The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, 3)

Spoilers!

Wow. I mean just wow. I cannot believe how much I loved this book. What a redemption book! From the first book to this is just amazing. I really didn't enjoy book one. But now that I think about it maybe that was the point? To follow Judes transformation was just astonishing, from being a well behaved child that just wanted to be a knight to literally being the High Queen of Elfhame and loving it? The back and forth between her and Cardan was top tier. I've never hated someone the way that I hated him. Just to turn around and love him just as deeply. The scene when Jude had to kill him in serpent form was gut wrenching. I felt all the pain Jude did, and when he came back though the snakes dead body? My heart literally ached with relief. What an accomplishment this series was! Grade A character development, beautiful world building and a magic set up like no other. I also really enjoyed that although the fairie and other magical creatures were immortal, they were still very easily killed. Didn't require some crazy weapon or spell, just kill shots. And the blow that was dealt to Madoc!!! Couldn't have picked a better punishment! Bravo Holly Black! Turned me into a fan for sure!

Here's a couple quotes that melted my heart:

Jude: My sweet nemesis, how glad I am that you returned"

Cardan: “Mock me all you like. Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips.” His eyes are black with desire. “By you, I am forever undone.” 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Ah, this book is everything! The perfect conclusion to this spellbinding adventure (though thankfully, there are several novellas I can also dive into afterward). And can we take a moment to appreciate that cover—swoooon! All the covers in this series are gorgeous but this one is my personal favorite; each element ties into the most important aspects of the plot and the color scheme is icily delicious. I’m so, so glad I picked up this series and whole-heartedly recommend it to lovers of dark fairytales and fantasy.

We pick up with Jude, the Faerie Queen in exile, living in the mortal world with Vivi and Oak. Jude is miserable, doing odd jobs for other faeries in the neighborhood, until Taryn shows up asking Jude to take her place in the Elfhame court’s questioning of Locke’s murder. Why does she need Jude to pretend to be her? Oh, because Jude can honestly answer that she didn’t murder Locke, while Taryn cannot. Y’all! I have never liked Taryn more! In fact, I haven’t liked Taryn until this exact moment. Finally, she acknowledges Locke’s horrific treatment of her and his altogether unsuitability as anyone’s husband. Is murder an extreme reaction? Sure, but we know by now this is a dark fantasy and I fully support it. Sorry, not sorry.

And so our exiled heroine returns to Faerieland and the final adventure takes off. The plot of the third installment is riveting and unpredictable with all of the fast-paced twists and turns we’ve come to expect. While the entire series is a true-to-form fairytale, this book more-so than its predecessors incorporates the most quintessential fairytale elements: prophetic riddles, ancient artifacts, curses (so. many. curses), people turned into animals (though no true love’s kiss will turn them back), and of course, balls. You name it, this story has it. And none of it feels out of place—it all adds to the story and develops the most luscious, magical atmosphere.

The character development is once again the beating heart of the novel. After The Cruel Prince, I didn’t think it was possible for me to root as hard as I am for Jude and Cardan, yet all I want for them is a happy ending. Especially poor Cardan, who’s never really experienced love before. Any other Batman / Titans fans in the house? Cardan is really serving me Jason Todd vibes and I just want him to be okay.

Of course, Cardan isn’t the only important man in Jude’s life. Madoc continues to wreak havoc—I mean, this guy just won’t quit. And to a degree, I get it. He’s a centuries-old war General and his teenage daughter is showing him up at every turn. His pride is certainly on the line. But also, he’s a selfish, raging jerk. What was the point of him spending years raising Jude and Taryn in Faerie, educating them, acting like their dad, if he was going to drop all parental feelings the moment they used what he taught them? I can’t say much more without getting into spoilers, but I’m very satisfied with the way things are left with Madoc at the end.

Getting to see more of Heather and Vivi’s relationship is also fantastic. While they felt like side characters in the last book, their relationship is more front and center in this one and I finally understand why they want to be together. I also just love the bond between Jude and Heather as two mortals making their way through the perils of Faerie. On a similar note, it’s gratifying to see the three sisters finally come together and support one another. It demonstrates just how much each character has grown throughout the series.

Ugh, there’s just too much I love about this book to name it all, but as far as introducing new characters in the twelfth hour goes, Grima Mog is a badass boss! Goes to show Madoc’s not the only baddie in town. Honestly, all the women stand out in this novel—even Oriana and Nicasia have their moments. This couldn’t be a more rewarding conclusion. I’m looking forward to reading How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories next because as much as I love Jude, I’m dying for a little more Cardan backstory.

I’m not even sure how to put into words the way this series has made me feel 🥺 first let me say I love it immensely and it’ll now reside in my top favorite fantasy series ever, rubbing elbow with Throne of Glass (which should really say enough if you know me at all)

This series, mainly this last book, made me feel a way I haven’t felt since I read Throne of Glass for the first time 2 years ago. And even more impressive is that Holly Black was able to evoke those same feelings from me in far less than half the amount of words. In 3 books and a super short novella, Holly had be as invested and in love with these characters and this story as SJM did in 8 huge books. The way Holly can tell a story so rich and beautiful in such a succinct amount of time is incredible and thrilling. I feel like I just read a high fantasy story of epic proportions and it only took 3 books that stayed around 300 pages in length.

This last book was really something else too. I enjoyed the entire series of course but this book had me on the edge of my seat biting my nails for the majority of it. A fantasy series hasn’t made my heart race like that in ages. The final battle scene had me feeling like Kingdom of Ash all over again. The chaos and surprise after surprise had my mind spinning and had me crying over and over again.

I know it may seem unfair to keep comparing this series to another, but Throne of Glass means everything to me so I just want to convey how phenomenal this series was to me and how it’s cemented itself in my heart.

The characters are arguably my favorite part of the whole thing. The growth we see in just three books from Cardan and Nicasia, even Vivi and Taryn, is so touching and surreal. Like looking back at book 1 Cardan and his friends I’d never have thought we’d end up here. Especially Nicasia, whose appearance made me sob hard in that final battle. The found family between Jude and the spies and Cardan, and then with Jude’s siblings just was really beautiful. Even the allies from other courts that don’t play a huge part in the grand scheme of things have a special place in my heart.

I’m so glad I finally picked up this series and I believe I’ll think of little else for some time.

When my friend recommended this to me, I thought “ok, this is gonna be a bit cheesy and childish, isn’t it?” I couldn’t have been more wrong. I started the series and not even two chapters in I fell in love with it. Now, finishing my epic binge reading session, I am sad to part with Jude and Carden and the relationships the author has developed between the characters and I. Thank you, friend, for recommending this, and thank you, Holly Black, for bringing The Folk of the Air series into the world. I hope people enjoy this as much as I have.

I am always stressed when it comes to a new author ending the book on a major cliff hanger. Will this be an event just done to make you pick up the next book but actually end up unimportant to the book? Will this take a whole book to solve and just bowl over all other plot points? NO WORRIES HERE!!! This book resolved the cliff hanger perfectly. No doubt. This series finishes up just as it started and just as you'd want. Espionage, fight scenes and everything you got in the first book ten fold. If you love fantasy, enemies to lovers or fae (in a world that highlights the darkside to magic) read this series. Jude is a amazing strong female character who shows what it is like to grow beyond what the world wants you too and too in turn change the world. There is a reason Jude and Cardan after all these years are still recognizable characters after all these years to anyone who has read this series. I read this book on kindle years ago, as the series first was first released. I enjoyed the series so much throughout the years that I finally went ahead and purchased a hard copy of this book. This is a beautiful series (that matches in color, size and design for those whom it matters) that highlights how stubborness can treat a person well, how magic has as much dark as light and how the what you want is allowed to grow along with you.

“What I want is him back, him standing beside me, him laughing at all this. I would settle for even his worst self, his cruelest trickster self, if only he could be here.”

I was completely enthralled and entertained throughout this entire book. I absolutely love how I grew to love the characters and wish there was more to the story, just so I could live among them for a little longer. This was truly a tale of self discovery and coming into one’s power for both Jude and Cardan. The fact that they’re independently great but even better together is so satisfying. The storyline had some fun little twists and turns in typical faerie fashion and I truly enjoyed it- which is saying a lot because I haven’t read a YA novel that made me feel this way in a long time.

“To family and Faerieland and pizza and stories and new beginnings and scheming great schemes. I can toast to that.”

This was probably my favorite book out of the whole Folk of the Air trilogy. It was fast paced with the unpredictable twists and turns you’ve come to expect of the series. You get to see the conclusion of a lot of plot points that were introduced or hinted at in the earlier books, and I loved to see the story come full circle. The prophetic riddle is solved, we see curses cast and broken, and there is so much character and relationship development.

I appreciated how much Jude and Cardan we got in this book and watching them figure out their relationship and be more honest and trusting of one another. Plus we got to see them each fully step into their roles as the King and Queen and make a shift in the whole political landscape of Elfhame. Also, even though Heather and Vivi are only side characters, we got to learn a lot more about them in this book which I really enjoyed! I was glad to see a bond forming between Heather and Jude as two mortals suffering through some of the trials of Farie. I also found the relationship between the 3 sisters in this book really gratifying. This felt like the first time they really had each other’s back without ulterior motives.

All in all, this was a great read and an epic conclusion to the trilogy!