While I loved the last half of the book, the beginning was kind of dull. I also felt like the ending was rushed and the characters were not fully explored. 

this is not the first time i've read this, but a few things now really stand out to me about this book: this is not holly black's first published work, but this story in particular seems to really exemplify her writing style in a big way. you'll see this formula established in this novel of a 17 to 18 year old weird quirky girl with some strange relationship to her personhood being introduced to a new sense of independence, or maybe with a history of being wildly independent, with a complex relationship to her mother, repeated in multiple other stories by holly black. it becomes redundant, yes, but the part of these books that shines the brightest for me is the clarity with which the author writes about fairy myth. she has such a firm grip on the tropes and trappings of european fairy mythology that even when i don't find myself fully engaged by her characters, i am still delighted by the fae folk and lands that feature in the story. the other part of this story that feels particularly good to me is the nostalgic edginess of the main character and the interesting way that poverty is addressed. the edginess is not going to be to everyone's taste, but it scratched an itch in my brain that rarely sees the light of day. holly black's understanding of poverty is also very realistic, and also satisfies me in a deep way.
the first time i read tithe, the part that stuck with me the most was the side character cornelius. he is also the first in a line of characters that i view as holly black classics, which is the gay side character who is always some kind of unfortunate and awkward young man who gets along very well with the quirky female main character. i love corny. he is one of the best of all time. he is also the reason why i ended up rereading tithe recently, because i remembered his storyline in the book with more clarity than any other part of the story. if you want to read about a fucked up gay character who has a great character arc, i highly recommend this story. hes responsible for the fourth star in my rating of this book.

This was the first teen book I remember reading. It was dark and unsettling, showing the “true” side of Faerie instead of the Disney version to which we’ve grown accustomed. 

If you read Holly Black’s “Folk of the Air” trilogy but wished it was just a little creepier, check out “Tithe.” 

I had banned Holly Black because I just couldn't read The Cruel Prince. But after reading this book, I'm thoroughly convinced I just didn't like the narration of The Cruel Prince.

The good:
Roiben and Lutie-Loo. I loved the layers of Roiben, the way he tries to present himself as dangerous when he's actually kind and gentle when he doesn't have to be anything else. I also really loved the way the faeries worked and how they deceived and played with humans. I loved the Kelpie and I desperately need more of deadly water horses! I also really loved the twist at the end. It was such a well placed twist that I hadn't seen coming! 

The bad:
The pacing is really strange and suffers from this being the first book by this author. It switches POV in the middle of a chapter for no reason except to explain the reader how the court works. It would have done wonders for the story if there was a chapter that showed Kaye's childhood. Most of the action involving the faeries from her childhood feel superficial because the reader has no reason to care for them. 

Overall, I would absolutely read this again! 

Even though this was definitely weaker than “the Cruel Prince” (no wonder, with whole 16 years difference), I still enjoyed the story and the characters. The early 2000s vibes are strong, the faeries – as wicked as I like them. A fair amount of scenes and dialogues are awkwardly written (sudden changes in mood, kisses out of nowhere etc.), but with some polishing “Tithe” could hold up even today (though it certainly would never get published as YA).

Few things that bothered me:
1. Corny’s violent thoughts/behaviour (expressing the urge to hurt people, even his mother);
2. The age difference between Kaye and Roiben. He is clearly an adult man and she is sixteen. Made me feel icky every time I stopped to think about it, especially since they both act in accordance with their age.


P.S.: “She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding” (x3)

Edit: thinking about this book after a few months, the depiction of homosexuality and race is definitely… not done well.