Fae (A New Adult Fairy Tale) (Chosen Book 1)

100 Must-Read Fairytale Retellings For Adults And YA Readers

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A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope. Then a stranger named Jack Spinner offers a tempting proposition: All three have lost men, spirit, money, and time to their old college acquaintance, Zenia. At various times, and in various emotional disguises, Zenia has insinuated her way into their lives and practically demolished them. But he also made her up. What will his wife Daphne think of this sudden change in her husband?

Can there be a happy ending—this time? In their old house, where ghostly voices whisper from the walls, the girls are ruled by their stepmother, who is ruled in turn by the fiery preacher. Determined to spend Eternity as a married man, Fitcher casts his eye on Vernelia, and before much longer the two are wed. Perhaps the secret lies in the locked room at the very top of the house—the single room that the Reverend Fitcher has forbidden to her. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms.

It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning.

To survive, his newest wife Shahrazad spins a web of tales night after night, leaving the King in suspense when morning comes, thus prolonging her life for another day. In Tales of a Severed Head, Madani addresses present-day issues surrounding the role of women in society—issues not unlike those explored a thousand years ago in the enduring collection of Arab tales known as The Thousand and One Nights.

He goes by Alif—the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind.

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She is as hopelessly unbridled—and unsuited for marriage—as her betrothed sister Laurel is domestic. In her restless dreams, mixed with the heady warmth of harvest wine, she hears him beckon. What would you sacrifice in the name of success? How much does an artist need to give up to create great art? You know, the type who wins. But when her hometown comes under siege from hellspawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are dramatically rearranged. Their father, moved by an incredible dream of optimism, decides to migrate from the lush green fields of British Columbia to Alberta.

There, he is determined to deny the hard-pan limitations of the prairie and to grow rice. She is one of the most pervasive and powerful creatures in all mythology. Her story is shot through with spellbinding, magic, involving a gambling triumph, sudden death on the golf course, a long-lost grandchild, an invasion of starlings, and wartime flight, the consequences of which are revealed only decades later. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls.

Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. Her words are meaningless to a man mourning his dead wife and child, but they come to pass all the same; Ronan has not been home a day before his father insists on an arranged marriage. As he gazes into the forest, desperate for a way out, Ronan glimpses a wonderful firebird perched on a nearby branch.

But his intended, the beautiful Princess Sidonie, is on her way to the palace. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation.

It has gone through eight editions and has been newly revised by the author for this English translation. Caperucita en la zona roja received the Casa de las Americas Prize in Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children. Josef Breuer—celebrated psychoanalyst—is about to encounter his strangest case yet. Found by the lunatic asylum, thin, head shaved, she claims to have no name, no feelings—to be, in fact, not even human.

Intrigued, Breuer determines to fathom the roots of her disturbance.

If you like birds (why wouldn’t you like birds?)

Years later, in Germany, we meet Krysta. Childless, they are drifting apart—he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. The next morning the snow child is gone—but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

An antiquarian book dealer with a business called Improbabilia, he is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting all the signs of post-partum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go far beyond that.

There he is taken by the changelings—an unaging tribe of wild children who live in darkness and in secret. They spirit him away, name him Aniday, and make him one of their own. Stuck forever as a child, Aniday grows in spirit, struggling to remember the life and family he left behind.

He also seeks to understand and fit in this shadow land, as modern life encroaches upon both myth and nature. But to young Tan-Tan, the Robber Queen is simply a favourite costume to wear at the festival—until her power-corrupted father commits an unforgivable crime. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

Rejected by her father, Eliza is flown to America by her brothers where she has a chance to save them—until she is accused of witchcraft. Like Eliza, Elias struggles to understand the suffering he must endure. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying ones—the djombi— who present her with a gift: Unfortunately, a wrathful djombi with indigo skin believes this power should be his and his alone.

He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Aislinn lives in fear every day of attracting the attention of any faerie, only to have it all come crashing down when the Summer King, Keenan, claims her as the next Summer Queen. Keenan has been searching for "the one" for over nine centuries, only to condemn each wrong girl to the burden of being a Winter Girl, who has to carry the awful winter chill until the next unlucky girl comes along.

Reasons why it sucked and yes, it sucked majorly in my opinion. I love the idea that he owns his own place, yet has no job. It really is a huge letdown to read the whole book realy enjoying it only to reach the end knowing that it's all going to end up awfully.

The thing is, I loved Donia and Seth. I loved Keenan and Aislinn. How did it end up? Keenan and Donia, and Seth and Aislinn. Who wants this book? I would be glad to send it to you, some of the pages bend up of course from its impact on my wall. View all 11 comments. So I was expecting to read a nice YA book, but let me tell you I loved all the characters and the way everything developed. I really liked how the author gave a smart solution to every problem.

I really enjoyed to read something different from all the books that are out there. Wicked lovely is a nice, refreshing and original story. Ash is a great heroine, with one of the best personalities I've seen and Seth is So I was expecting to read a nice YA book, but let me tell you Ash is a great heroine, with one of the best personalities I've seen and Seth is the sweetest thing.

If you like paranormal romance and YA books, you'll love this series. I'm glad I finally read it. I would give this book 4. Apr 21, Kiera rated it it was ok Recommends it for: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved the premise of this book- and invisible world of faeries that are about as unlike Tinkerbell as you can get.

Unfortunately, the dropped plot lines and somewhat flat nature of the supporting characters was disappointing. The faeries in this story are spiteful, cruel, and yes, wickedly beautiful. Aislin, the star of this urban fantasy, is a junior in high school with the unusual ability to see the faeries no one else can.

She has been tortured by this knowledge her entire life and has been I loved the premise of this book- and invisible world of faeries that are about as unlike Tinkerbell as you can get. She has been tortured by this knowledge her entire life and has been taught by her grandmother a fellow seer never to acknowledge their presence. Aislin goes about her life trying hard to ignore the atrocities she witnesses and the cruel acts that these barbaric faeries commit. So far, no faery has ever noticed her and she has remained as unknown to the faery world as it is to the humans.

That is, until the day the Summer King, Keenan, picks up on a certain "vibe" from Aislin and decides she is "the one. While the details of the faery customs, dress, language, and history were well-developed, the author failed to make her human characters as compelling. Besides the relationship between Aislin and her boy-but-just-a-friend Seth, the humans in the story are either boring, do not progress the plot in any way, or are cliched teenagers. Most annoying was the introduction of several seemingly important plot points that went nowhere.

Case in point and here comes the spoiler the revelation near the end of the book that Aislin's mother was also courted by Keenan. This fact, when first presented during a stressful time when the main characters are working towards a resolution, seems rather important. Rather, the characters move on to the next bit of action and by the end of the book, that plot point has been completely abandoned.

Did some key dialouge get edited out in the final draft? It was this inattention to developmental details of the story like the above that left me scratching my head and wondering what the editor was thinking. Overall, however, it is a fluid read with a steady pace and enough sexual tension and drama to keep most teens and adults turning the pages.

The use of the F-bomb and an oral sex scene make it more suitable to older teens. As much as I found interesting the fact that this had a dark vibe going on the entire time, I must say that I was completely let down by the writing. I don't know if it is because it's the author's first book but I guess that must be it. The story was equal parts intriguing and confusing, so I have mixed feelings about this entire book. I struggled giving a rating to this. I wasn't sure if it deserved 3 stars or 2 but I'll say that I'm somewhere in between.

Aislinn is a mortal, she has the Sight As much as I found interesting the fact that this had a dark vibe going on the entire time, I must say that I was completely let down by the writing. Aislinn is a mortal, she has the Sight, which means she can see the faeries. She's always been able too and her grams always advised her to not let them know that she could see them because faeries can be unpredictable and vicious.

Keenan is the Summer King, he's royalty and his mother is the Winter Queen so that means they are enemies. He's been trying to find the girl that will touch the winter staff without being consumed by the Queen's frost and so far he's only failed. It's a multi-changing perspective book. There are four characters narrating the story. Aislinn is one, Keenan another, Donia who is the last girl who touched the winter staff and got consumed by the frost and now she's partially a ghost, and lastly, Seth, Aislinn's boyfriend of sorts.

This book has its pros and cons. It's fast-paced and the story evolves quickly, there are multiple p. I'm sure that whoever reads this, they'll enjoy it. You may won't love it, I didn't either. But I'm intrigued enough, by the ending and the twists, that I'm going to be reading the next book in the series and hope for the best.

View all 6 comments. Apr 24, Tatiana rated it it was ok Recommends it for: For a long time she manages to hide this ability and stay unnoticed, but suddenly she finds herself a center of fae attention. We very quickly learn that Aislinn is chosen to have a special place in the faery world Once again a book so popular and trendy and such a favorite of many of my friends, disappointed me.

But first th "Wicked Lovely" is a story of Aislinn, a teenage girl who has a rare ability to see faeries. But first the positives. I liked the concept of the book and the ideas behind the faery mythology Marr created. In fact, her apparent strong knowledge of fae lore and interesting idea of Summer and Winter Courts saved this book from being just a tolerable read.

I enjoyed the prologue and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I appreciate thorough research. What didn't work for me? I found that while the sentence structure of this book was overly simplistic, the narration itself seemed too confusing for me. The sentences in the paragraphs didn't flow together. I didn't care for the 3rd person narration with 1st person thoughts by multiple characters thrown in together.

Neither did I care for long descriptive paragraphs between lines of dialog. It made me very often go back to previous lines paragraphs before just to keep up with a conversation. I also didn't find myself emotionally connected with any of the characters. For me Aislinn seemed whiny most of the book she did perk up in the end though , Seth appeared to be a guy who does nothing wrong and yet at 18 has so my sexual past that he has to have himself frequently tested for STDs?

I would not discourage anybody from reading this series. It is after all very popular. I expect you will like this book if you are a fan of fairies and find guys with tattoos and pierced lips and navels attractive. Unfortunately these things are not quite within my scope of interest and therefore this book didn't work for me. View all 19 comments. Dec 28, Frida rated it it was amazing Shelves: Where do I start This book had me from the very moment I started reading. I just knew it would be something out of the ordinary. She can see fairies. And not good fairies, fairies that fight and do all kinds of bad stuff.

She's learned how to control herself, how to not seem scared and to not start running as they approach; that only triggers them. The fairies doesn't know about her unusual talent And she i Where do I start And she is determined for it to stay that way. However, when devastatingly beautiful Keenan shows interest for her, Ash realizes that she can't ignore them anymore.

But Ash doesn't want that. She already has a special someone, though Seth seems to be oblivious to her feelings, and Ash works hard to conceal them anyway. She doesn't want anything to mess up their friendship. As Keenan refuses to give up, Seth proves to be the only one she can count on, the only one she can trust. This book truly was unbelievably good. It can't match Stephenie Meyers Twilight, but it was close enough. I found myself talking to Ash, trying to will her to get away from Keenan.

You could really feel the sexual tension there, and Marr does not seem to be afraid of writing about those kinds of things. Along with that tension comes the tension of how in the world she's going to solve this. You want Ash to be with Seth, cause Seth's person is just so wonderful, and the harmony between them is so clear.

But as the story evolves it doesn't seem possible. It seems as if Ash doesn't really have a choice Jan 26, Mizuki rated it it was ok Shelves: In Wicked Lovely, Aislinn was a girl who had been carrying a secret for her whole life: She could see fairies and had always tried hard to avoid attracting their attention for as long as she could recall. For fairies, unlike popular belief, were creatures who very much capable of mischiefs, torture, cruelty and harm. Much to Aislinn's fear, she found herself being stalked by two fairies, Keenan, the Summer King who had been looking for his lost Queen for centuries; Donia, Winter Girl and ex-lover In Wicked Lovely, Aislinn was a girl who had been carrying a secret for her whole life: Much to Aislinn's fear, she found herself being stalked by two fairies, Keenan, the Summer King who had been looking for his lost Queen for centuries; Donia, Winter Girl and ex-lover of Keenan, who suffered with Keenan's betrayal for decades.

Would Aislinn be the Summer Queen who Keenan was looking for? How would she choose between becoming a fairy or a life as mortal beside her love interest Seth? The first problem I have with the book is the main character Aislinn, I learn that she is a pretty girl, she has the Sight and had been tiptoeing to avoid attracting attention, pretending she can't see the fairies. Her grandmother who can also see the fairies is over protective toward her.

The friends she had in school only care about who's dating who. She has a crush on her sexy friend Seth. That's almost all I have even learned about her. And these don't add up into much of an interesting, engaging character. There're so many things we don't know about Aislinn, how she came to befriend Seth? What she thought had ever happened to her late mother? Did she ever know anything about her absent father?

A little background information would help a lot, but after reading half of the book, I'm still in the dark. Later Aislinn was attacked by some street gang and was rescued by Donia, but what I couldn't get is how come Aislinn could downplay the would-be-rape in front of both Donia and Seth. She kept saying 'It isn't so bad', 'It's nothing', but oh come on! Being gripped, cut and threatened by complete strangers ISN'T nothing! Please, a bit of common sense won't hurt anyone. I also have problem understanding what's going on with Seth. He's supposed to be the good, wonderful guy, right?

However, not only he comes out as flat as a cardboard cutout Perfect Boyfriend, plus through Aislinn's viewpoint we learn that Seth didn't like her friends from highschool, for those friends were Or were they just too ugly to look at? Or was it just the age-gap thing? If things are a little bit better explained, it could have been avoided. Even though Seth is an artist and he might have an imaginative mind, still how could a grown man accept such surreal claim at once without any doubt or second thought?

Just as unbelievable is the confident, sexually active Seth took time waiting for Aislinn to accept him for seven months. Frankly I'd thought that kind of cliche only exists in girl manga and Korean soap opera. I'd also thought that only love sick little highschool girls would do that 'waiting their love interests till he loves them back' stuff. In reality most guys would just shrug and move on to find another girl. As a whole, Seth and Aislinn's relationship is High School Musical at best, expects with the sex parts thrown in.

After reading a number of recently published YA novels, it bothers me to learn authors seemingly love to write their heroines being hotly sought after by two or even more guys, even when those heroines barely have any adorable quality Goodness, how typical and wish-fulfilling can they get? Not to mention that the only good scene with Aislinn interacting with the main guy s is the one she had with Keenan in the fairy carnival. All the scenes with her and Seth together look dull. As to Keenan, he's difficult to relate to after we learn that he'd been ruining innocent girls' lives through out centuries.

At best he sounds like any ordinary human spoiled brat rich young heir who tried hard to take power from his control-freak evil mother. Speaking of the evil mother, Keenan's mom Beira a. Why she is being so mean to her son? We never get a hint. By the way, we're told that if Beira wins, all the Summer Court fairies will die, that much I can accept; but when the author claimed that the mortal world will also froze over and the mortals will be starving.

Could she really expect we all buy this theory? Not only that the story takes place in the modern world where Global Warming is much more a problem than the coming of the new Ice Age, also in the book it was never ever being hinted that the weather is getting any colder than usual in where Aislinn lived. Epic Fail at internal logic within the story. Most of the main characters in the book are just They're like characters from some badly written Japanese girl manga or mediocre fanfictions. Don't get me wrong, I'd read amazing girl manga and fanfictions, but when I saw novels which are really unimpressive fanfictions in disguise, I can still recognize it.

The long suffering Donia is the only character that holds my interest. My heart goes to her at once, and her relationship with Keenan is filled with conflicts and raw emotion that it's the bright spot of the story. Still, credits must be given to the author, Miss Marr for keeping her fairies close to the Sidhe myth and she made use of the said myth quite well.

Half way through the book I started wondering: Actually we can learn the main plot and everyone's intention by simply looking upon the introduction at the book's backcover. How great it'd be if only Keenan or Beira's scheme have been slowly revealed to us, if only it isn't being hinted so often that Aislinn is 'special' or we can't easily figure out which side Doina is going to choose till the last second! Speaking of covers, Stephenie Meyer supposedly said that the one good thing about Wicked Lovely is its cover.

It's really, really sad that I have to agree with her. By the end of the story, Aislinn had already made a few mistakes which someone who supposedly had been aware of the existence of fairies and feared them for her whole life SHOULDN'T be making. Why she seemed to be so ignorant of the tricks of fairies in those critical moments? Why must Seth be the one to research about fairies and their ways? Shouldn't Aislinn be knowledgeable about those detail already? Things finally start to speed up by the last 40 or 30 pages, and Seth got his brief moment to shine.

But it's a bit too late to tidy up all the loosen ends in a rush. Still I'm relief to see Aislinn finally, finally growing a backbone and deciding what she wanted for her future, what roles she wanted and didn't want to play. For that alone she at least redeems herself from becoming a loser such as Bella Swan. To sum up, the first book of the Wicked Lovely series has potentials, but not much effort had been taken in order to make the most out of them.

And this book shows that the author lacked planning before she went ahead with the idea of the series, e. In book 2 it's revealed that Niall had been around in the Summer Court even since Keenan's father was alive and the guy had been looking after Keenan even since, but in book 1 it'd never been showed or hinted at that he had such special part in Keenan's life.

Are there any books on your to-read list that you've been consciously or unconsciously avoiding because people keep harassing you to read them? Then, when you read them, do you kick yourself for being so stubborn? On one hand, I'm really happy I waited to read this book, because the third and final? No, there's a book 4, at least On the other hand I don't know that I was avoiding it becaus Are there any books on your to-read list that you've been consciously or unconsciously avoiding because people keep harassing you to read them?

I don't know that I was avoiding it because of what other people were saying, necessarily. I don't know where my prejudice against faery books comes from, but it's there nonetheless! That's why I haven't read Holly Black 's books, either Why would I not like them?

Maybe I thought they were wussy little creatures A Midsummer Night's Dream turned me off to them, perhaps? But whatever the reason, I'm glad I got over myself and read this book! I haven't been so surprised by the twists and turns a plot has taken in quite some time! I didn't know what was going to happen! And that's fun—being surprised by the character's decisions. I loved all the characters except the Winter Queen, of course! I was a little worried about her in the middle Keenan even turned out pretty well! Never thought I'd say that in my lifetime About 20 pages from the end the last chapter , I was spazzing out.

I have no experience with Melissa Marr, so I had no idea if she was a happy-ending author or a depressing-ending author I had a HUGE grin on my face at the end. I can't wait to read Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity!! Ink Exchange isn't due back to the library until August 17th! What am I going to do??!?!?? View all 8 comments.

May 25, Res rated it it was ok Shelves: The one where Aislinn can see faeries that no one else can see, and they're awful. But the young Summer King, Keenan srsly, Keenan , wants her to be his queen, and if things go wrong, they're going to go very wrong. I described this book to someone as "like mediocre fanfiction," and now I'm trying to pin down exactly what that means. First, of course, it means the book is quite self-indulgent when it comes to everyone being Special and having special names and special facial piercings and specia The one where Aislinn can see faeries that no one else can see, and they're awful.

First, of course, it means the book is quite self-indulgent when it comes to everyone being Special and having special names and special facial piercings and special eclectic reading habits and playlists which are described in great detail and so on. Second, there's a very high level of what you might call emotional explicitness -- which means not only that the feelings are told rather than shown, but that everybody knows what they feel; nobody is confused or ambivalent or maintaining a successful wall of denial.

Third, an awful lot of what passes for conflict is actually meaningless, whiny rebellion. Keenan faces off his mother, and it says, "He couldn't afford to let her browbeat him," and so his courageous stand consists of clenching his teeth and saying, "Someday I'll win! Someday I'll beat you! I have to admit, I'm curious to know exactly what all the hints amount to -- what she has to say about Faery culture. But not curious enough. View all 3 comments. Mar 03, Katya rated it it was ok Shelves: Maybe it was because I'd just finished reading Holly Black's Valiant and Ironside, two of my favorite books in this genre, but I really did not think very highly of Wicked Lovely.

Compared with Black's books, I found this one to be badly paced, full of one-dimensional, undeveloped characters and lacking a lot of detail. Aislinn is rather whiny and unremarkable, with no defining characteristics except for the Sight, so it's hard to see why everyone loves her so much. Her friends are completely fl Maybe it was because I'd just finished reading Holly Black's Valiant and Ironside, two of my favorite books in this genre, but I really did not think very highly of Wicked Lovely.

Her friends are completely flat and expendable, judging by the fact that we don't see them past page 50 or so. 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 entire horrible mess.

To rant in depth, I have to start with the drug thing.

Magic as a drug seen it! And that's the big problem I have with Black. Her characters, her plot, they're constructed like cheap, ugly whores. They have to wear a hellva lot of horrid make-up and will do just about anything to make a few bucks in order to pay their pimps. From the very beginning she's throwing in Jerry Springer-esque turns in what begins to feel like a tacky attempt to hook through shock. Okay, so street kids and drugs and people with piercings and dyed hair, yeah, I know how those things look cool.

And being someone who has experience with all of the above, I can't say that I don't appreciate them. But underlying all of these "cool" things is generally such pain and insecurity that to write about them in the way that Black does is like covering a snake-infested swamp with a glittery plastic sheet and inviting your friends to go ice skating. People can write whatever crap they want, thankfully we don't have to read it.

View all 5 comments. December 20, Can't bring myself to finish this novel Nov 07, Kristen rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: 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: 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.

By the end, she is a completely different individual. The suspense and action in this book is what kept me thirsting for more and more. There is added humor that makes this reading that much more worth while. A major theme in this novel is that fighting for who you are, what you love and believe in, and what you know is the truth can not only benefit you, but also everybody else, in the end of a torturous situation.

Heartbroken and devastated from her horrific discovery that her own mother was making out with and cheating on her with her boyfriend, Tom, she boards a train and escapes into the crowded New York streets. While aboard, she cuts her long hair to a buzz, hoping that it will give her some feeling of dignity; she wants a new identity to escape the realness of her situation. Lolli takes Val in under her wing. One day Val goes along with Dave on one of his deliveries and discovers the mystical world she had only heard of that involves faeries and glamour.

No more times that twice a week, and no more times than once a day. This drug allows mortals to have glamour to mask their appearance and make them seem unbelievably beautiful and horrifyingly manipulative. They get everything they ask for and never feel a thing until the drug starts to wear away. While on the Never, Lolli and Val decide to go check out a specific place where Dave makes his deliveries; the home of a troll that goes by the name of Ravus. Ravus was put into exile by the order of the faerie queen because of a sword fight against his best friend, Tamson, which had gone terribly wrong.

He is also the maker of Nevermore and while trying to break into his house, they are attacked by a gorgeous glass sword. Short moments after their arrival, the troll shows up and makes an attempt to punish the two girls, however, Val escapes, leaving Lolli. While on the way to do a delivery, Val witnesses something terrible; there is a dead mermaid lurking above the water; a Folk.

Ravus arrives, once again just in time, and informs her of the poisonings that have been happening and that he is a main suspect because of the potions that he makes; the potions she and Dave have been delivering. Val is now severely caught up in a heap of trouble along with Dave, Lolli, Luis, and Ravus. Val is frustrated and relieved all at the same time. Now not only is Val caught up in the mystery, but Ruth is too. The entire gang has their lives at stake and who will be to blame? Will Ravus end up being the culprit and will Ruth and Val make it out alive? Are Dave, Lolli, and Luis the ones to blame for the Folk poisonings, or is it the wicked Mabry-who was also put into exile because Ravus killed her love, Tamson?

However, to unmask the unknown, you must read this mythically majestic novel, ever so wonderfully written by the great Holly Black! Jun 24, Claire rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I was a bit disappointed when Valiant didn't start up where Tithe ended. However, I quickly got over it. This story follows 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 I was a bit disappointed when Valiant didn't start up where Tithe ended. Eerie and strange, Val finds herself caught in the web of drugs she's never seen, and a life she never imagined. Luis is severe, blind in one eye, and pierced with iron. He also wears the role of protector for both Lolli and Dave. He's none too happy to find Val among them. Dave is the younger brother who mistakenly takes Val on a delivery her first morning with the trio. With him, she finds the web of glamour that will keep her from ever seeing anything the same way again. Under the blanket of the world of faerie, she finds someone to stand up for and takes control of her future.

I can't wait for Ironside which picks up Roiben and Kaye's continuing story. I thought Kaye, the main character of the first book, Tithe , had a difficult childhood, but it was nothing compared to this. I wonder if Holly Black had a difficult childhood too. Most of the book follows Val and her friends Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live in a disgusting, abandoned subway station, while they are high on faerie drugs all day. Val even starts acting like Alex DeLarge at one point when she breaks into a family's home. Lolli kills a cat at one point because she is just tired of taki I thought Kaye, the main character of the first book, Tithe , had a difficult childhood, but it was nothing compared to this.

Lolli kills a cat at one point because she is just tired of taking care of it. There is also cutting and casual sex among friends. So just be warned it might not be for the very young. The best part is Ravus, the troll Val falls in love with. Ravus is extremely sympathetic. It was hard to get an image of him in my mind but I gathered he looked basically human, except with slightly green skin and large teeth. Val's narrative never described him as handsome, but she did say he was tall and lean, with gorgeous yellow eyes and long, silky black hair.

I really enjoyed his character, although he was way too good for Val. Roiben was actually in this one for a bit near the end, and Kaye was mentioned to be in the room, but we don't see her. I know the next book, Ironside , is about Roiben and Kaye again, but I don't know how important the events in Valiant will be to that story. Aug 19, Sookie rated it did not like it Recommends it for: 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 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.

And this is all I have to say about it- It's almost the same sort of story as Tithe-lots of cursing, lots of drug and sexual references. Most of it was very inapropriate, for me, at least. And all of it distracted from the story-which wasn't half bad if it didn't have certain elements. So-I can't really recommend it. But at least I'll say that it wasn't as bad as Tithe.

Anyway, here's what I can tell you about the story: After finding out that her mother has had an affair with her boyfriend, Valerie runs away to New York City and starts hanging out with a group of homeless kids that live in the Subway. Luis, one of those kids, claims to have the Second Sight.

And Dave, his brother, makes deliveries to hoofed women. At first Val doesn't believe, but after a run-in with Ravus, a troll, Val is trapped in their world. She now makes deliveries for Ravus himself and ends up saving his life. To pay his debt, Ravus teaches Val how to use a sword.

But all the while, she's caught up in using a certain Faerie substance that is sort of like a drug. Val falls in love with Ravus, but he is disgusted to find out that she's been stealing the drug from him. But all the while-there have been Faerie poisonings everywhere, and Ravus is blamed and taken away. And it's now up to Val to use all her training to defeat the evil faerie. If this sounds interesting to anyone, I'd say the age level is probably sixteen and up. View all 3 comments. Aug 27, Wanda rated it really liked it Shelves: Holly Black writes really good Faerie tales!

Right now, for me, she can do no wrong. Once again, we have a very young woman thrown into this world to sink or swim.

7 Dark Fairytale Books for Grownups

Our heroine, Val by name, is the subj Holly Black writes really good Faerie tales! The story was set in Arthurian Britain and the Prince of the title was learning how to be a proper knight and joining the Round Table. I think I clipped the weekly comics from the paper and made a scrapbook of the tale. I have no idea whether Black is at all familiar with the comic strip, but I found strong Arthurian influence in this novel, regardless. Valiant was a very fast, fun reading experience.

Aug 12, Grace the Book Queen rated it really liked it Shelves: This one was less weird than the previous installment, but I still enjoyed it immensely. That first chapter was something else and each chapter just kept me hooked. Ravus was so sweet and I loved the dynamic between him and our main character, Val. Also, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the word play between Val and the title of this book! 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 YA urban fantasy, loosely based on the story of 'Beauty and the Beast'. 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 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.

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 they 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.

Wicked Lovely

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 view spoiler [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. Mostly, it just wasn't my style. Angsty heroines and lost boys and people betraying each other apparently aren't my thing, no matter how many faeries you add.

Jan 04, Wickedlyunique rated it it was amazing Shelves: Dave is the worst brother ever. Luis has done so much to protect him and he just throws all that away for Lolli. I absolutely HATE her. I hate her as much as I hate Val's mom. I mean, how could she sleep with her daughter's boyfriend. It's very rare for me to like main characters, because most of the time I find them to be way too Mary Sue.

But Val was a character I loved. I sympathesized with her, and I commend Holly Black for making me care about her. I was Dave is the worst brother ever. I was invested in her - and I was praying that she wouldn't come to harm. Also, never in a million years did I think I would root for a troll. I was honestly thinking that Holly Black would have pulled a Beauty and the Beast on me - but she didn't, and I was suprisingly grateful.

Val and Ravus's relationship had depth - something which I find is rare in literature today. Apr 15, Courtney Wells rated it it was amazing Shelves: Whether or not you approve of it, I think we all know sex, drugs, angst, and vulgarity are part of the teenage atmosphere.

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