Tithe (The Modern Faerie Tales, #1) by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I first discovered books by Holly Black after reading White Cat, which I loved. So it made sense for me to try her others. Tithe's world-building is based on faeries, the Seelie and Unseelie. I've seen this genre time and time again being a fan of fantasy, but I have to say Black didn't do too bad this time around, either.
Kaye has always felt like an outsider. When she was little she remembers playing with faeries and that they were anything but imaginary. Her mom fronts various unsuccessful bands which means that her life is often turned upside down when she's moved around in hopes that her mom can find her big break. After a bad incident, Kaye and her mom go back to her grandmother's and odd things start happening again.
For the most part I liked Kaye. There were a few moments when her quirky emo-angst was a bit annoying, but toward the end she found a lot of her own inner strength. This was a quick read and the story kept me turning the pages because Black managed to find the right balance in making the faeries inhuman, but still accessible. Her human relationships could have used a bit of work, because there were a lot of loose threads in that department.

Copy Source: Library

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Slight Spoilers for the previous book

After reading the first in this series, White Cat I was really impressed with the surprise ending (for me, anyway). Cassel was a character I could sympathize with in his endeavors to do the right thing in a family where cons are the norm. Red Glove continues right where we left off. Cassel's mom is out of prison and doing what she does best. The school year is about to start again and it's senior year so things are a little more serious in the academic arena. At the beginning we discover Phillip has been shot and killed by a mysterious person in red gloves and Cassel has been "recruited" to help figure out who was behind it.

The struggles in this book for Cassel are much more about trust and making the right decisions. We know just how much he's been manipulated in the past and now that he knows too, he has to find a way to avoid going back to the person he was. Lila is also going to the same school and the curse Cassel's mother put on her only makes things worse, because now he can't trust his own feelings, must less Lila's.

I was happy with some of the developments for Cassel. I hope he can find more to trust in the world, but still keep clever and realistic about the people in his life. Family has always meant the most to him, but the reasons are starting to become a little more blurry in the face of the truth. Cassel's got a lot to work out and I'm looking forward to seeing what he decides.

Copy Source: Library