It has been eight years since the Battle of the Serpent and now Suren, the once-queen of the Court Of The Teeth is much older. Suren has not visited the Court or seen Lady Nore since, instead she has been in the mortal world living in the woods and freeing mortals from cruel bargains. Only after her run-in with Prince Oak, heir to the throne of Elfhame, has she come to awareness of Lady Nore’s revenge plans. After being defeated during the Battle of the Serpent, Lady Nore has plans to build up her army of sticks through ancient magic. Suren being the only one who has control over Lady Nore is sought out by Prince Oak who is on a mission to stop Lady Nore. The Stolen Heir is a tale of mistrust and betrayal through the lens of a powerful Suren who has been resentful for far too long.
Many people will read this book after finishing the original trilogy with Jude and Cardan expecting something similar. Although the original trilogy was incredible, going into the book with those expectations will lead to disappointment. The Stolen Heir is a quest rather than political intrigue. Nevertheless, this was an incredible book, which could only be appreciated by those who like Black’s writing style, character development and plot progression. I enjoyed Wren’s character, and how despite her painful past she still manages to be caring and empathetic. Wren is different than Jude, but has the same depth and complexity as her. Holly Black introduces us to new and different parts of the Faerie world that were exciting. This book is a solid four stars as it does get a bit slow here and there, but the second one is worth reading after this.