Tithe (A Modern Faerie Tale, Book 1) (edition 2004)

Black, Holly. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale.336p. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004.Tr. $8.99. ISBN 9780689867040.

Happy endings are for stories that haven’t finished yet. Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band, which eventually brings them home to New Jersey. One night, Kaye hears a scream of pain from the forest. Against her better judgment she ventures into the woods, only to find the beautiful and mysterious Faerie Knight, Roiben. After saving his life, a whirlwind of events are set into motion that will change her life forever. Kaye Fierch learns that she is also actually a faerie—a powerful cloaking spell was placed on her in infancy— and that she is a valuable, albeit unwilling, participant in the battle between Faerieland’s Seelie and Unseelie courts. Seen through the eyes of a dramatic teenage girl, everything is larger than life and deliciously explicit. Some may find the novel to be overwritten at times, but the language and plot details build a dramatically sinister world of magic where the lines between good and evil are practically nonexistent. Keep in mind that this is a modern faerie tale, so the witty and courageous female protagonist drinks, smokes, has a slightly foul mouth, and is accompanied by her best friend’s homosexual brother whose moral compass is slightly askew. Dark and mysterious at every turn, this “ALA Best Book for Young Adults” is an addictive page-turner that will immediately have readers seeking out the other award-winning books in the series: Ironside and Valiant. (Ages 13-17) ( )

I have a special place in my heart for this book. If I remember correctly, this book initiated my long-lasting love affair with urban fantasy. I almost certain that this was the first book I had ever read in the genre. I remember seeing and being interested in the cover (the original one, with the butterfly) in the young adult section of the bookstore before, but I didn't end up buying it at the time. Shortly thereafter, I noticed one of my best friends reading the book, and she recommended I read it the very instant she was done. I'm glad I did.

This novel is a gritty, dark look into the world of faeries in a modern, urban setting. Kaye is not what you would call the traditional teen protagonist, but it is somewhat refreshing to show a heroine with a dark past. I also really liked the characters of Roiben (the conflicted love interest) and Corny (Kaye's friend's gay brother with whom she develops a special relationship). I enjoy Holly Black's style and I think that she is a fantastic world-builder. There are a couple plot gaps and some lacking character development, but it didn't detract from the book for me.

If you are someone that expects a cookie-cutter protagonist and happy endings, then no, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. However, if you like urban fantasy (or think you might like it), like a good, dark tale, and want an easy, enjoyable read, then I definitely recommend you check it out. ( )

I have been reading quite a few books featuring the world of faeries of late and it was, perhaps, unfair to read this book shortly after reading works by Melissa Marr and Julie Kagawa. I did actually enjoy this book and it had some truly compelling moments, but I do not rate it among the best of the genre. Kaye, the main character is rather intriguing and I thought the author did a wonderful job of illustrating her quirkiness and throwing surprising moments of humor into a decidedly bleak background. I will most likely read the other two books in the trilogy. ( )

I loved this book. I could not put it down. It was so easy to become wrapped up in Kaye's world as she is thrown headfirst into the world of faeries. I almost forgot that I was reading a fantasy novel. Kaye is a very likeable character and Roiben is lovable and I looked forward to every scene that included him. When I was not reading this book, I was thinking about the next time I would be able to pick it up. Finished in one day.
My only complaint is that I wish there was a glossary in the back to define the different terms. Sometimes the story moved to quickly that I wasn't sure I understood what the difference was between the different faerie kingdoms.

I love Holly Black's world of faeries, but I wish she'd actually spent more time in it. The very beginning was good enough to draw me in, but there was this long, awkward section where Kaye was just ambling around in the gritty, human world. As soon as they actually went into the world of faerie, it was good. ( )

Faeries, faeries, faeries! I love reading about them. I thoroughly enjoyed Holly Black's fae. They were dark and mysterious revealing more and more of who they were and their motivations as the plot progressed. There was a thin line between dark and light that was constantly blurred and there was ever a sinister otherworldly feel to both the Seelie and Unseelie courts. I hope that in the next books I learn even more about the Solitary fae, the glimpse I got of them in Tithe was fascinating.

The heroine, Kaye, is a quirky and sometimes eccentric teen. She portrays such a tough girl image, but her actions also show that she has some baggage from the unusual lifestyle she's lead. Tithe left me with many unanswered questions about Kaye but not in a way that left me frustrated with the story. I feel like Kaye is a heroine that I'm going to enjoy watching grow from book to book in this series. As she comes to understand more about herself and who she really is, I think that she will only become stronger and more confident. I'm not sold on the romance yet, but I'm sure that will come.

Another stand out character for me was Corny. While I loathe his character name, he was probably the most intriguing character to read. He has many issues, and a tendency toward violence, yet the kind of loyalty only those with a sensitive heart can possess. I enjoy the way he and Kaye interract and hope that their friendship continues throughout the series.

I was lost in this dark and gritty, sometimes even savage world. Somehow this author managed to combine the darker elements of faerie magic and stark reality to create something unique and incredible. I don't know why I waited so long to read Tithe, but I know I won't put off picking up Valiant. ( )

A pull you in and refuse to spit you out fantastical read! This book is amazingly addictive and completely immerses you in Holly Black's fantasy world of faerie and all creatures in between. The characters and the imagery were wonderfully depicted and the danger filled plot left me breathless. The ending left me wanting more. Kaye is a great character and I wish I was more like her! ( )

TITHE is an in your face, non-stop tale that will keep you reading long past your bedtime. The unique vibe that Holly Black lets loose is truly addictive. This is not your average faery tale, so if you like fluff, go grab your Disney Princess book.
Kaye just might be one of my favorite characters in YA literature. She's wild and maybe just a little crazy, but she doesn't apologize for it or try to hide it. She has the life that a lot of teenagers wish they had; a parent in a rock band, hanging out in random bars, touring and meeting new people. While she moved around too much to have a lot of friends, Kaye had Spike, Gristle and Lutie-lou to keep her company. Only...she was the only one who could see them. Everyone else called them her 'imaginary friends'. That didn't matter to Kaye. She may have been the only one who could see them, but she know they were reliable and cared about her.

Or so she thought. Kaye goes through a period where she doesn't see her fey friends, no matter what she does to call them. It's because of this that she feels alone and forgotten. She meets Roiben, the tough and smoldering fey knight, and is caught between two Faerie Courts' drama. Kaye struggles to find out the truth; about Roiben, her childhood fey friends, and herself.

The danger factor in TITHE is intense and compelling. As much as I liked the story, I have to say that the language in it kind of put me off. It may not bother other people, but in my opinion it was a little much for a YA book. I'm twenty-six years old and I don't talk like that. I also got lost in conversations a few times. I found myself having to go back a page to see where a comment or thought had come from. It seemed very disjointed. I will probably still pick up, VALIANT, number two in The Modern Faery Tales series, and see how the relationship between Kaye and Roiben works out.

All my reviews can be found on my website, www.violethourbr.com

No character development, too many sexual innuendos for YA. The boys were all so sexual and I just don't find a guy with a harem suitable as one's love interest in YA. I also found a few typos and spelling mistakes. However, the plot was original and I liked the new paranormal elements. Might grab the next book in the series because I think Holly Black is a talented author. ( )

I have had Tithe recommended to me about five times (twice by the same person ;) ). I am a huge fan of Holly Black's Curse Workers series, and the short story about Roiben and Kaye in The Poison Eaters was my favorite story in the collection.
Now, I thus far this series isn't as high on my list as the Curse Workers, but that's like saying that I don't like amazing chocolate cake as much as incredible creme brûlée. It's a nit-picky distinction based on taste.
So what did I like? Kaye and Roiben don't succumb to insta-love. Yes, there's a lot of insta-attraction, but feelings develop and follow. I also loved how there was a definite conclusion to the end of the book. Yes, there are sequels, and I guess what the main conflict of the next books is going to be, but I was completely satisfied with the ending.
I enjoyed how the characterizations started in a fairly stereotypical place, but were complexly executed. Kaye starts with the characterization of a burn-out, rocker chick, but as we learn her secrets and her history, we begin to see why she reacts the way she does. Roiben is initially a brooding, Byronic type, but he isn't trapped in that role for the entire book. But my favorite character extension is the development of Corny. In the first chapter, Corny is portrayed like a potential candidate to commit the next Columbine. He's at least depressed enough to be thinking about it. By the end of the book we know why, and we're rooting for Corny to develop into the guy we got a glimpse of in The Poison Eaters.

And now for the con. The only thing about the writing that bugged me was the repeated emphasis on how hot Roiben is. It's not overly excessive, but by the time the romantic tension was seriously developed, I was a little over hearing about Roiben's chiseled face and how hot he looks in black. However, I fully accept that I may be overly sensitive to frequent thoughts about the main characters due to my issues with a particular Cullen.
And while it wasn't a con for me, I will note that there is a level of drugs, sex and alcohol that strikes me as being above the PG-13 level. I personally thought it was dealt with well and wasn't done for shock-value's sake. I thought it contributed to the progression of the story, but it might be off-putting to some people/parents.

Rating: 5 stars— I'm excited to read the rest of the series. They're already on my shelf!

Other Tangential Thoughts: I’m really excited about reading the rest of the books in this series! Just from glancing the back of the books, the next one is about Roiben and Kaye still, and the third book has another main character. ( )

Tithe is not your typical YA fairytale book. It's rather dark; the characters are quite imperfect perhaps that's why it works. It was one of the first Urban Fantasy books which I read, which was about 5 or 6 years ago, so it's been awhile. The faeries are not tiny and cute and sprinkle you with pixie dust, they're dangerous and less than appealing, but perhaps that's what grabbed me as a reader. Kaye is a foulmouthed teenager who finds out that she's actually a green pixie with wings and to top it all off, her mother isn't really her mother. She’s a challenging character, but sympathetic in the same breath. The world of Tithe is imperfect but intriguing at once, and that's why urban fantasy readers, who enjoy a darker tale, should try Tithe. ( )

I was suprised that I enjoyed this - I expected it to have strong similarities to Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series which i didn't like. There are strong similarities in the plot but I enjoyed this much more. It is edgy and is almost brutally honest in exposing Kaye's experience of life, her negligent, though benign, single mother, a nomadic lifestyle, her isolation and a casual response to sex, drugs and crime. Kaye is not a role model and since this book is aimed at teens I can understand the scathing objections regarding the language etc but there is context to it - its not for shock value - it is simply a fact of life for these characters as it is for large groups of teens. Their life style choices (drinking, smoking etc) aren't glamourised, in fact there are negative consequences for most the behaviours if you actually read the story.The overlap between ironside and faerie was nicely handled and the plot was strong though i think more care could have been taken to build the relationship between Kaye and Roiben and in there were a couple of gaps which I suspect had more to do with poor editing rather than the author.There are subtleties to the plot and behaviours that teens may miss, (much as a lot of narrow minded adults have) so it is much more suitable to be read by mature teens.I have a 13 year old and would not be comfortable with her reading this, but at 13 I would have loved this, reading it from the saftey of my tidy home, my parents downstairs watching TV and my brother doing his homework at the table. So I would recommend choosing this series carefully if you are choosing for a teen. ( )

I cannot even tell you how many time Holly Black was recommended to me... And in my typical procrastinatory way, I kept putting it off!

What was I thinking???

I instantly loved Kaye. From the FIRST page when she stuck her cigarette into her mother's beer bottle! (what? So I'm a tad on the spiteful side...) The characters in this book are hard to rival, Roiben... well I was instantly taken with him (even though he can be quite tough to handle). Kaye's childhood faerie friends: Spike, Gristle and Lutie-Loo (Um Lutie-Loo? WIN!) actually I can't go into them much, because I'll give away too much of the story... But I loved their names!

The entire faerie world that Black created is crazy amazing and magical! I could picture each and every detail of the pixies, dwarfs (dwarves?) and fae. Every place, battle and situation was so beautifully descriptive that I was enthralled (enthralled I tell you!) from beginning to end!

I read this in the span of a few hours, I stayed up until like 2 am because I could NOT tear myself away from this book! ( )

ummmmmI liked and didn't like this book if that makes sense. I think the story line was good, if not a little underdeveloped. It had a lot of potential, but I kept feeloing like I missed a paragraph, or a page somewhere. I felt like the end was a little rushed, for me, I would have preferred less blah blah in the beginning so the end could have had the attention it deserved. But all in all, I did like it, and I really like Roiben's character as well as Kaye's. I am hoping things are a bit more developed in the next book, and I look forward to continuing the series! ( )

Tithe is a staple of the urban fantasy scene, and Holly Black, in my opinion, is the Queen of dark YA urban fantasy. Black shoves aside the pristine characters from so many "academy" books, and fills her pages with characters on the outskirts of society. We meet Kaye, the neglected daughter of a wannabe rock star, who would rather work than go to school, and has no qualms about telling ancient creatures to kiss her ass. There is also Corny, brother of Kaye's friend Janet, and an out gay character. Without giving anything away, Corny isn't a gay character who is just gay for the hell of it--he has a love interest. But there are always consequences to love and sex no matter your sexual orientation.

Black portrays humans and faeries both as graceful and flawed. Black's faerie world is so interwoven with our own you'll put the book down to wonder why you can't see this world that feels within reach. Then you'll pick the book back up because you'll need to know what happens next. Tithe is a quick read because Black keeps the pace action packed with quiet moments here and there to build tension. Once you're done, I imagine you'll find yourself fliping back to your favorite passages. While never purple, Black's prose in the fae realm is lush with green eyed and silver skinned citizens, as well as thornier, deadly ones.

My only problem is this: Why would an otherworldly creature be interested in teenage Kaye? There doesn't seem to be anything significant about Kaye that lures Roiben to her. Perhaps it is just attraction like any two people in the world, but I prefer something more in a story. Kaye is interesting on her own. A girl who believes in faeries and magic well after the age she should have stopped believing in said things is a girl after my own heart. ( )

This was quite a lot better than I had expected it to be. The parts about the regular human world were very gritty and believable, and the descriptions of Faerie made it seem beautiful and quite scary, which it should be. It's partly a love-story, but the main emphasis is on the intrigue and politics at the Faerie Courts. Mainly I appreciated the fact that anytime a character got into trouble, it was because something or someone bad overpowered them, raising the stakes, and not because they did something stupid (it's a pet peeve of mine: plotlines advancing because the characters act like idiots, AKA Sookie Stackhouse Syndrome). There are some details I feel could have been edited more thoroughly (like Corny keeping his car keys inside his locked car), but for a first novel it's quite impressive. ( )

Tithe follows the story of Kaye, a girl who follows her nomadic mother quest for fame through dive bars in Philadelphia. Kaye is grateful when their nomadic lifestyle comes to an end, however, and they are forced to return to her grandmother's house, offering her the opportunity to reconnect with fairy friends both human and faery. It isn't before long, however, before she finds herself entangled in a political and dangerous intrigue between the faery courts. The faeries in this book are tricksy and deadly throughout, just as they ought to be. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read with enough adventure and well-wrought surprises to keep me excited. I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy. ( )

This book was such a great find. I can't say I was expecting much when I picked it up, however that quickly changed. I was greeted with a fairy tale removed from the charm and refinement of typical of stories of this genre. What I found was a keenly written tale that immerses you; from the start; in the industrial New Jersey setting. Black does such a fantastic job playing up the grittiness while weaving in the delicate threads that make you love Tithe's characters. ( )

Tithe is the story of Kaye, a sixteen-year old whose life has never been normal. As a child she could see and talk to faeries (even if everyone else though it was her imaginary friends). As a teenager she followed her mother in the rockstar lifestyle, spending most of her time in bars or helping her mother sober up, and very little in school.

It all changes when she returns to her childhood house, to live with her grandmother. She tries to reconnect with her faery friends, only to discover much has changed. Of course she will then enter a world of peril and treason, and learn things about herself that she could never have imagined.

The first aspect that I'll like to point out about Tithe is that it is Urban Fantasy. Which I normally don't like. Going from “our” world into a new, fantastical (and where physics don't usually apply) world doesn't convince me much. But here it didn't bother me much. The faery world was not a easier world where everyone was super powerful and throwing giant balls of fire around. It was pretty much a different country with different rules and weirder habitants. The transition between New Jersey and the Otherworld was very well done.

But what I really liked about Tithe were all the myths (mostly Celtic) that were woven in the story. That piece of familiar plot was very nice, even if it took dark twists. These twists give some sobriety to the story – it is not all easy, and bad things happen. That is always good in a story, and is great for character development (or, like Calvin's father would say, it builds character).

The story is pretty much focused on Kaye, and I liked her as character. She fitted well in the world of faeries, and was really weird in her own world. Yet she was able to make friends on both places, without changing who she was (well, kind of, but saying why would be spoiler-ish). And the other characters are also quite good – especially Roiben, the romantic partner and not-quite-hero. Also, I had a feeling throughout the book that I didn't know for sure who was friend and who was foe, and I quite enjoyed that.

Tithe is a nice story, easy to read and like. There are two more books on the series that I want to check out – as well as other books by Holly Black.

Also at Spoilers and Nuts ( )

Have you ever read a novel and wished you'd found it sooner? It might seem strange, but even though I'm a frequent consumer of YA, I rarely find myself wishing I'd read a book when I was a teenager. Usually, I'm just glad for the experience; many YA writers craft immersive worlds and likable characters so skillfully that their works feel relevant despite the fact that I'm 26 years old. And it's not quite that I felt I was too old for Holly Black's Tithe, the story of a New Jersey teenager who learns of her faery nature when she's used as a pawn in the war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.No, instead I simply felt that Tithe would have struck a chord with me as a teenager, that it would have been incredibly relevant had I read it upon its release in 2002, when I was eighteen, rather than eight years later. Reading it now, as a grown-up, I mostly just felt nostalgic.Black describes the world of sixteen-year-old Kaye with surprising honesty and grit. Kaye lives in a magical land that I haven't often seen described in books, and certainly not with such accuracy: it's the world of my youth, New Jersey at the start of the twenty-first century. There are ravers and punk boys and long, emotionally complicated nights in diners. There are gay boys who love anime. There's the boardwalk of what I was sure must have been Asbury Park, abandoned and creepy and vivid. And, true-to-form, there's Kaye, an honestly written heroine if I've ever seen one. Kaye's a bit weird--she had fairies as imaginary friends since she was a kid--and definitely imperfect. She can't help but seduce her best friend's boyfriend. She gets her other friends into trouble. She's flawed, but, dammit, she's honest. As I read Tithe I couldn't help but feel that I knew Kaye--she's just about every teenage girl, complicated and conflicted. In short, she was terrific.As were most of the supporting characters here: Corny, Kaye's companion, one of the most realistically rendered gay friends I've ever seen in fiction. Corny isn't a magical and perfect gay boy a la Mercedes Lackey, but instead a complex and complete person in his own right. Likewise, Roiben, Kaye's otherworldly love interest, a sexy stoic with problems and a life beyond Kaye's.Unfortunately, the plotting of the novel doesn't quite live up to the promise of the characters. Black takes us a long time to get us to the central conflict, and Kaye's episodic explorations through the faery world just weren't as interesting to me as her adventures in the in the real world. Still, there's a lot worth exploring here--particularly if you've ever found magic in the magical kingdom known as New Jersey. ( )

Though it started out a little bit gritty, I really enjoyed this book! If felt very similar to "Wicked Lovely" by Melissa Marr in the way that it pulls you into the fantasy world. I can't wait to read the sequels. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.
Newcomer Holly Black's enormously powerful voice weaves teen angst, riveting romance, and capriciously diabolical faerie folk into an enthralling, engaging, altogether original reading experience

I loved this book. I could not put it down. It was so easy to become wrapped up in Kaye's world as she is thrown headfirst into the world of faeries. I almost forgot that I was reading a fantasy novel. Kaye is a very likeable character and Roiben is lovable and I looked forward to every scene that included him. When I was not reading this book, I was thinking about the next time I would be able to pick it up. Finished in one day.
My only complaint is that I wish there was a glossary in the back to define the different terms. Sometimes the story moved to quickly that I wasn't sure I understood what the difference was between the different faerie kingdoms.

Kaye thought she was a normal teen, though she did live a unusual life traveling around with her rock star mother. When she finds out that she is not as human as she thought she was and that she must now become involved in a war between the Unseelie and Seelie courts, she now not only has to deal with teenage issues, but live and death fairy issues as well. ( )

Plot: When Kaye was little, she befriended faeries. She’s sixteen now, out of school and following her mother as she chases her dream of becoming a rock star; she shouldn’t believe in faeries anymore. But after she and her mother are forced to move back into her grandmother’s house, strange things start happening. She saves a beautiful elf knight and earns three questions from him. Her childhood friends also reappear. But stranger still is what’s happening to her. She may not be who or what she always thought she was.

The first time I started this novel, I got bored and put it down. But when I gave it a second chance, I truly enjoyed it. The world and the characters remind me a lot of Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely books, another series I liked a lot. The characters defy expectations. Kaye is not simply the rebellious dropout with a chip on her shoulder. She is kind and clever and independent with a surprisingly fanciful personality. The romance was a bit more predictable but not unpleasant. That Black knows a lot about faerie myth and uses it effectively in a modern setting is hardly surprising after the Spiderwick Chronicles. ( )

Good book, I found that the bad language was a little much, but all in all a good book. ( )