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Whadda ya at book lovers! I’m here with a little book review on Tithe by Holly Black. I heard about this book from MeltotheAny – she’s co-hosting a readathon called Faerieathon, check out the video announcement here.
MONTH BREAKDOWNS:
➽ June – Tithe
➽ July – Valiant
➽ August – Ironside
➽ September – The Darkest Part of the Forest
➽ October – The Cruel Prince
➽ November – The Wicked King / Queen of Nothing
About The Book 📚
Title: Tithe
Author: Holly Black
Publication Date: first published 2002
Category: YA
Suggested Reader Age: 16+
Genre: Urban Fantasy (Paranormal, Fairies)
Format/Pages: Hardcover 310 pages
Synopsis
“Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces her back to her childhood home. There, against the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms.”
My Review
“And pleasant is the faerie land
But an eerie tale to tell,
Ay at the end of seven years
We pay a tithe to Hell;
I am sae fair and fu o flesh,
I’m feard it be mysel”
– Young Tam Lin
Kaye Fierch is an unlikable main character who, at 16 years-old, discovers she is a changeling and her childhood “imaginary” friends were in fact faeries. Her mother’s daughter was taken, Kaye was left in her place and glamoured to hide her green skin and faerie wings. Two rival faerie kingdoms are magically hidden in New Jersey. Roiben was sent to take Kaye as a sacrifice which would bind all faeries to abide by the Unseelie Queen’s wishes. Kaye’s childhood faerie friends ask Kaye to help them trick the Unseelie Queen and achieve freedom.
• Kaye Fierch: Has quit going to school. She smokes, drinks, and makes very bad choices.
• Ellen Fierch: is a neglectful mother, who only cares about being in a band. After a violent encounter following a show, she takes Kaye to stay with Ellen’s mother (Kaye’s Grandma).
• Janet, Kenny, and Marcus are human friends of Kaye
• Cornelius Stone: Janet’s gay brother
“Yeah, the whole family knows. It’s no big deal. One night at dinner I said, ‘Mom, you know the forbidden love that Spock has for Kirk? Well, me too.’ It was easier for her to understand that way.”
› Writing style is a choppy and plot-driven centered around power, control, freedom, embracing flaws and accepting the inability to change the past.
“You can break a thing, but you cannot always guide it afterward into the shape you want.”
› Likes 😻
• Changelings. I love hearing stories about them. I took a few courses in University about folklore and wrote a paper about changelings and faeries.
• The faerie world Black has created is magical, dark, and almost gothic-like.
› Dislikes 😾
• character cheating with a good friend’s boyfriend (twice)
• I felt like the Seelie and Unseelie Court weren’t explained well enough.
• Neglectful parents, Racism, homophobic slurs, sexual assault: and the problem is – not one character challenges any of this.
› Final Thoughts
• Tithe is a dark, quick read about faeries, violence, and romance. I think it’s not for children under 16 UNLESS that child has a very good understanding of right and wrong, and feels comfortable talking with a parent or guardian about the serious topics that come up in Tithe. I would like to read the next book of the series, Valiant.
About The Author
Holly Black
• author of bestselling Fantasy books
• Her first book was Tithe from The Modern Faerie Tale series
• Some of her work include:
The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Curse Worker series
Doll Bones
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
The Darkest Part of the Forest
• Eisner Award Finalist
• Andre Norton Award Winner
• Mythopoeic Award Winner
• Newest YA novels are The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King
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