Review: The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

I did a reread of The Cruel Prince in anticipation for the release of The Wicked King. I also read The Lost Sisters in between since I hadn't yet gotten around to reading it.

Title: The Wicked King

Series: The Folk of the Air #2
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: January 8, 2019
Pages: 336
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: Hardcover

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.

Goodreads | Amazon

MY REVIEW

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

Reading this is like having a revelry taking place in your soul. The emotions are bouncing off of each other like they are in a pinball machine, dancing, frolicking, and rioting inside your heart. It's a bloody beautiful feeling. I like that this book is different from most young adult books. It is darker and rawer and oh so perfect.

This series is truly a masterpiece. The story of Jude, Cardan, Taryn...this is what a story about the fae should be like. Exactly this. All of the cruelty, all of the debauchery, all of the stomach curdling wickedness...all of it! It is all woven into not only the characters and the plot but into the world building as well. I love how Black weaves the wickedness and the whimsy into something that is both and neither at the same time. The story is full of small details that really bring the world to life. Things like how many of the clothes are made from plantlife or from insects, the descriptions of the strange creatures in faerie and the odd physical characteristics that many fae have, and the customs of faerie. Everything is described so vividly that you can imagine yourself in the story without hesitance. It is a world that reader is both in awe of and frightened of at the same time.

The plot of this book is phenomenal! All of the characters, ALL of them, are plotting and scheming for power, love, honor...just wow! The political intrigue is off the charts! So many shocking things happen in this book that your mind may straight up deny what is happening. And that staggering ending has all of my nerves in a bundle. I keep asking myself of Cardan, "to what point and purpose?" I am just reeling from it, okay?

The character development in this book is so impressive. I love how the character progressions affect the plot and really propel the story. First of all, Jude is such perfection. She is the antihero dreams are made of. She uses her tragic past to make herself into a force to be reckoned with. I love her strength, her honor for her family (even when she is at odds with some of them), her unwillingness to back down or be made less, her resourcefulness, and her drive. I am team Jude all day long until the day the Earth stops turning or until stars crash into this little rock and we blink out of existence. And Cardan...what words could really do him justice? None. But I love him, oh how I adore him. He is so complicated that I can only guess at his motives. He hasn't had a painless existence, and pain can shape a person in ways that can surprise us. It can make us terrible, or it can make us great. Who knows which way Cardan's pain has shaped him? Perhaps both? The side characters also really make this book shine. I loved all of the tension coming from different angles.

The romance in this book is pure bliss. It had my mortal heart rampaging like mad. It seriously has one of THE BEST enemies-to-lovers romance that I have read. It is hot, it is messy, it is full of angst and hatred, and it is full of truth. It is the best kind of slow-burn romance too. I loved every bloody moment that Jude and Cardan spent together.

In conclusion, the hype about this book, about this series, it totally justified. This series is beyond anything I could have wished for in a book series. These books burn brighter than the sun and they will leave a light inside your heart. And this is Holly Black we are talking about, so yeah, this fire will leave scars as well. But ones that you'll beg for with reckless abandon. And this is one book series worth begging for.

Title: The Lost Sisters
Series: The Folk of the Air #1.5

Author: Holly BlackPublisher: Little, Brown Books for Young ReadersPublished: October 2, 2019Pages: 50Genres: Young Adult, FantasySource: Ebook

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . .

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.

Goodreads | Amazon

MY REVIEW

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

I think that this was a really wonderful addition to the series. I am glad that I read this prior to starting The Wicked King. It does give some perspective. I like seeing things from Taryn's point of view, even if she is lousy and I don't like her at all. I liked seeing the bits of scenes from her point of view that were missing in Jude's point of view in The Cruel Prince. This really added a lot more to the overall plot of the story. It opens up more knowledge about circumstances in the first book and points to the root of a lot of the complications that took place. I also think that the way in which Taryn tells her story says a lot about her character. I would love to see more short stories and/or novellas told from other characters points of view in this series. There really is so much potential and so much that could be told.

Title: The Cruel Prince

Series: The Folk of the Air #1

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: January 2, 2018

Pages: 370

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Paperback

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Goodreads | Amazon

MY REREAD REVIEW

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

My god, rereading this book only solidifies my utter obsession with this series in stone. Maybe steel or diamond? Whatever the strongest material on Earth is, only it could compare to the strength of my adoration for this book series. I first read this book the very first week that it was released back in January of 2018. This book has been a constant on my mind since I finished reading it.

I am so enamored with these characters! Jude is absolutely perfect. When I first read the book I felt that she was annoying, and I honestly don't know where that came from. I can only surmise that fiendish faeries are to blame. Either that or I was just in a strange mood and it affected my reading. Either way, I was wrong the first time around. Jude's character was carefully concocted and her journey is amazing. I loved Cardan as well. I loved that I could never guess him motives. He was certainly cruel, but to what end? I enjoyed the side characters as well and all the intrigue and drama that they added to the story.

I loved the progression of the plot. So much artful deception by so many characters that it makes your head spin. There is so much fantastic bloody betrayal.

The enemies-to-lovers angsty trope is executed perfectly in this book. The tension, both sexual and otherwise, between Jude and Cardan will drive you to madness.

The world-building is so magical and oh so dark. The descriptions seep into you with ease so fluid that it is like slipping into a dream. I love Black's vision of Faerie and I love that it feels very true to lore instead of being sugarcoated.

I feel like this is a series that I will be reading again and again. It really has sparked something inside me that is not easily expressed with words. I seriously just want to purchase all the fanart out there, hang it on my walls, and surround myself in all of its glory.

Find my original review for The Cruel Prince here.

THESE BOOKS CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2019 READING CHALLENGES

- Stellar Series Challenge
- New Release Challenge
- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Finishing the Series Challenge
- Popsugar Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!