Twisty and full of court intrigue. I wished for more little breaks between very heavy political maneuvering, but Black’s writing is just as clever and vicious as always.

A perfect sequel! This book expanded on what made the first book so addicting. We learn more about what it means to by a leader, exploring other areas of faerie and most importantly exploring the dynamic between Jude and Cardan. A perfect enemies to lovers romance in my opinion.

This book is a disaster.

This series is my first experience with Holly Black’s writing, and for a veteran YA author, I expected better from her. There are many sentences that start off really well, and then just peter off into an extremely lame metaphor. At certain times, it feels like the writing of a moody teenager who first experiencing using writing to get out their emotions. Don’t get me completely wrong, some parts are good, but then sometimes I have to read “she is a mirror, reflecting someone I could have been, but am not” with my own eyes. (The concept of this quote is great! Surely there could have been a better execution of it?) This feels like something I could have read in 2010, and yet here we are in 2019, pretending this is good fiction. To prove I’m not completely out to get the author, I did really enjoy this quote: “You’re unwinding yourself like a spool. What happens when there’s no more thread?” “Then I spin more,” I say. This moment was one of the very few times that I could actually relate to other readers when they say that Jude is an amazingly strong and well-built female character, because the rest of the time, she’s just a moody teenager.

The entire plotline of a 16-year-old girl just running an entire kingdom BY HERSELF behind the scenes is ridiculous. 16-year-olds do not know shit. This feels like watching The Little Mermaid as an adult all over again. There’s one point when the author writes that “the Council is skeptical of Cardan’s youth and confused by my rise to power” and honestly?? Me too! Jude is terribly written, says one thing and then does another thing, and cannot make up her mind about a n y t h i n g. She loves Taryn, she hates Taryn. She wants to live in Faerie, she doesn’t belong in Faerie. Madoc is her true father, Madoc is a kidnapper who murdered her parents. Make up your mind, girl. Now, I’m not saying that a person cannot have mixed feelings about things. I expect her to. Emotions are complicated and she’s a human (as we are reminded on EVERY SINGLE PAGE). However, it’s more than that. Instead of having these conflicting feelings, and showcasing those conflicting feelings, I cannot keep track of how she feels. It is different on every page, and it is exhausting being inside her head. Yet, she’s supposedly the mastermind behind it all. Does she love Cardan or not? Is he her enemy or not? Does she want to keep him on the throne, or not? Which is it, Jude??? Choose something! I thought she was decent in The Cruel Prince, but that changed real fast.

Jude and Cardan’s relationship gives me whiplash, and it’s very exhausting. I feel like we went from being mortal enemies to making out just like that. There was never a moment where I believed that we had shifted on that beloved enemies-to-lovers scale, we were just all of a sudden there. And just when I was so confident they were officially lovers, they get married (which is bizarre on its own), Jude becomes Queen…and then Cardan banishes her???? I also feel like the title of this book is a misnomer. I kept waiting for Cardan to be wicked. It didn’t seem like that high of an ask, to be honest – he certainly lived up to being the cruel prince. And yet I was eternally anticipating something to happen, just to be utterly underwhelmed. Is it all a lead-up to when he banishes her to the human world? Because that’s a pretty poor send-off if it is.

Taryn’s relationship with Jude is also something I have whiplash from, although more so in the next book than this one. I just don’t understand how they can be in the same room as one another. How Jude can possibly want to interact with Taryn whatsoever. They are like oil and water. They want completely different things, have different values, and differ in literally every other fundamental way. How Jude could possibly want her around, I will never understand, even if they are twins. Taryn is an insufferable human being, and I want to drop her down a well. I would not have been opposed to her death at any point in this whole series. Her only personality trait is that she’s In Love™ and cannot live without her one and only. He makes her feel special, don’t you know. The same one and only who A) pretended to date her sister WITH TARYN’S CONSENT, and B) literally attacks Jude in the forest with his buddies the night before his wedding. I don’t know. Maybe they deserve each other. I really cannot decide who I despise more.

To wrap this all up nice and succinctly (because obviously this rant was incredibly well-written and thought-out), I don’t think I ever truly ever appreciated the term “dumpster fire” until I read this book. There are so many things I didn’t even mention, like the month that Jude spent in the Undersea, or the Ghost being a traitor, or the truly terrible idea of Vivi bringing her human girlfriend into Faerieland with no warning for the poor girl whatsoever. I am exhausted by how much I disliked this book. I want to rant more about how bad it was, but I have no energy. I cannot anymore. Why did I read it, then, you ask? That is a very good question, and one I am still wondering myself. And the mermaids couldn’t even make it better. What kind of book can’t be made better by mermaids??? The whole book just feels like weird self-insert faerie fanfiction and I cannot believe there’s a whole other book about it. I will never get back this time in my life.

This book was amazing, Holly Black always delivers! I loved being in Jude's world again. The book ended on a cliffhanger I did not see coming. I can't wait to read Queen of Nothing.

This series is dangerous to my health. My heart rate shouldn't be this high. I love it so much.

See full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2312219863

Well, I don't think I even realized my wish for this was granted. However, I purchased this book when it released and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and The Queen of Nothing. The whole series was good after I got past the first 11 chapters of the first installment Lol. I'm glad I didn't give up on the first one.

I hate this book. I hate this book the way Jude and Cardan hate each other. I hate the feelings this book makes me feel.

But I just can't get enough of these horrible characters and the world of faerie.

The Cruel Prince sucked me right in, and this book was a strong sequel that didn't disappoint. Honestly, I may even like this more than the first. Either way, these books are incredible and I owe my life to Holly Black for giving me these characters that have stolen my heart.

This book has everything I crave in stories. I am so here for a morally grey, power-hungry female lead, in the midst of a politically-driven, dark fantasy story; and, this book confirms that I'm 10/10 a fan of the enemies to lovers trope. It feels so long since I've shipped a straight couple. But here I am. Absolutely hooked.

Both Jude and Cardan are both powerful but flawed in their own ways. They both have power over the other, and there's just so much sexual tension between the two.

"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."

This book has my favourite kind of romance. The kind tucked away amidst a strong plot, but one that still sucks you in in the few moments it gets.

The world of Faerie is also so well-done, and beautifully written into the story. The plot also has so many twists that I didn't see coming, and I was so hooked and emotionally invested into it. The cast of secondary characters is also beautifully established, and the more I learn about each, it just makes me want to know more. I'm invested into not just Jude and Cardan, but also Taryn, Vivi, the Bomb, and Roach. There are no characters here that are wholly good or bad; everyone has their own flaws and is unlikeable in their own way. But they're all so real you can't help but feel for them.

But anywAY, when can I read Queen of Nothing??? I'm still shook from that ending and thinking over where it's going to go from there.

This book was such a great follow up the first novel. Seeing the interactions between characters not change but grow was such a pleasant thing to see, especially since a lot of sequels try to change endless things.

I enjoyed having this novel be picked up exactly from where it left off, and getting the exact story I was looking for.

All the characters in this story are such well rounded characters and I like the fact that they all stay true to themselves and are wholeheartedly unique.

I was so excited to get a chance to read this through Netgalley. I read the first book in my Owlcrate and fell in love with the characters. The book was beautiful and after the ending in the first book I had to know what Happened next!!

This book DESTROYED ME in the best way possible. I have so many thoughts about this book it is hard to know where to start.
Thank you for such an amazing book, seriously.
Cardan still managed to surprise me. I didn't think I would be shocked by it because lets face it he was under Jude's control but somehow it still shook me.

Full of twists and turns you are gonna want to buckle up for this amazing ride.

I read it in the space of about a day or so because it had me addicted to it like the characters in this series are addicted to power. Is it healthy? Who cares. This book is life.

While I enjoyed Cruel Prince, it wasn’t an immediate obsession. Not like it was with this book. I was hooked to the story from the first page, to the last. The Wicked King delves right into the thick of things as we see Jude, Cardan, and co. deal with the consequences of what happened in the previous book. It’s riveting stuff. I live for political intrigue and power play. I also live for books that involve faeries. It’s always interesting to see how faeries play tricks and seek power.

What I loved about Jude in the first book is carried into this one. She’s an impressive character, walking a fine line and dodging enemies left and right. I love her to pieces. She is smart, but not perfect. She’s witty. She’s got a big heart, and a thirst for revenge and power. Because Jude spent so long without power, it’s interesting to see how she acts when she has some.

But of course, what would this book be without Cardan being his dangerous, sexy self? I loved Jude and Cardan’s banter and battles of wit even more this time around and I AM INVESTED WITH THIS SHIP THEY ARE EVERYTHING. All I’ll say is that I lived for their interactions, and if you love them like I do you will too.

The stakes are definitely higher this time around, and the pace of the book reflects that. I was never bored, not even for a second. The characters, the story, and the world are as fascinating as ever, if not more so. The only thing I’m not sure of is the ending because I’M STILL SHOOK. How dare, Holly Black. How dare. But at the same time props to you for that twist.

The Wicked King is truly an unforgettable book. I swooned. I raged. I cheered. I may be unsure of the ending, but I can’t deny this book made me desperate for the next one in the series and omgwhathaveidonenowihavetowaittoreadit *clears throat* I’m fine.

After reading The Cruel Prince, I was certainly intrigued enough to continue the series. And, I'm happy to say that I did enjoy this book more than the first. That being said, I don't think it's as hyped of a book for me as it is for everyone else.

I'm still not a huge fan of Jude. I just find her to be a bit annoying. It's almost as though she can be very selfish, even though she's convinced she's doing things for her family. I did however, grow to enjoy Cardan more in this book. But boy, the Fey in this book are certainly wicked!!

Similar to The Cruel Prince, I found parts of this book to be slow. Especially the first half of the book. There's a lot of politics in this book, which does make it a bit slow. It totally makes sense, and adds to the plot of the story. There's a lot of plotting, discussing, executing and definitely a lot of charm. But, I'm not really the biggest fan of politics or intrigue and so I found it a bit boring for me.

But once I got to the half way point, things started picking up and let me tell you, it is GOOD. I read the last half of the book so fast and just totally want more. There's betrayals and plot twists. There's romance and promises. It leaves you flipping each page, desperate to find out more information.

It's funny how this is exactly how I felt with the first book. Holly Black knows how to build suspense in her reader and leave them with cliffhangers - and ultimately, wanting more.

Do I love The Folk of the Air series as much as everyone else? Definitely not. However, I certainly enjoyed this book more than the first. I'm intrigued enough to pick up the third book to see how everything concludes. But, how do I wait a year for the next one?!

The wicked king was unexpected, exciting and everthing I wanted and didnt know I wanted all wrapped up in one. The romance could only be discribed as a poisonous honey. The journey we see Jude take is so different from The cruel prince but in all the perfect ways.

This sequel picks up a few months after the end of The Cruel Prince where Jude gained control of the King of Fairy in the hopes of keeping her family safe. However having tricked the King to do her bidding for the next year doesnt come without costs. Thrown in the middle of court politics, Jude must juggle her control of an unwilling King with her unrelenting feelings for him. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Fairy would be difficult enough on its own, but now Jude must root out a traitor among the people she trust the most. Being the mortal power behind the fairy throne just got a whole lot more complicated.

My Thoughts:

I got invested in the characters a lot quicker this time around. I just felt for them in a way I didn't in the first book. All the characters are flawed in their own way and arent always meant to be likeable, but I still found them compelling. We get to see Jude questioning her own motivations. We know she cares about her brother Oak, but she also loves power and I liked seeing her admit it. I enjoyed the strain between Jude and her family. I also loved to hate her twin sister Taryn. I dont understand people who would choose a boy over their own sister. The whole situation with Judes half fae sister and her girlfriend makes it obvious that she will never truly understand her human sisters. The fae aloofness and indifference were totally evident.

I thought Judes struggle to keep things from blowing up at court was entertaining. I started loving the dynamic between her and Cardan. The tension between them was exciting. This was one of those rare hate to love romance that I really enjoyed. Im also happy we got to spend some time with the Court of Shadows. The insight we see into Bomb and Roaches past made me care about them a whole lot more. I loved the uncertainty of not knowing who to trust and trying to figure out who would betray Jude. It felt like everyone was out to get her. I also enjoyed navigating the treacherous court politics and I was often surprised by the twist and turns.

The fae world was expanded in wonderful ways. We get to explore the goblin market among other new places. I thought the magic was a little vague, but I loved all the different types of fae and fantastical creatures. The writing had a good flow to it and made this an easy book to fly through. There wasnt that much action so the pacing was a bit slow in some places, but the tension kept me engaged from start to finish. Overall I have to say I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book and Im super excited to see how the third book will wrap up Judes story, especially with the title being Queen of Nothing.

Holly Black has been a favorite of mine for years and she continually proves herself to be a master storyteller every time. This freaking book. I thought the ending for The Cruel Prince knocked me over, but this one? It blew me away. That ending? I think Holly not so secretly enjoys torture. She's so sneaky I didn't see it coming, but I should have known. I love the growth of the characters, the story line keeps getting better, the tension! What's going to happen??! I need to know! Somebody release me from my padded room when The Queen of Nothing comes out.

It’s no surprise that I loved The Cruel Prince as much as everyone else did. The hype was real, you guys! I was so stoked when I was approved for the ARC of The Wicked King. I couldn’t wait to dive into it! I needed more of the story. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I needed more Cardan and Jude! I pretty much instantly fell in love with the story right from the beginning. There was excitement and things happening on every page. I was looking forward to more of that with The Wicked King.

It wasn’t there though. I didn’t instantly fall in love. Nothing happened until the last 30% of the book. It was a very slow start and with nothing that exciting happening. Nothing that really stood out to me or made me go “omg” or freak out like I did with The Cruel Prince until the very last chapter. The last few chapters were the highlight of the book and had the shock factor. I was disappointed with the story, because it lacked so many things that the first book had.

Cardan was even different. He didn’t have the same attitude or wickedness that he did in the first book. He was a bit of a bore. You didn’t see the old Cardan until the very end of the book, which was sad, because I loved his character so much! He’s part of what made the story exciting, so I was sad that it wasn’t like that this time. Jude was a bit annoying and whiny in this book, which sucked because I loved her in the first book. The two characters I loved the most were not the same to me. They just felt too different and may that’s because of what they’ve been through being thrown into being King and a new life.

But then with that being said…The Wicked King was a short book and felt rushed. I feel like so many other things could have happened or have been added if it was a longer book. Like more of Jude and Cardan right after the ending of The Cruel Prince instead of it taking place five months later. Not a lot of things were explained or shown. So we didn’t get to see the change in Cardan or Jude with their new roles and lives, because it started five months later and maybe that would have helped to explain why they felt like different characters to me?

I did like the book though, so it wasn’t a bad sequel. The ending had a lot of excitement and twists to it. One that even left me shocked. Overall, I liked it and it had it’s enjoyable moments. I was just really sad and disappointed that I didn’t fall in love with it like I did The Cruel Prince. I’m still really looking forward to the third book and can’t wait to get my hands on it to see what happens next. The ending left on a pretty crazy cliffhanger, so I’m still stoked.

I will go to my grave singing the praises of Holly Black. From her Spiderwick Chronicles to the masterpiece that is The Cruel Prince. However, my anticipation for the Wicked King has unfortunately not actually lived up to the hype of the sequel. Don’t get me wrong, this book was great, really great but it was missing the Game of Thrones esque throw down that the ending of the Cruel Prince had. It lacked the shock factor that we as readers, have come to expect from Holly Black.

As I am not head over heels for the Jude and Cardan ship as some other readers, their interesting dynamic was the driving force of this sequel. Going from wanting to kill each other and then kissing in the same breath is not something that I necessary ship but if you are a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, you will drool over their ship.

The political intrigue is always my favourite part of these YA novels, as Holly Black did deliver this, it was very much a slight victim to the ‘second book syndrome’. As this sequel was very heavy on world building, history of the isles and their rulers and hints for upcoming books.

Now, don’t get me wrong because this book was a solid four star read, a great addition to the Folk of the Air trilogy… series? I did enjoy it very much, just not as much as The Cruel Prince, my favourite book of this year. I am still excited to continue to The Queen of Nothing in 2020.

Everything I was hoping it would be!!! This story was expertly plotted, weaving the reader down the darkest, twisty-est path of political drama, tension between characters, and (of course) steamy enemies-lovers romance! While reading, you never really know what to feel or who to believe! In this desperate, high stakes struggle for power, everyone has a hand to play and Jude is clinging to the control that she has gained! She needs to stay in command, not only to keep her power, but also to protect the people she cares about! Jude is the Disney princess we all deserve and Cardan may not be a sweater, but he is still (Book)Boyfriend material!! This sophisticated sequel had my emotions ON HIGH!!! This fantasy world building is an expert example of everything that I love about the genre! I absolutely adored the complicated dynamic between all of our flawed and complex characters, and I cannot wait to continue their story in The Queen Of Nothing. Oh … and can I just say …. HOLY CLIFFHANGER?!?!?

I absolutely loved The Cruel Prince and have been patiently waiting to see what would happen in the sequel and...wow. There are so many twists and turns in this book! It's full of scheming and political intrigue. Of course it had to finish with a dramatic cliffhanger ending and we have to wait a whole year for the next book.

Well, I said a full review is coming and here it is folks! Quick note, this review will not be getting into any direct spoilers for The Wicked King, but I will be discussing plenty of the themes and ideas present in the book. Alright, with that out of the way, let's get started.

The Wicked King picks up five months after the events of the last book, Cardan is playing the role of High King with Jude serving as his seneschal. Jude is running out of time as her deal with Cardan draws to an end and she needs to find a way to keep Oak off of the throne. Meanwhile, tension between the land and the sea arises as Queen Orlagh is plotting to strike. Jude must figure out how to navigate her own position as seneschal and the power she craves, as well as figure out a way to divert the Undersea.

I really loved this book, in my opinion it was an excellent sequel. As always in my reviews, I like to mention some likes and dislikes.

Here are some of the things I really liked:
-I like how wonderful Jude’s character was, how she secretly yearns for power but has to keep pretending to be lesser because that is how the people around her view her.
-I love Jude’s tension with her family, especially with Madoc since things are definitely strange between them after the events of the last book, I really like the way she deals with her familial relationships.
-I love Jude’s dynamic with the rest of the court of shadows.
-I liked the chemistry between her and Cardan a lot. I do think things went a tad too quickly, but I’ll get into that later.
-I love that Jude tries her best not to let others walk over her, which is very difficult given her circumstances, but she is often forced into humiliating and degrading situations, which really makes me feel for her. I like how she tries to deal with everything, but still obviously hold resentment for the things that were done to her.
-I really love the whole setting of faerie and all the political intrigue in the novel. Lots of this book was politics and planning, which I really enjoyed. It was one of my favorite parts of the first book as well.
-The ending. I won’t say more due to spoilers, but the ending was wild and I absolutely need the third book right now.

Here are some of my dislikes (talks vaguely about what goes on with Jude and Cardan, so skip if you don't want to know about their dynamic in this book):
-I actually wasn’t too crazy about the execution of Jude and Cardan’s relationship. I felt like it was too sudden for me and nothing between them was really resolved from the last book in my opinion.
-Jude’s feelings for Cardan felt sort of out of place considering their hatred for each other in the last book. I feel like things escalated too quickly. I kind of see why this was necessary though, but I won't get in to that because spoilers.

Overall, it was a really strong sequel. I love how whimsical and fairytale-like Holly Black’s writing feels. It gives you a strong classic fairytale vibe. There were plenty of things I loved about this book, but I also had a few issues with it. If I’m being completely honest, I loved this book but I still think I love the first one a little bit more. However, I might be in the minority so if you’re someone who really cares about the dynamic between Jude and Cardan, you might really love this book.

Trust no one. Everyone is scheming and scheming and scheming.
In a surprising turn of events, I enjoyed this a lot more than expected. Jude tries and sometimes succeeds in her nefarious plans. But also, the fae are much more advanced and cunning when it comes to backstabbing secrets.



YOI Easter egg is life.