comes with a price. 

What I loved about it

Yes, the book delivers enemies-to-lovers tension, forbidden attraction, and a morally grey love interest, but Ciccarelli never relies solely on familiar romantasy tropes: It also offers emotional depth and a surprisingly melancholic atmosphere that gives the story real weight.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its setting. The forest itself feels alive — not simply as a backdrop, but almost as another character. Ciccarelli fills the woods with unsettling creatures, eerie folklore, and dreamlike imagery that make Edgewood feel both enchanting and threatening at the same time. Readers who love gothic fantasy, fae courts, and cursed forests will probably lose themselves in this world immediately.

The romance is equally compelling. Hawthorne has all the ingredients readers expect from a fantasy love interest — mysterious, sharp-tongued, emotionally guarded — but there’s also a gentleness beneath the surface that keeps him from feeling one-dimensional. The chemistry between him and Emeline develops slowly enough to feel believable, and their dynamic carries much of the emotional tension throughout the novel.

What makes A Dark Forgetting stand out from many current romantasy releases is the emotional core beneath the magic. At its heart, this is also a story about memory, grief, and the fear of losing the people we love. Emeline’s relationship with her grandfather adds a surprisingly tender layer to the narrative, grounding the fantastical elements in something deeply human. Several early readers even highlighted this aspect as one of the book’s strongest emotional threads.

The pacing occasionally slows in the middle sections, especially during the journey through the fae realm, but the atmosphere more than compensates for it. Ciccarelli’s writing style remains lush and cinematic throughout, full of vivid descriptions that practically beg for a screen adaptation. Fans of authors like Holly Black, Margaret Rogerson, or Adrienne Young will likely feel right at home here.

Ultimately, A Dark Forgetting succeeds because it balances multiple elements well: romance, folklore, mystery, and emotional vulnerability. It’s atmospheric without becoming overly dense, romantic without losing its plot, and dark without feeling hopeless. For readers craving a fantasy novel filled with cursed woods, dangerous bargains, and aching slow-burn romance, this is an easy recommendation.

And honestly? Once you step into Edgewood, you may not want to leave.

On a Side Note

Another interesting detail: A Dark Forgetting was originally published under the title Edgewood before later editions adopted the newer title. The change actually fits the story surprisingly well, since memory and forgetting are central themes throughout the novel. The book has also been marketed heavily around beloved romantasy tropes like “Enemies to Lovers,” “Forbidden Romance,” and “Secret Identity,” but thankfully it never feels like trope-checklist storytelling.

About the Author

As for Kristen Ciccarelli herself, her background almost sounds like something from one of her novels. Before becoming a bestselling fantasy author, she worked as a baker, bookseller, and potter after leaving college. She also grew up near vineyards and dense forests in Ontario — an influence that clearly shaped the lush natural imagery found in her books. That connection to wild landscapes is especially noticeable in A Dark Forgetting, where the setting feels deeply personal and vividly imagined.