The Modern Faerie Tales
#5603.78 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2002–2007 Reading commitment Low Holly Black Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Overview
The Modern Faerie Tales is a complete trilogy by Holly Black set in and around New York City, where an unseen faerie court operates alongside the human world. It follows three connected but standalone stories about teenagers drawn into faerie politics and bargains.
Urban fantasy, Fairy-tale retelling · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Modern Faerie Tales Holly Black
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale | 2002 | 1 | core | 3.68 (110,222 ratings) |
 | Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie | 2005 | 2 | core | 3.78 (51,940 ratings) |
 | Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale | 2007 | 3 | core | 3.98 (50,643 ratings) |
A complete trilogy of contemporary faerie novels set in and around New York City, sharing a fictional faerie court (the Unseelie Court/New York Seelie enclave) distinct from Elfhame in Holly Black's later Folk of the Air books.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Modern Faerie Tales? The Modern Faerie Tales's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Modern Faerie Tales? Publication order, starting with Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Modern Faerie Tales finished? Complete (2002–2007).
- How much reading does The Modern Faerie Tales take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~909 pages).
- How is The Modern Faerie Tales ranked? #560 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 212,805 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #560?
Ranked #560 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.78 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 213k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #559, The Vagrant Trilogy (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 213k ratings · Ranks #560 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (2002)
- Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie (2005)
- Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale (2007)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book (Best Young Adult Book), 2005: won: Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie; Valiant won the inaugural Andre Norton Award (for works published in 2005).
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Modern Faerie Tales and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Curse Workers Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.88
- Magic Moon Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- A Study in Drowning Dark fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.66
- Six Crimson Cranes Fairy-tale retelling / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.07
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.78 across 212,805 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Modern Faerie Tales admitted as a new universe accepted 2026-08-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Holly Black - Wikipedia Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Tithe (novel) Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Valiant (novel) Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Ironside (Black novel) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
Rule: Core Canon is the complete trilogy: Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside.