Spin-off Saturdays: On Saturdays, I will review a series that is a spin-off series. It is recommended that you read the original series first in order to get the most out of the spin-off series. Here is this week's offering:
The Stolen Heir Series is a spin-off of the The Folk of Air Series
Series: The Stolen Heir Duology, Elfhame
This is a spinoff of the The Folk of Air Series.
Author: Holly Black
# of Books: 2 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Faerie, Romance
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person, Single (#1); Third Person, Single (#3)
Publication Date: January 2023 - March 2024
Source & Format: Public Library—Audiobook
WARNING: If you have not finished the original series, this review may have spoilers!
My Expectations?
The Folk of Air series was a knock out series for me. Faeries are one of my favourite fantasy tropes ever and I loved every aspect of that series. So I was eager to return to the world of Elfhame and see what happens next following the events of the final novel.
How Does It Compare To The Original?
--Slower Start--
I struggled a bit to get into this series. It didn't help that I started it but had to return my library copy before I could finish it. However, it did take me a bit to get acquainted with the world again and our new leads. But I also feel like the plot just didn't engage me the way I wanted it to as it took a very long time to build and reveal itself.
--POV Switch Between Books--
I thought it was an interesting choice to have each of the leads narrate their own books. I get why with some of the plot developments why this change was made. But it does give you an insight into both leads that we didn't get in the original series until the novellas were released.
Anything I Didn't Like?
--Wren vs Jude; Oak vs Cardan--
I'll admit that I just didn't connect with Wren like I did Jude. Wren is reluctantly in this world, focused on surviving whereas Jude is doing everything to be a part of it. I definitely warmed up to Wren but it took longer than I thought.
As for Oak, he is maybe too nice to be a fae? He is also reluctantly in this role and he just seems to be going through the motions. However, like anything in faerie, can you truly trust anyone's motives? I warmed up to his character once I saw him break through the shell Jude encased him in during the original trilogy.
--The Romance--
I sooo wanted to love this but I was just bored by it. It seemed to be based off a connection from when they were children and so we don't really get to see it. I just missed that lingering tension between the two leads that drew me in during The Cruel Prince.
My Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook production is great. I did find though that their lower tones sometimes made it hard to hear.
Series Rating: 3/5
The Stolen Heir 3/5 | The Prisoner's Throne 3/5
I'm sure fans of Holly Black and Elfhame fans will enjoy this. But I think some will miss some of the chemistry that made The Cruel Prince so addicting to read like I did.
Read if You Like: faeries, lots of twists, drama
Avoid if You: want more romance focused
Synopsis for The Stolen Heir (from Goodreads):
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.
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