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Valiant (Modern Faerie Tales #2)

by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 15,828 ratings · 880 reviews

When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends.
And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature...more

Paperback, 313 pages

Published October 2006 by Simon Pulse (first published May 31st 2005)

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Aug 05, 2009 Nozomi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fae, sold

I think the main reasons most people don't like this series, older adults and parents especially, are because:
a. they don't want their own children, whether young or old teenagers, to be exposed to such drug/profanity use, even though most teenagers have already been exposed in high school settings, even as young as middle school, and/or
b. they can't possibly believe that teenagers have actually lived in poor conditions.

I have to admit that this book's not as good as the first, Tithe. But I d...more

22 likes · like · see review

view all 4 comments

Megan Morales I love the series, and new books : the white cat and red gloves. Holly black truly is talented!!
Dec 14, 2012 06:20pm

Celeste This book is purely fantastical. Many of the characters are supposed to represent real teenagers, but they are set in a fantastical world. When apprec...more
Jan 14, 2013 11:34pm

Nov 26, 2008 Infinite Playlist rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-fantasy-magic, form-audiobook, mine, creatures-faerie

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What finally made me listen to this audiobook I've had for months was a Twilight secret in which someone claimed that Ravus was so much better/hotter than Edward Cullen even though he was a troll. That made me very curious so I gave it a listen. It only took me a few days to finish it. Renee Raudman reads the book in a wonderful, calm way. She does the different voices perfectly, especially Ravus'.

I remember that I had stumbled across Holly Black's website some years ago and thought of her as so...more

9 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2007 Lisalit rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the idea of the story captivating. Faeries are real, and they walk among us, hidden by glamour from human eyes. And they aren't necessarily good faeries--like humans, some are good, and some are stealthy. 17 year old Val discovers this world when she runs away from home and lives under the New York subway tunnels. Through unforeseen circumstances, she ends up indebted to a troll, delivering potions to faeries. But faeries are being poisoned, and Val...more

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2007 Sookie rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ages 16+

Many people loved Tithe and the Spiderwick Chronicles (though I haven't read those, I've only read Tithe) and they're very highly recommended books.
I was a little more than dissapointed, though, when I read Tithe.
The language was very vulgar, and the characters not very lickable at all.
And there were numerous other things that bothered me about that book.
When Valiant came out, I delayed in reading it.
I decided it was time to read it last week.
And this is all I have to say about it-
It's almost t...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2009 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, i-own-it

This second book of the series has a whole new cast of characters. Val, a seventeen year old girl from New Jersey, runs away to New York City after she walks in on her boyfriend and her mom. (I know, gross!)

Val ends up living in a subway tunnel with a bunch of homeless teens - finds out that fairies are real - makes friends with a troll - becomes addicted to some fairy "drug" her friends call Never - and must win the heart of the one she loves.

I really liked this one. Eager to read the third in...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2010 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: posers, wanna-bes and those looking to flush their lives away

I hated this book from the first page.

Strong words, I know, but let's just have it out. I continued reading primarily because I was interested in contacting Black's agent to represent my own work.

Trite, lame and basically a waste of tree. The plot was blurg, the characters were frighteningly unenthralling, the writing was fair, but you can find decent writing on the back of a cereal box.

The one book's one saving grace was a troll and though the idea was cool, it was hardly enough to save the e...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2011 Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-paperback

Valiant, the second book from Holly Black’s “Modern Faerie Tales” series, starts of after Roiben, from Tithe, became King of the Unseelie Court. But the story isn’t about the characters from Tithe; it opens us to the life of Valerie, a human who basically falls in love with a faerie – a troll to be exact.

Valiant reminds me of the well-known tale of “Beauty and the Beast”, somehow told in a dark, profane, rebellious world; although, there was a part that the tale was more like “Beast and the Bea...more

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May 04, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: belovedbookshelf, girls-who-do-things, retellings, urban-fantasy, ya

Originally reviewed here.

I have retellings on the brain right now. So you'll have to bear with me, as this is one of my favorites. VALIANT is the second book in Holly Black's excellent Modern Tales of Faerie trilogy. I read Tithe back in the day, and it immediately became my favorite Tam Lin retelling. I've been somewhat his and miss with that tale, and this angsty teen version of it worked remarkably well for me. So my introduction to Ms. Black was a fine one. When VALIANT came out, I didn't k...more Originally reviewed here.

I have retellings on the brain right now. So you'll have to bear with me, as this is one of my favorites. VALIANT is the second book in Holly Black's excellent Modern Tales of Faerie trilogy. I read Tithe back in the day, and it immediately became my favorite Tam Lin retelling. I've been somewhat his and miss with that tale, and this angsty teen version of it worked remarkably well for me. So my introduction to Ms. Black was a fine one. When VALIANT came out, I didn't know exactly what to expect given that it switched characters entirely. Things always seem to go one way or the other when that happens in series, don't they? But I wasn't so utterly devoted to Kaye and Roiben that I couldn't make room in my heart for a few more beautiful, crazy denizens of Holly Black's urban fantasy world. And though I should have guessed, I didn't put together the fact that it was actually a Beauty and the Beast retelling until things started getting interesting with Val and a certain troll. By that time I was completely enraptured, and it has remained one of my favorite retellings ever since. As far as the covers go, the one with the sword is my copy and far and away my favorite. I like the whole snipping hair with scissors vibe on the later one, but the horned model dude is kind of freaking me out. Besides, the sword has too much importance not to feature on the cover of this book.

Valerie Russell has chosen to disappear. When her not-so-great-to-begin-with home life takes a turn for the horrible, Val leaves. Striking out on her own, she falls in with a band of misfits who live in the New York City subway system. They take her in when she's at her most vulnerable. Unfortunately, companionship and the squatter lifestyle comes with some pretty unhealthy chains, and they all seem to lead back to the Unseelie Court. And it turns out Val has a long way down to go before she finds out what it really means to disappear. A favorite passage, involving Val and a troll by the name of Ravus:

"So you'll teach me?" Val asked.

Ravus nodded again. "I will make you as terrible as you desire."

"I don't want to be--" she started, but he held up his hand.

"I know you're very brave," he said.

"Or stupid."

"And stupid. Brave and stupid." Ravus smiled, but then his smile sagged. "But nothing can stop you from being terrible once you've learned how."

I love Ravus and his role in Val's story. This little snippet of dialogue pretty fairly captures the twist in the gut you experience while reading, but it also hints at the hope underscoring all the doubt and fear.

I rarely stand a chance when a woman scorned takes up a sword to fight for herself and for those she cares about. Val came through for me like gangbusters. No one could consider what happened to her to be anything other than outrageously unjust. And yes, when faced with the ultimate betrayal, she barrels off and makes a series of seriously ill-advised choices. Seriously ill-advised. I worried myself sick about her. About Val and Lolli and Luis and Dave. It wasn't easy watching them scrabble desperately for escape . . . for control. Val's journey is a rough one. But it also such a rewarding one. In that sense it occupies the same space in my mind as Enna Burning and Ink Exchange. These are the "dark" installments in their series. The ones in which your favorite characters make mistakes. Sometimes their mistakes are so bad the consequences stretch out to encompass loved ones. They're also my favorite books in their series in each instance. Val, Enna, Leslie. These girls are so strong. They're such survivors. I love watching them pick themselves back up again, learn from their mistakes, and extricate themselves from destructive situations. Even if they are of them own making. Especially if they are. It is these incredibly human elements that make these fantastical stories of death and faeries and love in dark places soar. It is Val's story that is paramount in this version of the tale. The fact that there are lessons in sword fighting (obviously), a sweet romance, and a gritty mystery make it that much more the whole package. I enjoyed VALIANT so much, I missed Val and Ravus and that crystal sword for weeks after finishing it. While not for the faint of heart, it does such a lovely job of contrasting the flaws in Val and her companions, the bleakness of their lives, with the sudden beauty of finding you're stronger than you believed. And for that it has my heart. To quote Val, "and it was perfect, was exactly right, was real." (less)

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Apr 14, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, ya, urban-fantasy

I hated loving this book. Having read Black's Titheand Ironside, I was none to keen on reading Valiant. Black has a penchant for writing about the scourge of human society, leaving me with a sense of filth, and therefore compelling me to exfoliate. None the less, Black’s writing is so perversely alluring, that she all but grabs you by the neck and drags you into the story.

Val is impossible to describe. She’s a shell of a girl. In possession of one lezzie best friend, a mohawk donning boyfriend,...more I hated loving this book. Having read Black's Titheand Ironside, I was none to keen on reading Valiant. Black has a penchant for writing about the scourge of human society, leaving me with a sense of filth, and therefore compelling me to exfoliate. None the less, Black’s writing is so perversely alluring, that she all but grabs you by the neck and drags you into the story.

Val is impossible to describe. She’s a shell of a girl. In possession of one lezzie best friend, a mohawk donning boyfriend, and incredibly vain and insecure mother, Val participates in her life, but couldn’t be accused of living it. When Val walks in on her mother getting it on with her boyfriend, Val flees, going nowhere, and reveling in her lack of destination. She finds herself in New York City, homeless, but free. It is here that she encounters Lolli, a blue haired Never addict, Sketchy Dave, brother to the “sighted” Luis, and joins their trio of loner losers. Val is introduced to a world that will afford you every possible pleasure you care to take, while leaving you living in squalor and slowly choking the life from you, one Never hit at a time. Val drowns in the world of fairie, and yet finds her inner strength, as well as the love she craves. But in order to save herself, and the troll she loves, Val must learn that being free to make your own bad decisions serves no purpose other than enabling you to own your destruction.

The characters within this story suck at life. They make piss poor role models and I hope that younger readers of this book wouldn’t think that Val’s “adventure” is the least bit realistic. Val would have wound up dead, on in the very least, assaulted. These characters run from their problems, steal, take drugs, and engage in casual sex. And yet I loved this book because these characters drop f bombs, filch, become addicts, and engage in casual sex. Life isn’t always pretty, and this book captures the essence of that filth while adding a touch of whimsy, and an acceptable happy ending.
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8 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2008 Liz rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I didn't really care for this book. I think if I was 16 into punk and dressed all in black it would be great. It had quite a bit of language and a "situation" with the mom and the boyfriend that made me want to up-chuck.

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Jeane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-teen

Really really good! It was way better then the first book Tithe, but I want to tell everyone that it is NOT a direct sequel to Tithe! This book can be read independently This book was about a young girl who runs away from home into New York City and gets tangled up in the modern fairy world which is trying to survive the iron of the city. I think that the thing I loved most about this book was the kick ass heroine who wasn't pretty, was a total jock, and had an attitude. The book was slow in a f...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, fantasy, series-or-companions, young-adult, fae, awful-cover, books-i-own

First of all, I was surprised that this book held only a small appearance of one of the characters who was introduced in Tithe. I expected this to continue that story, but it didn't though the faerie realm was the same. Whilst I was disappointed that the plot from Tithe wasn't continued, I found this book to be more accessible and an easier read thanks to the slight improvement in writing - it seemed to flow a lot better. I don't think that the plot was exciting as Tithe but I did prefer the cha...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 04, 2011 Wickedlyunique rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2008 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teen fans of fantasy novels

Valiant by Holly Black

Valiant by Holly Black is a very intense teen-fantasy novel about a seventeen-year-old girl named Valerie Russell-also known as: Val. Valiant is Holly Black’s second novel. The first to her collection is Tithe. Both of these books are beautifully written and tie into the world of faeries and trolls and things of such nature. Black is an avid collector of scary stories, creepy dolls, and crazy hats.

Val is this amazing character who changes drastically throughout this book....more

7 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2008 Jarrah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jarrah by: Sarah Rees Brennan

Shelves: author-hollyblack, genre-yafiction, genre-yafantasy, setting-secretworld, country-america, addiction, faeries, fairytales, swords, the-sight, streetkids

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. YA urban fantasy, loosely based on the story of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Val doesn't entirely mean to run away from home, but when home betrays her it's easy to not go back yet - to stay in the dark world of faeries and addiction she's stumbled into in New York. She's drawn further into that world when a moment of instinctive chivalry sees her bound in service to the troll Ravus - who, Val discovers, is in grave danger.

My short reaction here is: This was a good book, and I didn't like it much.

Lon...more YA urban fantasy, loosely based on the story of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Val doesn't entirely mean to run away from home, but when home betrays her it's easy to not go back yet - to stay in the dark world of faeries and addiction she's stumbled into in New York. She's drawn further into that world when a moment of instinctive chivalry sees her bound in service to the troll Ravus - who, Val discovers, is in grave danger.

My short reaction here is: This was a good book, and I didn't like it much.

Longer reaction, with minor spoilers: It was good in that Val is a powerful force in the narrative, and she's indisputably the hero of her story; she has a sword to prove it. She's prickly and kick-arse in a completely believable way - she's a whole lot more butch than her lesbian best friend. She falls in love with a monster, and doesn't need him to be a prince in disguise. And the drug sequences were rather well done - the way that the faery dust makes you powerful, makes your world malleable, is a nice twist on the effects of hallucinogens. I'm a fan of fairy tale novels, too, and I liked the way that this one incorporated parental betrayal as the impetus for the heroine leaving home, in a different way to the source tale's. Also, this book uses chapter quotations in a way that really works; because, unlike Avalon High's, the quotations match the tone of the book. (Plus, without them, I might not have noticed the 'Goblin Market' connection, and that would have been sad.)

But it didn't grab me. I admired Val, with all her wrong choices, but I didn't especially feel for her. Maybe my subconscious decided that as capable as she was, she could look out for herself - she didn't need me in her corner. Addiction, too, doesn't make you a nice person, and Black shows that; that helps make it real, maybe, but it doesn't make the characters sympathetic.

The other principal characters - the two brothers and Lolly - while they were distinctive and well drawn, didn't get much resolution. They started out as the major focus, but then they had to fight with the Val-Ravus story for narrative relevance, and they lost. I didn't want them to. I wanted the brothers, with their rich, tragic backstory, to get something good out of all this, not to end up simply as players in Val and Ravus' story. I wanted Lolly, with no backstory at all, to go somewhere, be ultimately saved somehow - after all, her being saved from a specific danger was the pivot for one of the key sequences of the book. Having her wander off to be lost and messed up somewhere else in the end wasn't much with the satisfying.

Also, the key plot revelation bordered on really obvious, which is always disappointing.

Mostly, it just wasn't my style. Angsty heroines and lost boys and people betraying each other aren't my thing, no matter how many faeries you add. Which is sad, because I'd heard good things about Holly Black, and I wanted to like her books.(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2007 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of faerie stories

Val Russell is at an okay spot in her life - she's got a relationship that's sketchy at the moment, but it's good enough for the time being. She's got her best friend, and she's got her mother. For the time being.

Until Val leaves for a date with her boyfriend one night, returns home to get something she forgot, and happens upon her boyfriend and her mother having sex. Her mother and boyfriend...together? And her best friend knew all along! So she does the only thing she thinks she can in this si...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 01, 2007 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes Charles de Lint

I was a bit disappointed when Valiant didn't start up where Tithe ended. However, I quickly got over it.

This story follows 17-year-old Val Russell who runs away from her dysfunctional home within the first few chapters. In a moment of shedding her confusion, she embraces a new identity and shaves her head, leaving everything behind. She also finds herself in the company of three homeless teens--Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live on an abandoned subway platform.

Eerie and strange, Val finds herself c...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 06, 2007 Paithan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: not kids

Shelves: kidsfantasy

After the first two pages, I was pretty shocked to find this book in the kids section. Ms Black certainly enjoys splashing graphic terms and descriptions in her works (there seems to be a lot at the beginning, though it is far more sparse later on).

Ms Black does not get caught up in overwhelming and petty descriptions, which is (I think) what made me go back and buy Tithe. Not only are you allowed to let your imagination do the talking, but the emphasis in the story is laid on the dialogue and...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Bethany rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 10, 2007 Chrystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the Ironside "series" features an entirely different set of characters from the first, which may disappoint readers just coming off a Tithe high. While I certainly missed those other characters, I personally found many of the new characters to be more dimensional and more intriguing than Kaye. My only major complaint is that the initial presentation of Val's character (i.e., the way she was perceived at school) and the circumstances that cause her to run away felt forced and s...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Caitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faeries, series, read-in-2011, i-own

This one barely got a 3, you where just plunged in and had no feelings towards anyone as things start rolling. In the first chapter alone she gets in a fight protecting her lesbian friend and because of it gets kicked off the lacrosse team and she finds her boyfriend sleeping with her mom. All in the first chapter. But it was a okay/good book and if you like the first (and really it's more of a companion) Tithe you might like this.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult, faerie, romance, reviewed

This is another book I really really loved, I just couldn't put it down! It is much darker that Tithe, and just the was I like my faeries. Holly Black succeeds in making the book gritty and realistic without being patronising or just plane lame like some adult authors are when they try and write teen dialogue. Another MUST READ book!!

//EDIT/UPDATE
Please note that I wrote this review aaaages ago.... I'm not quite so keen on Valiant now! But I'll keep it how it was because 15/16 year old me obviou...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Melissa added it

When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 28, 2008 Elizabeth marked it as to-read

1 like · like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Margaux rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, fantasy

I just reread this book, although it was one of my favorites as an early teenager. I think it takes rereading to realize how much YA books really affect a reader. For example, at the beginning of each chapter Tithe and it's sequels, there is a literary quote (with the author) that helps explain any allusions mentioned in that chapter. For example, the "drug" named "Nevermore" in this story is explained in a chapter which opens with a few lines from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven".

It follows a you...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

When Val returns to her suburban home and discovers her mom having sex with her boyfriend, she flees to New York and befriends a group of homeless kids who live in the tunnels under Grand Central Station. Dave, Luis and Lolli make money by delivering a serum that is made by a troll named Ravus to magical beings that live in the city. Iron is toxic to faeries, and the potion, called Never, keeps it from affecting them. The teens can’t help trying Never themselves, and finds that it gives them mag...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Sarah Goodwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First off, I'm not a teenager, but, when I was one, I adored Tithe. It was edgy and gothic and poetic, and one of the few books that I kept into adulthood, just because they continued to capture my imagination, and make me wish I could write like Holly Black does.

Tithe and Ironside were both good books, very good, and I chose to read Valiant after finding out that Holly Black had written a 'stand-alone' book for the faerie universe.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I like the premise, the wo...more First off, I'm not a teenager, but, when I was one, I adored Tithe. It was edgy and gothic and poetic, and one of the few books that I kept into adulthood, just because they continued to capture my imagination, and make me wish I could write like Holly Black does.

Tithe and Ironside were both good books, very good, and I chose to read Valiant after finding out that Holly Black had written a 'stand-alone' book for the faerie universe.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I like the premise, the world is still as fresh and beautifully described as it ever was, and Black continues to put fresh ideas into her novels. The plot had a few twists that I saw coming, and some that I didn't, and it had a satisfying ending, and some brilliantly written romance.

But, and here's where I get all subjective, I wrote something about homeless teens for my writing course, and was continually told that my main character was too trusting/not worried enough.

That's how I felt about Val. Her first night on the street, she beds down at a subway station. Which seemed a little too abrupt for me, I think anyone else in that situation would find an all-night diner or something to sit in, no matter how tired they were.

Then, as soon as she's taken down to the subway squat, she falls asleep on a damp, abandoned mattress. Again, this seemed a little out of the blue, for supposedly normal teenager. And, she seems completely unconcerned by Lolli's drug use, and lets her shoot her up with a strange drug, only days after leaving home.

It seemed pretty unrealistic. Considering she wasn't even drinking/taking drugs a few days before hand.

However, despite all that, I like Val as a character. I liked how brave she was, and how determined to save the troll she loved. It was refreshing to see a human in that situation, rather than Tithe's faerie protagonist. It felt more dangerous, and more vital that she succeed.

One thing that bored me a little bit was how, despite being set in a different part of the world to the rest of the Tithe series (in the city, rather than in the court territories) we still ended up 'under the hill'. It happens in all three novels, and it's a little dull now, but thankfully, it wasn't drawn out.

So, not my favourite book in the series, but definitely better than I'd say...70% of other teenage fictions (especially twilight, and variations thereof) worth a read, and has convinced me to buy Black's other books, as I've been reminded of how lovely her prose is.(less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Panda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amidst the torrents of negative reviews, I'd like to say that Valiant is probably my favorite book on the planet. All the things others dislike about it are some of the things I really appreciate in it. Val is a very real character. She's an offbeat character pushed to the limit by severe circumstances, and she takes a leap that anybody at the brink of their sanity could make. The fantasy elements are grungy, dark, and not for the faint of heart. That's another piece that I like. Immortal beings...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 17, 2012 Bryce rated it 5 of 5 stars

The author of Valiant is Holly Black and she is the winner of the Andre Norton Award for young Adult fiction from the science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. I think that Valiant is a good read and I liked it very much. She is also the author of Tithe a book similar to Valiant. Holly Black wrote Valiant with a good mix of characters that are very believable. The plot of Valiant is written very well and has a lot of twists and turns. The style that Holly Black writes in is a little to ov...more The author of Valiant is Holly Black and she is the winner of the Andre Norton Award for young Adult fiction from the science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. I think that Valiant is a good read and I liked it very much. She is also the author of Tithe a book similar to Valiant. Holly Black wrote Valiant with a good mix of characters that are very believable. The plot of Valiant is written very well and has a lot of twists and turns. The style that Holly Black writes in is a little to overdeveloped at times but it is still understandable and well written.
The characters in this book seem like real people and are well developed to be in a book about people that are supposed to seem human but are not. I my opinion the characters in this book are round and seem to talk and think like real people and have real emotions and problems. I think that these characters would do well in real life and be able to talk and act around people.
The plot of the book is also well developed and never seems to get old. It has a lot of twists and turns that seem to surprise you all the time. Valiant moves at a good speed for beginning readers and but would also be interesting to people who can read at a higher level. I think that Valiant could win a lot of awards for its good plot and series of twists.
Holly Black writes in a style that I have never seen before. She writes like people would talk in real life not like some made up world. It is a good style to write in because it shows people that not all books are just made up fantasy worlds. Sometimes the writing is a little wordy and overdeveloped but it has a good flow and makes me laugh and sometimes it is really thrilling.
I recommend this book to anybody who likes a book about a fantasy world but not one from Cinderella or something. It has a feeling that this is actually going on somewhere. This book is good for beginners because it is easy to read but more established readers would also like it because it has a good plot and characters.
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by Melissa Marr

About Holly Black

Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Gl...more

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Books by Holly Black

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #1)

The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles, #5)

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Trivia About Valiant

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Quotes from Valiant

“You carried my heart in your hands tonight," he said. "But I have felt as if you carried it long before that.” — 125 people liked it

“I would remain nearer you for what time there is."

"Gone in one faerie sigh," she quoted.

Leather-clad fingers brushed over her short hair, rested on her cheek. "I can hold my breath.” — 89 people liked it

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Valiant (Modern Faerie Tales #2)

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