The Wicked King by Holly Black

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

by Holly Black

Second in the bestselling Folk of the Air trilogy. This novel and the sequel The Queen of Nothing - are the winners of/won the Goodreads YA Best Fantasy in 2019 and 2020.

An intoxicating and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Cruel Prince., nominated for the CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019.

'Holly Black is the Faerie Queen' - Victoria Aveyard

I have heard that for mortals, the feeling of falling in love is very like the feeling of fear.

Jude has tricked Cardan onto the throne, binding him to her for a year and a day. But the new High King does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undimmed. Meanwhile, a traitor in the court is scheming against her. Jude must fight for her life and the lives of those she loves, all while battling her own complicated feelings for Cardan. Now a year and a day seems like no time at all . . .

Reviewed by Joséphine on

5 of 5 stars

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Initial thoughts: OH. MY. GOODNESS! I have one regret after reading The Wicked King: that it’s over. I can’t with that ending—how am I gonna hold out for the next sequel?! I loved this book so much. With every detail and twist that I predicted came a dozen more that I didn’t. It was gruesome yet still fun and exceedingly satisfying.

The Cruel Prince was one of my favourite books last year, and now I can say with absolute certainty that The Wicked King will be a firm favourite of 2019, especially because it surpassed The Cruel Prince for me.

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  • 30 January, 2019: Reviewed