2008 Books: Tithe by Holly Black
I bought this book for SnarkyWench's younger daughter as a Christmas gift, and then realized I should probably read it first. I liked the title, and with my background, titles are a big deal to me. I've been known to purchase books or films on the basis of title alone. My secondary reason for picking it up was that I've been following a
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I read the first two books of Holly Black's series, Tithe and Valiant, on my older daughter's recommendation following a discussion we had regarding urban fantasy. Unfortunately, as a writer and as a mother, I have to concur with ciphre on this one ... and I'm most grateful that she chose not to gift my little one with Ms. Black's writings, although having read them, I don't think my younger daughter would have gotten far before deciding she didn't care for it.
Tithe was indeed gritty and coarse. A young girl finds out something shocking about herself amidst a backdrop of violent magical bloodshed and mayhem. Many of the magical creatures in the book possess a blood lust that can only be slaked by violent killing or maiming, and it's in this realm of gratuitous cruelty that our "hero" resides. Yes, he's disturbed by what he sees around him, but it isn't until he meets our young lady that his conscience gets the better of him. I won't give away any of the details, but it ends a bit ambiguously, with our hero and heroine finding themselves unexpectedly in a position of authority over those aforementioned bloodthirsty creatures.
**shudders**
Valiant is the second book, and is even more disturbing than the first book. In it, our new young heroine runs away from home after finding her boyfriend about to f*** her mother. (Honestly, there really is no other way to describe the scene.) She then pulls a Britney by cutting off her hair and seeking refuge in an abandoned subway tunnel with a group of teens who shoot up a potion which gives them not only a magical euphoria but certain powers. The book then follows the story of Beauty and the Beast (tv version) with the heroine falling in love with a troll, etc. You get the idea. This second offering was not only pointless -- mentioning the two characters from the first book almost as an afterthought towards the end of this book -- but it's also even more hopeless than its predecessor, if that's possible. I was left feeling like I needed to take a shower after the last word was read.
If you're into the really dark, depressing, There's-No-Meaning-To-Life kind of books (my daughter's words, not mine) then these are for you. Book Three, Ironside, remains unread. In it, we return to the hero and heroine of Tithe, but the journey may progress without me.
Sorry for hijacking your post, my dear. Still love me?
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You're rather scathing in your opinion, but I don't disagree with you about the first book at all. While we have been known to disagree about stories and books on occasion, I would probably agree with you about the second book as well.
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