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The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)

Holly Black

Start date: April 23, 2022

Finish date: May 23, 2022

Discussion: Buddy Reads 2022

Why we're reading this: April Buddy Read
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Buddy Reads 2022

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What Members Thought

Jan 10, 2019 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, audio, fantasy, reread, favorites, own-ebook-read, own-physical-read, reviewed, young-adult

04/27/2024: Reread. (Audiobook.)
12/17/2022: Reread! (Audiobook.)
07/14/2021: Reread! (Audiobook.)
11/1/2020: Reread! (Audiobook.)
09/09/2020: Reread! (Audiobook.)
06/05/2019: Read for the fourth time!
01/20/2019: Read for the third time!!
01/11/2019: Read for the second time! Yes, I read this book twice in two days. I am besotted with this series!

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 eac 04/27/2024: Reread. (Audiobook.)
12/17/2022: Reread! (Audiobook.)
07/14/2021: Reread! (Audiobook.)
11/1/2020: Reread! (Audiobook.)
09/09/2020: Reread! (Audiobook.)
06/05/2019: Read for the fourth time!
01/20/2019: Read for the third time!!
01/11/2019: Read for the second time! Yes, I read this book twice in two days. I am besotted with this series!

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.

More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction ...more

42 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2019 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved every part of this book. From the dark and twisted minds of the Fae to how hard Jude had to scheme and trick her way to the top. Jude is the reason Cardan is High King and she gets to rule through him. He gets to play while Jude rules the kingdom behind the scenes. She is so busy making sure no one is trying to one up her. She doesn't realize that she was going to have to watch those who know her best. The one person she thought she could trust has betrayed her yet again.

(view spoiler) ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2019 Keri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: series-in-progress, owned, uno-challenge-2019

5 stars, this book was great! There were so many good things: politics, hate to love characters, betrayals, plot twists, great satisfying moments and so much more! The only character I just simply hate is Taryn(well maybe Locke too, but at least he knows who he is and what he’s about) because she’s just weak and does whatever anyone tells her with no real loyalty. But with the exception of her, I even enjoy the villain characters. I especially love Jude and her progression in this book. I also r ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2020 Meera rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 5000-books, ebooks-i-own, bwc2020, bought2020

4.5
I am so glad that I made sure that I had all three books available before I started this trilogy. Because you will want the next book when you are done with this! For the first half of the book, I thought it was a bit slower than the first book and I was wishing that Jude wasn't so harsh with Cardan. However things did start picking up and it was almost impossible to put the book down for the last third of it. By the end of this, I have to say that this was better than the first book for me. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review