Quick Thoughts: The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir Duology #1) by Holly Black

The Stolen Heir

(The Stolen Heir Duology #1)

by Holly Black

January 3, 2023

Goodreads Summary:

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.

Review

I can always trust Holly Black to deliver a macabre yet whimsical tale of the fae. The Stolen Heir was a little slow in pacing but there was plenty of intriguing ploys and deception.

What I Liked:

- a quick and easy read

- the reminders of previous events in the TFoTA series

- the characters have quite the adventure/road trip

- some clever planning

- noble Oak

- seeing all the sides of Suren/Wren

- Tiernan's surliness made me laugh

- Hyacinthe grew on me with his loyalty

- satisfying character growths

- the flashback scenes that show depth to Oak and Suren's relationship 

- the uncertainty between Oak and Suren

- Suren's revenge

The Not So Much:

- a very predictable plot twist (maybe intentional?)

- no Jude and Cardan cameo XD

- sadly it's not the most memorable story...

"It doesn't feel good exactly, to be in danger, but it does feel good to be the cause of events rather than being swept along into them." (p. 140)