The Stolen Heir
Holly Black
Dark, dark, dark
The Stolen Heir is the first book of Holly Black's planned Stolen Heir Duology. It is set in the same world as Elfhame, the faery realm of her Folk of the Air trilogy, some years after Cardan and Jude's final victory in the Battle of the Serpent. The main characters are Wren and Oak, whom we knew as children in Folk of the Air. Oak is a prince, Jude's adoptive brother, and heir to Cardan's throne. Wren is the puppet queen of the Court of the Teeth, the faery realm whom Cardan and Jude defeated.
Both of these series are classified as Young Adult. Almost my first reaction on beginning The Cruel Prince was "This is awfully dark for Young Adult." It was. The Stolen Heir is even darker. Folk of the Air was dark because of Jude Duarte. When I reviewed The Cruel Prince, I wrote
it's really all about Jude, who is, IMO, a splendid character. You will love her or hate her, and I could understand either reaction. Jude is strong, cruel, and manipulative. She is also weak, kind, and fearful.
In fact, you can find a discussion of the question "Do you like Jude Duarte?" on Goodreads with (as of this writing) 76 responses.
Our first-person narrator Wren (short for Suren) is the changeling queen. In folklore a changeling is a fairy child that replaces a human one. That is how we first meet Wren. She is living as an adopted daughter of a human family when the Court of the Teeth, whose queen she is with knowing it, comes to take her back and bring her up to raise as their puppet queen. After the Battle of the Serpent, Wren finally escapes the Court of the Teeth. It is a cruel, cruel prolog. These are not the events or the environment recommended by child development experts to produce a loving, trusting child. Wren has sharp teeth figuratively and literally.
Eventually Oak shows up. And then we have, as described in the publisher's blog, "A reluctant prince. A runaway queen. And a quest that may destroy them both."
I'm not going to tell you anything more about the plot, but for one thing: Black plans a second book. When I began The Stolen Heir I didn't know this. It became obvious when I finished the book, however, that this is not a finished story.
I liked this a lot. If like me, you loved Jude Duarte, then there's a good chance you'll like Wren. They are not the same, by any means. Wren is more damaged than Jude, and her strength is of a different kind.