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.

“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.”

Okay so let's be real. I truly wasn't all that into book 1. I enjoyed the world and all that but idk. I just wasn't excited to read it. Regardless I started the second. At first I had similar feelings. Yes it was a nice storyline but maybe just wasn't for me 🤷‍♀️. About a quarter of the way in though, that changed. Idk how idk why, lol, but I found myself not wanting to put it down. I finally started to connect with the characters and truly care about what happened next! Let's hope book 3 is even better!

No doubt. This series starts up 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.

The Wicked King by Holly Black My Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (not my favorite book, a few flaw, but I enjoyed it!)

SPOILER FREE REVIEW: "The Wicked King," the second book in Holly Black’s Folk of the Air trilogy, continues the captivating tale of Jude Duarte in the treacherous world of Elfhame. Following the events of "The Cruel Prince," Jude finds herself navigating the dangerous politics of the faerie court. The book’s pacing is brisk, with a plot filled with political intrigue, betrayals, and unexpected twists that keep readers on edge. The fast pace sometimes sacrifices deeper exploration of secondary characters and subplots. Despite these minor issues, "The Wicked King" is a great second installment!

COVER/JACKET - I’m a big stickler for keeping design elements consistent over a series. The continuity over this trilogy is pretty good! The text treatment and weight of the cover font stays consistent across all three books. Arguably most important, the spine spacing and font/size stay consistent as well! Love how the crown placement stays in the same position across all three books while changing as the story progresses. I’m not a huge fan of The Wicked King being a significantly different spine color and font color (but I’ve seen worse continuity, so not a deal breaker!). The Queen of Nothing cover falls a bit flat for me. The snake, crown, and petals (I think?) cause a bit of a disjointed continuity. I think The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King do a better job at staying focused on one theme. Overall, pretty covers!

PRODUCT/SHIPPING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Arrived on time in great condition.

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!

I'm not sure if this is as strong of a story as the first book, but it was still very good and highly enjoyable. It wasn't just a rehashing of the first book, it was a new plot line and more development from that first book. As with the first book, I did not see everything that was coming, though some "twists" or betrayals are very obvious.

I did feel like the Prince-now King did go through some less than natural character growth in this books, which is why I don't know that its as strong of a story as the first. And there is more interaction with the modern human world, which, like it does in the first book, feels a little off.

I'm hesitating before picking up the next book because I suspect a large part of that book with be in the modern human world, though I know I will soon because the story does have me hooked.

“It’s easy to put your own life on the line, isn’t it? To make peace with danger. But a strategist must sometimes risk others, even those we love.”

What a turn of events!! Cardan is really stepping into his own and Taryn gave me a bit of a shock- although I’ve been sus of her since the beginning of book one. And poor Jude’s castles are crumbling down. I’m finally feeling more of a connection with the characters- although it did take until the end of book two for me to get there. The world building is beautiful and I enjoy the political plays and pacing but I’m hoping to form even more of an emotional bond to the characters and their development in book three.

Well once again I’m unsure how this series received so many accolades. Is it well written? Yes. Characters interesting? Yes Map? Yes But it’s the FMC. I like her better in this book, I couldn’t stand her in the 1st, and yet she’s just annoying. I still am disappointed that she hasn’t done anything to that feckless disloyal twin of hers and Locke should be dead or at least maimed. I also didn’t like the twist at the end, but I’m sure it will pan out on the next book, which I will read (skim) because I started just reading the dialogue to get through it.