Valiant: A Modern Faerie Tale

Valiant, the second book in Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales series, follows seventeen-year-old Valerie, who flees a traumatic betrayal by running away to New York City. She finds refuge with a group of squatters in the subway system, only to discover they are deeply entwined with a dark, magical faerie realm. Valerie must strike a dangerous bargain, confronting her fears and questioning her loyalties as she becomes enmeshed in this hidden world. This young adult novel explores themes of identity, belonging, trust, and courage, set against a backdrop of urban fantasy. It is suitable for ages 12-18, offering a compelling read for teens who enjoy complex characters and a blend of realistic and fantastical elements.

Winner of the Andre Norton Award Return to New York Times bestselling author Holly Black’s enthralling realm of faerie in the second Modern Faerie Tales novel, where danger and magic come hand-in-hand in the dark underground of New York City. When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York, she’s trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city’s labyrinthine subway system. But there’s something eerily beguiling about Val’s new friends that sets her on edge. When Val is talked into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature, she must strike a bargain to make it out with her life intact. Now drawn into a world she never knew existed, Val finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.