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From Amazon.com
Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch is not human, but she doesn't know it. Sure, she knows she's interacted with faeries since she was little--but she never imagined she was one of them, her blond Asian human appearance only a magically crafted cover-up for her true, green-skinned pixie self. First-time author Holly Black explores Kaye's self-discovery and dual worlds in her riveting, suspenseful novel Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale. The book has its faults: it slips into shock-value mode; the descriptions are often overwritten (sunset on the water looks like the sun slit his wrists in a bathtub); the language is overly, unnecessarily explicit; and the writing often unpolished. Still, the story's pull is undeniable, and readers under its spell will be hard-pressed to put the book down.
The novel begins in a bar in Philly, where Kaye's alcoholic rock-singer mother's boyfriend tries to kill her. For their own safety, mother and daughter quickly move back to grandma's on the New Jersey shore where Kaye grew up. This ugly turn of events was all rigged by the Faerie world, as it turns out, a world Black describes in deliciously vivid, if rather overblown, detail. Kaye, a drinking, smoking, foul-mouthed high school dropout in the land of mortals, soon finds herself embroiled--as a human sacrifice, no less--in a battle between Faerieland's Seelie and more malevolent Unseelie courts. The beautiful, mysterious knight Roiben, torn between worlds himself, falls in love with Kaye--the brave, clever changeling--against his better judgment. Throughout the electrifying journey to the horrific underworld of this modern faerie fantasy, teen readers will relate to a hard-luck tough girl who feels alienated, discovers her best qualities in the worst of circumstances, and finally finds a place between worlds where she can feel at home. (Ages 13 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Tripping the dark fantastic with newcomer Black means pixie dust may very well include blood spatter, sharp thorns and bits of broken glass. At the center of this edgy novel is Kaye Fierch, a 16-year-old "Asian blonde" who spends most of her time taking care of a would-be rock star mom. When her mom's latest boyfriend turns homicidal, they return to Gram's house at the New Jersey shore, where Kaye hooks up with childhood friend Janet and her gay brother, Corny Stone. Stark images ripple through the third-person narrative, offering clues to Kaye's internal state (e.g., "She loved the serene brutality of the ocean"). A covert sexual overture from Janet's boyfriend precedes Kaye's nighttime encounter at the edge of the woods, where she meets and rescues Roiben, a mysterious Black Knight with silver hair. Throughout, the author subtly connects Kaye's awakening sexual feelings in the real world and Roiben's sudden appearances. Kaye soon discovers that she is a changeling-and that her one-time "imaginary" faerie playmates want her to pretend to be a human, so they can use her as the Tithe ("the sacrifice of a beautiful and talented mortal") to earn their freedom for seven years. The author's Bosch-like descriptions of the Unseelie Court, with its Rackham-on-acid denizens, and the exquisite faeries haunt as well as charm. When fate intervenes, sudden tragedy teaches Kaye about the high cost of straddling the faerie and human worlds (and sets the stage for a possible sequel). A gripping read. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Kaye spun down the worn, gray planks of the board-walk. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Kaye spun down the worn, gray planks of the board-walk. Read the first page
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I was expecting, but still good.,
By
This review is from: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (Paperback)
"After all, when you were already in a slippery place, reality-wise, you couldn't afford to assume that things would be straightforward from here on in." - from Tithe, page 124
Sixteen year old Kaye has always known she was a little different from everyone else. When other little girls were playing with Barbies, she was playing with faeries in her backyard, creatures she insisted were real but which no one else could see. After a strange incident at one of her mom's gigs, Kaye returns to the home where she spent much of her childhood. And the faeries are back. Kaye finds herself a playing piece in a struggle between two powers, neither of whom has Kaye's interests in mind. Most of my experience with faerie comes from fairy tales (which I love) and books of squished pixies (which I don't). This book is neither. Dark and unsettling, Tithe draws you into a world where none of the usual rules apply. No one is who they appear to be, and their motives are impossible to define. And the pixies are more likely to squish you. I thought this book was a bit of a slow starter, but once it got going, I really loved it. Kaye is a high-school dropout who spends all her time working to support her rocker-chick wannabe of a mom... definitely not the type of role model I would want for my daughter. She's extremely likeable nonetheless. The dark parts of this story make the lighter moments shine all the brighter. There's a great romantic component here, as well as themes of friendship and loyalty. Don't go in expecting Cinderella's fairy godmother, and you and this book will get along just fine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhere between Charles De Lint and Francesca Lia Block,
By
This review is from: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (Paperback)
Holly Black's first "Spiderwick" readers aren't little children any more, and it would seem that she intends to grow up her writing in tandem. "Tithe" explores the same world "Spiderwick" did, but with a much darker, sexual, and transformational vision. Typical of the contemporary fairy tale for teens, it follows the standard "edgy" young adult protagonist who skips school, drinks, smokes, and is sexually aware (if not active). However, while Black starts out following in the footsteps of Francesca Lia Block with her rock and roll urban fantasy world, she deviates about mid-way through from her psychadelic predecessor's path, straying more into the world Charles De Lint has been perfecting for the bulk of his writing career. It's not brilliant, but it is fun, and lives up to the press of being a modern "faerie" not fairy tale. The world Black takes us into is definitely the perilous realm, where not everyone necessarily lives happily ever after.
5.0 out of 5 stars
They have brought back the Tithe,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (Paperback)
Stories about a girl who finds out she's part/all faerie and becomes enmeshed in that world are a dime a dozen now. But Holly Black first started this trend, with the darkly glittering "Modern Faerie Tales: Tithe" -- a clever, entrancing story that brings a bit of urban grime to the faerie world without sacrificing any of its beauty.
Kaye Fierch has spent years traveling with her mother's rock band, until one night when her mom's boyfriend/guitarist tries to stab her. So with the band broken up, her mom whisks her back to her grandmother's New Jersey house, where Kaye reminisces about some "imaginary faerie friends she had as a child. But then she encounters Roiben, a wounded faerie knight whose life she saves -- and soon she learns that she is a changeling, who is targeted by the Unseelie Court as a sacrifice ("the sacrifice of a beautiful and talented mortal"). Now on the run with Roiben, she must deal with the faerie world's attacks on the mortal one... including her human friends. Holly Black is one of the best urban fantasy authors writing today, mainly because her stories truly are urban fantasies -- they combine faerie glitter and ethereality with the grime, wire and subway tunnels of New York and New Jersey. She truly makes you feel as if both the faerie realm and the mortal cities are jumping out at you. Her writing has a dark, raw beauty, studded with moments of poetry ("Moss and mud slid from its dripping flanks as the thing turned its head to regard Kaye with luminous white eyes"). And she never turns away from the uglier facets of her world -- there are hints of cruelty, madness and heartbreak, as well as the love and persistence in Kaye. And she writes really, really good characters who run all across the board. Kaye is a very likable, heartfelt heroine -- she's initially a little fey and odd, and she has some painful growing up to do. Roiben is a rather alluring character, being all mystery, bad reputation and unearthly beauty, and you really want to see him get together with Kaye. "Modern Faerie Tales: Tithe" is the vibrant, haunting story that spawned a thousand "I'm a faerie girl who never knew it!" knockoffs, and like many originals, it's one of the best. Delicious.
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