The Stolen Heir: A Novel of Elfhame

Holly Black

Jan 2023 · The Stolen Heir Book 1 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

An Instant #1 Indie Bestseller!

Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black. 

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.
 

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed diving back into this fantastic world! I love the folk of the air series and the incredible way the folk are brought to life in this incredible series I enjoy every new creature we come across

Holly Black just keeps getting better and better. Many of the same themes as the other Elfhame books: a misunderstood, isolated young heroine and a power imbalance between her and her love interest. But this is NOT those same stories, and no, you don't have to have read them. I'm glad Ms. Black decided to expand in this direction and explain just what was going on in the Court of Teeth that made former Queen Suren the wild child that she was in Jude's stories. It's pretty dark, and maybe a little too layered for a younger audience to fully appreciate. But it's a tight, fast-paced adventure that as always, delivers just the right amount of dialogue and character development at the right moments to keep the reader involved to the very end. The ending made me really tear up. If you have ever known an abused child, especially one abused by their mother, you will immediately recognize Suren's fear, rage, and attachment issues. If not, this is a perfect way to get acquainted. Ten stars!

enjoyable to see oak's personality. :)

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, as well as an Arthurian picture book called Sir Morien. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. She invites you to visit her online at blackholly.com.