What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Faerie Tales #2
Valiant
When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.
But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.
But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.
314 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2005
1,009 people are currently reading
36.9k people want to read
About the author
Holly Black
180books120kfollowersHolly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,096 reviews
May 16, 2019
Ravus nodded again. “I will make you as terrible as you desire.�
“I don't want to be-,� she started, but he held up his hand.
“I know you're very brave,� he said.
“Or stupid.�
“And stupid. Brave and stupid.� Ravus smiled, but then his smile sagged. “But nothing can stop you from being terrible once you've learned how.�
Holly Black has, apparently, been crafting marvelous worlds and characters for quite a long time now. I adored this story even more than her earlier Tithe.
Valiant is a Beauty and the Beast retelling following Val, who, upon running away from home, falls in with some pals on the subway. Upon running into a troll named Ravus, she finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the faerie world � and maybe in love. Everyone is completely awful, everyone makes really big mistakes, and you cannot look away.
Woo! Okay. So this book was just an absolutely wild ride. Holly Black’s writing is so, so engrossing � she is just absolutely magical. The plot is twisty and creepy; you can almost feel the book getting darker by the moment, as Val falls increasingly into drug addiction and into the faerie world. The characters are not exactly likable but remain compelling; no one feels good and no one feels bad. The romance is equally compelling, with the love interest’s backstory standing out is absolutely incredible. And the book deals well with the idea of becoming haunted by a friend’s death; despite the fantastical outer layer of the story, the emotional core is quite solid.
And since Holly’s faerie world is overlapping over itself, let’s talk about how well she’s crafted this universe, shall we? The idea of the seelie court vs. the unseelie court is a common one, and the concept of morally grey fairies is not new. But it’s been said before and will be said again: no one writes fairies like Holly Black. The delicious evil, mixed with bits and pieces of humanity, is somehow equal bits enthralling and repulsive. I felt the thematic core and character writing of this book was far stronger than that of Holly Black’s debut, Tithe, but her fairy writing has remained excellent from the start.
“She thought of something her mother had told her when she'd finally broken up with one of her most dysfunctional boyfriends. When a man tells you he's going to hurt you, believe it. They always warn you and they're always right.�
Holly Black’s love of ladies and of lady knights is consistent and honestly my favorite thing about her canon. Her female characters are so deliciously and delightfully morally gray: վٳ’s Kaye, Coldest Girl’s Tana, Darkest Part’s Hazel, and The Cruel Prince’s Jude are each very different, but they share a core of strength and willingness to do messed up things for their reasons. She writes characters who are consciously mean and consciously kind and focuses on their agency. Despite the terrible circumstances Val finds herself in, the romance of this story is built on firm ground from the lead’s side.
This was , so I’m excited that I actually succeeded in reading it! Onto Ironside.
TW: drug addiction, and a moment of serious animal murder that made me sick to my stomach.
| | | |
March 8, 2023
| | | | |
April 14, 2010
I hated loving this book. Having read Black's and , I was none to keen on reading . Black has a penchant for writing about the scourge of human society, leaving me with a sense of filth, and therefore compelling me to exfoliate. None the less, Black’s writing is so perversely alluring, that she all but grabs you by the neck and drags you into the story.
Val is impossible to describe. She’s a shell of a girl. In possession of one lezzie best friend, a mohawk donning boyfriend, and incredibly vain and insecure mother, Val participates in her life, but couldn’t be accused of living it. When Val walks in on her mother getting it on with her boyfriend, Val flees, going nowhere, and reveling in her lack of destination. She finds herself in New York City, homeless, but free. It is here that she encounters Lolli, a blue haired Never addict, Sketchy Dave, brother to the “sighted� Luis, and joins their trio of loner losers. Val is introduced to a world that will afford you every possible pleasure you care to take, while leaving you living in squalor and slowly choking the life from you, one Never hit at a time. Val drowns in the world of fairie, and yet finds her inner strength, as well as the love she craves. But in order to save herself, and the troll she loves, Val must learn that being free to make your own bad decisions serves no purpose other than enabling you to own your destruction.
The characters within this story suck at life. They make piss poor role models and I hope that younger readers of this book wouldn’t think that Val’s “adventure� is the least bit realistic. Val would have wound up dead, on in the very least, assaulted. These characters run from their problems, steal, take drugs, and engage in casual sex. And yet I loved this book because these characters drop f bombs, filch, become addicts, and engage in casual sex. Life isn’t always pretty, and this book captures the essence of that filth while adding a touch of whimsy, and an acceptable happy ending.
Val is impossible to describe. She’s a shell of a girl. In possession of one lezzie best friend, a mohawk donning boyfriend, and incredibly vain and insecure mother, Val participates in her life, but couldn’t be accused of living it. When Val walks in on her mother getting it on with her boyfriend, Val flees, going nowhere, and reveling in her lack of destination. She finds herself in New York City, homeless, but free. It is here that she encounters Lolli, a blue haired Never addict, Sketchy Dave, brother to the “sighted� Luis, and joins their trio of loner losers. Val is introduced to a world that will afford you every possible pleasure you care to take, while leaving you living in squalor and slowly choking the life from you, one Never hit at a time. Val drowns in the world of fairie, and yet finds her inner strength, as well as the love she craves. But in order to save herself, and the troll she loves, Val must learn that being free to make your own bad decisions serves no purpose other than enabling you to own your destruction.
The characters within this story suck at life. They make piss poor role models and I hope that younger readers of this book wouldn’t think that Val’s “adventure� is the least bit realistic. Val would have wound up dead, on in the very least, assaulted. These characters run from their problems, steal, take drugs, and engage in casual sex. And yet I loved this book because these characters drop f bombs, filch, become addicts, and engage in casual sex. Life isn’t always pretty, and this book captures the essence of that filth while adding a touch of whimsy, and an acceptable happy ending.
December 30, 2022
"I like all the things that make you mostrous."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐,8
�This review contains some spoilers�
⚠️Trigger Warning: Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, coarse language⚠️
So, I am steadily making my way through all of Holly Black's Elfhame books. The Stolen Heir will be released on January 3rd and there's no time like the present to catch up on all the books. I've read all The Folk of the Air books a long time ago and since there's a new one coming, which I'm very excited about, I've decided that it would be fun to read them all and see if I find any references or characters from the previous books.
I am pleased to say that this one might be my favourite in the series. As always, Holly Black introduced her story with murder and you might call me weird but I looove this consistency. She even concludes with the same consistency. Cute, sweet moments between two lovers (sometimes with their other loved ones there) that make me squeal even in my old age. Also, I will always love pop culture references in books. I will. They make the characters more relatable to me. I feel much closer and connected to such characters. Not to mention the incredible execution of the Beauty and the Beast modern retelling that Holly Black had going on. Seriously, I think it might be even better than the original because there's no magic that turns the monster into a hunk. You loved the monster and you stayed with the monster. That's the deal. There was even a magical, like-giving kiss. I live for stuff like that😍😍 Moreover, you can leave it to Holly Black to make murder the least shocking thing that happened in the first fifteen pages of the book. I was wondering what drove Val to run away from home before I started reading the book, but the truth was so much more astounding than I ever could have guessed. I know for sure that I would run away as well if my mom was sleeping with my boyfriend. Like...W T F!!! 🤯🤯 That lady needs some major parenting skills. ASAP!! And maybe revisit some very common laws...👀👀
There is one thing I didn't like, however. It is just one thing but feels significant to me. As many of you must be aware, Valiant is actually the second book in the Modern Faerie Tales series, but I read it last. (My reading order was: Tithe, Ironside, Valiant) This is because Tithe and Ironside have the same protagonists, but Valiant doesn't. It's not that big of a deal, but it did confuse me a lot in the beginning, since I was completely unaware of that fact, and I didn't (still don't) really understand why the series would be ordered this way. I've read all three books and I can safely say that there is nothing that demands the reading order to remain fixed. In fact, there were barely any mentions (I'm pretty sure it was just the one very, very brief mention) of the events of Valiant in Ironside that I was started to see Kaye and Roiben making a brief appearance and interact shortly with two of the characters. The scene was pretty cool but the whole time I was wondering if it was a plothole. Don't worry, I went back and checked, the events are mentioned in Ironside, it was just so fleeting that it escaped my mind completely. So, if you're thinking of reading this series you can easily finish Roiben and Kaye's story before you continue with Val's. I do wish that I read the bonus story, "The Lament of Lutie-loo" AFTER I finished all three books because I spoiled for myself Ravus and Val's relationship. Not that it wasn't obvious soon after their first meeting in the book but still.
Val was a delight, a troubled, tomboyish, video game-loving badass that plays lacrosse. She's been through some pretty shocking things and didn't get better until she got much worse. She, along with several other characters like Lolli and Dave, became addicted to a faerie potion that even the fae themselves should use in moderation. Yeah...it was bad. In my opinion, as far as representations go Val and the others portrayed addiction in a very realistic, authentic way. They all showed the readers the horrors of addiction. Especially Dave's character. Kudos to Holly Black. She won't half-ass anything.
As for Ravus, he's got the whole silent and intimidating vibe going on for him and I'm all for it, but he is also a gentle, lovable giant and I'm definitely all for that, too. His imposing figure is such a contradiction to his character. Just because you 'look like a monster, doesn't mean you are one. It might be an obvious cliche but I still love it. If Val is the beauty then he is definitely the beast. Except he is not cursed to look like a troll, he was born one. That didn't make him any less worthy of love, though, and Val knew that.
I think I've made it pretty clear already, but I ship Val and Ravus sooo haaard. Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favourite fairytale as a child and an adult. I love it so much and to see it retold so well brings me joy. Val and Ravus had incredible chemistry between them, shown through beautiful acts of affection that both had a difficult time admitting and acting on. They also had serious issues to deal with, each one with their own, yet they couldn't help but fall in love. I'm simping. I'm simping haaard. 😍😍
I want to mention a few things about some of the other characters, as well. Starting with the ones I really liked, Luis and Ruth. He may have been a total jackass at first, but all Luis wanted to do was protect his younger brother. Just like literally every Holly Black character he went through some intense, traumatizing shit that made him cynical both toward humans but especially and to a far greater degree toward the fae. Justifiably so. He was irreversibly hurt by them. Yet, he is also brave and kind and didn't think twice before he risked his life to help Ravus. Sure, helping his brother has always been his first priority and most likely prompted him to help the troll in the first place. However, he still showed a lot of concern, it didn't matter to him that Ravus was fae. As for Ruth, I wasn't too fond of her in the beginning. She knew about Val's mom dating her boyfriend but didn't say anything. Understandably, it is a difficult subject to discuss and Val's mother was opposed to anyone else telling her daughter. I still think that Ruth should have spoken out. It wouldn't hurt any less but catching your mom having sex with your boyfriend is not a pretty picture, either. I did start to like her later on, however. She showed that she truly loved and cared for Val deeply. She was supportive and understanding even after all the crazy, unbelievable revelations she's heard about the fae. She was pretty funny, too. 😝😝
Now, the two people I didn't really like were Dave and Lolli. They were both meticulously written by Holly Black and like I've already mentioned, were drug addicts. Holly Black made a fine job of representing all the horrendous aspects of drug abuse through these two characters. Dave's erratic, rude behaviour, and proneness to betrayal came from his addiction. It made him a difficult character to like, as his selfishness ruled over all his other senses constantly. Yet there was this part of me that saw this troubled teenager in desperate need of medical help but was excluded by the system because he nor his brother couldn't afford that help. I said I didn't like him but I actually have a lot of mixed feelings about him. I feel sorry for him and I am angry with him at the same time. Much like I imagine his brother feeling. Lolli, on the other hand, I absolutely loath with my entire being. She was the one that drove Dave, Val, and a girl named Nancy to addiction. She was an incredibly selfish, self-serving person that took her friends for granted, betrayed them, and used them for her benefit. Oh...and SHE THREW A CAT ON TRAINTRACKS AS A TRAIN WAS PASSING THROUGH!!!! WHAT KIND OF A SICK BASTARD DOES THIS???? WHAT THE HELL??? So yeah, I have no respect for this asshole.
Enjoy my rant. See you in The Darkest Part of the Forest😉😉
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐,8
�This review contains some spoilers�
⚠️Trigger Warning: Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, coarse language⚠️
So, I am steadily making my way through all of Holly Black's Elfhame books. The Stolen Heir will be released on January 3rd and there's no time like the present to catch up on all the books. I've read all The Folk of the Air books a long time ago and since there's a new one coming, which I'm very excited about, I've decided that it would be fun to read them all and see if I find any references or characters from the previous books.
I am pleased to say that this one might be my favourite in the series. As always, Holly Black introduced her story with murder and you might call me weird but I looove this consistency. She even concludes with the same consistency. Cute, sweet moments between two lovers (sometimes with their other loved ones there) that make me squeal even in my old age. Also, I will always love pop culture references in books. I will. They make the characters more relatable to me. I feel much closer and connected to such characters. Not to mention the incredible execution of the Beauty and the Beast modern retelling that Holly Black had going on. Seriously, I think it might be even better than the original because there's no magic that turns the monster into a hunk. You loved the monster and you stayed with the monster. That's the deal. There was even a magical, like-giving kiss. I live for stuff like that😍😍 Moreover, you can leave it to Holly Black to make murder the least shocking thing that happened in the first fifteen pages of the book. I was wondering what drove Val to run away from home before I started reading the book, but the truth was so much more astounding than I ever could have guessed. I know for sure that I would run away as well if my mom was sleeping with my boyfriend. Like...W T F!!! 🤯🤯 That lady needs some major parenting skills. ASAP!! And maybe revisit some very common laws...👀👀
There is one thing I didn't like, however. It is just one thing but feels significant to me. As many of you must be aware, Valiant is actually the second book in the Modern Faerie Tales series, but I read it last. (My reading order was: Tithe, Ironside, Valiant) This is because Tithe and Ironside have the same protagonists, but Valiant doesn't. It's not that big of a deal, but it did confuse me a lot in the beginning, since I was completely unaware of that fact, and I didn't (still don't) really understand why the series would be ordered this way. I've read all three books and I can safely say that there is nothing that demands the reading order to remain fixed. In fact, there were barely any mentions (I'm pretty sure it was just the one very, very brief mention) of the events of Valiant in Ironside that I was started to see Kaye and Roiben making a brief appearance and interact shortly with two of the characters. The scene was pretty cool but the whole time I was wondering if it was a plothole. Don't worry, I went back and checked, the events are mentioned in Ironside, it was just so fleeting that it escaped my mind completely. So, if you're thinking of reading this series you can easily finish Roiben and Kaye's story before you continue with Val's. I do wish that I read the bonus story, "The Lament of Lutie-loo" AFTER I finished all three books because I spoiled for myself Ravus and Val's relationship. Not that it wasn't obvious soon after their first meeting in the book but still.
Val was a delight, a troubled, tomboyish, video game-loving badass that plays lacrosse. She's been through some pretty shocking things and didn't get better until she got much worse. She, along with several other characters like Lolli and Dave, became addicted to a faerie potion that even the fae themselves should use in moderation. Yeah...it was bad. In my opinion, as far as representations go Val and the others portrayed addiction in a very realistic, authentic way. They all showed the readers the horrors of addiction. Especially Dave's character. Kudos to Holly Black. She won't half-ass anything.
As for Ravus, he's got the whole silent and intimidating vibe going on for him and I'm all for it, but he is also a gentle, lovable giant and I'm definitely all for that, too. His imposing figure is such a contradiction to his character. Just because you 'look like a monster, doesn't mean you are one. It might be an obvious cliche but I still love it. If Val is the beauty then he is definitely the beast. Except he is not cursed to look like a troll, he was born one. That didn't make him any less worthy of love, though, and Val knew that.
I think I've made it pretty clear already, but I ship Val and Ravus sooo haaard. Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favourite fairytale as a child and an adult. I love it so much and to see it retold so well brings me joy. Val and Ravus had incredible chemistry between them, shown through beautiful acts of affection that both had a difficult time admitting and acting on. They also had serious issues to deal with, each one with their own, yet they couldn't help but fall in love. I'm simping. I'm simping haaard. 😍😍
I want to mention a few things about some of the other characters, as well. Starting with the ones I really liked, Luis and Ruth. He may have been a total jackass at first, but all Luis wanted to do was protect his younger brother. Just like literally every Holly Black character he went through some intense, traumatizing shit that made him cynical both toward humans but especially and to a far greater degree toward the fae. Justifiably so. He was irreversibly hurt by them. Yet, he is also brave and kind and didn't think twice before he risked his life to help Ravus. Sure, helping his brother has always been his first priority and most likely prompted him to help the troll in the first place. However, he still showed a lot of concern, it didn't matter to him that Ravus was fae. As for Ruth, I wasn't too fond of her in the beginning. She knew about Val's mom dating her boyfriend but didn't say anything. Understandably, it is a difficult subject to discuss and Val's mother was opposed to anyone else telling her daughter. I still think that Ruth should have spoken out. It wouldn't hurt any less but catching your mom having sex with your boyfriend is not a pretty picture, either. I did start to like her later on, however. She showed that she truly loved and cared for Val deeply. She was supportive and understanding even after all the crazy, unbelievable revelations she's heard about the fae. She was pretty funny, too. 😝😝
Now, the two people I didn't really like were Dave and Lolli. They were both meticulously written by Holly Black and like I've already mentioned, were drug addicts. Holly Black made a fine job of representing all the horrendous aspects of drug abuse through these two characters. Dave's erratic, rude behaviour, and proneness to betrayal came from his addiction. It made him a difficult character to like, as his selfishness ruled over all his other senses constantly. Yet there was this part of me that saw this troubled teenager in desperate need of medical help but was excluded by the system because he nor his brother couldn't afford that help. I said I didn't like him but I actually have a lot of mixed feelings about him. I feel sorry for him and I am angry with him at the same time. Much like I imagine his brother feeling. Lolli, on the other hand, I absolutely loath with my entire being. She was the one that drove Dave, Val, and a girl named Nancy to addiction. She was an incredibly selfish, self-serving person that took her friends for granted, betrayed them, and used them for her benefit. Oh...and SHE THREW A CAT ON TRAINTRACKS AS A TRAIN WAS PASSING THROUGH!!!! WHAT KIND OF A SICK BASTARD DOES THIS???? WHAT THE HELL??? So yeah, I have no respect for this asshole.
Enjoy my rant. See you in The Darkest Part of the Forest😉😉
October 5, 2019
It was a bit of a shock when I opened this book and the story wasn't about Kaye?? I assumed the whole series was about her and Roiben.
Anyway.... this book follows a girl called Val. Certain things happen in her life and she runs away from home to the city. There she meets other lonely souls (homeless kids) and ends up staying with them in the subway. Through these new friends of hers she finds out about the faerie realm and ends up becoming a delivery girl of sorts for a faery and helps him discover who was poisoning the other faeries in the city.
I really liked the mystery element of this book and I was curious about who the murderer could be. I just think the story took a very long time to pick up.
Anyway.... this book follows a girl called Val. Certain things happen in her life and she runs away from home to the city. There she meets other lonely souls (homeless kids) and ends up staying with them in the subway. Through these new friends of hers she finds out about the faerie realm and ends up becoming a delivery girl of sorts for a faery and helps him discover who was poisoning the other faeries in the city.
I really liked the mystery element of this book and I was curious about who the murderer could be. I just think the story took a very long time to pick up.
October 5, 2024
if you liked the cruel prince and wanted to try this series…don’t
September 26, 2022
I wanted to love this book SO BADLY. I'd gone in expecting to be gushing its praises by the end of it- I mean, a book about fae from the Queen of Fae?? SIGN ME UP
But this ended up being quite... underwhelming.
“I like all the things that make you monstrous.�
In Valiant, we follow 17-year-old Valerie Russel, who has run away to New York after a personal betrayal. She ends up living with a group of other homeless people in an abandoned subway tunnel, trying to forget her past. However, there's something strange about the people she's with- Luis serves a mysterious master, Dave does deliveries to inhuman creatures and Lolli takes a mysterious drug that couldn't have been created by humans. This all leads Val to discovering the existence of fairies and all the strange and mysterious things about them.
I think I made the same mistake as everyone else who didn't like this book- I went in expecting something like the Cruel Prince. The Cruel Prince was AMAZING- full of scheming, betrayal, romance and all of this in a great world. I was kinda expecting Valiant to be something similar, with that same feeling about it that made me want to devour TCP in one sitting. But although I can see some similarities, there just aren't enough to make me like the book, unfortunately.
Let's start with the characters. Our protagonist is Val, who is very tomboyish, independent and definitely quite troubled. Tbh Val wasn't my favorite character- I mean, she wasn't BAD, but I just never really connected with her. I feel like she wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking and instead felt quite... 1-dimensional. Honestly, a little more development in her would've been nice.
Next, Ravus. Ravus is the main love interest and the 'Beast' to Val's beauty. He's a troll and supposed to be this scary monster that everyone hates, which is why the book is considered a Beauty & the Beast retelling. Ravus is an interesting character, because I have very mixed feelings about him- on one hand, I do think there was quite a bit of development in him throughout the story, which was nice, and I also just genuinely liked him. He would definitely be considered a cinnamon roll, with his intimidating exterior, but a very soft and loving heart underneath. However, one thing that bothered me a bit was that he was supposed to be a very scary troll but he just wasn't.... scary. Okay, the first scene we had with him was pretty intimidating, I'll admit, but after that, he didn't really seem like a monster imo. So, yeah, I liked him, but I do wish he would've seemed like more of a 'monster' for a bigger part of the book.
We also have quite a few side characters- like Dave, Luis and Lolli, the other squatters, and Ruth, Val's best friend from home. I did think most of them were interesting and Ruth was pretty cool. I liked how supportive she was to Val- she just seemed like a great person. Both Luis and Dave were very intriguing characters, as their motivations were quite grey at times, Dave especially. So that was a nice touch. But the one person I just HATED was Lolli. She was just giving me a bad feeling for the first part of the book and something about her was just creeping me out for some reason, but then there was this one scene... I honestly just wanted to throw the book at the wall at that part. ANIMAL CRUELTY IS NOT OKAY!! Why was this not addressed at all in the book???!!!
Anywayy, moving onto the plot. The plot was okay but I do think it could've done with a bit of editing. The book was INCREDIBLY slow for having only 320 pages and the first 3/4 felt like there was nothing happening. Like, I couldn't see any direction to the story at all. It did get better in the last 100 pages, where there was actually some really interesting stuff happening, so I did enjoy that. And the ending was so sweet!! I loved the hopeful note it left us on. I do also think the representation on drug/alcohol addiction was really powerful and I'm glad Holly Black decided to include it. It was definitely eye-opening for me. Overall, the plot did get better as the story progressed but I do wish that long part had been cut down a bit.
The writing was probably the best part of the book for me- although it wasn't nearly as polished as in TCP, it still had that really engaging quality that kept me reading, even during the boring parts. I can definitely see growth between this and TCP but I did still like the writing in this. It was pretty good!
Lastly, the romance. Tbh I have mixed feelings about the romance. To me, it felt a little instalovey- because there was so little of it for most of the book, it kinda came out of nowhere. And yet, it was also really sweet, especially near the end. So, not sure what to think... In the end, I think I'm not a hardcore Val X Ravus shipper but it was still cute 😊
“You carried my heart in your hands tonight," he said. "But I have felt as if you carried it long before that.�
Overall, this was decent but not amazing. If you're looking to read something by Holly Black, I'd definitely direct you to TCP instead, but this was still not that bad. Okay overall.
~ 3 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mmmmm. Very mixed feelings about this 😕😕 I'll share some thoughts when I've had a bit of time to think over it 🙂
But this ended up being quite... underwhelming.
“I like all the things that make you monstrous.�
In Valiant, we follow 17-year-old Valerie Russel, who has run away to New York after a personal betrayal. She ends up living with a group of other homeless people in an abandoned subway tunnel, trying to forget her past. However, there's something strange about the people she's with- Luis serves a mysterious master, Dave does deliveries to inhuman creatures and Lolli takes a mysterious drug that couldn't have been created by humans. This all leads Val to discovering the existence of fairies and all the strange and mysterious things about them.
I think I made the same mistake as everyone else who didn't like this book- I went in expecting something like the Cruel Prince. The Cruel Prince was AMAZING- full of scheming, betrayal, romance and all of this in a great world. I was kinda expecting Valiant to be something similar, with that same feeling about it that made me want to devour TCP in one sitting. But although I can see some similarities, there just aren't enough to make me like the book, unfortunately.
Let's start with the characters. Our protagonist is Val, who is very tomboyish, independent and definitely quite troubled. Tbh Val wasn't my favorite character- I mean, she wasn't BAD, but I just never really connected with her. I feel like she wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking and instead felt quite... 1-dimensional. Honestly, a little more development in her would've been nice.
Next, Ravus. Ravus is the main love interest and the 'Beast' to Val's beauty. He's a troll and supposed to be this scary monster that everyone hates, which is why the book is considered a Beauty & the Beast retelling. Ravus is an interesting character, because I have very mixed feelings about him- on one hand, I do think there was quite a bit of development in him throughout the story, which was nice, and I also just genuinely liked him. He would definitely be considered a cinnamon roll, with his intimidating exterior, but a very soft and loving heart underneath. However, one thing that bothered me a bit was that he was supposed to be a very scary troll but he just wasn't.... scary. Okay, the first scene we had with him was pretty intimidating, I'll admit, but after that, he didn't really seem like a monster imo. So, yeah, I liked him, but I do wish he would've seemed like more of a 'monster' for a bigger part of the book.
We also have quite a few side characters- like Dave, Luis and Lolli, the other squatters, and Ruth, Val's best friend from home. I did think most of them were interesting and Ruth was pretty cool. I liked how supportive she was to Val- she just seemed like a great person. Both Luis and Dave were very intriguing characters, as their motivations were quite grey at times, Dave especially. So that was a nice touch. But the one person I just HATED was Lolli. She was just giving me a bad feeling for the first part of the book and something about her was just creeping me out for some reason, but then there was this one scene... I honestly just wanted to throw the book at the wall at that part. ANIMAL CRUELTY IS NOT OKAY!! Why was this not addressed at all in the book???!!!
Anywayy, moving onto the plot. The plot was okay but I do think it could've done with a bit of editing. The book was INCREDIBLY slow for having only 320 pages and the first 3/4 felt like there was nothing happening. Like, I couldn't see any direction to the story at all. It did get better in the last 100 pages, where there was actually some really interesting stuff happening, so I did enjoy that. And the ending was so sweet!! I loved the hopeful note it left us on. I do also think the representation on drug/alcohol addiction was really powerful and I'm glad Holly Black decided to include it. It was definitely eye-opening for me. Overall, the plot did get better as the story progressed but I do wish that long part had been cut down a bit.
The writing was probably the best part of the book for me- although it wasn't nearly as polished as in TCP, it still had that really engaging quality that kept me reading, even during the boring parts. I can definitely see growth between this and TCP but I did still like the writing in this. It was pretty good!
Lastly, the romance. Tbh I have mixed feelings about the romance. To me, it felt a little instalovey- because there was so little of it for most of the book, it kinda came out of nowhere. And yet, it was also really sweet, especially near the end. So, not sure what to think... In the end, I think I'm not a hardcore Val X Ravus shipper but it was still cute 😊
“You carried my heart in your hands tonight," he said. "But I have felt as if you carried it long before that.�
Overall, this was decent but not amazing. If you're looking to read something by Holly Black, I'd definitely direct you to TCP instead, but this was still not that bad. Okay overall.
~ 3 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mmmmm. Very mixed feelings about this 😕😕 I'll share some thoughts when I've had a bit of time to think over it 🙂
February 11, 2025
pre-review
If anyone was going to bring me back into fantasy it was OBVIOUSLY going to be my girl Holly so far it’s working
let me just put this out here first chapter she finds out her BOYFRIEND is CHEATING on her with her MOTHER, and the cherry on top is that her BEST MATE KNEW
If anyone was going to bring me back into fantasy it was OBVIOUSLY going to be my girl Holly so far it’s working
let me just put this out here first chapter she finds out her BOYFRIEND is CHEATING on her with her MOTHER, and the cherry on top is that her BEST MATE KNEW
March 31, 2020
“One fine day in the middle of the night […] two dead boys got up to fight. […] Back to back they faced each other, pulled out their swords and shot one another. The deaf cop on the beat heard the noise and came and shot the two dead boys.�
So this was a big ol� oof but I honestly thought I’d like it when I first started. The first few chapters were fine and I didn’t mind that this didn’t follow the cast of the previous book. I found that, over all, they were way more interesting as people than վٳ’s characters, but they still sucked lmao
What on earth was up with that blatant animal abuse? It made me sick, honestly, and not in a “wow! these characters are so intense� kind of way, but rather a “this chick is a straight up sociopath and I hate her with every fiber of my being� and made me want to hit Holly Black in the face with a chair. Violence breeds violence, I guess. It felt like she was trying to be edgy and cool but without anything to really say, as usual, so it all ended up feeling like she did it for the aesthetic and brutally murdering a kitten doesn’t give me ~vibes~ it gives me nausea.
If I had to pick a character that I liked, I’d say probably Dave or Luis because they felt pretty consistent but also kind of like Black took Corny and cut him in half. Lolli was the aforementioned demon-spawn, and Val was annoying. Ravus was nebulous at best. Ruth? Was she a character or a piece of soggy cardboard? The world may never know.
The second worst thing about this was undoubtedly the plot. The love story between Val and Ravus came out of absolutely nowhere when he started spilling all of his life history to her for no reason, and I just felt like I’d accidentally skipped 5 chapters. The main plot was so jumbled and confusing but the plot twist was so obvious that I was seriously hoping that it wasn’t going to happen. So when it did, I rolled my eyes so far back that I saw my last brain cell die.
Strangely, the only thing I truly enjoyed about this book was the knowledge that if the book I’m writing is incomprehensible trash, it might still get published and become popular.
July 13, 2019
6/13/19 update:
*weary sigh* This is still by far my least favorite Holly Black book.
This was by far my least favorite Holly Black book. Too much drugs and not enough faeries for my tastes. But I’m going to read book 3 because it’s about the same characters from book 1, whom I adored. Why we had this second book about completely different characters is beyond me, but I basically hated this.
*weary sigh* This is still by far my least favorite Holly Black book.
This was by far my least favorite Holly Black book. Too much drugs and not enough faeries for my tastes. But I’m going to read book 3 because it’s about the same characters from book 1, whom I adored. Why we had this second book about completely different characters is beyond me, but I basically hated this.
March 29, 2016
I hated this book from the first page.
Strong words, I know, but let's just have it out.
Trite, lame and basically a waste of tree. The plot was blurg, the characters were frighteningly unenthralling, the writing was fair, but you can find decent writing on the back of a cereal box.
The one book's one saving grace was a troll and though the idea was cool, it was hardly enough to save the entire horrible mess.
To rant in depth, I have to start with the drug thing. Magic as a drug (seen it! and it was done better) is an interesting idea, but to depict it as being like heroin addiction seems to be pushing the line just to push the line.
And that's the big problem I have with Black. Her characters, her plot, they're constructed like cheap, ugly whores. They have to wear a hellva lot of horrid make-up and will do just about anything to make a few bucks in order to pay their pimps. From the very beginning she's throwing in Jerry Springer-esque turns in what begins to feel like a tacky attempt to hook through shock.
Okay, so street kids and drugs and people with piercings and dyed hair, yeah, I know how those things look cool. And being someone who has experience with all of the above, I can't say that I don't appreciate them. But underlying all of these "cool" things is generally such pain and insecurity that to write about them in the way that Black does is like covering a snake-infested swamp with a glittery plastic sheet and inviting your friends to go ice skating.
People can write whatever crap they want, thankfully we don't have to read it.
Strong words, I know, but let's just have it out.
Trite, lame and basically a waste of tree. The plot was blurg, the characters were frighteningly unenthralling, the writing was fair, but you can find decent writing on the back of a cereal box.
The one book's one saving grace was a troll and though the idea was cool, it was hardly enough to save the entire horrible mess.
To rant in depth, I have to start with the drug thing. Magic as a drug (seen it! and it was done better) is an interesting idea, but to depict it as being like heroin addiction seems to be pushing the line just to push the line.
And that's the big problem I have with Black. Her characters, her plot, they're constructed like cheap, ugly whores. They have to wear a hellva lot of horrid make-up and will do just about anything to make a few bucks in order to pay their pimps. From the very beginning she's throwing in Jerry Springer-esque turns in what begins to feel like a tacky attempt to hook through shock.
Okay, so street kids and drugs and people with piercings and dyed hair, yeah, I know how those things look cool. And being someone who has experience with all of the above, I can't say that I don't appreciate them. But underlying all of these "cool" things is generally such pain and insecurity that to write about them in the way that Black does is like covering a snake-infested swamp with a glittery plastic sheet and inviting your friends to go ice skating.
People can write whatever crap they want, thankfully we don't have to read it.
September 20, 2007
I have mixed feelings about this book. 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 stealthy. 17 year old Val discovers this world when she runs away from home and lives under the New 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.
I liked the premise. And I found myself drawn into the love story that unfolded between Val and Ravus, the troll. Unfortunately, I thought the writing was inconsistent. The plot seemed choppy and the characters were underdeveloped. The story didn't "flow" well enough from one scene to the next, making it less believeable. There were a lot of loose ends at the close of the story which seemed to have been forgotten, or pushed aside, and which I would have liked to seen closed.
But even though I was disappointed by this book in many ways, the lure of the faerie world stays with me. I might try reading something else by her, just for more of that...
I liked the premise. And I found myself drawn into the love story that unfolded between Val and Ravus, the troll. Unfortunately, I thought the writing was inconsistent. The plot seemed choppy and the characters were underdeveloped. The story didn't "flow" well enough from one scene to the next, making it less believeable. There were a lot of loose ends at the close of the story which seemed to have been forgotten, or pushed aside, and which I would have liked to seen closed.
But even though I was disappointed by this book in many ways, the lure of the faerie world stays with me. I might try reading something else by her, just for more of that...
June 21, 2019
Reread this while hiking across the moors. Love my troll boyfriend.
March 31, 2020
This was painful to read, I'm not even sure how I got through it.
Usually I quite like Black's writing, but this one I just couldn't get around. While I liked Tithe, although I didn't love it, Valiant follows a completely different set of characters.
None of the characters seemed particularly likeable or developed, and things really seemed to just spiral from one thing to the next without much explanation, skimming the surface. Even characters' relationships just seemed to constantly flip flop from one chapter to the next..
Usually I quite like Black's writing, but this one I just couldn't get around. While I liked Tithe, although I didn't love it, Valiant follows a completely different set of characters.
None of the characters seemed particularly likeable or developed, and things really seemed to just spiral from one thing to the next without much explanation, skimming the surface. Even characters' relationships just seemed to constantly flip flop from one chapter to the next..
June 13, 2018
Ever since I finished Tithe I've wanted to finish this series.. but never seemed to try and read the second book. No idea why, maybe I'm super lazy or I just never got the book.. but I'm happy to redeem myself people.
It follows Val Russell, who is about 17 years old, and she have a terrible life. Her family sucked a bag of dicks and her whole life spiraled down a dark ass rabbit hole. Yeah, things were not sunny on her side of the street. The grass was not greener for her. Well, her life sort of gets better when she finds herself within a homeless crowd.
From this, she meets Dave, Lolli, and Luis. Things don't always go according to plan when Val is involved which is probably why this book was so entertaining. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a page turner from start to finish - because I did get bored while reading this.
Speaking of the people she meets, Lolli, man, she was so freaking weird! That whole killing a cat just because she didn't want to take care of it .. man, it gave me the shivers. I cringed so hard. I don't even like cats that much and I would never do that. AND I'M ALLERGIC TO THEM BITCHES! Besides that, things happened in this book that kind of shocked me a little bit.
Overall, it was an interesting book that I'm kind of happy that I dove into. I'm super happy that I dove back into this series and I can't wait to dive into the next book of this one. I hope it's not as creepy or cringe-worthy as this one.. but I'll still probably read it.
It follows Val Russell, who is about 17 years old, and she have a terrible life. Her family sucked a bag of dicks and her whole life spiraled down a dark ass rabbit hole. Yeah, things were not sunny on her side of the street. The grass was not greener for her. Well, her life sort of gets better when she finds herself within a homeless crowd.
From this, she meets Dave, Lolli, and Luis. Things don't always go according to plan when Val is involved which is probably why this book was so entertaining. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a page turner from start to finish - because I did get bored while reading this.
Speaking of the people she meets, Lolli, man, she was so freaking weird! That whole killing a cat just because she didn't want to take care of it .. man, it gave me the shivers. I cringed so hard. I don't even like cats that much and I would never do that. AND I'M ALLERGIC TO THEM BITCHES! Besides that, things happened in this book that kind of shocked me a little bit.
Overall, it was an interesting book that I'm kind of happy that I dove into. I'm super happy that I dove back into this series and I can't wait to dive into the next book of this one. I hope it's not as creepy or cringe-worthy as this one.. but I'll still probably read it.
November 26, 2008
What finally made me listen to this audiobook I've had for months was a Twilight secret in which someone claimed that Ravus was so much better/hotter than Edward Cullen even though he was a troll. That made me very curious so I gave it a listen. It only took me a few days to finish it. Renee Raudman reads the book in a wonderful, calm way. She does the different voices perfectly, especially Ravus'.
I remember that I had stumbled across Holly Black's website some years ago and thought of her as some "wannabe writer", I take that back now. She's a fantastic writer. Her imagination is great, her characters are modern and have depth and she uses language very well. Her style is quite fast and if you don't pay attention for a minute you might lose track but I prefer that to books with tons of unnecessary, boring paragraphs.
Furthermore I find her style very real and honest, she doesn't mind describing disgusting/disturbing things (not in a sensational way though, just very casual), for example how Lolli pushes the kitten in front of the train or how Dave and Val have sex.
What I loved as well was the anti-heroness about Val. How she shaves off her hair, gets dirtier every day and still is loved. And all the stuff about the Never, the drug similarities, such an interesting idea!
The only thing that put me off a little was the beginning when Val discovers the affair between her mom and her boyfriend. I know this is an important event to get the story started and I supposed it has happened before but it just seemed so unrealistic and weird (yes, I know, "unrealistic" might be the wrong word in a fantasy novel).
Another thing I loved was the ending. Lots of books I've enjoyed during reading them, have disappointed me with their weak endings. Valiant's last sentence was exactly right and perfectly fitting.
All in all a fabulous book about a modern fairytale.
I remember that I had stumbled across Holly Black's website some years ago and thought of her as some "wannabe writer", I take that back now. She's a fantastic writer. Her imagination is great, her characters are modern and have depth and she uses language very well. Her style is quite fast and if you don't pay attention for a minute you might lose track but I prefer that to books with tons of unnecessary, boring paragraphs.
Furthermore I find her style very real and honest, she doesn't mind describing disgusting/disturbing things (not in a sensational way though, just very casual), for example how Lolli pushes the kitten in front of the train or how Dave and Val have sex.
What I loved as well was the anti-heroness about Val. How she shaves off her hair, gets dirtier every day and still is loved. And all the stuff about the Never, the drug similarities, such an interesting idea!
The only thing that put me off a little was the beginning when Val discovers the affair between her mom and her boyfriend. I know this is an important event to get the story started and I supposed it has happened before but it just seemed so unrealistic and weird (yes, I know, "unrealistic" might be the wrong word in a fantasy novel).
Another thing I loved was the ending. Lots of books I've enjoyed during reading them, have disappointed me with their weak endings. Valiant's last sentence was exactly right and perfectly fitting.
All in all a fabulous book about a modern fairytale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2013
Really boring..... nothing really happens...
Edit: December 20,2012
Can't bring myself to finish this novel....
Edit: December 20,2012
Can't bring myself to finish this novel....
August 20, 2021
Me looking for Roiben through most of this book: Sir, sir are u there?
4/5�
4/5�
January 23, 2022
It's like a dark fairytale for adults.
After running away to New York City. Val finds herself with a bunch of other homeless runaways. She soon discovers the existence of Faeries and a troll called Ravus. Now Faeries are being poisoned and the prime suspect is Ravus. It will be up to Val to find the truth and save him.
So I did like this book. It kept my attention and I was curious about what happened next. I love the Fae lore and how they make it tie in with a modern setting. I'm really hoping her next book takes us deeper into the actually Fae territory though.
I'm not a fan of the characters though. I like Ravus. That's about it. I didn't dislike Val, but I didn't like her either. I don't know if I've just reached that age where I can no longer relate to teens, or if it's just this particular character. I honestly didn't like any of the side characters that much either.
I would not recommend this for any one under 18.
*Content Warnings*
Runaways, severe drug use, sexual content, swearing, violence.
After running away to New York City. Val finds herself with a bunch of other homeless runaways. She soon discovers the existence of Faeries and a troll called Ravus. Now Faeries are being poisoned and the prime suspect is Ravus. It will be up to Val to find the truth and save him.
So I did like this book. It kept my attention and I was curious about what happened next. I love the Fae lore and how they make it tie in with a modern setting. I'm really hoping her next book takes us deeper into the actually Fae territory though.
I'm not a fan of the characters though. I like Ravus. That's about it. I didn't dislike Val, but I didn't like her either. I don't know if I've just reached that age where I can no longer relate to teens, or if it's just this particular character. I honestly didn't like any of the side characters that much either.
I would not recommend this for any one under 18.
*Content Warnings*
Runaways, severe drug use, sexual content, swearing, violence.
December 5, 2008
Valiant by Holly Black
Valiant by Holly Black is a very intense teen-fantasy novel about a seventeen-year-old girl named Valerie Russell-also known as: Val. Valiant is Holly Black’s second novel. The first to her collection is Tithe. Both of these books are beautifully written and tie into the world of faeries and trolls and things of such nature. Black is an avid collector of scary stories, creepy dolls, and crazy hats.
Val is this amazing character who changes drastically throughout this book. By the end, she is a completely different individual. The suspense and action in this book is what kept me thirsting for more and more. There is added humor that makes this reading that much more worth while.
A major theme in this novel is that fighting for who you are, what you love and believe in, and what you know is the truth can not only benefit you, but also everybody else, in the end of a torturous situation. Even if it takes all the blood and sweat in Valerie Russell’s body, she is not going down without a fight. Val’s hardworking drive serves as both her strength and weakness in the book.
Val’s journey takes place in the suburbs of New York, New York, where she has ran away from home. Heartbroken and devastated from her horrific discovery that her own mother was making out with and cheating on her with her boyfriend, Tom, she boards a train and escapes into the crowded New York streets. While aboard, she cuts her long hair to a buzz, hoping that it will give her some feeling of dignity; she wants a new identity to escape the realness of her situation.
Turning off her phone and cutting off all contact with her friends and her family, Val runs into two teens at a local café; Dave and Lolli are two rebellious advocates. Lolli takes Val in under her wing. However, when Dave and Lolli arrive to their so-called home in a subway labyrinth, Luis, Dave’s older brother who is also the ‘leader�, is very displeased but decides to put up with the new intruder anyways.
Val notices that things are a little bit creepy around the place but decides to shake it off and just “go with the flow�. One day Val goes along with Dave on one of his deliveries and discovers the mystical world she had only heard of that involves faeries and glamour.
After becoming more and more fond of this new-found world, she decides she wants to try and become a part of it and shoots up a magical drug that Lolli and Dave have been using for a while, that they like to call Never; “Nevermore, never, never…no more pain�. No more times that twice a week, and no more times than once a day. This drug allows mortals to have glamour to mask their appearance and make them seem unbelievably beautiful and horrifyingly manipulative. They get everything they ask for and never feel a thing until the drug starts to wear away.
While on the Never, Lolli and Val decide to go check out a specific place where Dave makes his deliveries; the home of a troll that goes by the name of Ravus. Ravus was put into exile by the order of the faerie queen because of a sword fight against his best friend, Tamson, which had gone terribly wrong. He is also the maker of Nevermore and while trying to break into his house, they are attacked by a gorgeous glass sword. Short moments after their arrival, the troll shows up and makes an attempt to punish the two girls, however, Val escapes, leaving Lolli. As a trade for Lolli’s freedom Val agrees to do deliveries for Ravus.
While on the way to do a delivery, Val witnesses something terrible; there is a dead mermaid lurking above the water; a Folk. Ravus arrives, once again just in time, and informs her of the poisonings that have been happening and that he is a main suspect because of the potions that he makes; the potions she and Dave have been delivering.
Val is now severely caught up in a heap of trouble along with Dave, Lolli, Luis, and Ravus. In the midst of trying to escape, Val hears an unbelievably familiar voice; it’s Ruth-her best friends whom she’d been avoiding and ignoring for almost a month. Lolli had agreed to lead her to Val if she’d shut up. Val is frustrated and relieved all at the same time.
Now not only is Val caught up in the mystery, but Ruth is too. The entire gang has their lives at stake and who will be to blame? Will Ravus end up being the culprit and will Ruth and Val make it out alive? Are Dave, Lolli, and Luis the ones to blame for the Folk poisonings, or is it the wicked Mabry-who was also put into exile because Ravus killed her love, Tamson? Val’s mother is worried sick and there are many lives to be saved and many mysteries to be unveiled. However, to unmask the unknown, you must read this mythically majestic novel, ever so wonderfully written by the great Holly Black!
Genre: Teen-Fiction/Fantasy
Page Count: 320
Valiant by Holly Black is a very intense teen-fantasy novel about a seventeen-year-old girl named Valerie Russell-also known as: Val. Valiant is Holly Black’s second novel. The first to her collection is Tithe. Both of these books are beautifully written and tie into the world of faeries and trolls and things of such nature. Black is an avid collector of scary stories, creepy dolls, and crazy hats.
Val is this amazing character who changes drastically throughout this book. By the end, she is a completely different individual. The suspense and action in this book is what kept me thirsting for more and more. There is added humor that makes this reading that much more worth while.
A major theme in this novel is that fighting for who you are, what you love and believe in, and what you know is the truth can not only benefit you, but also everybody else, in the end of a torturous situation. Even if it takes all the blood and sweat in Valerie Russell’s body, she is not going down without a fight. Val’s hardworking drive serves as both her strength and weakness in the book.
Val’s journey takes place in the suburbs of New York, New York, where she has ran away from home. Heartbroken and devastated from her horrific discovery that her own mother was making out with and cheating on her with her boyfriend, Tom, she boards a train and escapes into the crowded New York streets. While aboard, she cuts her long hair to a buzz, hoping that it will give her some feeling of dignity; she wants a new identity to escape the realness of her situation.
Turning off her phone and cutting off all contact with her friends and her family, Val runs into two teens at a local café; Dave and Lolli are two rebellious advocates. Lolli takes Val in under her wing. However, when Dave and Lolli arrive to their so-called home in a subway labyrinth, Luis, Dave’s older brother who is also the ‘leader�, is very displeased but decides to put up with the new intruder anyways.
Val notices that things are a little bit creepy around the place but decides to shake it off and just “go with the flow�. One day Val goes along with Dave on one of his deliveries and discovers the mystical world she had only heard of that involves faeries and glamour.
After becoming more and more fond of this new-found world, she decides she wants to try and become a part of it and shoots up a magical drug that Lolli and Dave have been using for a while, that they like to call Never; “Nevermore, never, never…no more pain�. No more times that twice a week, and no more times than once a day. This drug allows mortals to have glamour to mask their appearance and make them seem unbelievably beautiful and horrifyingly manipulative. They get everything they ask for and never feel a thing until the drug starts to wear away.
While on the Never, Lolli and Val decide to go check out a specific place where Dave makes his deliveries; the home of a troll that goes by the name of Ravus. Ravus was put into exile by the order of the faerie queen because of a sword fight against his best friend, Tamson, which had gone terribly wrong. He is also the maker of Nevermore and while trying to break into his house, they are attacked by a gorgeous glass sword. Short moments after their arrival, the troll shows up and makes an attempt to punish the two girls, however, Val escapes, leaving Lolli. As a trade for Lolli’s freedom Val agrees to do deliveries for Ravus.
While on the way to do a delivery, Val witnesses something terrible; there is a dead mermaid lurking above the water; a Folk. Ravus arrives, once again just in time, and informs her of the poisonings that have been happening and that he is a main suspect because of the potions that he makes; the potions she and Dave have been delivering.
Val is now severely caught up in a heap of trouble along with Dave, Lolli, Luis, and Ravus. In the midst of trying to escape, Val hears an unbelievably familiar voice; it’s Ruth-her best friends whom she’d been avoiding and ignoring for almost a month. Lolli had agreed to lead her to Val if she’d shut up. Val is frustrated and relieved all at the same time.
Now not only is Val caught up in the mystery, but Ruth is too. The entire gang has their lives at stake and who will be to blame? Will Ravus end up being the culprit and will Ruth and Val make it out alive? Are Dave, Lolli, and Luis the ones to blame for the Folk poisonings, or is it the wicked Mabry-who was also put into exile because Ravus killed her love, Tamson? Val’s mother is worried sick and there are many lives to be saved and many mysteries to be unveiled. However, to unmask the unknown, you must read this mythically majestic novel, ever so wonderfully written by the great Holly Black!
Genre: Teen-Fiction/Fantasy
Page Count: 320
August 24, 2020
3 stars
For my thoughts on book one, Tithe, see this review. My reviews for this series are reaction reviews, so please check the title page for a description.
This is such an interesting series to me. Not necessarily because of the strength of the plots or storytelling, but because it's an almost near-perfect excavation of a very particular YA trope niche in the mid-2000s.
After Tithe, this was an odd second novel - it follows a completely different set of characters and tackles different themes. In particular, teenage runaways, homelessness, drug use, and faerie politics. To name a few.
Because of those harder themes and lack of connection to Tithe, I have to admit I didn't enjoy this novel as much as the first one DESPITE it having a stronger plot, better pacing, and more logical scene transitions. (I'm not a fan of reading/watching/witnessing hardcore drug use due to personal reasons, so that was definitely a me thing and not the fault of the book.)
However, what brought this novel up to three stars was its stellar ending sequence. The last 15% of this was awesome, and had all of the best elements of urban/speculative faerie fantasies with a dark twist.
Really interesting to see Holly Black continue to explore the threads of faerie culture that she hones in later series, and in this book in particular, I also see some similarities in theme and tone to one of her other books, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.
|
For my thoughts on book one, Tithe, see this review. My reviews for this series are reaction reviews, so please check the title page for a description.
This is such an interesting series to me. Not necessarily because of the strength of the plots or storytelling, but because it's an almost near-perfect excavation of a very particular YA trope niche in the mid-2000s.
After Tithe, this was an odd second novel - it follows a completely different set of characters and tackles different themes. In particular, teenage runaways, homelessness, drug use, and faerie politics. To name a few.
Because of those harder themes and lack of connection to Tithe, I have to admit I didn't enjoy this novel as much as the first one DESPITE it having a stronger plot, better pacing, and more logical scene transitions. (I'm not a fan of reading/watching/witnessing hardcore drug use due to personal reasons, so that was definitely a me thing and not the fault of the book.)
However, what brought this novel up to three stars was its stellar ending sequence. The last 15% of this was awesome, and had all of the best elements of urban/speculative faerie fantasies with a dark twist.
Really interesting to see Holly Black continue to explore the threads of faerie culture that she hones in later series, and in this book in particular, I also see some similarities in theme and tone to one of her other books, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.
|
July 1, 2007
I was a bit disappointed when Valiant didn't start up where Tithe ended. However, I quickly got over it.
This story follows 17-year-old Val Russell who runs away from her dysfunctional home within the first few chapters. In a moment of shedding her confusion, she embraces a new identity and shaves her head, leaving everything behind. She also finds herself in the company of three homeless teens--Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live on an abandoned subway platform.
Eerie and strange, Val finds herself caught in the web of drugs she's never seen, and a life she never imagined. Luis is severe, blind in one eye, and pierced with iron. He also wears the role of protector for both Lolli and Dave. He's none too happy to find Val among them.
Dave is the younger brother who mistakenly takes Val on a delivery her first morning with the trio. With him, she finds the web of glamour that will keep her from ever seeing anything the same way again.
Under the blanket of the world of faerie, she finds someone to stand up for and takes control of her future. I can't wait for Ironside which picks up Roiben and Kaye's continuing story.
This story follows 17-year-old Val Russell who runs away from her dysfunctional home within the first few chapters. In a moment of shedding her confusion, she embraces a new identity and shaves her head, leaving everything behind. She also finds herself in the company of three homeless teens--Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live on an abandoned subway platform.
Eerie and strange, Val finds herself caught in the web of drugs she's never seen, and a life she never imagined. Luis is severe, blind in one eye, and pierced with iron. He also wears the role of protector for both Lolli and Dave. He's none too happy to find Val among them.
Dave is the younger brother who mistakenly takes Val on a delivery her first morning with the trio. With him, she finds the web of glamour that will keep her from ever seeing anything the same way again.
Under the blanket of the world of faerie, she finds someone to stand up for and takes control of her future. I can't wait for Ironside which picks up Roiben and Kaye's continuing story.
February 7, 2020
Okay, I was so surprised when I picked this one up and found out that it wasn't about Kaye. I honestly didn't even read the synopsis because I wanted to go into it surprised but still, I assumed it would follow the characters from Tithe.
Book two was just as weird as the first one (possible weirder) with a lot of questioning situations to be honest. In this one we follow Val and all the strange events that she goes through. Another girl who meets the Faerie realm and its inhabitants. Ravus was also a complete sweetheart! I mean I never thought I'd say this about a troll but it is what it is. This whole book was a whirlwind of the strangest kind and even though I read it in one sitting I didn't love it as much as I did the first one. The characters were at a level of annoying. The only really liked Val (even though she did make some really dumb choices at times) and of course Ravus because he was different.
Book two was just as weird as the first one (possible weirder) with a lot of questioning situations to be honest. In this one we follow Val and all the strange events that she goes through. Another girl who meets the Faerie realm and its inhabitants. Ravus was also a complete sweetheart! I mean I never thought I'd say this about a troll but it is what it is. This whole book was a whirlwind of the strangest kind and even though I read it in one sitting I didn't love it as much as I did the first one. The characters were at a level of annoying. The only really liked Val (even though she did make some really dumb choices at times) and of course Ravus because he was different.
March 29, 2022
4� |
“I would remain nearer you for what time there is.�
“Gone in one faerie sigh,� she quoted.
“I can hold my breath.�
Loved how Holly ended this story. I'm noticing the insta-love pattern of the fairytales in all her old books, but it's not bad? I love it, tho I might be biased. Remember how in fairytales, the prince and the princess met and just knew they were meant for eachother, or how in Barbie movies, love at first sight seemed beautiful and not something too unrealistic?
Well, idk if you got my point but I loved all that as a kid and I'm loving all these stories by Holly as a grown-up too.
As for the "not-so-insta-lovey" books by her, she did the slow-burn thing so well in The Folk of The Air. (an all time favourite ❤️)
Tithe 3.5�
Ironside 3.5�
“I would remain nearer you for what time there is.�
“Gone in one faerie sigh,� she quoted.
“I can hold my breath.�
Loved how Holly ended this story. I'm noticing the insta-love pattern of the fairytales in all her old books, but it's not bad? I love it, tho I might be biased. Remember how in fairytales, the prince and the princess met and just knew they were meant for eachother, or how in Barbie movies, love at first sight seemed beautiful and not something too unrealistic?
Well, idk if you got my point but I loved all that as a kid and I'm loving all these stories by Holly as a grown-up too.
As for the "not-so-insta-lovey" books by her, she did the slow-burn thing so well in The Folk of The Air. (an all time favourite ❤️)
Tithe 3.5�
Ironside 3.5�
January 29, 2021
I can’t lie I was disappointed when I picked this up and realised it wasn’t about Kaye! This ones about a girl called Val...who honestly I thought was just...boring, I didn’t like her or really connect with any of the characters in the book.
Tbf this whole story was kind of just boring compared to the first one. It was enjoyable enough to get through but idk it was just slow and boring and not really all that exciting. The excessive drug use for most of the book wasn’t exactly great content either tbh...
Hmmm 2.5 I’d say, just cos it kept me interested just enough to read the whole thing and I do like fae so I liked those elements atleast
Tbf this whole story was kind of just boring compared to the first one. It was enjoyable enough to get through but idk it was just slow and boring and not really all that exciting. The excessive drug use for most of the book wasn’t exactly great content either tbh...
Hmmm 2.5 I’d say, just cos it kept me interested just enough to read the whole thing and I do like fae so I liked those elements atleast
May 13, 2022
Z jednej strony napisana lepiej niż pierwsza część, ale z drugiej strony znacznie bardziej polubiłam bohaterów z pierwszego tomu. Sama historia także podobała mi się mniej. To jest jednak moja najmniej ulubiona książka Holly Black.
December 22, 2019
Had to think on this one for awhile and I have to go lower. There doesn't seem to be whole heck of a lot of point to this book.
August 20, 2024
I thought Kaye, the main character of the first book, , had a difficult childhood, but it was nothing compared to this.
Most of the book follows Val and her friends Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live in a disgusting, abandoned subway station, while they are high on faerie drugs all day. Val even starts acting like Alex DeLarge at one point when she breaks into a family's home. Lolli kills a cat at one point because she is just tired of taking care of it. There is also cutting and casual sex among friends. So just be warned it might not be for the very young.
The best part is Ravus, the troll Val falls in love with. Ravus is extremely sympathetic. It was hard to get an image of him in my mind but I gathered he looked basically human, except with slightly green skin and large teeth. Val's narrative never described him as handsome, but she did say he was tall and lean, with gorgeous yellow eyes and long, silky black hair. I really enjoyed his character, although he was way too good for Val.
Roiben was actually in this one for a bit near the end, and Kaye was mentioned to be in the room, but we don't see her. I know the next book, , is about Roiben and Kaye again, but I don't know how important the events in Valiant will be to that story.
Most of the book follows Val and her friends Lolli, Dave, and Luis who live in a disgusting, abandoned subway station, while they are high on faerie drugs all day. Val even starts acting like Alex DeLarge at one point when she breaks into a family's home. Lolli kills a cat at one point because she is just tired of taking care of it. There is also cutting and casual sex among friends. So just be warned it might not be for the very young.
The best part is Ravus, the troll Val falls in love with. Ravus is extremely sympathetic. It was hard to get an image of him in my mind but I gathered he looked basically human, except with slightly green skin and large teeth. Val's narrative never described him as handsome, but she did say he was tall and lean, with gorgeous yellow eyes and long, silky black hair. I really enjoyed his character, although he was way too good for Val.
Roiben was actually in this one for a bit near the end, and Kaye was mentioned to be in the room, but we don't see her. I know the next book, , is about Roiben and Kaye again, but I don't know how important the events in Valiant will be to that story.
January 5, 2021
Before starting the Modern Faerie Tales series, I’d loved everything I’d read by Holly Black. But I’m really struggling with these. I can’t even put my finger on why, I’m just finding everything so uninteresting.
1 more to go...
1 more to go...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,096 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.