A review by natashaleighton_
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It should come as no surprise (as a self confessed Holly Black super fan) that I absolutely loved this! It was really good to see Oak and Suren again after the events of The Queen of Nothing and I enjoyed getting to delve into the details of Suren’s childhood both before, during and immediately after her time with Lord Jarel, Lady Nore and the Court of Teeth. 

The writing was once again full of whimsy and magic, though of a slightly darker tone than what we previously saw in The Folk of The Air series—but I felt it suited the story (and Suren’s character arc) perfectly. 

I admit, going into this I had expected Oak to be my favourite given how much I loved him in the original series but Suren (who now prefers to be called Wren) definitely stole the show in terms of character development and the layered, deeply emotional backstory we finally navigate. I honestly forgot how young she was when we last saw her, which only makes her experiences all the more heartbreaking.

I liked Oak, but he was certainly very different to what I had envisioned —given his time in the mortal world I expected to see a little more human influence in his character. Instead, what we got was a Locke/Cardan-esque fairy prince prone to secrets and manipulation. And though there were glimpses of Jude’s influence, I still wasn’t certain whether his motivations were in the best interests of those around him (namely Wren) —and as it’s told solely from Wren’s POV, we never really get to explore much of his character which was the only thing that disappointed me.

Wren’s arc definitely made up for it though and the chemistry between her and Oak was exceptionally good, and definitely mirrored Jude and Cardan’s interactions in The Cruel Prince (sans the cruelty and bullying.) 

Overall, an action packed and plot twisty start to a new (spinoff) duology that takes us back into the magical court politics and bloodthirsty fae of Elfhame (and The Folk of The Air series).
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