• Published: January 3, 2023
• Pages: 352
• Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
• Series: The Stolen Heir #1

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. Suren, the child queen of the Court of Teeth fled to the Mortal World, spending her days feral in the woods. But Lady Nore has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel and is using ancient magic to create creatures and exact her revenge. After an encounter with her past, Suren is saved by Oak, the heir to the throne of Elfhame. Oak is 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.

I read, and loved, The Folk of the Air trilogy many years ago. So, when I heard that Holly Black was writing a continuation of the series, about Oak, I was very excited. Recently, I finally got around to reading The Stolen Heir and The Prisoner’s Throne, and I have to say that I really enjoyed them.

Setting, Characterisation, and Relationships…

Getting back into the world of The Folk of the Air, seeing Jude, Cardan, and so many other characters that I loved, was definitely a defining factor of this duology. I adored getting to spend time with those characters again, and getting to know Oak and Wren as teenagers.

I always adore the settings that Holly Black creates. The world of this series is so expansive, yet feels knowable in it’s vivid details. Exploring Faerie is one of the most interesting parts of this story for me. The inclusion of the mortal world is such an interesting factor to the series as well. The juxtaposition of the Faerie and the Mortal worlds, and how that affects the characters is particularly interesting to me. The upbringing of Oak and Wren affect them drastically – they each spend time in both world’s and that influences them in different ways.

I did really enjoy getting Oak’s point of view in the second book. However, I do feel that the characterisation and relationship development suffered a bit as a consequence of having Wren and Oak’s POV’s split between two books. I do understand why the books weren’t dual POV, so as to keep the motivations of the characters under wraps and have the characters and the reader in the same position, but I honestly would have preferred the development of those other aspects.

Despite the development issues, I actually really enjoyed the relationship between Oak and Wren. I found that they balanced each other out and felt seen and respected by one another in ways they weren’t by any other. I also really liked the friendships, that of Oak and Tiernan especially. Their power dynamic was handled really well, with Oak acknowledging that they could never truly be friends if Tiernan was required to protect him because of his job.

The family dynamics in this duology were really interesting. The difference in Oak’s family, and their clear love and care for him, in comparison to Wren’s turbulent family was stark. Although, I am glad that Oak’s family was clearly not without fault – between the over-bearing nature of his mother and siblings and the manipulation of his father. Oak’s birth family were also mentioned, alongside the violence involved in his birth and how that affected him. Wren’s different familial relationships – that of her mortal family and her love for them, although she feared their disgust of her true nature, her Fae parents and their abuse, and her ‘Hag’ mother and her neglect and manipulation.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed The Stolen Heir Duology and rated it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The family dynamics, political intrigue, and setting were by far my favourite aspects of the novels. Oak and Wren are such compelling characters and truly entice the reader into their minds, allowing the reader to know them as they know one another. I would highly recommend this duology, whether one wants to re-visit the world of The Folk of the Air, or simply wants a thoroughly enjoyable young adult fantasy series.

Song: Mercy (Unplugged) by Bad Omens