Valiant by Holly Black

Feeling betrayed by those closest to her, seventeen year old Val flees to the streets of New York City. There she finds a band of homeless teens who share a secret of a supernatural world of of faeries, trolls, as well as other mythical creatures. Her new-found friendship and discovery not only changes Val's perspective on life, but her future as well.

I originally skipped over this second installment of Black's "Modern Faerie Tales" intending to polish off Kaye and Roiben's story. I am not sorry I did so, as this book is notably different than the other two in the series. I was, however, pleased and surprised to cross path's with characters from the other books as well as certain events. A very interesting read and a refreshing escape from reality.

On a side note, this "YA" novel is much more mature than her other 2 books in the series. Thinking about my reaction to the first book, now makes me giggle as the first book was much less graphic. (See previous review here.) I guess it goes to show what I know about the "YA" genre.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers a curse has been placed on her and every woman in the Scarborough family line. They are destined to have become pregnant, then promptly go mad after birth all at the age of eighteen. The curse was set forth by an elvish knight, scorned by rejection, he has set three impossible tasks in the lyrics of "Scarborough Fair." Should a Scarborough woman complete all three tasks, she will break the curse on her as wall as future generations. Lucy has nine months to piece together the answer and save herself and her unborn daughter from the void of insanity.

Loved, LOVED this book. I greedily read it in two sittings. There are many components in this book which the author weaves together seamlessly. After setting the book down, my mind still reels with questions and contemplations. Perhaps I shall read it again down the road at a slower pace, to better absorb everything.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Lia and Alice Milthrope are not just any twin sisters, but the newest set of twins in a long line of sisters who are part of an ancient prophecy of good and evil. As polar opposites, one is the gate and the other the guardian. They need to find all four keys to fulfill and/or end the prophecy. The problem is they are recently orphaned, which propels the prophecy forward as well as leaves them with very little resources to figure out their pre-destined roles. Furthermore, as they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, the only knowledge they can trust is not to trust each other.

I randomly picked this book up at the bookstore based on it's cover. At first, it was a little hard to get into, so I set it down and looked up the reviews online, which were stellar. With new found hope, I picked it back up and the story indeed, began to pick up pace and I found myself having difficulty setting it down. It is a very dark novel draped against a very dark background and it is quite lovely. I highly enjoyed reading The Prophecy of the Sisters.

Ironside by Holly Black

In the sequel to Tithe, Black continues Kaye's journey into the land of the faery. Her once-knight-now-king of the dark faery court has given an impossible quest to complete when she declares herself to him. A good read for those who enjoyed Black's first book in the series, Tithe.

Tithe by Holly Black

Kaye is not like other teenage girls. Her mother, Ellen, is a guitarist in a rock band. Kaye often spends her nights at hole-in-the-wall bars where her mother plays. She often lives in run-down apartments with her mother and whatever loser boyfriend Ellen is with at the moment. Eventually things turn sour and they end up moving in with Kaye's grandmother, where Kaye spent most of her youth. As a child, Kaye distinctly remembers seeing and playing with faeries, despite everyone's claim that her perception of "faeries" are actually imaginary friends. As fate would have it, one night, Kaye ends up saving a faerie knight Roiben. After which, Kaye discovers that there are more than just faeries roaming the earth. In fact there is an entire enchanted realm, which Kaye has stronger ties too than she realizes...

I rather enjoyed Tithe. I read it several days ago in just a few short sittings. I enjoy Black's use of various supernatural creatures other than vampires and witches. It seems a little strange to me that this is considered a YA novel. It seems a bit more mature than that to me, but that is just my opinion. There is nothing specifically graphic of anything, it's just more of the language and the smoking. Black could have made it a bit more explicit I suppose and targeted a more general audience, but again, that is just my opinion. I am sure she had a reason for targeting a more specific age group, which didn't keep me from reading it. :P A good read for anyone looking for a fun escape from reality.