Summary: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is a dark and captivating young adult fantasy novel that follows the story of Jude Duarte, a mortal girl who is taken to live in the treacherous and deceitful realm of Elfhame, where she must navigate the treacherous politics and power struggles of the faerie court. Despite her vulnerability as a human, Jude is determined to prove herself and gain power in this dangerous world, leading her to make morally ambiguous choices
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is the latest addition to The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black. This novella provides more insight into how and why Cardan wears his cruel facade. This novella is a series of interconnected stories that tell the tale of Cardan’s life, past, present, and future. My favorite parts of this book were the retellings of events that happened in The Folk of the Air trilogy told from Cardan’s perspective. Additionally, I loved the illustrations.
The Lost Sisters is a novella in Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air trilogy. Set after The Cruel Prince, this novella is a kind of letter from Taryn to Jude quasi-apologizing for and explaining how Taryn fell for Locke. While I assume Black wrote this novella to garner some understanding for Taryn’s actions, Taryn’s attempts at justification only made me like her less.
The final novel in Holly Black’s, The Folk of the Air trilogy, The Queen of Nothing, is fast-paced and unexpected. Jude, the Queen of Faerie, has been exiled, but she must risk everything and return to the Faerie Court to save her sister. Elfhame is different, stuck deep within a brewing war, and crossing over from the mortal world will trap Jude in a world of sensitive politics. The ending of this book felt rushed and somewhat incomplete, but the rest of the novel was fantastic.
The Wicked King by Holly Black is the second novel in her The Folk of the Air trilogy. This novel was way better than its predecessor. After Jude tricks him, Cardan is the new High King of Elfhame, and he must listen to all of Jude’s commands. This book is filled with twists and turns; even the last page is a heart wrenching cliffhanger. I loved the display of power dynamics in this book. Jude should have had all the power, but Cardan and other nobles could still get things over her.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is one of my all-time favorites. Jude Duarte and her siblings were stolen by her mother’s ex-husband, after he murdered her parents. Being brought to Faerie land, she learns to adapt to her life despite how unfair it is to humans. Cardan Greenbriar, her furious classmate and faerie prince, sets out to destroy her dreams of knighthood. Jude Duarte soon gets wrapped into the political intrigue of the court and discovers something better and more dangerous than becoming a knight.
In a world called Asalin, faes are in control of, and rule over witches. A 17-year-old transgender boy named Wyatt Croft is a witch destined to marry the prince of the fae kingdom, Emyr. No longer wanting to be oppressed by his family and the faes, he flees to the human world. When Prince Emyr wants Wyatt to continue the marriage and stop an uprising, Wyatt is hesitant. Wyatt soon becomes tangled in his feelings and desire to stop the revolution. Will Wyatt fall for Emyr? Will they both stop the uprising? Read more to find out!
The second book in the Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet, is a take on the well known tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The main character and namesake is Scarlet, a farm girl living on the outskirts of a small French town. Scarlet’s spunkiness and courageous attitude makes her an almost shockingly dynamic character compared to Cinder from the first book.
