The Ninja Reviews. . .Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside by Holly Black

Holly Black is known mostly for co-writing The Spiderwick Chronicles, but I knew her first as an author of young adult books about a very dark version of our world inhabited by faeries.


The first of these books is Tithe (the cover has been re-done a number of times, which I've always found an interesting thing for a publisher to do). Kaye is 16 and has always felt like a freak. She is a blonde-haired Asian, which is strange enough, she grew up in seedy bars because of her rocker-wannabe mom, and she has vague memories of conversing with faeries when she was a little girl. When she ends up back at her Gram's house, she rescues a wounded man who is obviously not of this world. Her faerie friends from childhood reappear to warn her, but Kaye is quickly sucked into the world of faerie.

This is actually a re-telling of the Scottish legend of Tam Lin, but it is incredibly dark, very edgy, and not your typical faery story. In traditional folklore, faeries were not usually beautiful creatures who performed good deeds; They were something to be feared. Holly Black definitely uses this in her novels, and to great effect. I have read some reviews online in which readers have complained about the language and some of the contest in these books. However, it all serves to build the Kaye's character and explain what type of life she has had. If you keep in mind that she's led a really rough life around rough people, you just might come to understand her and her eventual involvement in the macabre world of the fae.

I highly suggest these books to fans of Melissa Marr. If you love her books, then you will certainly enjoy Holly Black's. Here are the two books that follow Tithe:

Valiant by Holly Black

Ironside by Holly Black

Cover for Maggie Stiefvater's Linger Released!

If you aren't already a Maggie Stiefvater fan, than you'd better hop to it because Maggie's books are phenomenal. They aren't your typical paranormal/romance books. The female characters are strong, the writing almost lyrical, and the setting somehow moody without being too angsty. Maggie's frist book was Lament: the faerie queen's deception, which I read in about a day. The sequel, Ballad: a gathering of faerie, soon followed. But Maggie's true success started with Shiver, which was release in August and talked about practically non-stop in the YA book community. I took Shiver with me when I was vacationing at the beach and had to force myself to put it down and, you know, do some vacationing! I highly recommend all of her books to Twilight fans suffering from withdrawal, as well as fans of anything to do with faeries/fairies/fae, celtic mythology, and just really well-crafted stories.

And here is the clever and gorgeous cover for Maggie's new book, Linger, which won't be available until Fall 2010 - Grrr!!

The Ninja Reviews. . .Captivate by Carrie Jones

Pixies, Werewolves, & Valkyries, Oh My!

Carrie Jones takes us back into her world of Pixies and snow in Captivate, the sequel to Need.

Zara and her friends have successfully imprisoned the King of the Pixies (who just so happens to be her biological father) and his minions in a house in the woods of Maine. Little do they realize that their Pixie trouble is just beginning. A great battle is brewing for control of Zara’s father’s kingdom that will ultimately pit good against evil. Luckily Zara has her friends to help: her boyfriend, Nick (who is a hot--is there any other kind?—Werewolf), Devyn (her Were-Eagle friend), Betty (her Were-Tiger grandmother) and Issie (her human sidekick).

Just when they think they are holding their own, along comes a Valkyrie taking wounded warriors to Valhalla (Viking Heaven to us mortals) to ready for the great battle. Will they be able to keep everyone safe from the Pixies, or will Zara be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect those she loves?

Captivate, a book you’ll Need to read!

The evil pixie in me must tell you that Captivate won’t be published until January. I just so happened to get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) hate me if you must!


review by Angela, a.k.a. Woodland West Super Ninja

While you're waiting for Captivate, try these books about the fae:

Need by Carrie Jones Captivate in January!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr Check out her other books!

Kin: The Good Neighbors book 1 by Holly Black illustrated by Ted Naifeh

Keep An Eye Out For. . .The Good Neighbors: Kin AND Tales From Outer Suburbia

I'm really excited because two of my favorite illustrated works will soon be on the shelves at the library.

The Good Neighbors, book one: Kin is written by Holly Black and illustrated by Ted Naifeh.

Rue is 16. Her mother has just disappeared and her father can't seem to function. To make matters worse, she has started seeing strange things around town: people with wings and strange faces, plants that grow where they shouldn't. Is she losing her mind? Or is her town full of faeries?

This is a dark tale illustrated with angular, punk-ish images. One reason I love this book so much is that I'm a fan of Holly Black's teen faerie books (Tithe, Valiant, Ironside). When I read The Good Neighbors, I kept picturing some of the characters from Holly's other books in the way that artist Ted Naifeh had drawn Rue and her friends. It was pretty cool to kind of have a visual interpretation of Holly's characters that I'd been reading about for so long.


Then we have Shaun Tan's Tales From Outer Suburbia. This is one of my most favorite illustrated books EVER. Shaun's style is what you might call "whimsical", what with the strange little creatures and situations he comes up with. He also throws in some dark tones to keep things a bit balanced.

Tales From Outer Suburbia is 15 stories, illustrated and odd, and is some of the most creative, strange storytelling I've ever read. I love it! While you're waiting for the book to show up on our shelves, check out Shaun Tan's website to for some illustrations and excerpts from his book.



While you're waiting, try these titles!