About the Author

Holly Black spent her early years in a decaying Victorian mansion where her mother fed her a steady diet of ghost stories and faerie tales. An avid collector of rare folklore volumes, spooky dolls, and crazy hats, she lives in West Long Branch, New Jersey, with her husband, Theo. This is her first book. For more information, visit www.blackholly.com.

Reviews

"An edgy but ultimately life-affirming read." -- "Horn Book Guide"

"This is a powerful book.... I love it when a girl learns how to be Valiant." -- Tamora Pierce, author of the "Immortals" and "Song of the Lioness" quartets

"Intoxicating." -- "Booklist"

"Exciting." -- "Publishers Weekly"

What makes Black's books so appealing to young adult readers is their well-balanced mix of reality (including a healthy dose of sex), high-concept fantasy and old-fashioned mystery. Raudman's expert reading of Black's second book in what the author calls the Faerie series catches that delicate blend very well, giving equal weight and credibility to characters who are definitely human (like heroine Valerie, her dismal school mates, her tacky family and the sad young derelicts she meets in the subway tunnels of New York) and those who are from another world entirely like the golden-eyed troll Ravus, who delivers a drug that heals faeries but kills the human runaways who steal it, looking for a way to improve their desperate condition. Raudman, whom listeners might recognize as several of the younger voices on The Simpsons, has a universally appealing voice likely to please hardcore fantasy fans and neophytes alike. Ages 14-up. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

"An edgy but ultimately life-affirming read."

-- "Horn Book Guide"

-- Tamora Pierce, author of the "Immortals" and "Song of the Lioness" quartets

-- "Booklist"
"Exciting."

-- "Publishers Weekly"