Holly Black
Born: November 10, 1971 – West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States
Holly Black is an American fantasy author known for dark, modern fairy tales for children, teens, and adults. Her notable books include The Spiderwick Chronicles, created with Tony DiTerlizzi, the Folk of the Air trilogy, and Doll Bones, which received a Newbery Honor.
Biography & Author's Journey
Holly Black built her career by bringing faerie lore, adolescent danger, and modern settings into unusually sharp alignment. She grew up in New Jersey, loved reading and writing from an early age, and, as a teenager, kept inventing worlds through make-believe and Dungeons & Dragons. She graduated from The College of New Jersey in 1994, where a creative-writing class helped turn that imaginative habit into a more deliberate craft. The first major turning point came with Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale in 2002, a debut that helped establish her reputation for darker contemporary fantasy. A second followed quickly through her collaboration with Tony DiTerlizzi on The Spiderwick Chronicles, whose rapid success brought her to a much wider readership and later into screen adaptation. ((https://news.tcnj.edu/2014/07/21/supernatural-storyteller/))
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Popular Books
Queen of Nothing
Holly Black
Deadly court intrigue ignites as exiled queen reclaims her throne.
Wicked King
Holly Black
Mortal cunning meets faerie treachery in a deadly game of power.
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
A mortal girl navigates deadly faerie politics, defying a cruel prince to claim power in a treacherous magical realm.
Queen of Nothing
Holly Black
Deadly court intrigue ignites as exiled queen reclaims her throne.
Wicked King
Holly Black
Mortal cunning meets faerie treachery in a deadly game of power.
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black
A mortal girl navigates deadly faerie politics, defying a cruel prince to claim power in a treacherous magical realm.
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Community Voices
"Holly Black’s Tithe came out in 2002, instantaneously positioning her as a major figure in young adult dark fantasy"
— Publishers Weekly
"As a contemporary fantasy author, Holly Black finds joy in writing the kinds of things she loves to read"
— Writer's Digest
"Cassandra Clare said Holly Black has a really great, intuitive sense for when magic makes emotional sense"
— Cassandra Clare
"Holly Black rose to literary stardom with The Spiderwick Chronicles"
— The Guardian
"Author Holly Black is one of the premier voices in contemporary fairy tale stories for young readers"
— PBS Books
"The queen of faerie herself, Holly Black, is taking us back with some very familiar faces"
— Cosmopolitan
"With The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black proves that the vampire myth is still immortal"
— BookPage
"Holly Black, the author known for her hit middle-grade fantasy series The Spiderwick Chronicles, is making her adult fiction debut"
— Kirkus Reviews
"Holly Black is an author famous for both her urban fantasies and The Spiderwick Chronicles"
— School Library Journal
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
