The Wicked King

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.

(Side note: Holly Black is an amazing author and I expect amazing things from her. The baseline for this book is pretty high and a lot of my criticisms are very small, nitpicky things. In general, I’d highly recommend reading this. Incredible writing, character development, world-building, and creativity are taken for granted in this review, so I won’t discuss it further) This novel was a pretty solid follow-up to the first book, but I have to say that I think it suffers slightly from second-book syndrome. Part of what drew me into this series from the start was the complexity of the world-building and the politics. While still present in this book, it seemed a little stagnant and drawn-out. Since the plot of the first book was largely character-driven, it was important that they had understandable, if slightly muddled, reason for their actions. I would have liked to have seen more of the plotting and intrigue that made the first book so devious. Unfortunately, this time it seemed as though Black got a little lost when trying to describe the juxtaposition of cruelty and tenderness of the emotions her characters were feeling (There is no doubt that Black can write, though. The emotions, while a little foreign and unrelatable, were described with lovely, unexpected turns of phrases). While it was incredibly commendable as a romance, it wasn’t what I wanted to see from the book. I fell in love with Jude because she’s a stone-cold badass, and I didn’t expect for her to get lost in her feelings the way she did after that power move at the end of the last book. (WHAT IS UP WITH HOLLY BLACK AND CLIFF-HANGERS???) I wanted to keep seeing Jude evolve from her choices, but she just reverts back to pre-Locke stages of book one. And because there was such an emphasis on the romance, I feel like the integrity of the plot suffered a little bit; the story meandered and dragged in places that seemed unnecessary. Also in Holly Black fashion, the end of the book completely shattered my expectations and makes the previous paragraph a little less important in the grand scheme of things. Although it was a five-star ending for sure, I wish the whole book had been filled with as much cleverness and strange goings-on as the last fifty pages or so. I understand that much of the book was spent sowing the seeds necessary for the ending, but I feel as if it could have been executed in a more exciting way. Once again, this series has been set up for something epic. I have no idea how Black is going to turn this around, but she did a pretty good job of it last time so I definitely have high expectations for the next book.

“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.”

Absolutely riveting! Plot✅ Pacing✅ Characters✅ Romance✅ Writing✅ Adventure✅ Epic heroine✅ It has everything you could ever want from a book, and more! The twists and turns are unexpected and always keeping you on edge! The characters are mysterious and make you question everything…🤗

The story itself is great. Personally, the Wicked King is the best book of the trilogy. However, my main problem is the printing. I think someone made an error in the production process because the drawing in the hardcover should be in the front, but it is at the end. Also, the drawing is upside-down. Still, I enjoyed my time reading it. If I use the dust jacket, then no one notices the issue.

Original rating 3⭐️ Reread rating 3⭐️ Spice : Holly Black spicy level ( banter, teasing, and fade to black ) Sadly, I couldn't raise the rating on this one like I did with the Cruel Prince 🥲 When I'm reading a book, the author has to make the story beliable for me. I know this is a fantasy book, but charscters should behave like it is expected by their personalities, magic rules clear etc.. The problem with this book is that it was just too unbelievable for me that Jude could manage to rule a kingdom by herself .👑 The Court of Shadows almost agree instantly to follow her plan to take the crown at the end of book 1 without even knowing her .🤔 And by book 2 she is ruling the Kingdom through Cardan . Holly Black notices this is too unreal and puts some scenes were Jude admits to herself this very thing ( the scene were she burns her plush snake 🐍and how the council doesn't entirely trust her ) But is NOT enough. 👊 This problem is usually fixed by the figure of the MENTOR ( Dumbledore in Harry Potter, Obi-Wan Kenobi) that helps the young apprentice to become a leader . The mentor can or cannot be a good character. In The Cruel Prince this role is fulfilled by Madoc, her stepfather. But in book 2 that mentor figure is lost because the climax of book 1 involved Jude confronting him.( this narrative arc is very popular among fantasy writers ) So we are left with a young apprentice without a guide , which in turn makes the story feels too hard to believe . Because the apprentice already accomplished her goals and got better than her mentor, we are left without a story to tell. Holly Black tries to generate some plot points to advance the story but this doesn't click until you are at 50% of the book . Is a must read ✅️ if you want to continue with the series, just try to not give it too much importance to the first part of the good. When the book reaches the third arc ( the wedding ) it becomes a very enjoyable experience and it moves faster . About the romance 💞 and spice 🌶: i LOVE the prose in this series and specially how Cardan speaks. It is stated in the book that he is good at talking and I like that you can tell this because although there are other Faeries 🧚‍♂️ ,how Cardan articulates his speechs is just delightful. Sadly, there is a scene with the most annoying Fade to Black made in the history of YA books, but it hits differently at least if you already know 😫 There are basically two " spicy " ( Holly black level ) scenes but a LOT of teasing and banter . ( basically, every time Jude and Cardan exchange words ) ( if you want to read smth similar with that kind of prose but more spicy try Trick from Natalia Jaster. The Love interest talks and behaves like Cardan )

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.

The world that Holly Black has managed to create in these books is just phenomenal. Somehow, as scary and terrifying as Faerie is, I still want to be there. The fantastical mixed with the gritty, dark nature of it all pulls me in so easily that it’s hard not to get swept away. I like that all of the author’s characters have a part to play in her books and not just the main ones get the spotlight or the interesting parts. While Jude and Cardan of course drew my focus more than the other characters, I was still interested in the small plots and machinations of the players around them. Everyone has a part to play in the game and it was interesting to see how each of the side characters played into the bigger narrative. Especially with Taryn and Locke, I honestly figured Locke would be mostly written off after the last book but was both agitated and fascinated with his part in this book. With Taryn, while I couldn’t so much care about her as a character, I like how her overall scheming plays into the story and it makes me feel for Jude as she continues to trust her in vain. Jude changed so much in this book and yet so little, which I liked. She’s still the same cunning girl she was in the first book, but now she’s become more of a spy and a true schemer. The only problem is she seems to often out-scheme herself. It was admirable to see her attempt to succeed mostly on her own but her time in the Undersea was some of my favorite parts as it was nice to see her finally have to come to terms with the truth of her own feelings and vulnerabilities since she has tried so hard to squelch them. Cardan became even more my favorite after the revelations of his past. Everything he’s done makes so much more sense in the light of all of that, not that it excuses any of it but having the explanation can make more sense of the person that he is and the person he could be. I loved him as the High King, he was so ludicrous in many ways, but underneath it you could tell that there was a thread of wanting to do right by his people, to be a good monarch. Part of me hopes he gets to stay High King, but that’s a lofty goal. He’s the most complex of all the characters because we only get small glimpses into what I believe are his true personality or feelings but underlying his specific word choices and mannerisms is all of the depth his character contains. As for Cardan and Jude, their relationship was the crown jewel of this book. Even if not directly in the lime light, it’s what the whole book seemed to revolve around. Whether Jude’s relationship to Cardan as the High King or their personal relationship, everything moved and flowed around their ever changing feelings for each other. The explosive chemistry between the two of them only heightened and then boiled over, but I would say it’s still just beginning for them. It seems obvious that they’re both hiding their feelings for each other while lying to themselves about the others feelings so they don’t have to face it. To me there’s so much more to explore between them. Especially after that ending, which I don’t for a second take at face value, most things the fey say have a second meaning. I’m hopeful that their developing romance will be fleshed out more in the next book. Gritty, emotional and effortlessly entertaining, overall a marvelous read and I very much look forward to diving into The Queen of Nothing when it comes out in November, if only that would come faster.