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Valiant (The Modern Faerie Tales, #2)
by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)
by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)
** spoiler alert **
The absolute best order to read Holly Black's 'Modern Faerie Tales' in is Tithe, Valiant and then Ironside. I almost didn't read them in this order, wanting to get Ironside before I read this. However, by happy coincidence, I read it in what I think is the correct chronological order.
I expected from the beginning that things would be pretty screwed up in Valiant, given what my experiences of Tithe were, and I was not disappointed. Instead of beginning with a messed up main character, we are introduced to Valerie, a good student, a lacrosse player, for all intents and purposes, the average, ordinary teenage girl. Enter the cheating boyfriend and cougar mother, and Valerie's subsequent discovery of their affair, and things head into F*cked Up-Ville, right where they should be.
Valerie runs away and falls in with some homeless kids, and becomes addicted to Glamour, distilled magic which, if taken by fae, protects them to a degree from iron, and if taken by humans, gives them the high of their life and temporarily grants them the ability to use a form of magic which twists the world around them. Throw into the mix Ravus, the troll with whom Val invariably develops an attachment to, and you have one hell of a screwed up faerie romance.
There is much, much more to this story, and largely is a lot more intricate than Tithe. The plot is subtler, and the fae manipulation and power play is a lot more believable. Still, not really ground breaking stuff, though I will say that allowing a YA book to have a drug addicted protagonist and supporting characters, who ultimately either self-destruct or rehabilitate is encouraging. Again, no dumbing down or softening the blows here. If you want a comfortable YA fantasy romance, Holly Black is just plain not for you. She will make you cringe and squirm, you will find moments of discomfort, and in amongst all of it, there is this inevitable truth that the kids both featured in these books, and the kids reading them, are a lot more grown up than most adults give them credit.
I expected from the beginning that things would be pretty screwed up in Valiant, given what my experiences of Tithe were, and I was not disappointed. Instead of beginning with a messed up main character, we are introduced to Valerie, a good student, a lacrosse player, for all intents and purposes, the average, ordinary teenage girl. Enter the cheating boyfriend and cougar mother, and Valerie's subsequent discovery of their affair, and things head into F*cked Up-Ville, right where they should be.
Valerie runs away and falls in with some homeless kids, and becomes addicted to Glamour, distilled magic which, if taken by fae, protects them to a degree from iron, and if taken by humans, gives them the high of their life and temporarily grants them the ability to use a form of magic which twists the world around them. Throw into the mix Ravus, the troll with whom Val invariably develops an attachment to, and you have one hell of a screwed up faerie romance.
There is much, much more to this story, and largely is a lot more intricate than Tithe. The plot is subtler, and the fae manipulation and power play is a lot more believable. Still, not really ground breaking stuff, though I will say that allowing a YA book to have a drug addicted protagonist and supporting characters, who ultimately either self-destruct or rehabilitate is encouraging. Again, no dumbing down or softening the blows here. If you want a comfortable YA fantasy romance, Holly Black is just plain not for you. She will make you cringe and squirm, you will find moments of discomfort, and in amongst all of it, there is this inevitable truth that the kids both featured in these books, and the kids reading them, are a lot more grown up than most adults give them credit.
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