Simon & Schuster Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale

Excellent book and delivered in a very good condition.

I have developed a recent faerie addiction, reading everything I can find relating to it! Tithe is my new favorite; it's dark, full of faeries and other supernatural beings, and addicting. I loved the plot and the characters. Holly Black has become a new favorite and I will be devouring more of her work asap. Basically the story revolves around Kaye, who has always had faery friends but no one has ever believed her. After moving away (from her childhood home and the faeries), she begins to think maybe it was all a daydream. Then her and her mother return home, only for her to reconnect with all things faerie. It isn't long before she meets Roiben, the dark faery Knight of her dreams. But things are never what they seem; is he really good and able to be trusted? Or is he one more bad boy Kaye needs to avoid? Of course, that whole relationship is moot compared to the faerie court planning to make a sacrifical lamb out of Kaye. I couldn't put this book down, and you won't be able to either! The only thing that dragged, for me, was the constant smoking. I don't smoke, and while it does bother me (irl), it usually doesn't bother me in books/movies. Until now. It seemed like everyone was constantly smoking, and as this is a book directed at YA, it seemed too make smoking way cooler than it was, and that really struck me wrong for my concern of younger readers. Smoking should never be glorified. But that said, it probably won't bother most people the way it did me, and even bothered by it I still give this book (and series) a glowing 5 star review as it is excellent. Pick the whole series up today or you'll be beating yourself up when you finish Tithe and don't have the next two!

There were two reasons why this book amazed me so much. The first is that, being the first book by Holly Black that I have read, I was surprised at just how good it is. Secondly, I was completely amazed to see that it is actually supposed to be for children. I would not even consider allowing a child of any younger than 15 reading this book. This is not the traditional fariy tale at all - the main female character is not sweet and innocent; she is headstrong and rebellious. The faeries are not traditional either - although they may have the appearance of pretty winged things from children's books that we all know and love, these are often wicked, devious and amoral. Even the knight in shining armor is not quite what he seems. The story is about Kaye, a sixteen year old with a single mother who is a band. Most of her life has been spent following her mum around the country on tour, usually looking after her as she drinks too much and sees various men. An attack on her mother after one of her gigs forces both of them back to Kaye's grandmother's house - a place where Kaye spent a lot of time during her childhood, and where she made friends with the faerie folk (or her imaginary friends as every else called them). Kaye's already messed up world is turned even more on its head when she discovers that she is not a mortal but actually a changeling (she was swapped with a pixie at birth). As Kaye returns to her childhood home and learns exactly who she is, she finds herself entangled in the faerie world as never before, only this time the faeries and things she expereinces are like nothing from her childhood. That is all of the stroy I am going to give you - there are many twists and turns, and it is better that you discover them yourself. All I will say is that this book will definitely be like nothing you have read before. It is a mixture of horror, folklore, magic and romance. The ending will more than likely surprise you (definitely in a good way though). If, unlike me, you have children, I would recommend you looking over the book and deciding if you think it is appropriate for them before letting them read - but if you decide it isn't, I recommend you keep this book for yourself, you will certainly enjoy it.

This was the second Holly Black book I read. I enjoyed White Cat a lot and so I went back to read her debut novel. And liked it even more. The similarities are striking. Both are short YA books, with nice prose and likable main characters thrown into `weird' paranormal situations. Both have the action so condensed as to occasionally be confusing. Both wrap themselves up in the last quarter in a way that compromises the believability of the secondary characters. Both have unhappy but not completely tragic endings. While White Cat's premise is perhaps a tad more original, I found Tithe`s creepy fairy flavor more to my taste. Not that I didn't like the first, but I really liked certain things about the second. Tithe is written in third person past, with the protagonist Kaye dominating the POV. Mysteriously, approximately 5-10% is from the point of view of her friend Corny, and about 2% from the romantic interest. These outside POVs felt wrong, and at least in the Kindle version, no scene or chapter breaks announced the transitions. Every time one happened I was confused for a paragraph or two and knocked out of the story. Still, said story was more than good enough to overcome this minor technical glitch. Kaye is an unhappy 16 year-old with a loser mom. When they move back to New Jersey she is rapidly involved with the Fey, discovers she's a green skinned pixie, and gets drawn into a conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie (rival fairy) courts. It's a fun read, and the prose is fast and evocative of the fey mood. Ms Black seemed to have done at least some research and the feel is quite good. The loose descriptive style sketches some rather fantastic creatures and scenarios, and that works. There is some darkness (which I like), and wham bam death of secondary characters without the proper emotional digestion. There is sexuality, but no sex (boo hiss!). But I really like the way she handled the fairies. There isn't a lot of description, but what there was left me filling in my own detailed, sordid, and mysterious collage of imagery. I was loving the first two third of the book, and then it pivoted a bit and lost me a little. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, but the last third felt sketchier. The author had a bunch of double takes and betrayals on her outline, and it felt to me that it didn't really matter if the secondary characters got to be true to themselves -- they just followed the script. The protagonists best friend dies in like two seconds, and there is barely any reaction. Everyone also seemed to roll way too easily with the rather gigantic punches (as in Fairies are real). And to be darn good at picking up new powers in no time at all. This is a typical issue, and very hard to address perfectly, but it always bugs me when magic seems too easy. White Cat had the same final act issues. It's still a fun book -- way above average -- with nice prose and breakneck pace. But the potential for great gave way to merely very good.

Tithe is an ok book. It is not spectacular. It is not horrible. I have a rule. I must give each book I attempt to read at least 100 pages. For Tithe, I needed all 100 of the pages to get into the book. The first part of the book is slow to start and a bit confusing. The tale bounces back and forth and is not clear where it is talking about. However, the plot becomes clearer around page 100. Once this happens, the book picks up pace and keeps you drawn in. By the end of the book, you are looking forward to what happens next, but it is not one of those books you just cannot put down. I found myself taking breaks from it often without the "I have to finish" feeling. The book does contain some strong language and controversial themes such as homosexuality, murder, and dealing with alcoholic parents. The recommendation is 13+. Personally, I think this is a good recommendation. The themes in the book are not anything that cannot be seen on the 6:00 news. As much as we sometimes want to believe our youth is completely innocent, it just isn't plausible in today's world. Overall, Tithe is not bad. It take a bit to start, but it does pick up. By the end, I did find myself wanting to read the next book in the trilogy. If you are looking for a book to pass the time that is entertaining, give this one a chance. If you are looking for a non-stop action filled read that you cannot put down, pass this one up.