The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, 2)

I've been waiting for this book since I finished the first one waaaaay back when that one first came out. I stayed up all night reading, and oh, it was delicious. I have bags under my eyes and I don't even care; it was well worth the few hours of sleep I missed out on. ******************************************************SEMI SPOILERS*************************************************************** I knew where this book was going from the first few pages. Knowing the end-game didn't make the journey getting there any less exciting, though, and for that I'm grateful. Sometimes (a lot of the time) knowing the end of something makes it totally boring and not worth finishing, but there are so many twists and betrayals and schemes going on between all the players of Elfhame that we hardly know where to look half the time, let alone look at the stuff not being explicitly shoved in our faces. So, that being said, here's the gist. The Wicked King picks up almost exactly where The Cruel Prince let off, right in the middle of it all, exactly where Jude had been angling to be. She's now the power behind the throne, the true ruler of Elfhame, which Cardan takes every opportunity to point out. She spends a lot of the book fighting to keep a step ahead of everyone else, because as Madoc warned her when she was little, attaining power and holding on to it are two different things. I find the relationship between Jude and nearly every character in the book intriguing, but perhaps her relationship with Madoc most intriguing of all. This is the guy who murdered her parents (book 1) and spirited her away to faerie and raised her as his daughter (to the best of his ability, which, let's face it, wasn't great), who tried to use her as a pawn and ended up being played. Now he's watching all her angles and looking for a way to wrest the power she stole from him back. There are few things more interesting than a mentor and pupil going head to head over a live game of chess to see who comes out the winner. At least to me, it's one of my favorite plot points. When Jude is not grappling with all the problems that arise (a tentative war, being kidnapped, betrayal, betrayal, betrayal, finding a way to keep her hold on all the power she's accumulated) she's semi-struggling with her feelings for Cardan. Mostly she's struggling to figure out how to prevent her growing feelings for him from causing her to lose her power over him. She's on a precarious ledge, this girl, and she's juggling too many pieces. And Cardan. I love this boy-king. I'd read an entire series dedicated to him, if we were so allowed that joy. I won't get into all the plot points involving him because they really are entertaining and enjoyable to witness for yourself, but let's just say he really starts coming into his own. As much fun as he is verbally sparing with Jude and as tortured as he is fighting his attraction to her and as a twisted as he is thanks to his brother and his upbringing, he is at his most intriguing and formidable when he starts acting like the royal he actually is. Even being earnest and honest and trying so hard to be good in a world that doesn't value good, he really is a power to be reckoned with when he puts his mind to it, and it is sexy as hell. Who doesn't love power plays, right? Vivi still sucks; what she did to Heather was cruel, perhaps even more so because she didn't intend it that way. Taryn still sucks; I have no idea why Jude doesn't just ignore her or banish her. Oak is still adorable. Locke deserves to be banished to the Undersea and Nicasia's bed for eternity. Nicasia needs to get over Cardan and realize that he's just not that into her. **********************************************************SPOILER******************************************************************* At the end of the book, Jude is banished from Elfhame. Then she spends time sitting on her sister's couch mopping about how she got played. BUT SHE LITERALLY HAS THE ANSWER SHE NEEDS IN HER FREAKING HAND. Cardan spent the entirety of this book dropping not so subtle remarks about Jude being the true ruler of Elfhame, telling her he trusted her, trying to get her to trust him, and basically having her back, and she's freaking pouting in the mortal world that her now-husband kicked her to the curb. Except did he really? He said until the crown pardons her she was exiled to the mortal world. Well, hello girl, you were the one running faerie from the get-go and you just got crowned Queen by marrying the object of your desire. He gave her the tool she needed to lift her banishment five pages before he banished her. She could have pronounced her time served right there on the beach in front of Orlagh and gone about her business running things with no unnecessary maybe-drama. He even "smiles at her oddly" and doesn't deny that she is in fact Queen of Faerie. If I were Cardan I would be very disappointed in my new bride for being so damn dense in that moment. This is the one thing that irritated me about this book, and I'm glad it happened in the last few pages, and super mad it happened in the last few pages lol. Jude is supposed to be so smart and clever she out maneuvered some of the biggest players in Elfhame to gain the position as Queen of Shadows and then she just accepts the fact that she's banished? Why? ***********************************************************SPOILER END************************************************************* Overall, I loved this book. It's going to be heartache waiting for the next one.

(Side note: Holly Black is an amazing author and I expect amazing things from her. The baseline for this book is pretty high and a lot of my criticisms are very small, nitpicky things. In general, I’d highly recommend reading this. Incredible writing, character development, world-building, and creativity are taken for granted in this review, so I won’t discuss it further) This novel was a pretty solid follow-up to the first book, but I have to say that I think it suffers slightly from second-book syndrome. Part of what drew me into this series from the start was the complexity of the world-building and the politics. While still present in this book, it seemed a little stagnant and drawn-out. Since the plot of the first book was largely character-driven, it was important that they had understandable, if slightly muddled, reason for their actions. I would have liked to have seen more of the plotting and intrigue that made the first book so devious. Unfortunately, this time it seemed as though Black got a little lost when trying to describe the juxtaposition of cruelty and tenderness of the emotions her characters were feeling (There is no doubt that Black can write, though. The emotions, while a little foreign and unrelatable, were described with lovely, unexpected turns of phrases). While it was incredibly commendable as a romance, it wasn’t what I wanted to see from the book. I fell in love with Jude because she’s a stone-cold badass, and I didn’t expect for her to get lost in her feelings the way she did after that power move at the end of the last book. (WHAT IS UP WITH HOLLY BLACK AND CLIFF-HANGERS???) I wanted to keep seeing Jude evolve from her choices, but she just reverts back to pre-Locke stages of book one. And because there was such an emphasis on the romance, I feel like the integrity of the plot suffered a little bit; the story meandered and dragged in places that seemed unnecessary. Also in Holly Black fashion, the end of the book completely shattered my expectations and makes the previous paragraph a little less important in the grand scheme of things. Although it was a five-star ending for sure, I wish the whole book had been filled with as much cleverness and strange goings-on as the last fifty pages or so. I understand that much of the book was spent sowing the seeds necessary for the ending, but I feel as if it could have been executed in a more exciting way. Once again, this series has been set up for something epic. I have no idea how Black is going to turn this around, but she did a pretty good job of it last time so I definitely have high expectations for the next book.

“I want to tell you so many lies.” This book is so much fun. I heard the praise Holly Black received for this series but honestly it made me very skeptical, especially as this is branded a YA series. Despite that, I fell in love with The Cruel Prince and the same happened with The Wicked King. And while I adore the relationship between Jude and Cardan, the strongest part of the this book is the world Holly created. The bulk of this book is court intrigue, scheming and manipulation, and a slow burn combined with relentless angst. “Kiss me again,” he says, drunk and foolish. “Kiss me until I am sick of it.” I am going to start with Jude and Cardan. Together, they have undeniable chemistry but Jude is the stand out star in this series. She has easily become one of my all time favorite heroines. She is still scheming relentlessly to keep the power she stole while also quickly realizing keeping power is much more challenging than gaining power in the first place. Cardan, he is just as delightful as he was in The Cruel Prince. He is hilarious, angsty, and full of moments that left me surprised and intrigued. He plays the aloof King so so damn well and then comes from seemingly nowhere with a surprise turn of events where it's clear he is more clever and trickery than he appears. While Jude is timeless, Taryn keeps solidifying her spot as worst sister in the history of ever. She is exceptionally pathetic and I don't know why Jude wastes her time. I understand it's her twin but she has done nothing to earn the loyalty Jude extends to her. Taryn betrayed her twin sister in the worst way to "capture" Locke and now she must reap what she sowed. I am actually here for Taryn's downfall. Jude is too good for Taryn. “Once upon a time, there was a human girl stolen away by faeries, and because of that, she swore to destroy them.” I was captivated throughout the entire novel by the world Holly created, the relationships she has developed (especially between Madoc and Jude...I could discuss this dynamic for days) and the unraveling plot that consistently kept me on the edge of my seat. Honestly, I usually stay away from YA series because, candidly, I have outgrown them. This series continues to keep me entranced and on my toes with the next twist. “He looks up at me with his night-colored eyes, beautiful and terrible all at once. “For a moment,” he says, “I wondered if it wasn’t you shooting bolts at me.” I make a face at him. “And what made you decide it wasn’t?” He grins up at me. “They missed.”

The world that Holly Black has managed to create in these books is just phenomenal. Somehow, as scary and terrifying as Faerie is, I still want to be there. The fantastical mixed with the gritty, dark nature of it all pulls me in so easily that it’s hard not to get swept away. I like that all of the author’s characters have a part to play in her books and not just the main ones get the spotlight or the interesting parts. While Jude and Cardan of course drew my focus more than the other characters, I was still interested in the small plots and machinations of the players around them. Everyone has a part to play in the game and it was interesting to see how each of the side characters played into the bigger narrative. Especially with Taryn and Locke, I honestly figured Locke would be mostly written off after the last book but was both agitated and fascinated with his part in this book. With Taryn, while I couldn’t so much care about her as a character, I like how her overall scheming plays into the story and it makes me feel for Jude as she continues to trust her in vain. Jude changed so much in this book and yet so little, which I liked. She’s still the same cunning girl she was in the first book, but now she’s become more of a spy and a true schemer. The only problem is she seems to often out-scheme herself. It was admirable to see her attempt to succeed mostly on her own but her time in the Undersea was some of my favorite parts as it was nice to see her finally have to come to terms with the truth of her own feelings and vulnerabilities since she has tried so hard to squelch them. Cardan became even more my favorite after the revelations of his past. Everything he’s done makes so much more sense in the light of all of that, not that it excuses any of it but having the explanation can make more sense of the person that he is and the person he could be. I loved him as the High King, he was so ludicrous in many ways, but underneath it you could tell that there was a thread of wanting to do right by his people, to be a good monarch. Part of me hopes he gets to stay High King, but that’s a lofty goal. He’s the most complex of all the characters because we only get small glimpses into what I believe are his true personality or feelings but underlying his specific word choices and mannerisms is all of the depth his character contains. As for Cardan and Jude, their relationship was the crown jewel of this book. Even if not directly in the lime light, it’s what the whole book seemed to revolve around. Whether Jude’s relationship to Cardan as the High King or their personal relationship, everything moved and flowed around their ever changing feelings for each other. The explosive chemistry between the two of them only heightened and then boiled over, but I would say it’s still just beginning for them. It seems obvious that they’re both hiding their feelings for each other while lying to themselves about the others feelings so they don’t have to face it. To me there’s so much more to explore between them. Especially after that ending, which I don’t for a second take at face value, most things the fey say have a second meaning. I’m hopeful that their developing romance will be fleshed out more in the next book. Gritty, emotional and effortlessly entertaining, overall a marvelous read and I very much look forward to diving into The Queen of Nothing when it comes out in November, if only that would come faster.

I don’t know how I managed to do it but somehow I didn’t get spoiled about this book almost at all, especially about the ending so everything, everything cliffhanger, every twist and every betrayal, hit me a lot more than it did with the first book. I also feel like this was a lot more enjoyable to read because we got most of the worldbuilding in TCP. Jude’s rise to power and how she had to fight to maintain it was a really good storyline (I admit I was afraid I wasn’t going to like it at first but I was proven wrong). My favourite thing from this book though has to be how the theme ‘everyone can betray anyone’ is always there. If you happen to forget about it, there’s someone there to remind you. And it made the whole thing so much more interesting. From pettiness to hunger, everyone had a reason to fight with Jude and she was a really good opponent in my opinion. I also liked the little insights we got about Cardan’s backstory as well as seeing him evolve from a prince to a king (I really liked his relationship with the Court of Shadows). I have already started reading book three because that ending was criminal and I just couldn’t help myself. This was definitely better than TCP but there were still some chapters or paragraphs that felt too slow or too heavy for my liking.

I could not put this book down. I really liked the intensity between all of the characters, especially between Cardan and Jude. There were a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming, and I was absolutely emotionally invested in the romance between Jude and Cardan. I honestly believed that he really trusted her and possibly even loved her. I was flummoxed at the ending. While I was engaged in the entire novel, I was very disappointed in the ending. I also did not like that Jude murdered Balekin. Perhaps It is because Cardan said not to, and that Balekin was trying to say he surrendered. Although Jude was trying to save herself and Cardan, I am perplexed as to whether Cardan tricked her at the ending because she killed Balekin. Either way, the way that Cardan betrayed Jude, aggravated me. I don’t like the way he married her and then essentially exiled her. How could he go back on a vow to her? I felt tricked and mostly, very irritated that the emotional investment I had between Cardan and Jude, was not only a huge ruse, but it had no satisfying ending. Even if it was a twist plot and cliffhanger. Basically, I really enjoyed the novel entirely, feeling delighted until the very end. I feel cheated, and I think the way Cardan left Jude was cheap. Other than that, well written. I just wished I understood if Cardan truly loved Jude or not because I was led to believe that he DID want her. If it weren’t for the huge let down at the break up or whatever you want to label it, I would delightfully give this novel five golden well- earned stars.

This book - 🤩 WOW! I am in awe. I’d like to apologize to the author and anyone who read my terrible review of The Cruel Prince. Romantsy or fantasy books about Fae and creature mixed with mortals is very new to me and I expected something more like in enemies to lovers/bully type books. Hindsight being 20/20, The Cruel Prince is the prelude to that type of trope only a very slow burn. The Wicked Prince is a true delight!! It has mystery, there are many twists and turns and things being discovered and covered up. Lots of secrets revealed lots more still hidden. The story begins with the FMC Jude and our snarky yet ridiculously intelligent MMC Cardan. They are 5 months into their new posts - hers being the sensechal to the high king - also his controller and he pretends to revel in being bored, poking at Jude’s harsh exterior to test her and mocking her when he sees fit to gain a reaction from her. He does all of this hoping she’ll read between the lines that his insults are actually not. Folk cannot lie they can only deceive and he is deceitful of his true feelings for her as she is for him. Then there is so much going on with the side characters in this story, with Taryn, Locke, Nicasia, Queen Orlagh, Madoc, the brother, etc. It’s extremely well written and very entertaining. So many more questions as to why the High King orders what he does at the end of the book. My favorite moment between Jude and Cardab is when Locke humiliates her at a particular revel. He announces she is to be crowed Queen of Mirth - a cruel prank the Folk of court like to play on a mortal girl who they glamored into believing she’s wearing a beautiful gown and crown. When in reality she is wearing rags sewn with decaying mushrooms and a crown of weeds. Jude is so embarrassed but decides to play along into letting them all believe that she is glamored and “honored” to accept such a role. Locke being the antagonist that he is insists the king describe the new queens beauty and he says how her excruciating. And she takes the words as insults but what he actually means is of how painfully beautiful she is to him. I loved it so much. Cardan is much more than meets the eyes and I can’t wait for the next book.

Warning, Spoilers Ahead! So I enjoyed The Cruel Prince, even after I had kind of toned down my expectations for it, since everyone seems to love it & there are so many fanarts. I have had this trilogy on my shelves for a couple of years & finally decided to pick it up recently. And as I said, book 1 was good, well written & whatnot, but I only gave it 4 stars. It was good but not great. The Wicked King, however, is great! I loved the politics in this book. The spies & the schemes, the betrayals & the lies & the vows & the deaths. It was about ⅓ of the way through the story that it just really hooked me. I went from thinking, "yeah, I like this, it's a decent book," to "OMG what's going to happen next I can't put it down!" I think the character arcs are what have grabbed me the most. Carden's growth from the careless, feckless boy he was in the first book is the best. He went from being a character I didn't much care for to my favorite of the bunch. I also think that he has become a more sympathetic character, & I am really looking forward to the time when he will explain his thoughts & actions to Jude & bare his heart to her & us. Jude is also a great character, who comes into her own in this book but then loses herself, first when she is taken by the Undersea, again when she learns of Madoc's betrayal, & for the final time by Carden's betrayal-- though I believe it is some kind of scheme, that he has grown crafty in much the same way Jude did, as well, & this it is part of a plan he has. Of course, I could be dead wrong. Because that is another awesome aspect of this book is that it has kept me guessing. Most of the plot twists were not something I had predicted (& I read a lot of YA & fantasy, so I am usually pretty good at guessing what will happen next). I might've guessed something was coming, but it was not the something I had expected. Bottom line, I loved it! Carden's growth arc is just a joy to read, & the increasingly volatile game of political cat & mouse being played between Jude & her father figure, Madoc, is so complex & exciting, like watching a well-matched game of chess. The backstabbing & plotting is top notch, & frankly I can't wait to see what happens next!

Alrighty, I take back what I said about the previous book not having enough substance. When I reached this book and the story took off, I was comfortable in who everyone was and what part they were playing. What I love about Holly Black's writing is that it draws you in, takes you for an adventure, gives you warm fuzzies, cold shocks and moments of joy, but not only that, it doesn't unnecessarily mess with your emotions or the characters. I often see authors make conflict, misunderstandings, etc that are supposed to cause angst and drama where they just end up frustrating me. Holly Black balances character relationships with the flow of the story to keep them in balance. The story follows Jude as she has to embrace her new role as the most powerful woman in Elfhame - being just a mortal, this is very challenging but she manages it with her usual flair and finesse and stress. I love this character, the only female character that I haven't found obnoxious in a long time. She is real, she is relateable and I can understand her thought processes and I love that she isn't the usual 'wonder girl' trope. Cardan's character development is also wonderful, you feel his emotions and concern and confusion through the writing. We get a little glimpse into his past and start to understand who he is. Jude does her best but the net she sets for everyone else is slowly entangling her as well. New enemies appear, new challenges and terribly events take place. This is a middle book that doesn't feel like a middle book normally does - it's not a 'filler'. I lapped this up in two evenings. Thank you Holly Black for an absolutely enthralling read for a true fantasy lover. 5 stars!

I started reading this series reluctantly as part of a book club. I was not interested in fantasy and fairy books . So the first book I read was the cruel prince . I found the first book to be very slow for the first half of the book as I’d was alot of character building . However I became pleasantly surprised near the end which made me want to continue and read the 2nd book which is this one The Wicked King . I must say I was pleasantly surprised! I absolutely loved this book and have turned into a lover of these types of books . I have now read all of the books in this series . Highly recommend giving this series a chance . It’s soo good!

Este segundo libro te engancha más a la historia y de verdad que se vuelve más interesante, no podía dejar de leerlo, y cuando lo termine quería saber que pasaba después.

I like the fact that the female character is strong and vulnerable at the same time, in a world where she starts with many disadvantage (being a mere human in a world of creature with magic on their side) and turns that weakness into a strength. She is clever and exhausted having to watch her back constantly..a super human quite simply..all the characters have nuances nothing is just black or white..The ending is once again unexpected and a cliffhanger..The question is that there is always a resilient source of hope in all the characters and it seems to me that even the author herself hasn't quite figured that out what that source is..this life force has deeper roots..all it can not sustain the strain..too exhausting! it's taken for granted, as it is there for all of us, even if we don't focus on it much...the reason behind all this striving....

After The Cruel Prince it's obvious that unexpected things will happen all the time, and even knowing I should be more careful on who to trust I clearly wasn't enough. The Wicked King begins 5 months after the events of the first book, and seeing Jude as the High King's Seneschal was at the very least, amazing! My favorite thing about this book is how Jude managed to plan everything, how she dealt with the power and control she had over Cardan. Jude Duarte did not let me down at any moment. "Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to". This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, because the story itself reminded me of its importance all the time. Jude was dealing with the Living Council and trying to make them listen. If they had listened to her, the whole thing with the Undersea could have been avoided, they would have been prepared. I was so curious trying to discover who was the traitor. "I served Prince Dain. Not you." I wasn't expecting it to be The Ghost, the way he just didn't care and was one of the reasons Jude was dragged to the Undersea... After everything they went through, I was shocked! "Perhaps I cannot be glamoured, but that doesn't mean I cannot be broken." When Jude was at the sea, dealing with Nicasia and Orlagh I was so nervous. She was alone at the Undersea, facing the queen and her jealous daughter. If it wasn't enough, she also had to face Balekin. Jude spent all her energy pretending to be under their control. Seeing her pretending to see a comfortable room, the food, water... all of it just reassured how strong Jude Duarte is. She had to fight her own body just to make it to the next day. I felt as if I was trapped under the water with her. Locke and Taryn deserve each other, they are both terrible in my point of view. Taryn always choose someone else over her own sister, and Locke just cares about what and who is more interesting at the moment. The fact that he was the cause of Jude's almost death makes me want to kill him myself even more. Taryn just likes to pretend she's a nice Lady of Faerie and has zero personality. "Sweet Jude. You are my dearest punishment." I just loved to see how the things between Jude and Cardan were changing. It's very clear that they feel something. The fact that this story's not focused on romance just makes it better! It was amazing to see how this game of kings, queens and power would go, and even have a real relationship development. Not one the characters are madly in love after 2 days. I'm looking forward to see how the author will work their relationship on The Queen of Nothing. "But I am the Queen of Faerie." After Jude gave up the control she had over Cardan and accepted marrying him I was extremely happy. For a moment I really believed I knew how the book would end, and that they would take care of the Orlagh situation together. But as I mentioned before, I wasn't careful enough and was fooled. Jude killed Balekin, (thankfully) I might say, but that cost her everything. Cardan exiled her to the mortal world and that was highly unexpected to me. I am still speechless, in The Cruel Prince, Jude tricks Cardan and in The Wicked King, Cardan tricks Jude. To finish this review I want to say that this is one of my favorite books. I just couldn't stop reading until it was over! "You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring. The first lesson is to make yourself that strong."