Kaye saves the life of a strange man she finds in the woods, Roiben, who turns out to be a knight of the unseelie court. Years later, Kaye returns to her hometown and finds those faeries weren’t imaginary, and finds herself drawn into the dark underbelly of the faerie world.

When Kaye was young, she had several best friends who everyone told her were imaginary- faeries who would visit and play with her. I liked Tithe more, and there’s enough differences I couldn’t call it self-plagiarism, but the many story elements and plot points are present in both. I read and reviewed Darkest a while ago, and found it fine but not too compelling. What stood out to me most by the end, however, was that this book is pretty much the same book as Darkest Part Of The Forest, which Black published 13 years later.

Still, there’s a lot of likable things in this book, and a lot of the time the grime felt authentic rather than needlessly dark. Tithe often feels like it was written by a teen who just realized they could do anything they wanted in a book- there’s a lot of swearing, smoking/drinking, and sexual content right off the bat. People swoon over Cruel Prince and Darkest Part, but Tithe and the other Modern Faerie Tales are the awkward teenager stage between those and her beginnings in children’s fiction. I’ve seen a few people confused about where to start with this series, so thought I’d make a post about it.I’ve enjoyed Holly Black to pick up Tithe blind, and I have to say, it was puzzling at first. Set several years after the events of Ironside. This particular edition is no longer available for purchase, but can be found on my blog here: It follows Kaye and Roiben throughout an alternate view of the coronation scene in The Cruel Prince. A Visit to the Impossible Lands- A short story that was published as a bonus in the Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition of The Cruel Prince.

Can be found in Holly’s book of short stories, The Poison Eaters.Ħ. Follows Roiben, and Kaye’s best friend Corny. The Land of Heart’s Desire- a short story that takes place one year after the events of Ironside. This story was never officially published, but is available on Cassie Clare’s website: ĥ. Timeline is unclear, but it takes place somewhere within the next year after Ironside is over. A cross over between MFT and Cassie’s Mortal Instruments series. Not for Humans- a short story co-written by Cassandra Clare. Begins around 2-3 weeks after the end of Valiant.Ĥ.

The final full-length book in the series. Follows Kaye and Roiben again, along with some secondary characters from Valiant. Not necessary to understand anything else in the series, but still a worthwhile read. Valiant- a full-length companion novel to Tithe, and the second book in the series. Tithe- the first full-length book in the trilogy, and Holly Black’s very first book.

Tithe series holly black