La Valeureuse

Seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell's world shatters when she discovers her mother in an affair with Val's own boyfriend, Tom. The betrayal cuts deep, leaving her adrift and desperate for escape. With a defiant act, she shears off her hair and flees the suffocating familiarity of her suburban life, disappearing into the labyrinthine depths of New York City. There, amidst the grime and forgotten corners of the subway system, she finds a new, unsettling freedom and a makeshift family of squatters: the wild, aqua-haired Lolli; the discontented dreamer Dave; and his older brother, Luis, whose eyes hold an unsettling awareness of things unseen.

This new life quickly pulls Val into a hidden world, one where the mundane city streets bleed into the realm of Faerie. Her new companions are not merely runaways; they are couriers for exiled fae, delivering a potent, addictive potion called "Never." This concoction, brewed by a troll named Ravus, allows the fae to resist the debilitating effects of iron, which permeates the human world and is poison to their kind. For humans, "Never" offers a dangerous, intoxicating high, granting them temporary, borrowed faerie power - a power Val soon finds herself craving.

Val's introduction to this world is fraught with peril and unsettling beauty. She learns that Ravus, a troll who resides beneath a bridge, is a creature of surprising honor and intelligence, despite his monstrous appearance - tall and lean, with grayish-green skin and jutting incisors. As Val becomes more deeply entangled, she finds herself drawn to Ravus, even learning swordplay from him. However, a sinister shadow stretches across the faerie community. Exiled fae are being murdered, their bodies drained of blood, and suspicion begins to fall on Ravus.

Her bond with Ravus deepens amidst the growing danger. One night, at a clandestine faerie festival by the water, a delirious and half-starved Val kisses Ravus, a moment of unexpected tenderness in their grim reality. But the fragile peace is shattered by the arrival of Mabry, a cruel and manipulative faerie. Val realizes with a chilling certainty that Mabry is the true killer, the one orchestrating the gruesome deaths. Mabry, however, twists the narrative, accusing Val of stealing Ravus's potions, forcing Val to flee as Ravus's rage ignites.

Desperate to clear Ravus's name and expose the real murderer, Val, aided by her loyal best friend Ruth who has tracked her down from home, embarks on a perilous quest for evidence. They discover a macabre secret: Mabry possesses a harp strung with the hair of her victims, including Tamson, Ravus's best friend and Mabry's former lover. This grim discovery confirms Mabry's guilt and reveals the depth of her depravity.

The climax unfolds in a thrilling duel within the underground Unseelie Court. Val, armed with a newfound courage and a fierce loyalty, confronts Mabry. The revelation of Mabry's crimes and the evidence of the harp expose her treachery to the faerie courts. In the ensuing chaos, alliances are tested, and Val finds herself fighting not just for Ravus, but for her own understanding of right and wrong in a world far more complex and dangerous than she ever imagined. She emerges from the darkness forever changed, having found a different kind of valiant strength in the face of betrayal and the hidden cruelties of Faerie.