A review by bazayas
Tithe by Holly Black

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Shuffled around by her musician mom her whole life, 16-year-old Kaye returns to her hometown on the Jersey shore, questioning whether her imaginary childhood faerie friends were real. Not only are they real, but they are more dangerous than she ever knew. After saving a wounded fae knight, Kaye is chosen to be the “tithe”, a human sacrifice used to bind the solitary fae to the Unseelie Queen. 

I’ve reread this one countless times in the past 20 years since I first read it and I still love it every bit as much as I did back then. Holly Black is known better now for Cruel Prince, but this was the book that started it all (and the MCs appear in CP!). It’s a perfect (sub)urban fantasy, placing crummy New Jersey alongside  a distinctly creepy faerie world. It’s VERY 2000s goth and teen me felt SEEN. But it’s a classic and has all the good tropes and it holds up decades later. 

CW/TW:

child neglect; SA; violence (torture, murder); joke about implied ED; homophobic slurs; toxic relationships

For fans of:

The Cruel Prince series; urban fantasy; Celtic mythology; fantasy with horror elements; goth vibes (Underworld, The Craft); distinctly American fantasy; well-paced plots