Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Simon Pulse (2006), Paperback, 320 pages
Description
Seventeen-year-old Val runs away to New York City, where she falls in with a gang of squatters who live in the city's subway system and consort with faeries, trolls, and other strange creatures.
User reviews
LibraryThing member xicanti
When seventeen-year-old Val runs away to the city, she becomes entangled with a community of faeries in exile.
It took me a little while to warm up to this book. It was instantly readable, but I initially felt it to be too dark and distanced. It read like Francesca Lia Block with all of the horror
The book got much better as it progressed, though. It remains dark throughout, but Black manages to capture the beauty as well as the horror. She seems interested in exploring the darker side of faerie mythology, and it makes for some good reading. Things are rough, gritty and difficult, but there's also some gorgeous imagery and some wonderful moments between the characters. I really liked the love story, too, though I wish it had been built up a bit more.
Overall: an enjoyable read, though not an entirely comfortable one. While this is set in the same world as TITHE, there's very little overlap between the two books.
It took me a little while to warm up to this book. It was instantly readable, but I initially felt it to be too dark and distanced. It read like Francesca Lia Block with all of the horror
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and very little of the beauty. I had trouble sinking into the world.The book got much better as it progressed, though. It remains dark throughout, but Black manages to capture the beauty as well as the horror. She seems interested in exploring the darker side of faerie mythology, and it makes for some good reading. Things are rough, gritty and difficult, but there's also some gorgeous imagery and some wonderful moments between the characters. I really liked the love story, too, though I wish it had been built up a bit more.
Overall: an enjoyable read, though not an entirely comfortable one. While this is set in the same world as TITHE, there's very little overlap between the two books.
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LibraryThing member quigui
Val had a regular life – she did well in school and in sports, she had a good boyfriend, and they were making plans to go to college together. But it all changes when she comes home to find him in a compromising situation. She leaves home, her brain entering in auto-pilot, doing what she had
Valiant is not exactly a continuation to Tithe – there are some cameos of previous characters, and slight nods to the story, but this book is pretty much about Val, and could be read independently of Tithe. But the theme is the same; there are faeries and a certain darkness and grittiness to it.
I liked this book, even more than Tithe. I was actually surprised by this – Tithe had been a good book, but not exactly mindblowing. But Valiant benefited from me not being so easily shocked now – when I read Tithe I certainly wasn’t expecting some attitudes and ideas to be present in a YA book, but this time I knew better than to assume anything.
To Holly Black, just because it’s YA it doesn’t mean it has to be sugarcoated. Valiant shows kids in a place no parent would like to see them in, but the truth is it happens (sans faeries, I suppose). There is despair, there is anger, there passiveness. But it isn’t overly angsty – there are quite a few funny parts, and they are not just for comic relief.
Midway through the book it seemed to me it would turn into a Beauty and the Beast kind of story, and while there are some elements of it, it is not important. The story is devoted to Val, her new-found friends and the faeries.
The pages flew by, and no matter how sleepy I was, I wanted more. I really liked how it wasn’t about the romance; it was about Val and the other kids, and about the mystery. Sure, it was easy to figure out who the culprit was, but it was not so blatant that it would make my eyes rolls at the characters for not figuring it out.
I really liked the characters, and especially Val – I didn’t feel she was the typical kickass heroine, but she wasn’t meek or weak either. She had her own strength, but was pretty much a normal kid.
Valiant is a very good book, and now I really want to read Ironside, and everything else by Holly Black. What sold it to me might not appeal to all readers – dark fairytales and alternative lifestyles are something that I enjoy; but if it doesn’t squick you, do give this book a try.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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planed to – go to New York and watch the hockey game. But when the night is over she meets Lolli and Dave, who show her a different world than she is used to.Valiant is not exactly a continuation to Tithe – there are some cameos of previous characters, and slight nods to the story, but this book is pretty much about Val, and could be read independently of Tithe. But the theme is the same; there are faeries and a certain darkness and grittiness to it.
I liked this book, even more than Tithe. I was actually surprised by this – Tithe had been a good book, but not exactly mindblowing. But Valiant benefited from me not being so easily shocked now – when I read Tithe I certainly wasn’t expecting some attitudes and ideas to be present in a YA book, but this time I knew better than to assume anything.
To Holly Black, just because it’s YA it doesn’t mean it has to be sugarcoated. Valiant shows kids in a place no parent would like to see them in, but the truth is it happens (sans faeries, I suppose). There is despair, there is anger, there passiveness. But it isn’t overly angsty – there are quite a few funny parts, and they are not just for comic relief.
Midway through the book it seemed to me it would turn into a Beauty and the Beast kind of story, and while there are some elements of it, it is not important. The story is devoted to Val, her new-found friends and the faeries.
The pages flew by, and no matter how sleepy I was, I wanted more. I really liked how it wasn’t about the romance; it was about Val and the other kids, and about the mystery. Sure, it was easy to figure out who the culprit was, but it was not so blatant that it would make my eyes rolls at the characters for not figuring it out.
I really liked the characters, and especially Val – I didn’t feel she was the typical kickass heroine, but she wasn’t meek or weak either. She had her own strength, but was pretty much a normal kid.
Valiant is a very good book, and now I really want to read Ironside, and everything else by Holly Black. What sold it to me might not appeal to all readers – dark fairytales and alternative lifestyles are something that I enjoy; but if it doesn’t squick you, do give this book a try.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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LibraryThing member sbrew1
Readers Annotation:
After Valerie finds out her mother is sleeping with her boyfriend she runs away to New York City. She meets up with three other runaways and sleeps with them in the subway. When she goes to make a delivery with them she finds out that not all drug dealers are human.
Plot
Valerie finds out her mother and her boyfriend are sleeping with each other and she runs away to New York. Her new friends introduce her to Ravus a troll who brews potions for fairies, including the drug Never. Never makes it possible for the fairy people to live in our world without being poisoned from exposure to iron. When humans use never it makes them feel, and act, like the fairies. They can even do magic. One problem with Never is that it is addictive. Val works for Ravus as a runner for his drugs to his fairy customers and she becomes addicted and steals from him. Ravus’ customers are getting murdered and he is a suspect.
Evaluation:
I loved Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles series for children. I was very excited when I found out that she had these fairy books for teens. It is not a series with the second book having completely different characters and plot from Tithe. She creates edgy, dark fairy characters and settings. She is very good at starting a story with a shocking opener that gets the reader hooked on the story. She portrays a perilous world of fairies, one where humans can be used up and spat out, where the inhabitants are beautiful and deadly. This book is about betrayal, homelessness, and addiction. It's about making decisions and living with the outcome. I didn't plan to read about addicted kids, but this book has a powerful message. The message is about how people get addicted to something, anything, without realizing that they're getting addicted. It doesn't have to be a drug, it can be another person or a way of life. I loved the strong protagonist she portrays becoming addicted to “never” a substance that acts like heroin on humans and how she overcomes her addiction. Ages: 16+/Interests: Fairies, Magic, Drug Addiction
After Valerie finds out her mother is sleeping with her boyfriend she runs away to New York City. She meets up with three other runaways and sleeps with them in the subway. When she goes to make a delivery with them she finds out that not all drug dealers are human.
Plot
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Summary:Valerie finds out her mother and her boyfriend are sleeping with each other and she runs away to New York. Her new friends introduce her to Ravus a troll who brews potions for fairies, including the drug Never. Never makes it possible for the fairy people to live in our world without being poisoned from exposure to iron. When humans use never it makes them feel, and act, like the fairies. They can even do magic. One problem with Never is that it is addictive. Val works for Ravus as a runner for his drugs to his fairy customers and she becomes addicted and steals from him. Ravus’ customers are getting murdered and he is a suspect.
Evaluation:
I loved Holly Black’s Spiderwick Chronicles series for children. I was very excited when I found out that she had these fairy books for teens. It is not a series with the second book having completely different characters and plot from Tithe. She creates edgy, dark fairy characters and settings. She is very good at starting a story with a shocking opener that gets the reader hooked on the story. She portrays a perilous world of fairies, one where humans can be used up and spat out, where the inhabitants are beautiful and deadly. This book is about betrayal, homelessness, and addiction. It's about making decisions and living with the outcome. I didn't plan to read about addicted kids, but this book has a powerful message. The message is about how people get addicted to something, anything, without realizing that they're getting addicted. It doesn't have to be a drug, it can be another person or a way of life. I loved the strong protagonist she portrays becoming addicted to “never” a substance that acts like heroin on humans and how she overcomes her addiction. Ages: 16+/Interests: Fairies, Magic, Drug Addiction
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LibraryThing member extrajoker
first line (of the prologue): "The tree woman choked on poison, the slow sap of her blood burning."
first line (of the first chapter): "Valerie Russell felt something cold touch the small of her back and spun around, striking without thinking."
Holly Black pulls no punches. Her Faeries are not for
first line (of the first chapter): "Valerie Russell felt something cold touch the small of her back and spun around, striking without thinking."
Holly Black pulls no punches. Her Faeries are not for
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the faint of heart. Nor are her humans, for that matter. Her characters -- and their relationships and motivations -- are gritty and complex. Still, though, there's magic in the world. And while that doesn't candy-coat all the nastiness, it does help the medicine go down. Valiant easily stands alone, but I still recommend reading it in conjunction with the earlier Tithe and subsequent Ironside. (Tithe and Ironside are "Movie A," as it were; Valiant is the "B Side"...though no less compelling for that.) Show Less
LibraryThing member titania86
Val Russel lives a normal life with an annoying mother, a loving boyfriend, and lacrosse. A bit hot tempered, she clashes with teammates one too many times and finds herself kicked off the team. Then she goes home unexpectedly only to find her boyfriend and her mother kissing. Distraught and
I expected Valiant to be a direct sequel to Tithe with Roiben and Kaye, but it only exists in the same world. I would have been disappointed if Val and her story hadn't completely won me over within the first few pages. She feels like a real person with numerous flaws who just experienced her first real betrayal by those closest to her in addition to being soundly rejected by the only thing tying her to her school. Her escape to New York is far from idyllic, but it introduces her to a completely different world with ultimate freedom and very little repercussions. At first, the world is fun even with the seedier parts like digging through dumpsters and sleeping outside. Then, things improve even more with the discovery of the faerie world and "Never," a faerie medicine to help them cope with living so closely with huge amounts of iron.
The effects are much different for humans and allow them to have faerie powers of glamour and compulsion along with feelings of euphoria and dreamlike disorientation. She and her friends start by taking it sparingly to get what they need to survive and then progress to taking it at least daily and stealing from people off the street and upscale shops. The first half of the story moves rather slowly, focusing on Val and her descent. Despite poor decision making, I was on her side the whole time. I felt for her, especially when the more monstrous sides of her friends were revealed. The need to escape and avoid negative feelings is completely understandable. When she realizes how far into the drugs and horrible lifestyle she is, it's so much harder to go through the withdrawal and get out of that situation.
Val's relationship with Ravus bloomed organically and unexpectedly. It has a Beauty and the Beast dynamic that is much more complex. Ravus won't become a handsome prince with true loves kiss; he will always be a hideous troll, but Val loves him anyway. Val steals from him and lies to him before her feelings developed, complicating things and making it seem like she was just using him. Their sword sparring is one of my favorite parts of the story because it's where they get to know each other the most. With some subjects, they don't mind sharing, but others are avoided. From the time Ravus is introduced in the story, a murder mystery is revealed with Ravus as its prime suspect. This series of murders has ties to the Seelie court where he is from and exposes even more corruption of the supposed good side of the faerie world. Val is alone in fighting for Ravus' innocence. She's a drug addict, a thief, a vagrant, and casual with sex, all of which are seen in society as immoral. However, she's the hero of this story and fights with all her might to free the one she loves, showing that mistakes and others' perception doesn't define her. At her core, she's a hero through and through.
Valiant is a very different story than Tithe and one that I enjoy just a little bit more. The hero has so many things going against her that she actually has to deal with when her adventure is over unlike Kaye who then lived in the faerie world. Val's object of affection isn't a handsome prince (although Roiben is much darker than the usual), but someone she connects with completely. So much of the story portrays reversals of tropes that ring much more true to me. I read this installment in only a couple of days and I will devour the last of the series as soon as I can.
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betrayed, Val decides to escape for a while and goes to New York after impulsively shaving her head and going to the hockey game she and her now ex were going to attend. Two homeless teens happen upon her sleeping and take her under their wing, teaching her how to survive and their own tips and tricks. They also introduce her to the world of faeries much darker than expected, but with addictive faerie medicine that gives humans faerie powers for a short time. Val spirals out of control more and more until she's caught stealing some it by Ravus, an exiled troll, and he binds her as a servant until she has repaid her debt. As both her feelings for Ravus and her addiction deepen, Val finds herself the only one willing to save him and has to fight literal and metaphorical demons to do so.I expected Valiant to be a direct sequel to Tithe with Roiben and Kaye, but it only exists in the same world. I would have been disappointed if Val and her story hadn't completely won me over within the first few pages. She feels like a real person with numerous flaws who just experienced her first real betrayal by those closest to her in addition to being soundly rejected by the only thing tying her to her school. Her escape to New York is far from idyllic, but it introduces her to a completely different world with ultimate freedom and very little repercussions. At first, the world is fun even with the seedier parts like digging through dumpsters and sleeping outside. Then, things improve even more with the discovery of the faerie world and "Never," a faerie medicine to help them cope with living so closely with huge amounts of iron.
The effects are much different for humans and allow them to have faerie powers of glamour and compulsion along with feelings of euphoria and dreamlike disorientation. She and her friends start by taking it sparingly to get what they need to survive and then progress to taking it at least daily and stealing from people off the street and upscale shops. The first half of the story moves rather slowly, focusing on Val and her descent. Despite poor decision making, I was on her side the whole time. I felt for her, especially when the more monstrous sides of her friends were revealed. The need to escape and avoid negative feelings is completely understandable. When she realizes how far into the drugs and horrible lifestyle she is, it's so much harder to go through the withdrawal and get out of that situation.
Val's relationship with Ravus bloomed organically and unexpectedly. It has a Beauty and the Beast dynamic that is much more complex. Ravus won't become a handsome prince with true loves kiss; he will always be a hideous troll, but Val loves him anyway. Val steals from him and lies to him before her feelings developed, complicating things and making it seem like she was just using him. Their sword sparring is one of my favorite parts of the story because it's where they get to know each other the most. With some subjects, they don't mind sharing, but others are avoided. From the time Ravus is introduced in the story, a murder mystery is revealed with Ravus as its prime suspect. This series of murders has ties to the Seelie court where he is from and exposes even more corruption of the supposed good side of the faerie world. Val is alone in fighting for Ravus' innocence. She's a drug addict, a thief, a vagrant, and casual with sex, all of which are seen in society as immoral. However, she's the hero of this story and fights with all her might to free the one she loves, showing that mistakes and others' perception doesn't define her. At her core, she's a hero through and through.
Valiant is a very different story than Tithe and one that I enjoy just a little bit more. The hero has so many things going against her that she actually has to deal with when her adventure is over unlike Kaye who then lived in the faerie world. Val's object of affection isn't a handsome prince (although Roiben is much darker than the usual), but someone she connects with completely. So much of the story portrays reversals of tropes that ring much more true to me. I read this installment in only a couple of days and I will devour the last of the series as soon as I can.
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LibraryThing member plettie2
This book was a lot of fun. It is 2nd in the series, following the novel Tithe .
What makes this book so good is that, yes, it follows in sequence the first novel but it has totally different characters who only relate marginally to those in the first. It is a sophisticated sequel that shows the
It is the best of the 3.
What makes this book so good is that, yes, it follows in sequence the first novel but it has totally different characters who only relate marginally to those in the first. It is a sophisticated sequel that shows the
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author's depth of understanding of this imaginary world. I think it is a great book for the early teenage years. Just edgy enough without being worrisome.It is the best of the 3.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: When Val catches her boyfriend in one of the worst possible acts of betrayal, she heads into New York City, for what was supposed to be a date night, on her own. Once there, she realizes she can't bring herself to go home again, and winds up falling in with a group of street kids. They
Review: Valiant is to Tithe what Ink Exchange was to Wicked Lovely. It's a semi-sequel set in the same world, but with new characters, and only brief cameos from the characters that we became invested in during the first book. It stars a teenaged girl who's been scarred and broken and is determined to take control of her own life. She's human, but she gets caught up in the world of the faeries, in large part due to some kind of magical substance that gets under her skin with a needle. She gets in over her head, must find her way out, in part with the help of one of the fey who has fallen for her, but mostly by finding her own strength, etc., etc. And, while Valiant was published first, I read it second, so I wound up feeling like I'd heard all of it before.
The pacing of Valiant also wound up feeling a little off to me. I guess the structure of the first half being mostly character development and the second half being mostly plot is not all that unusual, but my problem was that I didn't particularly like Val all that much, so the first half felt like it dragged on. Once the plot, and the mystery, and the action started up, the rest of the book flew by, but it took me a while to get really invested. People who can identify more with Val probably won't have the same problem, but she just struck me like the kind of person who in real life would make me roll my eyes in exasperation pretty much constantly.
Another purely personal preference that cost this book a few points was its treatment of New York City. NYC seems like it's prone to this reverential treatment among fiction authors, more than other cities, where it becomes a character in its own right. I've seen it handled well on rare occasions, but usually I just wind up finding it annoying... I mean, I don't live there, so please don't name-drop random parks and streets and neighborhoods and expect that to mean something to me. Again, this is totally a personal thing, but... it's just a city, you know?
Anyways, Valiant wasn't a bad book by any means; it had a lot of the same grim, dark, brutal characteristics and easy readability that made Tithe such a welcome antidote to the typical sparkly charming faerie stories. Still, it didn't entirely recapture the magic of its predecessors, mostly due to characters I didn't care for and a plot that didn't get going until a little too late. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you loved Tithe, then Valiant is probably worth your while as well, although since it does involve totally different characters, it could just as easily stand on its own. If you liked but didn't love Tithe, then Valiant is not as necessary but still probably worth reading, as long as you're aware that it's not a direct continuation of Kaye and Roiben's story.
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sleep in the subway tunnels, inject strange drugs, and - get this - believe that faeries are real. But slowly, Val starts to believe that they're right... not only are faeries real, but they're everywhere. And, what's more, someone has been murdering New York's fae... and Val has managed to get herself right in the middle of it.Review: Valiant is to Tithe what Ink Exchange was to Wicked Lovely. It's a semi-sequel set in the same world, but with new characters, and only brief cameos from the characters that we became invested in during the first book. It stars a teenaged girl who's been scarred and broken and is determined to take control of her own life. She's human, but she gets caught up in the world of the faeries, in large part due to some kind of magical substance that gets under her skin with a needle. She gets in over her head, must find her way out, in part with the help of one of the fey who has fallen for her, but mostly by finding her own strength, etc., etc. And, while Valiant was published first, I read it second, so I wound up feeling like I'd heard all of it before.
The pacing of Valiant also wound up feeling a little off to me. I guess the structure of the first half being mostly character development and the second half being mostly plot is not all that unusual, but my problem was that I didn't particularly like Val all that much, so the first half felt like it dragged on. Once the plot, and the mystery, and the action started up, the rest of the book flew by, but it took me a while to get really invested. People who can identify more with Val probably won't have the same problem, but she just struck me like the kind of person who in real life would make me roll my eyes in exasperation pretty much constantly.
Another purely personal preference that cost this book a few points was its treatment of New York City. NYC seems like it's prone to this reverential treatment among fiction authors, more than other cities, where it becomes a character in its own right. I've seen it handled well on rare occasions, but usually I just wind up finding it annoying... I mean, I don't live there, so please don't name-drop random parks and streets and neighborhoods and expect that to mean something to me. Again, this is totally a personal thing, but... it's just a city, you know?
Anyways, Valiant wasn't a bad book by any means; it had a lot of the same grim, dark, brutal characteristics and easy readability that made Tithe such a welcome antidote to the typical sparkly charming faerie stories. Still, it didn't entirely recapture the magic of its predecessors, mostly due to characters I didn't care for and a plot that didn't get going until a little too late. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you loved Tithe, then Valiant is probably worth your while as well, although since it does involve totally different characters, it could just as easily stand on its own. If you liked but didn't love Tithe, then Valiant is not as necessary but still probably worth reading, as long as you're aware that it's not a direct continuation of Kaye and Roiben's story.
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LibraryThing member sszkutak
This was a wonderful book, the man characters strength and valor were encouraging and her tom-boy-esq style and personality were refreshing.
LibraryThing member fayeflame
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 bad. 17 year old Val discovers this world when she runs away from home and lives under the New
It was a dark and exciting story.It had a modern upbeat to it but i wanted more, i wanted to know the other characters more(like what was lolli's story).I found myself drawn into the love story that unfolded between Val and Ravus, the troll, though it was kind of weird but sweet. Val finds her inner strength, learns for forgive, and stops running away from her problems. I love this book, my favorite character Roiben (from book 1 Tithe) had a little part in the story, showing his new status as the Unseelie King with my other fav character Kaye by his side Yay. Great book
can't wait to read Ironside
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York subway tunnels. Through unforeseen circumstances, she ends up indebted to a troll, delivering potions to faeries. But faeries are being poisoned, and Val ends up risking her life to solve the mystery and protect her unlikely troll-friend.It was a dark and exciting story.It had a modern upbeat to it but i wanted more, i wanted to know the other characters more(like what was lolli's story).I found myself drawn into the love story that unfolded between Val and Ravus, the troll, though it was kind of weird but sweet. Val finds her inner strength, learns for forgive, and stops running away from her problems. I love this book, my favorite character Roiben (from book 1 Tithe) had a little part in the story, showing his new status as the Unseelie King with my other fav character Kaye by his side Yay. Great book
can't wait to read Ironside
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LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
I liked this one a little less than Tithe, but I really enjoyed how it was all tied back together so you know that this is the same world in the same era. I believe this book focused too heavily on the idea of Never while that should have just been a side note. As a character, Val didn't seem to
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have the addictive personality and her tendacy towards physical outrage also seemed a little odd, compared to how she acted and the choices she made. I guess it made for an interesting main character, though. I look forward to the next book, however, as I do enjoy Black's writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member sara_k
Valiant, like Tithe is set in a world where fairies are not benevolent pretty things but rather both the Light and Dark Courts are horrifyingly beautiful and dismissive of the value of non-magical creatures.
Valerie Russel is betrayed by her mother and leaves her home in NJ for New York City. She
Valerie Russel is betrayed by her mother and leaves her home in NJ for New York City. She
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changes her appearance and meets up with some other teens who are living in a subway tunnel and running errands for magical creatures. There is sex, drugs, magic, trolls, kidnapping, and a realization that the eye of the beholder is easier tricked than the heart of the beholder. Show Less
LibraryThing member gbjefferso
Seventeen-year-old Val runs away to New York City, after witnessing her mother and boyfriend's betrayal of her, where she falls in with a group of other run-aways who live in the city's subway system and move in and around a world of faeries, trolls, and other strange creatures.Creative and
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high-paced story but includes much profanity, sexual encounters and drug addiction. Book would be of high-interest, but definite for older students. Show Less
LibraryThing member shamille
Holly Black came back! She was the Author of "Tithe, a Modern Faerie Tale". I forget this one's subtitle... "A modern tale of Faerie", i think. lol.
Anyway this one's about Val. She shaves her head and runs away to New York and meets up with these homeless kids. They do drugs and work for Folk,
This was a really good book (of course, it was Holly Black's). It wasn't a sequel to Tithe, but i takes place in the same world. Hm... The end was kind of... unbelievable. but that's ok. I really liked the beginning. It reminded me of the beginning of a movie. right after it would roll opening credits... ha. Read this book, don't do drugs.
Anyway this one's about Val. She shaves her head and runs away to New York and meets up with these homeless kids. They do drugs and work for Folk,
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which are everywhere, by the way. Val starts working for a troll named Ravus. And then the Seelie court is involved and--ooh can't give too much away!This was a really good book (of course, it was Holly Black's). It wasn't a sequel to Tithe, but i takes place in the same world. Hm... The end was kind of... unbelievable. but that's ok. I really liked the beginning. It reminded me of the beginning of a movie. right after it would roll opening credits... ha. Read this book, don't do drugs.
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LibraryThing member HustonAlba3
This is one of my favorite books. It's about a yo0ung girl named Valiant, by her friends. she runs away from home into NY. She then meets a young girl named Lollypop who she befriends. She gets into trouble a lot with fairy folk. the books about her and her friends helping solve a mystery about why
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all the fairies are dying. Her best firend, a troll, is the prime suspect, so she must find the real monster who did it... and fast. Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
Val’s friend Ruth jokes with her that taking her boyfriend Tom to a hockey game will make a boy of him yet. Unfortunately Val’s mother has much different plans for Tom that Val, unfortunately, interrupts. Val has had a tough time in school as well; she was kicked off the lacrosse team because
Val runs. She is not really running away, just running. Eventually she finds herself in the company of Lolli, Dave, and Luis. Dave allows Val to make a delivery to a woman (creature?) who has hooves instead of feet. Shortly after, Val meets Ravus the troll whose drugs alleviate metal poison symptoms for the fairies, but have magical, hallucinogenic properties for Val and her homeless human crew. Ravus presses Val into his service and teaches her how to sword fight.
When the murders of Ravus’s customers are linked with his deliveries, Val must fight for both of their lives as she slowly sinks into addiction. While this book is definitely a fantasy, lovers of contemporary realistic fiction will adopt this book as one for them too. Adult situations are depicted obliquely. The ultimate message of fidelity and the meaning of beauty make this book appropriate for older teens, if not a book to recommend for classroom set purchase.
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“Princess Badass of Badassia” does not tolerate bullies making lesbian jokes about her and Ruth. To top it off, when she discovers the affair between Tom and her mother, it appears that she is the last to know. Val runs. She is not really running away, just running. Eventually she finds herself in the company of Lolli, Dave, and Luis. Dave allows Val to make a delivery to a woman (creature?) who has hooves instead of feet. Shortly after, Val meets Ravus the troll whose drugs alleviate metal poison symptoms for the fairies, but have magical, hallucinogenic properties for Val and her homeless human crew. Ravus presses Val into his service and teaches her how to sword fight.
When the murders of Ravus’s customers are linked with his deliveries, Val must fight for both of their lives as she slowly sinks into addiction. While this book is definitely a fantasy, lovers of contemporary realistic fiction will adopt this book as one for them too. Adult situations are depicted obliquely. The ultimate message of fidelity and the meaning of beauty make this book appropriate for older teens, if not a book to recommend for classroom set purchase.
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LibraryThing member luvdancr
This tale was darker than Holly Black's previous work Tithe. It had the same flow as her other novel as well. It incorporates some of the characters from Tithe, so make sure you read that one first. I can't wait for ironside to come out!
LibraryThing member allify
It has all the elements that I like in a book and yet it doesn't quite do it for me. There was action, and yet it seemed forced, kind of like fake action, or action just for the sake of being there. There was romance, but that too seemed artificial. I could see the romantic tension but could not
I did love the concept of Nevermore; that was quite inventive. I also liked how the concept of fairy courts was likened to that of gangs. It made it much more plausible, much more believable.
Despite its merits, I wasn't satisfied with Valiant. It needed more strength. It just needed more.
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feel it.I did love the concept of Nevermore; that was quite inventive. I also liked how the concept of fairy courts was likened to that of gangs. It made it much more plausible, much more believable.
Despite its merits, I wasn't satisfied with Valiant. It needed more strength. It just needed more.
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LibraryThing member rglightyear
See my review for Tithe. I think I like this one a bit more than the last one.
LibraryThing member the1butterfly
Though I didn't connect to the characters and their choices in this story, I was drawn into it the way that I was drawn into Tithe. I wanted to see things going right, and I was relieved when things came together in the end. I did get more into the book as Val started falling in love with the
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troll- I'm weird in my romance like that... Show Less
LibraryThing member ntempest
A much stronger and more original book that Black's earlier faerie novel, "Tithe." This story follows a runaway into the streets of New York City where she meets several street kids who are heavily involved in the faerie world. She, too, is drawn into the world of faerie, though living in an
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iron-rich city means that she mostly learns of these creatures through those living on the fringe. Much more urban fantasy than the first book, with darker, richer undertones and a real sense of danger. Show Less
LibraryThing member Katiebear
Firstly, I love love love Holly Black, and nothing she has written has been anything but golden. I fell in love with Tithe a couple of years ago, and Valiant didn't dissapoint. Her characters are always multi-facetted young women struggling to find their place between the human world (Ironside) and
Holly Black is a brilliant writer that I can't get enough of. I am waiting with baited breath for Ironside to come out. Although, after it hits shelves I'll have to wait a whole extra year for it to become available in paperback. ::sigh::
I will and do recommend this book for all readers. It is rated (on the back) as a 14+ Young Adult, but I think that when I have kids they won't be reading it until they're sixteen (unless they are mature enough to discuss the troubling topics in it).
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the Faerie Courts. This book has poor Val taking up with some Faerie drug using street kids, where she is introduced to the world of Faerie and to Ravus, the Troll she ends up serving.Holly Black is a brilliant writer that I can't get enough of. I am waiting with baited breath for Ironside to come out. Although, after it hits shelves I'll have to wait a whole extra year for it to become available in paperback. ::sigh::
I will and do recommend this book for all readers. It is rated (on the back) as a 14+ Young Adult, but I think that when I have kids they won't be reading it until they're sixteen (unless they are mature enough to discuss the troubling topics in it).
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LibraryThing member Gnork
this one of hollys faerie books. all of them is great and you defently want to read them all.
LibraryThing member mmillet
I didn’t love ‘Tithe’ and I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it’s pseudo-sequel ‘Valiant’. Too much drug-induced fog, weird teenage promiscuity, and an odd relationship between a teenage girl and a troll that wasn’t exactly believable. A little too much angst and teenage
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disaffection for my liking. Show Less
LibraryThing member pocketmermaid
I decided to listen to this audiobook a few years after not being very impressed with the first book in the Modern Faerie series while I waited for the second book Holly Black's Curse Workers series to be released. Well, Curse Workers is the series I prefer. The Modern Faerie series isn't for me.
I enjoyed the way Black uses the framework of the "Beauty & the Beast" tell to shape her story here without making it a straight-up retelling. I liked Val's independence, but I'd hesitate to call her a strong protagonist. I liked some of the magical elements, but like I said, this book wasn't for me.
There's also a scene in the book that had me sobbing hysterically and feeling just disgustingly awful for a long time after. If I had known about it beforehand, I would never have picked up this book. So, here's my warning in hopes it may help someone (without being too spoilery) -- if you are sensitive to any kind of animal abuse, do not read this book.
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It's a little too gritty for me. Though I appreciate this book was a fantastic way of telling a story I didn't really like, if that makes any sense.I enjoyed the way Black uses the framework of the "Beauty & the Beast" tell to shape her story here without making it a straight-up retelling. I liked Val's independence, but I'd hesitate to call her a strong protagonist. I liked some of the magical elements, but like I said, this book wasn't for me.
There's also a scene in the book that had me sobbing hysterically and feeling just disgustingly awful for a long time after. If I had known about it beforehand, I would never have picked up this book. So, here's my warning in hopes it may help someone (without being too spoilery) -- if you are sensitive to any kind of animal abuse, do not read this book.
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LibraryThing member stephmo
In this book, Holly Black returns to the world of faerie with a new group of characters and a new city. While Roiben from Tithe makes a guest appearance and the Unseelie and Seelie courts are mentioned and briefly seen, this book centers around those living in exile in New York City. Surrounded by
Black brings us her version of exiled human characters - street kids. Our main character, Val, runs away after discovering the mutual betrayal of her mother and boyfriend and finds herself taken in by a group of teens that include one with a special gift - the ability of true sight. This allows him to see the faeries in exile and has made him the errand boy for a troll for a year. Through a series of misadventures, Val finds herself similarly indebted for a month to the same troll.
But this is no simple story of indebtedness. Black has woven a really tight story of the nature of friendship, exile, running away, vengeance, mystery and finding one's true abilities in a book filled with broken characters. She's continued to draw rough-edged characters who are not shy about matters of sex, drug use or betrayal, but in this story, it adds authenticity to the actions.
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iron, they are forced to survive amongst the iron that can poison them in an uneasy alliance where the desire to live trumped old court alliances.Black brings us her version of exiled human characters - street kids. Our main character, Val, runs away after discovering the mutual betrayal of her mother and boyfriend and finds herself taken in by a group of teens that include one with a special gift - the ability of true sight. This allows him to see the faeries in exile and has made him the errand boy for a troll for a year. Through a series of misadventures, Val finds herself similarly indebted for a month to the same troll.
But this is no simple story of indebtedness. Black has woven a really tight story of the nature of friendship, exile, running away, vengeance, mystery and finding one's true abilities in a book filled with broken characters. She's continued to draw rough-edged characters who are not shy about matters of sex, drug use or betrayal, but in this story, it adds authenticity to the actions.
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Subjects
Awards
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Finalist — 2005)
Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2006)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Children's Literature — 2006)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult Book — 2005)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2006)
CCBC Choices (2006)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2006)
Language
Original publication date
2005-06-01
Physical description
320 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0689868235 / 9780689868238