Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Valiant & Ironside

Valiant (The Modern Faerie Tales, #2)Ironside (The Modern Faerie Tales, #3)

Valiant is a tale about Val and Ravus. It is set in the Holly Black world form the first book Tithe. However its really different.

Ironside is basically the sequal to Tithe even though it comes third. It picks up where Tithe left off with Kaye and Roiben.
Lets start with Valiant since it is second. This book is so amazing I was hooked and finished it in record breaking time. I was just shocked within the first few chapters I mean Val was so unlike any character I have ever encountered. Then she meanders her way into the scary underbelly of New York City with some extremely strange yet fascinating people. Lolli, Dave, and Luis are really intriguing you wonder what makes them the way they are. Why do they live in scary tunnels? Why do they not have homes? Why are they so weird? Most imporantly why are they working for a supposedly scary troll..you know crazy. The lives they lead are just so foreign to me that I just have to be nosy. I feel like a neighbor craning my neck over a fence to stare at them. Then Val meets Ravus...and OH MY LORD I love him. From the first sentence about him I know he is going to trump Roiben. I feel kind of bad for Roiben but hey Ravus is what does it for me. The way he speaks, and the way you can tell he thinks he is a monster. He is really self deprecating, and I could instantly tell he cared about Val. He didn't want her to risk her life, and he was in my opinion shocked that she would defend him in any way. The relationship between Val and Ravus was just so human to me. Even though Ravus is a troll that never really entered my mind..well it did but not that often. At times I wanted to slap Val and tell her to quit being a stupid addict, and just enjoy how awesome Ravus is. All the characters struggle with something in this story, addiction, confusion, self hatred, revenge..its all really juicy and fantastic. Plus all the fairy monarchy drama that is quite page turning in itself. This story is so gritty and real its hard to believe its set in fairyland.


Alright alright on to Ironside oh poor Ironside I truly feel for you. I'm sorry that you had to come after the super coolness that is Valiant. We pick up where we left off basically a little time has passed. Kaye is struggling with her identity its really sad. She doesn't feel like she belongs with Roiben, and she doesn't feel at home well at home. Roiben is acting all strange dealing with his new Kingly duties. Corny is being Corny all creepy and wanting to kill people. The Seelie Queen is being the "other women" classic she is making little quips and digs at Kaye making her feel less than. Roiben is well still in love with the Seelie Queen even though she is the baddest bitch in fairyland. She is like one major DIVA that needs slapped and knocked off her high horse. Kaye gets a little jealous and declares herself meaning she must go on a quest like Roiben had to do to win the love of his Queen. A quest he completed by the way, so he can go be her luva anytime he feels the inkling. He is really upset that Kaye declares herself because he doesn't wish that on anyone so he gives her a bogus quest that no one can complete. She is depressed and hurt over it, so she is swimming in the murky waters of confusion. A lot of fighting goes down, Corny and Luis develop an interesting friendship, the Queen performs some characteristically diva moves, and Roiben shockingly enough does some self sacrificing things. The story is really action packed, and it answers a lot of questions. Sadly Ravus is in it a tiny bit certainly not enough for my tastes, but I liked the book well enough.

Lets take a moment to discuss these?????
Ironside (The Modern Faerie Tales, #3) Valiant (The Modern Faerie Tales, #2)
Cover number one, I'm ok with Kaye I picture her like that basically in my mind BUT Roiben seriously is that what we are suppose to be picturing because if so I failed I'm sorry. I am not a fan of this Roiben he is just not at all what I imagined. I mean the hair yes but that face NO NO NO. What do you guys think if you have read the books is that what you see????
Cover number two not so bad I personally do not picture either character this way, but I can see Val looking like that before. She is cutting her hair on the cover so I can buy that. Ravus he is a little off for me at least. I can work with it though if I must.

6 comments:

Angiegirl said...

Great reviews! I had to wait a year in between VALIANT and IRONSIDE and so by the time it came around it didn't bug me as much not having enough Ravus and Val in it. Though I was aching for any glimpses she'd give us. And I remembered why I loved Roiben so much. And I found Corny & Luis oddly touching. So overall just a great trilogy.

But, yeah. It's all about Ravus & Val.

Katy said...

I love Roiben and I truly felt bad like I was hurting his feelings when I started warming up to Ravus. It is a fantastic trilogy I love Holly Black now.

Shera (Book Whispers) said...

The covers do not match what I've got running in my head. Roiben looks so ugly!

Glad I bought them with the old covers.

Katy said...

Shera! I know I mean the Vailiant cover isn't so horrible I must say, but that Roiben I mean now its less shocking to me but when I first saw the cover I was like WHAT!..I love the old covers myself.

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

I don't like those second covers!!! With supernatural creatures like elves, I'd rather just picture them myself instead of having artist's imaginings.

The1stdaughter said...

I completely hate the new covers! It makes Roiben look so unattractive and that's not at all how I pictured him.

But hey, at least the books are fabulous!