Black in Blue: the fantasy worlds of Holly Black converge at River Road Books in Fair Haven, where the award-winning author materializes for a Sunday afternoon reading and signing appearance keyed to her latest novel, THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST.

Her many fantastic works of fiction for kids and Young Adults include the illustrated adventures of The Spiderwick Chronicles, (basis for a 2008 movie of that name) as well as the Curse Workers and Modern Faerie Tale trilogies. Her glittering trophies on this plane of existence include the prestigious Newbery Medal for kid-lit, the Andre Norton Award for YA sci-fi, and a finalist recognition for comicdom’s sought-after Eisner Award.

On a more localized level, Holly Black can claim provenance right here in eastern Monmouth County — and on Sunday, January 18, the West Long Branch native and NY Times chart-topper comes home for an afternoon drop-in at River Road Books in Fair Haven — an appearance timed to the publication of her latest novel, The Darkest Part of the Forest.

Just out in hardcover, Darkest Part takes place in a town “where humans and fae exist side by side” — in this case a community by name of Fairfold. It’s there that a pair of siblings named Hazel and Ben move toward their perceived destiny as “a knight and a bard who battle evil” — becoming mixed up with a mysterious coffin in the woods, its long-dormant (and seemingly demonic) occupant, and an uneasy sense that all is not as it seems in this quaint tourist town with the name that sounds like a cross between Fair Haven and Freehold.

Signing copies of the new Holly Black title will be available for purchase at Sunday’s 2-4 pm event — or email ahead to reserve, at riverroadbooks@verizon.net.