The Wicked King
The Wicked King Book Spotlight
Today I’m sharing details and my review of The Wicked King by Holly Black. The Wicked King is the second book of The Folk of the Air series that is a young adult fantasy series about a human girl, Jude, who lives in Faerie, a magical land filled with characters and creatures like elves, sprites, ogres, and many more. Faerie is surrounded by a magic body of water that separates it from the human world. Jude was taken to Faerie, along with her twin sister, Terran, and older sister, Vivian, by her substitute father, Maddic, after murdering her mother and real father.
In the first book of the series, The Cruel Prince, Jude searches for a way to fit into Faerie and create a safe role for herself. She’s plagued by her peers who are of Faerie and possess magical powers. The ring leader of the torture seems to be Prince Cardan, son of the High King Eldrin. I won’t give too much of that book away in case you haven’t read it. For more of a synopsis and my review of The Cruel Prince, see my blog post on that book here.
More about The Wicked King from the back blurb…
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 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 Book Review
5* – For imagery and world building
4* – For plot and character building
Overall a solid 4.5* read!
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and it’s a wonderful production. I loved the voices for each of the characters which was performed by one narrator. Also there are some spoilers here for those who haven’t read The Cruel Prince.
The second book of The Folk of the Air series picks up five months after the ending of The Cruel Prince. Jude has command powers over now High King Cardan hoping to control him long enough to put her brother, Oak, on the throne when he’s old enough. But Jude has many balls to juggle basically running the kingdom for Cardan who only seems to want to drink.
I am the constant optimist thinking that King Cardan may actually have feelings for Jude as I eluded to in my review of The Cruel Prince. There are many mixed signals but I keep hoping. Cardan’s brother is jailed but schemes with the sea Queen Orla to take the crown from Cardan and regain the power that he believes is his.
All the while the sea Queen’s daughter, and Cardan’s ex-love, has put a thought in Jude’s head. Someone you trust has betrayed you. But Jude can’t figure out who it is. And there are so many who may betray her, Cardan, her father, Maddic, and I kept hoping that the information passed to Jude by the sea Queen’s daughter would be false.
There are so many twists and turns in this story, the plot lines are deliciously good. A great follow-up to The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King had me rushing to download the next book in the series.
Find The Wicked King on Goodreads here.
The Wicked King – About the Author
From Goodreads… 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.
Find Holly and her books here on Goodreads.
Happy reading and happy listening!
Tricia Copeland
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.