The publisher kindly sent me a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she 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 easy to control. 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 own 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.
The Wicked King Review
Last year, my cousin Maddie read The Cruel Prince and quickly recommended it to me. It was a conflicting read for me but I was inspired to continue.
I’m so happy that I enjoyed The Wicked King much more than the first book!
The Wicked King picks up after the events of The Cruel Prince. The series follows Jude a mortal who lives in the Court of Faeries. She desperately tries to prove herself as worthy among the fey.
Holly Black writes amazing characters. While I’m not necessarily a fan of Jude, she’s still a great character to read about. She’s selfish and sometimes annoying, but I still couldn’t get enough. I also grew to like Cardan more in this book, which is suprising!
I also love the way Holly Black writes the fey characters. The title of these books are so fitting because they truly are incredibly cruel and wicked!
I did find parts of this book to be a bit slow, which is also how I felt about the first book. There are a lot of politics in this book which made the first half of the book a bit slow.
In the end, it totally makes sense and adds to the overall enjoyment of the story. But, at times, it was hard to push through all the plotting and discussions.
Once I hit the halfway point of this book, I couldn’t put it down. I read the last half of the book so fast and it truly left me wanting more. There are so many plot twists and some betrayals as well. I constantly flipped each page desperate to find out more!
It’s somewhat funny that this is exactly how I felt after reading The Cruel Prince. While the books are sometimes slow, Holly Black builds so much suspense and leaves her reader with cliffhangers.
Overall, The Wicked King is more enjoyable for me than the first. I still don’t love The Folk of the Air series as much as everyone else.
But I’m intrigued to pick up the third and final book to see how everything concludes!
Rating: ★★★★☆
Favourite Quote
There is only now. There is only tomorrow and tonight and now and soon and never.
About the Author
Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare), The Darkest Part of the Forest, and her new series which begins with The Cruel Prince in January 2018. She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.
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