Valiant: A Modern Tale Of Faerie

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I was obsessed with Holly Black's Cruel Prince series. Everything I've read since then has been... fine. Unfortunately the novels seem to blend together in my mind. I can never remember in hindsight which was which.

I liked the romance in this and not much more.
TW for drugs, addiction (loads of it).

This book was not appropriate for 13-year-old me. Oh well.

This book was really good. Holly Black definitely knows how to combat tough subjects in an artful way. I like how she mentioned events that happened in the first book as well. Combining the dark side of both humans and faeries adds together to create an epic read!

The first Holly Black I read and won't be the last.

A gritty page turner.

This was a good mix of the real and fantastical. I liked the way Val finds the strength in herself to help her new friends, both human and other. I also liked how Black interspersed faery folk among the buildings and parks of Manhattan and New Jersey. I look forward to reading the first book in the series, Tithe.

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 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.

This book was okay, but it was really dark, and there were some parts that made me uncomfortable to read.