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Cover of The Stolen Heir
The Stolen Heir duology · 8 years after The Queen of Nothing

The Stolen Heir

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Duology opener: Suren, a runaway queen, and Oak, Jude's younger brother, on a dangerous journey north

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Do you need to read it?

Not required. It sits outside the official timeline and only shows up in Everything mode.

Where it falls in the order

  • Main storynot included
  • Everything6 of 7
BeforeHow the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate StoriesAfterThe Prisoner's Throne
Spoilers for this title

Quick recap

Eight years after The Queen of Nothing, Wren, really Suren, the child queen of the Court of Teeth, hides in the woods of the mortal world, breaking faerie bargains. Lady Nore has taken the Citadel of the Ice Needle and uses an ancient relic to make monsters of stick and snow. When a storm hag hunts Wren, Prince Oak rescues her and asks for her help on a journey north. Wren learns Oak lied: he means to hand an ancient heart to Lady Nore to free Madoc. In the final battle, Wren discovers she can unmake magic, unmakes Lady Nore and takes the Citadel. Furious at the betrayal, she puts the golden bridle on Oak and keeps him prisoner.

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5 trivia

Trivia

  1. Behind the scenesNot an easy romp

    After writing Book of Night, her first adult novel, Black expected returning to Elfhame to be easy. She said it was not the easy romp she had promised herself.

    source ↗
  2. Behind the scenesNumber one

    The book hit No. 1 on the New York Times list. The audiobook won an AudioFile Earphones Award in 2023.

    source ↗
  3. ReferenceJude's mirror

    Black says Suren's story echoes and reverses Jude's: Jude was taken from her family, while Suren was taken by hers.

    source ↗
  4. ReferenceGoblin Market

    Black compares Faerie's pull to the fruit in Christina Rossetti's poem Goblin Market: something you shouldn't want, but do.

    source ↗
  5. SetupA fairy-tale map

    The map of Faerie is deliberately useless for working out distances. Black wanted it to feel like a fairy tale, not high fantasy. Don't trust the routes.

    source ↗
No spoilersThe easter eggs give away parts of the title. They open once you mark it as seen.

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