Book Review: Tithe, Holly Black

Title: Tithe
Author: Holly Black
Published: Maine: Thorndike Press, 2002
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 351
Total Page Count: 41,859
Text Number: 121
Read For: my own enjoyment, checked out from the library
Short review: As a child, Kaye had faery friends; throughout her life, she has always been unusual. Now, following an barfight, Kaye and her would-be-rock star mother return to Kaye's childhood home. There, Kaye meets another faery, and discovers that her childhood friends really do exist and that she is far more unusual than she ever suspected. She soon falls into the middle of the power struggle between two rival faery courts, a struggle which could easily spill into the human world. Tithe is a mix of wonderful and horrible aspects: the characters are difficult to like or identify with, and the writing style is inconsistent and immature, but the plot is realistically complex (even though it ends abruptly) and the faeries are dark, enthralling, and vividly conceived (if overdrawn). I found this book at times both frustrating and wonderful, and though it has many faults, I still recommend it for its plot and atmosphere, as well as its great potential.

( Long review. )

Review posted here at Amazon.com.

Book Review: Grimm's Grimmest, Ed. Maria M. Tatar, Ills. Tracy Arah Rockray

Title: Grimm's Grimmest
Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Editors and Translators: Maria M. Tatar, Marisa Bulzone, Stefan Matzig
Illustrator: Tracy Arah Rockray
Published: San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1997
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 142
Total Page Count: 42,001
Text Number: 122
Read For: inspiration for novel, from my personal library
Short review: This volume collects a number of fairy tales recorded by the brothers Grimm, translated and illustrated to preserve all of the macabre aspects. Murder and mutilation to incest and cannibalism, there is a little bit of everything grotesque in these stories, which range from well-known tales such as Cinderella to lesser known stories such as Hans My Hedgehog. Tatar's short introduction makes up the sole elaboration and explanation of the texts—there is little commentary, little history, and little to put the grotesque elements in perspective. As such, this is a fine introductory text to the Grimm's stories as they originally appeared—the collection isn't huge, but it's large enough for the casual reader, and the illustrations pick out some of the best moments. However, this is not a complete collection and contains no history or commentary, so it may disappoint the reader that is already familiar with the grotesque aspects and/or is looking for a more detailed or more useful text.

( Long review. )

Review posted here at Amazon.com.