Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie
When 17-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system. But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-coloured powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet. When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been working, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honourable, and as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between affection for him – and fear of what her new friends are becoming because of him.
Holly Black
Holly Black is a name that has become synonymous with dark, enchanting tales where the boundary between magic and reality is as fragile as the fates of her characters. With her signature blend of dark fantasy, sharp intrigue, and an exploration of power, loyalty, and betrayal, she has carved out a space where readers can lose themselves in worlds of dangerous faeries, morally complex characters, and high-stakes intrigue.
Born in New Jersey, Holly’s love for fantasy started early. She spent her childhood reading everything from fairy tales to mythologies, which would later inspire the intricate, otherworldly realms she’s known for today. With an academic background steeped in history and a passion for creating stories that both thrill and challenge, she began her career writing about the dark side of the fantastical. Her first success came with The Cruel Prince, the start of the Folk of the Air trilogy, a series that would quickly cement her as one of the leading voices in young adult fantasy.
The Modern Faerie Tales
The Modern Faerie Tales consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
