Tithe: A Modern Fairy Tale
By: Holly Black
Kaye is a very individual 16-year-old girl. Her mom doesn't make her go to school. Instead, she works delivering Chinese food in order to have enough money to cover the bills while her mom sings in a band. All of that changes when a friend attacks her mom and they head to her grandma's house to get away from it all.
Kaye's mom is the type that wild children everywhere would love: she doesn't make Kaye go to school and doesn't really care when she gets home. Kaye's grandmother, on the other hand, is a stickler for rules. Kaye's mother raises Kaye the way she wishes she had been raised: as a free spirit. Obviously, when they move to grandma's there's going to be some drama. And there is, but that's only the beginning!
See, when Kaye and her mom lived with her grandmother when she was younger she could see and talk to fairies. Her best friend always thought she was making it up, but Kaye never did. Until she came back to her grandmother's and they didn't show up. But then she helps a man in the woods recover from an arrow to the chest and all of a sudden her world is turned topsy-turvy. Her fairy friends come back and warn her to stay away from that man - and then she learns a secret about herself: something that would explain a lot about why she is the way she is.
Kaye has been chosen by the Unseelie Court (the "bad" fairies) to be their Tithe (sacrifice) which would bind all of the free sprites, elves, fairies, etc. to the Unseelie Court for 7 years. The only problem is that the Unseelie Court doesn't know she's a part of the Seelie Court: Kaye was a changeling. And with that secret knowledge she has the ability to change things, but will it be for the better?
When Kaye uncovers a plot so diabolical by those she thought were ‘good' she has to help undo the damage, but will it be enough or is it too late?
All in all, this was a great story. I really love the descriptions of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts: the good vs. evil, what really constitutes evil, and just a new take on the fairies, elves and sprites of past folklore.
Recommended To:
- Fairy-tale fans
- Those interested in Good vs. Evil
- Everyone!
Notes on the Cover:
Take your time looking at this one! Kaye holds the center and the focus of the cover, which will give away part of the story, but you'll be expecting that part anyways. I didn't find it to be hidden and was really just waiting for her to figure it out. Take your time looking at the figures that are around her. You'll be seeing them in the book, and I sometimes find that the visual helps me solidify them in my imagination. (Of course, that can backfire on you and things turn out completely different from what you expect, but in this case it worked for me!)
On our shelves!