Black, Holly. Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie.BLACK, Holly. Valiant; a modern tale of faerie. Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. . 320p. c2005. 0-689-86822-7. $16.95. JS Readers of Black's previous novel, Tithe tithe Contribution of a tenth of one's income for religious purposes. The practice of tithing was established in the Hebrew scriptures and was adopted by the Western Christian church. , know what the uninitiated un·in·i·ti·at·ed adj. Not knowledgeable or skilled; inexperienced. n. An uninformed, unskilled, or inexperienced person or group of people. don't: faerie has nothing to do with magic wands and glitter. Black's faerie world is a dark Gotham, where the shadows of the city hide strange doings and beings. At 17, Valerie Russell runs away to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of after she walks in on her boyfriend making out with her mother. Angry and disillusioned dis·il·lu·sion tr.v. dis·il·lu·sioned, dis·il·lu·sion·ing, dis·il·lu·sions To free or deprive of illusion. n. 1. The act of disenchanting. 2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted. , she hooks up with a street couple, Lolli and Dave, who take her down into their subterranean world amid the dark, dank dank adj. dank·er, dank·est Disagreeably damp or humid. See Synonyms at wet. [Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin. tunnels of the subway system where she meets Luis ... and learns about the faeries that co-exist with humans in the city. She also learns about the faerie crystal powder that Lolli shoots up and the powers it can bring--but at a price. Valerie finds herself drawn into the dark world of faerie and bound in service to the troll Ravus, unwittingly caught up in an intrigue involving murder and deception. She also grows more and more fond of Ravus in a sub-plot with echoes of Beauty's feelings for the Beast. Black spins a spell of a story weaving adolescent subculture, the dark side of the city, and those glimpses of the shadow side that most of us miss. We might all look more closely to see the sprout of horns or a flash of goat feet, sure that the faerie world is real if only we know how to see. Michele Winship, Asst. Prof., Capital Univ., Columbus, OH J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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