The Good Neighbors series by Holly Black

239. Book One: Kin by Holly Black. illustrated by Ted Naifeh. 2008. 117 pgs. Ages 13+ - Rue's world is torn apart when her mother disappears and her professor father is held on suspicion of murdering a student. She finds out that her mother is a faerie who has returned home and Rue must deal with her own identity as she starts to see strange people that no one else can see. Absolutely beautifully drawn by Ted Naifeh of Courtney Crumrin fame, a better artist couldn't have been chosen to bring Holly Black's faerie world to life. I loved this story! Rue is a totally real person with a full set of emotions and one connects with her right away. I was drawn into the story from the opening pages and had an exciting read from start to finish. The shocking ending leaves me clamouring to read book 2. 5/5


240. Book Two: Kith by Holly Black. illustrated by Ted Naifeh. 2009. 115 pgs. Ages 16+ - Wow! The second volume in this series takes a turn to the darkside as Rue battles against her grandfather who wants to take over the human city as a home for the faeries. Her friends start acting strange, even to the point of murder and she desperately enters the faerie world to save her mother, her friends and her city. Amazing story! Just brilliant. I picked it up and could not put it down until I had finished. The story has become very dark and there are some pretty creepy scenes. There is also plenty of casual teen sex happening, which I could have done without, and this definitely brings the series up to an older reading audience level. Naifeh's illustration is a masterful use of black & white, haunting, scary and beautiful. This is without a doubt a stunning fantasy series and I really hope it will prove to be longer than a trilogy. For now, the creepy ending has me panting for word on an expected due date of book three's publishing. 5/5