Author: Holly Black
Cover Artist: Sammy Yuen Jr.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: January 2006
After a betrayal by those closest, Valerie runs away to New York City. In the city she loses herself in the underground subway, after a chance meeting brings her in contact with a homeless group.
However, her new friends talk of strange happenings in the city. Like the murders of Fae creatures that hide away in the dark places of New York. Val finds herself working for a Troll, Ravus, who introduces her to the Fae of New York in his attempts to find the murderer in their mist. And her homeless friends introduce her to a substance that Fae need, but that induces a magical drug induced state in human’s, which in time can kill.
Personal Thoughts – This story follows Valerie, a seventeen year old girl, who after a terrible betrayal, flees to New York. Val meets up with some strange homeless people of her own age, who introduce her to a hidden world within the City. This world finds Fae living side by side with human’s, hidden in plain view.
After breaking into Ravus’ home, she is bound to the Troll and runs errands, delivering medicine to the Fae of New York. This brings her into contact with ‘Never’, a strange substance that sustains Fae, but if taken by humans allows them to do magic. But there is a price to using Never and Val watches her friends fall apart, as the drug destroys them. While simultaneously she feels her own life burning up with the same drug. I felt the author dealt with these issues well. Dealing with drug addiction and homeless’ issues is difficult, however, peppering those scenes with the strange, magical theme of the Fae made these aspect’s easier to read about.
This does make the plot dark at times, as the drugged character carry out some unsavoury acts. I particularly liked the relationship between Val and Ravus. As the plot unfolds, we learn more about Ravus’ past and the reason’s behind his actions. This deepens the bonds between these characters and an unlikely affection develops.
Despite been aimed towards the YA reading audience, I felt, this story would be more suitable for older teens, especially with some of the stark issues within the story.
