Hello everyone! In this post, I’ll review the other two books of The Folk of the Air series. There are a total of three major books in this series. The first book is ‘The Cruel Prince’, which I have reviewed here. The next in line is ‘The Wicked King’ followed by ‘The Queen of Nothing’.
In this post, I’ll talk about The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing. Also, don’t worry this review will be spoiler-free.
So, shall we begin then?!
First and foremost.
If you are reading this review, I assume that you have read the epic first book “The Cruel Prince” and know what happened in the end? Yes, I know! What a twist right?
And if you haven’t read the first book, what are you doing here? Go, read it, get your mind blown!! If you are still not convinced, then read this review to know more about the theme and concept of the book to get you interested.
That being said, when I say that I was mind blown by the cliffhanger of “The Cruel Prince”, I am not joking. It was unexpected (at least for me) and the second book continues from the point where we left off.
If you are someone who likes dark fantasy, violence, vivid descriptions of events, strong character developments and engrossing plot with twists, then this series is what you are looking for.
TL;DR
#2 The Wicked King
My thoughts.
In one brilliant move, Jude has now gone from the prey to the predator and she has in her hand what she always wanted – power. With the power she has now on the faeries combined with her abilities, she is now unstoppable and will do anything in her power to keep her family safe.
However, with power comes challenges and Jude must now encounter the allies turned enemies as well as scheming and attacks from the outside. She is now walking on a very dangerous path and must be careful to operate her plans. It would take more than just power to control the faeries, with skills and planning she must now fight against the enemies to maintain her control.
With all the twists and turns and betrayals deep-rooted in the story, Holly Black has given us yet again an amazing sequel to ‘The Cruel Prince’. As the plot thickens and more challenges Jude faces, we see how she confronts her opponents even those who were like a family to her. The story is full of violence, deceptions and scheming for the throne to become the king.
Moreover, there is an undeniable attraction between Jude and Cardan, their bitter banter takes a new direction, a direction of affection. Her relationship with others also complicates with almost every relationship becomes tricky as the story deepens. It was very well written with vivid descriptions and details, unexpected twists and entangled relationships.
Now that we have discussed “The Wicked King”, it’s time to talk about the last book in the series “The Queen of Nothing”.
#3 The Queen of Nothing
My thoughts.
When we last left the protagonist Jude everything had gone to hell. Jude had lost the control she had on Cardan but has become the High Queen of Faerie. Due to some circumstances (read yourself to know them), she is unable to rule over Faerie herself and is now living in anticipation of what’s happening.
But, soon she finds herself in the middle of a civil war among the people of Elfhame for the throne and the crown. Jude now has to act out accordingly to navigate through the chaos and unrest going in Elfhame and keep her brother Oak safe and hidden from danger. The way she manages to keep everything in control and navigate through life-threatening circumstances was amazing.
Moreover, the story revolves around how Jude manages her relationships with the people around. Her bond deepens with her trusted colleagues and the way their bond deepens is very heart-warming. Jude and Cardan’s relationship grows as they finally understand their feelings for each other and the romance between them blooms.
The striking portrayals of deceptions and politics continue throughout this series. Queen of Nothing works as a succession for Wicked King with the tightly written plot and stellar character development. With such an intense, dramatic and satisfying end to this series, Holly Black gave us such as historical series in the genre of young adult fantasy.
Conclusion.
With such intense descriptions of the events and thoroughly researched details of magic, faerie creatures and curses along with mythology mixed with scheming, planning and politics filled with betrayal, violence and gore, this series is a full-on rollercoaster.
The mixture of such strong and intense components makes this series worth reading. It was such a beautifully written trilogy where the readers are enticed into a world full of deceit and yet full of magic. Full of strong and bold characters who evolved as the story progressed, this series in my opinion was very captivating and extremely interesting. Finally, it ended with a satisfying climax, I would recommend it to everyone who is into the YA genre. For those who are not so sure about YA fantasy, give it a go, it might be THE book which gets you interested in YA.
Rating for both: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
You can buy them here: The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing
Thank you for reading, Ruminative Fam!
© Ruminative Philomath (2021) by Deeksha Bhardwaj. All rights reserved.
Ruminative Philomath 
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