The Stolen Heir
Ratings58
Average rating4
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, where 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 had left behind. The spellbinding new fantasy from the Queen of Faerie Holly Black, author of the Folk of the Air series. [THE STOLEN HEIR by Holly Black was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller on 15th January 2023]
Tags
Content Warning
Series
Series
2 primary booksThe Stolen Heir Duology
The Stolen Heir Duology is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2023 with contributions by Holly Black.
Series
5 primary books12 released booksElfhame
Elfhame is a 12-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Holly Black, Холли Блэк, and Холи Блек.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Super fun to read as always. Wren was an interesting character to read about, and so was Oak. You guess what's coming from miles away but then get to see it unravel to a satisfying end.
Loved the main trio (quadruple counting Hyacinthe). Their dynamic was fun even though Tiernan was understandably a bit prickly.
Oak was hilarious and delirious!
Wren was that quote from Six of Crows: “When everyone knows you're a monster, you needn't waste time doing every monstrous thing.”
This was a very very good book, but I DESPISED the ending.
First of all, I really loved Oak & Wren/Suren but the fact he was lying to her was so so obvious the entire book. Wren knows fae can't lie and still she only realises his scheme in the last 20 mins or so? And then she gets angry about it, EVEN THO SHE DID WHAT SHE WAS NEEDED FOR (namely to command Lady Nore) so most of the plan was STILL TRUE.
Besides, Wren literally heard him say “I would never kill her.”
I just didn't think her suddenly placing the bridle on him (after explicitly stating everyone and everything hates the thing including herself and it would be better if it was destroyed) made any sense. Especially for her character who didn't seem like the type to want power.
I really liked the quest aspect of this book and to see the consequences of the ending of Queen of Nothing but the “scheme” from Oak fell short (simply bc I couldn't see or understand why he would keep this from her?) and the ending of this book definitely felt rushed.
I do however look forward to the next installment
