Tithe by Holly Black

I meant to get this to you on Valentine's Day, but that didn't really happen. But hey, now you can read it while you eat clearance chocolate!

Tithe
by Holly Black
Read: February 12, 2015
Published: April 1, 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Modern Faerie Tale

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 Kaye 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. (Amazon)






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Why did you read this book?
I read this book as an assignment for my Children's Literature class, but I had also read it years earlier. I think I may have read it three years ago? Regardless, I went through a phase were I loved fairies and I read several books about fairies (including Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr). Needless to say, most of them have blurred together in my mind since then.

The Relationships:
None of the relationships in this book felt believable to me. The relationship between Kaye and her mother is closer to that between sisters that don't really get along or communicate with each other. Kaye's mom was also very childish and reckless and basically not a mom. Kaye's grandmother did act concerned about Kaye's welfare, but not in the way a grandmother would. Her grandmother reminded me of an angsty teenager. While this is a common occurrence in YA books, it is usually in an effort to emphasize how mature the protagonist is. In Tithe, the main character is less mature than her mother, which is saying something. I also didn't understand the relationship between Kaye and Roiben. There wasn't a transition to it, it just sort of happened. Sure, this might work in some books, but in this one it didn't make sense. The one relationship I did like was that between Kaye and Janet. It was the only one that felt real to me.

The Plot:
While I loved the idea of this book, I wasn't sold on the execution of it. The whole thing felt kind of rushed to me, with no real direction. The buildup could have been handled much better. However, once the climax hit, it was very exciting and hard to put down. Overall, the plot didn't have any really surprise twists, but it was still engaging.

The End:
There is nothing I hate more than a book with a bad ending (except perhaps wet socks). This book left with a pleasant ending, with the feeling that the characters would continue living after it ended. Some books just end and you don't know what's going to happen to the characters. I loved the end of this one though. When I first read it, I didn't know that there was a second book and I was satisfied with there only being one book (so, no cliffhangers).

Overall Thoughts:
This is a nice light read. I enjoyed the book and chances are I'll probably read it again sometime. However, I don't believe I'll be adding it to my shelf. I don't think I quite enjoyed it that much. However, I would recommend it to anyone interested in fairies and perhaps older than twelve.


"Crippled things are always more beautiful. It's the flaw that brings out beauty." -Tithe by Holly Black