Valiant by Holly Black

Valiant
When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

I borrowed this book.

At first sight
So I've been trying to get my hands on this book for a while. I'd read Tithe and while I enjoyed it and actually really liked it, I wasn't about to die if I didn't get the next book. But I kind of breathed a sigh of relief when I was able to get this book. I'll finish the series (or at least continue it) once and for all.

My Thoughts
Valiant is crude and quite hard to read. It has a shocking beginning, a boring middle, and an amazing end.

The thing with Valiant is that it's very underground stuff. Valerie runs off to New York to live on the streets and we see how these kids shoot up (and quite graphically). It's not my usual cup of tea.

But then, things seem to flow naturally for the characters. There's no forced romantic relationship, it simply happens. Which I think is a plus.

I didn't love any of the characters, really, except for Val's love interest. The whole book just kind of fell short for me. I really like Kaye on the previous book of the series so I'm sure to pick Ironside, which is the third book, at some point.

In one sentence:
"Nice beginning, boring middle, good end."

Plot: 3
Characters: 2
Writing: 4
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 2.7
Average: 3.3 stars