Holly Black - How the King of Elfhame Learned How To Hate Stories

Holly Black - How the King of Elfhame Learned How To Hate Stories (The Folk Of The Air #3.5)

4⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction, Short Stories 

Pages: 156

Format: Kindle 

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 24th November 2020

 

Book Blurb: 

An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. Revealing a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan, his tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.

This new instalment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humour, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-colour art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and the old.

My Review: 

This is a collection of short stories involving Cardan. Each story is from a different time in Cardan’s life, from meeting Nicasia to meeting Jude to moving to Balekin’s care, etc. It's mainly a collection of stories set before The Cruel Prince, so we get a bit more information on Cardans personality and upbringing. Also, each story is from Cardan’s perspective, so we as readers get more of a glimpse into his Fae mind, as well as how he started to think more and more of Jude and how finally she took over his mind and feelings.

I loved that each short story was somewhat related to the other and for me the whole book reads more like a novella, rather than a collection of short stories. I just wished there were more of the stories, especially post The Cruel Prince timeline and maybe even covering events of The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing. To be fair, I just want The Folk of the Air Series but just from Cardan’s POV.

I adored the illustrations! I mean it didn’t give them the justice that I read this book on Kindle but I can imagine how even more gorgeous they all would look on paper.

Overall: A beautiful novella-length book, with gorgeous illustrations and short stories about Cardan. I loved reading them and just wish there were more of them, but then again, I can’t ever get enough of Elfhame and Faes. This book fits beautifully with the rest of The Folk of The Air series. Also, if you love Cardan as much as I do, you will definitely love this book! 

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/

Holly Black - The Stolen Heir

Holly Black - The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir Doulogy #1)

4⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction 

Pages: 358

Format: Hardback

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 3rd January 2023 

 

Big thanks to Hot Key Books for the copy of this book and TandemCollectiveUK for having me on their #TheStolenHeir #TandemReadalong on Instagram. 

Book Blurb: 

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth, has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world, where she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful and manipulative. He's on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren's help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she had left behind.

My Review: 

It didn’t hit me as much as The Folk of the Air trilogy, but it was so great to be back in the Fae world. As always, loved Holly Black’s writing and the suspense, twists and scheming that surrounds Elfhame. However, it was a tad weird to read about Oak being all grown up. It took me a little while to adjust to the fact that he is now a teen. Again, Black created such an amazing world, and the way she writes just makes you feel that you are right there in the Fae world with the characters, experiencing what they are experiencing.

The book follows Suren (Wren) who is saved by Oak, and who takes her on a mission to the Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth to bargain Madoc’s release. Oak is adamant that with Wren's help, he will be able to free his father from Lady Nore. Wren reluctantly agrees, mainly because she still thinks there is a friend in him that she can trust. However, she also realises that Oak is not the boy she once knew anymore and that he is able to charm anyone, even her.

I liked that the story was from Wren’s POV, but at the same time, I really wanted at least a few chapters from Oak’s perspective. I just think it would have helped me to realise that Oak is now all grown up and maybe I would have liked him more than I did in this book. I just felt that he is a bit like Madoc mixed with Locke (the cruelty mixed with charm). However, I do think that Wren’s POV allowed a deeper glimpse into the history of The Court of Teeth, as well as gave us the backstory of Wren.

Overall:  I really enjoyed reading this and it was definitely my comfort read, especially as it was great to be back in Elfhame and Fae world. Also, although you can read this book as a standalone, I was really happy that I read The Folk of the Heir trilogy first, as otherwise, I don’t think many things in this book would have made sense. So, I do recommend reading The Folk of the Air trilogy first. I am however, really excited for The Prisoner’s Throne, as this book finished on a brilliant and yet shocking cliffhanger and truth be told, I need answers and I need to know what happens next to both Wren and Oak!!!

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/

Holly Black - The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3)

Holly Black - The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) 

5⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

Pages: 310

Format:  Paperback 

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 19th November 2019 

 Big thanks to Hot Key Books for the copy of this book and TandemCollectiveUK for having me on their #TheFolkOfTheAir #TandemReadalong on Instagram. 

Book Blurb: 

After being pronounced Queen of Faerie and then abruptly exiled by the Wicked King Cardan, Jude finds herself unmoored, the queen of nothing. She spends her time with Vivi and Oak, watches her fair share of reality television, and does the odd job or two, including trying to convince a cannibalistic faerie from hunting her own in the mortal world.

When her twin sister Taryn shows up asking of a favor, Jude jumps at the chance to return to the Faerie world, even if it means facing Cardan, who she loves despite his betrayal.

When a dark curse is unveiled, Jude must become the first mortal Queen of Faerie and uncover how to break the curse, or risk upsetting the balance of the whole Faerie world.

My Review: 

I was so excited to read this book because The Wicked King ended with such a big cliffhanger. Honestly, this book didn’t disappoint. Although it was not as good as The Wicked King it was still pretty amazing. It read so easily and it was so hard to put it down.

In this book, we follow Jude who is in exile in the human world. She is angry at Cardan for betraying her and tries to find as much information as she can on what is going on in Faerie. Soon however she is visited by her sister Taryn, who is in so much trouble that she needs Jude to go back to Faerie and pretend to be her in front of the Faerie Court. Jude agrees and comes back to Faerie pretending to be Taryn. For Jude, it looks like Faerie is heading to war, with Madoc making alliances with different courts and wanting to challenge Cardan for the throne. Jude also finds out that Cardan went searching for her in the human world. So now she is now conflicted about whether she should help Cardan or step to Madoc’s side. Will her growing love for Cardan is stronger than her desire for power?

My favourite character is without a doubt Jude. She grew so much during the whole series and she is not only a badass but also fierce, loving, caring and true to herself. She fights and stands up for herself no matter what. Jude is such an inspirational character.

Throughout the books, Cardan started to grow on me. I think his character developed significantly through the series. Also, we got to know quite a lot of information about his horrible upbringing and why he was so cruel at first to everyone and especially to Jude. Also, it was nice to see him falling for Jude and Jude helping him to become the better version of himself.

However, that one character that I couldn’t love or even like throughout these books was Taryn. Honestly, she is just the worst. She not only betrays Jude numerous times but comes back begin for Jude to come back to Faerie and pretend to be Taryn, only because she is in trouble. I can’t believe she did that after all those times betraying Jude! That was so bad! The worst character in this series by far!

Special mention for underrated characters who were amazing during this series and especially during this book was Grima Mog, The Bomb and The Roach. They all have been there for Jude when she needed them the most. Wish they had more time in these books or even get their own sequel/novella.

I hoped that there was going to be more romance in this series. I mean there was some but I am a sucker for romance so I needed more of it. Also, the ending was quite abrupt. I really wanted more of a closure for Cardan and Jude, as well as Heather and Vivi, Taryn and Oak. I am hoping for a novella on Taryn and then a novella on Vivi and Heather to tie their stories and give them the ending they deserve.

Overall: Loved this series, especially because it made me get back into reading fantasy books. I haven’t read a fantasy series in a while but after The Folk of the Air, I want to read more. I am also looking forward to reading The Stolen Heir when it comes out in January 2022, as I am not emotionally ready to leave all these characters behind just yet. Honestly, a series that is worth reading and having on your bookshelf!

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/

Holly Black - The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)

Holly Black - The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) 

5⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction 

Pages: 322

Format: Paperback 

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 22nd August 2019 

 

Big thanks to Hot Key Books for the copy of this book and TandemCollectiveUK for having me on their #TheFolkOfTheAir #TandemReadalong on Instagram. 

Book Blurb: 

The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

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.

My Review: 

I enjoyed The Cruel Prince but The Wicked King was just on another level. I loved it so much…Everything…The characters and how they all grew so much throughout the series, the drama, the tension, the suspense, the secret love, the power, and the betrayal….This book has it all and OMG it was that good!

This second book follows where the first left off. Cardan is now a King, whilst  Jude is ruling Elfhame in secret as Cardan's right hand and Oak is safe with Vivi in the human world. However, of course, it can’t stay like this for a long time in Faerie…There’s always someone that wants to steal the crown and the power and Jude needs to think of ways to keep hold of her newfound fame and power. If only that was easy when the Queen of Undersea joins forces with Balekin to win back the crown. Also, some people close to Jude easily betray her again to support the Queen of Undersea. So, Jude has to be extra careful, whilst also planning how she can stay in power for as long as she can.

I really liked Jude in this book. We got to see her as a very strong and determined person, who also knows how to lead, plan and manoeuvre politically. She is a natural leader. However, in this book we also see some of her weaknesses, her growing feelings towards Cardan, her missing her sister and Madoc, who she does consider a family. At points, she was struggling to hold onto the power and at points, she questioned if it was really what she wants. It was so interesting to see those different sides of Jude.

This book had a perfect balance of tension, suspense, drama and action, which not only kept me on my toes but also made me develop love-hate relationships with most of the characters, including Cardan. Oh, and the book finished on such a cliffhanger that was so well played.

Cardan also grew on me as a character. Now we got to know his past and upbringing, and it is easy to see why he was so cruel to people, especially to Jude. Also, I liked how he tries to make amends with people that he hurt and also become a better version of himself. However, I do feel that Jude is helping him to become better, like some kind of good influence on him.

There was a bit more romance in this book too, which I was so excited for…So I am hoping that the last book in the trilogy will have a lot of love and romance.

Overall: Such a great book, with amazing characters, with so much tension, suspense, action and drama. Writing is also superb. The complex but beautiful Faerie world that Holly Black created is just brilliant. Can’t wait to read the third instalment and find out what happens to Jude. 

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/

Holly Black - The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5)

Holly Black - The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) 

4⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction 

Pages: 49

Format: Kindle Edition 

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 2nd October 2018 

 

Book Blurb: 

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.

My Review: 

I very much enjoyed this short The Folk of The Air series novella written in an apology letter style. Taryn writes this letter to Jude as an apology for betraying Jude and as an explanation of her relationship and love story with Locke. The novella also presents the most important events and twists that happened during The Cruel Prince in Taryn’s POV. It also in a way offers some sort of justification for why Taryn did things that subsequently betrayed Jude, as well as gets a glimpse into why she made certain and sometimes questionable choices for herself.

I enjoyed the writing of this novella. It was so beautifully written but this novella also made me dislike Taryn even more. Yes, I understand some of her actions and reasons why she did what she did, especially to Jude but most of her reasoning was so weak. If she felt like this, then instead she could have just talked to Jude and explained the situation honestly, instead of going behind Jude’s back. Taryn betrayed her sister so easily and it made me so sad and frustrated at her. Jude and she would have been so powerful if they have stuck together. Plus, Jude always stood up for Taryn no matter what. I kind of felt that Taryn is jealous of Jude being better and bolder when it comes to trying to belong at Faerie. Due to this jealousy, she decides to betray her and because of that, she chose Locke instead of her sister.

However, I did like the fact that this novella gave me a chance to get to know Taryn’s personality, thoughts, and intentions in more depth and see the Faerie world from her POV, something that was missing from The Cruel Prince. Taryn similarly to Jude is trying to find a way to belong in Faerie. She is eager to be loved and to belong, even if the person who can give her all that is as wicked as Locke. Unlike Jude, Taryn thinks that the only way to belong in Faerie is to make Faerie fall in love with her, and to do that she needs to marry someone powerful like Locke.

What was really missing for me from this novella is more details about how Taryn and Locke fell in love, especially since it is Taryn's POV on what happens in The Cruel Prince. I felt that not exploring their relationship in more depth in this novella was a missed opportunity.

Overall: This novella gives a good insight into Taryn as a character. It also sets the reader perfectly for The Wicked King. I really recommend this little novella if you want to know more about the twins and more about the reasons why Taryn betrayed her sister.

 

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/

Holly Black - The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)

Holly Black - The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) 

4⭐

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction 

Pages: 370

Format: Paperback 

Publisher:  Hot Key Books 

Date Published: 2nd January 2018

 

Big thanks to Hot Key Books for the copy of this book and TandemCollectiveUK for having me on their #TheFolkOfTheAir #TandemReadalong on Instagram. 

Book Blurb: 

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 years old 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.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war 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. 

My Review: 

This is my first YA fantasy book series in like 4+ years and honestly, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I am going to. The Cruel Prince definitely put me in the mood for finding my old YA fantasy series and putting them on my already quite big TBR shelf. Also, it was my first Holly Black book. So yes, I am late to the party BUT better late than never!

This book has it all from drama to gruesome moments, from lies to bloody deaths, from hate to hints of potential romance and love…This story basically ticks most, if not all the boxes for YA fantasy. Although, I did wish that there was more romance but even without it, the tension between Jude and Cardan as well as Jude and Locke were enough to satisfy my needs.

The story follows Jude, who as a seven-year-old sees both of her parents brutally murdered by Faerie general Madoc. Then she and her twin sister Taryn together with her older sister Vivi are taken against their will to Faerie, where fast forward ten years all three of them live with Madoc and his wife. Madoc raised them as his own children amongst the fey even though Taryn and Jude are both humans. Whilst her twin Taryn is settling into the Faerie world quite well, for Jude this is not the case. She battles between hate for them and love for them. She wants to belong to their world because that is the only place she knows and can call home but at the same time, she knows how cruel they are. On top of that she and Prince Cardan, one of the Elfhame princes hate each other and Cardan tortures Jude as much as he can in school and outside. To survive in the Faerie world Jude, need to become powerful, and just as cruel and to do that she will have to lie, deceive and hate…

I enjoyed Holly Black’s writing and how perfectly she built such a complex world of Faeries. Also, from the very first page, I was hooked by the never-ending drama, action, lies and tension, which all kept me wanting to read more and more. I also really liked that the characters in this book aren’t labelled just as bad or good, but instead it is portrayed that each character is capable of being both good and bad depending on the situation.

In terms of the plot, I always thought, especially from Bookstagram that there will be a huge romance story in this book between Cardan and Jude and to my disappointment, there wasn’t a love story at all. Yes, there was some tension between those two characters but I wouldn’t call it a full fairytale story. For me this book was more about family drama, power, revenge, coming of age and finding a place to belong as well as personal conflict and personal acceptance.

Overall: I enjoyed this book and the world of Faeries and can’t wait to read the second book. I loved the intensity, drama, action and tension in this book, as well as the variety of characters who one minute you love and the next you hate. Also, in this book, you don’t know what might happen in the next chapter so it is one of those that you don’t want to put away but just want to read it all in one sitting. It was definitely a perfect book to get myself back into YA fantasy books. 

About the Author:

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.

https://blackholly.com/