The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Genres: Political fantasy, YA, Magic
Pages: 356
Cover: Hardcover
Age rating: 12+
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
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The Battle of the Serpent was eight years ago. However, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has taken back the Ice Needle Citadel in the frigid north. There, she is creating stick-and-snow monsters with an ancient artifact that will follow her orders and avenge her.
The only person with authority over her mother, Suren, the child queen of the Court of Teeth, escaped to the world of humans. She lives wild in the woods there. She passes the time by freeing mortals from stupid deals, lonely and still troubled by the ruthless torture she suffered in the Court of Teeth. Until the storm hag, Bogdana, pursues her through the nighttime streets, she thinks she has been forgotten. Prince Oak, Elfhame's heir, whom Suren had previously been promised a marriage to and whom she had harbored animosity toward for years, is the one who saves her.
Oak is a nice, attractive, and cunning seventeen-year-old. He needs Suren's assistance on a mission that will take him into the north. However, if she accepts, she will have to face all the horrors she believed she had left behind and protect her heart from the kid she used to know and a prince she cannot trust.
SPOILS ALERT!
General Opinion
I enjoy this book. It is a fun read. It is a bit slow, but it is decent. ​
Characters
Oak isn't what I expected. The last I remember, he was an innocent, adorable brat in Queen of Nothing. But well, he can't stay an innocent child forever, especially when this book takes place eight years after Queen of Nothing. In The Stolen Heir, Oak is cunning, manipulative, clever, and a good swordsman. I wonder where he inherited these skills from—side-eyeing Jude and Madoc. And I like his character—the true definition of charming yet deadly.​​​
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I wish I could say that I care about Wren's character, but I truly don't, I don't hate her, but she just doesn't interest me at all. The most interesting thing about Wren is her traumatizing backstory, which would have had more impact if Wren showed more feelings toward it.
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As you guys know, I love Jude and Cardan, but I can't say the same about Oak and Wren. They don't seem to grab me, or care about their relationship much. I have to say more, I found Tiernan and Hyancinthe's relationship to be way more interesting, the moment I saw the two of them being introduced, I knew that they were lovers.
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​Plot
The plot is a bit slow, but I enjoy it nevertheless. I would expect it to be similar to the Cruel Prince, but it's not, the only similar thing was the endless backstabbing between the characters, and Madoc stirring up trouble. ​​
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Overall, if you have read the Folk of the Air series, I would way to give this series a try, it might not be for everyone, but it is an enjoyable read. ​