Title: The Wicked King
Author: Holly Black
ISBN: 9780316310338
Publisher: Little Brown Books for young readers.
Pages: 336
Source: E-library
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself that strong.
Jude has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were biddable. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.
When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a faerie world.
Official Summary
03 August 2022
The Wicked King is the sequel to The Cruel Prince in ‘The Folk of Air’ series. Since Jude has control over Cardan she is pretty much ruling Elfhame. This book follows as Jude tries to navigate her new position of power and her trying her best to keep Cardan in line as the new King of Elfhame.
After reading the first book I was so nervous about picking up the second one because I thought there was no way it could be better than the first. However, I can say with full confidence this book was one hundred times better than the first one which I will be honest I did not think was possible.
I will say it a million times, I will even shout it from rooftops if I have to, JUDE IS AWESOME. Honestly, I think out of all the books I have ever read she is my favourite character ever. I think purely just because most of the books I read are young-adult and that means nine out of ten times the main female lead is always the same cookie-cutter character. However, Jude is so different from most of the female characters I read. I love how she is flawed in a realistic way. I know more often than not she lets her ego get in her way and her need for power but I feel like it makes her character more complex and more interesting to read.
Watching the power dynamic between Jude and Cardan constantly shift was so much fun and so thrilling. I liked seeing Cardan come into himself although at times I did not like it so much when it started to affect Jude negatively.
I will say the ending of this book had me wanting to reach for the last book in the trilogy. However, it might still be a while before I can get to it which makes me so sad.
Overall this book was so good and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy world to easily get lost in.
Also by Holly Black
Book of Night
Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make. She’s spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie.
About The Author
Author Bio from the Author’s Site
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.
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Goodbye, my little book nerds…
