Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale

This dark, gritty book is a modern take on fairy tales. I loved the pacing, the plot, and the tension between the characters and within the characters themselves. I also loved that the setting (both in the real world and in the fae world) felt like fully developed characters in their own right. This book isn't for everyone, however. It is dark, sometimes harsh, and takes an unflinching look at the blood-thirsty side of the fae. However, I felt the characters overcame their obstacles and were triumphant in the end, and I recommend it to any who love the scary side of the fae.

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

This is one of my favorite books dealing with Faeries. Holly Black turns a light fairytale dream into a dark, harsh environment. I enjoyed her Spiderwick books as a child and I love her Faerie books now as a young adult. This book shows two worlds, both imperfect and believable. If you're one for Faerie books I'd suggest this to you.

Reader reviewed by Hatice

Kaye, an average girl in New York, lives an almost normal life... that is until she finds out that she's not a mortal, but instead one of the fey. Once she changes into her real form, she looks like a light green pixie faerie. The book doesn't miss the romance as Kaye meets Roiben, a warrior faery. There is action, beautiful magic and two different worlds of mortals and faery.

This book of course isn't for your average reader. It specificly focuses on a darker theme in the fey world, so it's not a regular magical story. However, it captivates the reader in a strong grip, and you'll find yourself wanting to get the next two books in the series.

Reader reviewed by Kaycee Joy

Kaye has been moving from city to city,
bar to bar with her mother's band when yet another boyfriend problem
leaves them with no choice but to move to Kaye's grandmothers' in
New Jersey. In just a week back in Jersey her life is turned upside
down when she meets a faerie knight and learns a secret that her
childhood faeries have kept from her. She becomes involved in a
sacrifcial fight between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Romance, death, and dark faeries make up Tithe.
It
is very modern, not your typical fairy tale. It is not your typical
tiny pixy fairy type story either. They are more dark than good. I
really enjoyed this book, at times it can be confusing understanding
the Tithe sacrifice and some character roles. It is a good fast pace
story though. I recommend it for people who like punky hard life
stories or those who like mystical dark stories.

Reader reviewed by Lisa the Nerd

in a sentence or so: Kaye and
her mom move back in with her grandma in Jersey after her mom's latest
attempt to be a rockstar doesn't turn out so well. it is when she moves
back to the small town of her childhood that she starts to feel faeries
on the edge of her existence. she is sure that the world of real life
and magic are merging into one when she finds an elf (a pretty handsome
one at that) dying in the woods.

Kaye's mom has been the lead
singer in many a rock band. this means that Kaye has led a pretty
nomadic life and seen her fair share of bizarre, unpleasant, and
morally questionable things. but through it all, Kaye has always felt
loved and encouraged by her mother. which is not always the case with
her best friend in Jersey, Janet. Janet and Kaye go back to the days of
elementary school, and so when Kaye returns to Jersey as a sixteen year
old, Janet remembers her friend's knack for making up imaginary
friends/creatures and seeing things that no one else can see. well,
apparently that knack is still with her.

Kaye stumbles upon
Roiben, a wounded elf, in the woods. through her help, he is able to
stumble back home to his home, the Unseelie court. Kaye is being told
by her childhood faerie friends that this handsome elf means to do her
harm...something she has a hard time believing. what she can believe is
the fact that she is starting to feel strange things happening to her
and around her, and that her life is not at all what she thought it to
be.

i had a tough time working my way into this book. i think
part of that is because this is the first faerie book i've read, so
maybe the names and mythology were supposed to be assumed knowledge of
the reader and i just didn't have that assumed knowledge. i felt like
the framework was established quickly and loosely, and it wasn't until
about a hundred pages in that i felt comfortable with the story, the
characters, and the direction. it finished strong, so i ended up really
enjoying the read.

all of the characters are SERIOUSLY flawed,
which is something i dig. they are also seriously humanistic, which is
something else i dig. you get why people (faeries, queens, pixies,
etc.) act and think the way they do. at times i felt like this wasn't a
great read, but overall i enjoyed it more than i expected. after i was
hooked into the plot, i was really hooked. i am genuinely interested to
read the further adventures of the characters in Ironside.

there
are twists and turns a plenty, laugh out loud moments, vivid
descriptions of what the faerie realm is like, and the title of the
book is the anchor of the plot - which i will not get into because
that's a bit spoiler-y. i'd recommend this to fantasy genre junkies
like myself for sure.

fave quote: "She
smiled ruefully. 'But they never told me. They knew all this time, and
nothing - not one hint.'' Kaye looked pensively at the joints of her
fingers. Why should one extra joint make them horrifying? It did,
though - flexing them bothered her." (119)

fix er up: more explanation on the background of the creatures and the plot development.

Reader reviewed by mary

This book was incredibly difficult to put down! i loved it! It was very magical right from the beginning and the relationship like no other between Kaye and Roiben was interesting from their first meeting. We see Kaye go home from a party only to meet non other than roiben, an attractive pewter haired faerie knight. From there forward we see kaye learning her true identity, bewitching humans, and facing a fate not of her choosing. An amazing read for anyone looking for a strange, intriguing and wondrous time. Its perfect for anyone who loves a bit of romance, magic, and fantasy.

Reader reviewed by Yan

This is a book that I'd love to hate but can't help but love.

From goodreads: 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.

This story is so gripping and attention grabbing that I COULD NOT put this book down! I love almost every aspect of this novel and am dying to read the next book of this series. Fans of feary tales and of helpless YA romance, do not pass this book up. Just try it at least, and I'll assure that you'll love something about it! The only problem I had with this book was that I thought it should have been geared to older teens as some of the book contains may be offensive.

Reader reviewed by Severa Drabczyk

I got this book free for Pulse it, I am a book reviewer for their site and they send me a free book every month and September's was Tithe. This was one of the better fairytales I have read, it's definitely one of my favorites now. It is about a girl named Kaye, her mother is a drunk and her dad left both her mom and her long ago. Kaye's life pretty much stinks, until she meets a fairy in the woods named Roiben, finds him wounded and nurses him back to health. What she didn't know was that she's not a human, but a pixie, and she discovers there are two sides of the fairy world, the Seelie and the Unseelie, and they have been at war for sometime and it's up to her to understand why. This is indeed a love story as well as a fantasy story. But if you're looking for that kind of mix I highly recommend Tithe, it has all the fantasy creatures and magic you could ask of a story like this one. Though the book has ALOT of cussing in it and some sexual elements and drug usage. If you don't want alot of cussing and drinking, then this book is definitely not for you. I rate it PG-14 and I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Reader reviewed by Nina

Tithe is an incredible book and anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy will love it! It has a very different take on the topic of faeries. The story takes place on earth and faeries live here with us, but are invisible to most. Kay, the main character, has always been different, but when she and her mom return to Kays childhood home, the shocking reason becomes clear.

Reader reviewed by Noxzeema

Tithe is the stoy of Kaye, a sixteen year old who lives the life of a twenty-three year old. Alcohol, cigarettes, and New Jersey are what lies in store for her when her and her mother need someplace to stay.

There a little hints in the book as to Kaye's faerie nature, the odd thing seen/heard here and there, but when she levitates a carousel horse, she knows something weird is happening.

So begins her journey into the Faerie world, where she shed her human skin for green coloring, wings and faerie dust. But all is not well, there is a battle raging, a battle that Kaye must choose which side to fight on.