Holly Black

[Nollaig]

I never posted these reviews before now because they've always been more of a guilty pleasure than anything I would recommend, however, it is a genre I adore and a thread about similar books prompted me to get these down. Also, I LOVE the second book, so go figure.

 

Holly is the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, if anyone has read those books.

 

Book 1: Tithe

(2002)

 

 

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Amid an industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

 

***

 

Review: Tithe is a implicitly macabre, but explicitly teen-orientated novel, which confuses me immensely. My first impression upon finishing was – had this book been written for adults and all the connotations explicitly built upon, it would have made for the darkest, most horrifyingly enthralling fairytale I’ve read in quite a while. No, make that *ever*. Dark fairytales are far and few between, those which involve genuinely dark folklore drawing upon that spiteful nature one associates with, particularly, Celtic fairy-folk.

 

As it is, the book is directed quite clearly at a younger audience, so it eases off the macbre and sexual aspects, but the hints are still so clear that I can’t help but wonder whether I’d approve of young teenagers reading it. Maybe I’m being too protective of them, but notably the most unexpected element in the book was that of

Corny, a homosexual teen, who engages in indirectly referenced sexual acts with a somewhat sadistic evil fairy man. It was the enjoyment Corny seemed to derive later from the cuts on his body that I found slightly disturbing for a book aimed at young people.

Maybe for 16/17+ its not too bad, but Young Adults range from 13-17. I just think that the content is a little heavy for the writing style its portrayed with. In vague relation, at one point we see an enchanted young boy running around a field in a blue dress. What? As a result, I can’t help but wonder if the author was going for the shock factor to make her story seem darker.

 

Black is not incapable of writing well, the setting descriptions in particular were very good, which is why I certainly think she has more raw talent than that of some authors I’ve come across. Her character descriptions weren’t as good – her basic ideas are quite interesting but they needed more development. The one resounding criticism I’ve found even from fans of this series is that character development is lacking to a point where, when, people start dying you just don’t really care. In addition, there is very little believeable in terms of relations between characters, nobody really cares that the two Fey die, and its hard to believe Kaye can return to her hometown and suddenly become the closest of friends with a guy she hardly knew before. The whole book reads like an in-depth summary with the dialogue added – with work it could be transformed into an unrecognizable epic novel.

 

I found the ending to be a rapid amalgamation of events explaining what had actually happened, who the good and bad guys were and so forth, but with the amount of swapping knights and the Solitary Fey seeming good then bad then good then indifferent, by the end you’re not sure who was supposed to be on which side ANYWAY. I think the problem here was that Black tried to introduce a gray area between good and evil, and failed, making everyone look at best confused about their own intentions and at worst indifferent.

 

Read it if you have an evening to spare – its easy to get through, and if you’re adventurous with reading its interesting, but not really worth making time for.

 

2.5/5

 

*************

 

Book 2: Valiant

(2005)

 

 

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis: 17-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. She takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels and shoots up an amber-coloured powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.

 

***

 

Review: The Modern Tale Of Faery is not a very well known series. Understandably, having read the first one. Unfortunately it suffered from Stephanie-Meyer syndrome – superb concept (and even more original than Twilight) but very poor execution, despite how easy it is to read. This second book in the series, Valiant, is not directly related to Tithe, the original. And rightly so. Black has a very carefully laid out plot in Valiant, it is well executed, and it draws you slowly and indirectly into the world of fairies. Rather than having a ‘glamoured’ faery for a lead character, we have the entirely human Val, who is much easier to relate to.

 

Unfortunately, the author still suffers lack of character development – while each character has a deeper personality than those in Tithe, its not enough to make you care what happens to them. Some reviews claim each character matches up to one in the original book, but I prefer to give Black’s progress a bit more credit. The world is also slightly one-dimensional – it is purely surreal. There are obvious attempts to contrast the surreal faery world with reality but the author hasn’t quite mastered it yet. Having said that, the surreal world is beautifully described in parts – Ravus’s lair for example. Black’s quirky writing style also hasn’t changed – including regular comparisons of this faery tale to a Playstation game and dominoes.

 

The book is classed as a Young Adult book. This surprises me, as I wouldn’t be too inclined to give it to a young teenager. The profanity is endless, although it doesn’t take away from the book. The explicit themes include drug addiction and psychological manipulation, which occurs in the form of using magic to control people. There are disturbing deaths due to apathy and misuse of magic. All in all, it is a very dark read which shocked even me at times, (and that’s not an easy thing to do.) While some elements still make the shock-factor seem a little forced, it works better than in Tithe, creating a much more rounded story. With enough profanity and adult content to warrant a warning on the back cover, with themes such as drug use and magical (I.e, psychological) manipulation, this book may be listed as Young Adult but it’s certainly not for the faint hearted.

 

The best part of this story is the Beauty and the Beast love story, not developed enough to take precedence over the revenge and mystery elements, but still a delight to follow. Ravus is at first the thing that hides in the night, but by the end he is no more than the Beast of the Disney movie. The ending is not a traditional happily ever after like a Disney movie, there is definitely more to come, but there is enough in this one stand-alone novel to satisfy. For those who dare, this is a darkly enthralling but surprisingly easy read. Holly Black is definitely a name to watch out for.

 

3.5/5