Book: Tithe

Holy Black
Young Adult
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing / 2004
Quality / 336 Pages
Series A Modern Faerie Tale #1

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.

I picked this book up because Looking for a Christmas present for my sister. LOL.

What I liked the Most? Kaye – what a beautiful character

What I liked the Least? At times the book felt choppy

Review: This book is a real page-turner. I really enjoyed the bleak (but not depressing so) look at life from a jaded sixteen year old point of view. Kaye – smoking, tough talking teenager – discovers that the world of faery isn’t all sweetness and light. She holds her own against the flakey, ineffective adults and self-absorbed teens that inhabit her world. Though she's self-reliant and insightful she's still a teenager prone to emotion, moments of selfishness and wicked thoughts of revenge. Her faults, as well as her strengths, are the reason I enjoyed her character so much.
The conflicted feelings Kaye has for Roiben adds a fascinating aspect of the story. Their emerging romance manages to be sensual, touching and anything but the same-old, same-old. If you're tired of sugary sweetness don't worry because you won't find any here!
Recommended to: Fans of faerie fiction

Best Quote: "I wonder about death, I who may never know it. It looks much like ecstasy, the way they open their mouths as they drown, the way their fingers dig into your skin. Their eyes are wide and startled and they thrash in your hands as though with an excess of passion."