The Queen of Nothing
I’m a few years behind on my young adult fantasy reading and I’m excited to finally read The Queen of Nothing. The Queen of Nothing is the third and final book in Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series. I’ve waited to finish my Realm Chronicles series before reading many of the YA fantasies published in the last few years and I’m loving catching up. Today I’m sharing the deets and my thoughts on The Queen of Nothing.
The Queen of Nothing Book Details
From the back cover…
He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.
Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.
Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.
And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.
The Queen of Nothing Book Review
The Queen of Nothing picks up a few months after the ending of The Wicked King, the second book in The Folk of the Air series. The main character (MC) Jude, a human girl raised in Faerie, a magical land where fae, or magical folk of all kinds including sprites, ogres, trolls, and so many more reside, was married to the High King of Elfhame, Cardan, but then exiled by the same. Like the beginning of my To be a Fae Rogue, the MC has seemingly lost everything. Now Jude is struggling to earn money for she and her sister to live by doing chores, many of which are very dangerous, for a fae in the human realm.
Jude’s identical twin sister, Taryn, kills her husband in Faerie and needs Jude to pretend to be her because Jude can’t be glamoured into telling the truth. Jude sneaks back into Faerie only to be “rescued” by their stand-in father, Maddic, who also the murdered of their parents. Jude is discovered and Maddic attempts to murder Jude. But the Queen of Elfhame has magical powers of her own and the land restores her.
This last installment of the series has many twists and turns which I enjoyed. The whole series teaches you to pay attention to each word that is said. The faerie can’t lie but they are very good at deception and riddles, and every word spoken, and not spoken, must be studied to gleam true meaning.
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t read the book then don’t read this paragraph. In a rare sacrificial display, King Cardan, breaks his crown and he’s transformed into a serpent. Jude is heartbroken and determined to bring him back to his former self. But the curse says that only his spilled blood will restore the true king. Will she kill her love? Can she kill her love? Can she trust her father, sister, any alliances?
As I mentioned in my reviews of The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King, I hoped and hoped that Cardan had a good side and that he truly loved Jude. It wasn’t evident until perhaps two-thirds through this final book of the series that yes, my hopes were realized. I really love this for Jude and feel the story ended on a great note. I loved this finale to the series and the happy outcome for all. The Queen of Nothing and ending to the series did not disappoint.
I listened to each of the series on audiobook and the narrator was wonderful!
The Queen of Nothing Author Holly Black
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.
Happy Reading!
Tricia
Tricia Copeland is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Colorado Independent Publishing Associations 2019 EVVY YA Fantasy Award for Kingdom of Embers, 2024 Global Book Awards Gold YA Fantasy for To be a Fae Queen, Independent Book Publishers’ Association Benjamin Franklin Award for YA Audiobook 2022 for To be Fae Guardian, and 2024 Global Book Award Silver for Teen & YA Sci Fi Fantasy for Azreya, Aztec Priestess, and dozens of other titles. She is the host of the Finding the Magic Book Podcast who weaves magical stories about love, courage, and finding your passion.
Tricia Copeland believes in finding magic. She thinks magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, discovering a new passion, seeing a beautiful sunset, or reading a book that transports us to another world. An avid runner and Georgia native, Tricia now lives with her family and four-legged friends in Colorado. Find all her titles including contemporary romance, now penned under Maria Jane, young adult fantasy, and dystopian fiction at www.triciacopeland.com and her fae series, The Realm Chronicles here.