THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED: THE WICKED KING

Non-spoiler book review*
Please note this is book two in a series. If you haven't read book one, the synopsis and review may contain potential spoilers.


Title: The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Hot Key Books / Allen & Unwin (Australia)
Publication date: 8 January 2019
RRP: $19.99 AUD

Synopsis:
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 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.

---

There was a lot of hype for The Cruel Prince (book one) when it came out a year ago and I was hearing great things however, I also heard a couple of not great things. Months after its release I was talking to a friend of mine who was reading it and asked her to give me her thoughts. I am so glad I did because I realised there was a couple of problematic elements recognised by some and those who didn't like it truely built their reviews around that and that alone. My friend was able to give me a better run down and said it was a truely good book and story, but recognised an element of the plot that may not go down well with many. With all of that being said, I immensely enjoyed book one and was freaking excited for book two.

Firstly, I have to say The Wicked King is a stunning book. I own the paperback and the colour and the crown on it is so eye catching that I could just stare at it for days. I try not to set too many expectations for books, especially sequels, though as I already said, I was damn excited about it.

The story begins a few months after The Cruel Prince ended, Oak is being protected, Madoc is still an ass, and Jude pretty much rules over Cardan and Elfhame. The story develops well from the previous book, going into more politics - which I love (don't think I've ever said that before haha), and plenty of backstabbyness (that's now a word).

Jude, oh Jude. She has to be one of my favourite morally grey characters there ever was. I loved her in book one, I loved her even more in the second. She is a smart, strong, badass female character that does not deny what she wants (despite being able to lie in the Faerie world), and I absolutely love that about her. She is the character I want to see in many other fantasy novels, so thank you Holly Black.

In this story we get so much more from Cardan - something that was preconceived but also hoped for anyways, and boy did it deliver. The depth in which his character goes to is perfect and the only reason I would want more is because I am greedy. The complexity and dynamics between his and Jude's relationship is executed well and the intimate scenes between the two felt like I was secretly feeding my guilty pleasures. I think it's good to recognise the kind of character Jude is - she craves power, so the intimacy in this book (and book one for that matter) was about getting what she wants, and not being some damsel in distress.

I loved that we got to explore more the Faerie world, i.e The Undersea, and getting more from other characters. Here begins my interest in Balekin. Me being the villain loving person I am, was happy to see more of Balekin and what he provides for the story. I wish there was more but once again, that is more out of greed. There is not one thing I would change about the other side characters, even though they may not do what you want them to, they provide for a compelling story and it just all makes sense.

The ending had me speechless. I did not see it coming but it also makes a lot of sense and I had trouble reading the epilogue because I was absolutely reeling. What I'm going to do for the next year waiting for book three is something to be determined. The Wicked King was an exciting story that brings faerie to another level. Holly Black has brought a refreshing twist on old fairytales and I praise it.


Rating: 5/5 

----

*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:


Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @thenutritionedition
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Life of Erena or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!