[Asis’ Review] The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Wicked King
by Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air #2
Pages: 322
Release Date: January 8th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, YA, Romance
Source: Retailer
Format Read: eBook
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

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 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 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.

The Wicked King is the second book in the Folk of the Air series, you can read my review of the first book right HERE: REVIEW OF THE CRUEL PRINCE by Holly Black. There might be spoilers for the Cruel Prince ahead on this review.

This book left me with the biggest book hangover of all time and I don’t think I’m ever getting over it, ever.

Holly Black’s writing was magical and addictive and just so so good.

I truly love her portrayal of the fairies and how perfectly she shows the beauty and magic in them along with the cruelty, lethality, and darkness they have.

I loved seeing more of the powers these creatures –and the king- have, and I can’t wait to delve into more of it in the next and final book.

Unlike my reaction with the first book, it’s so easy to say that The Wicked King became one of my favorite books of all time right away. This one didn’t give me a moment to breathe. From start to finish, everything flowed perfectly, and it really was the biggest page-turner I’ve read in a very long time.

The political intrigue was even bigger on this sequel and it was super interesting and nerve-wracking to see how it all played out. The plot twists are as intense as ever, the villain just as terrible and the side characters and all their dynamics are amazing and bring so much to the table.

My only disappointment with the book was Vivi. While in the first book she was the funniest and most relatable, her attitude here of not caring about anything at all was simply annoying. I don’t even recognize her. I still hate Taryn (I even hate her more now I think) and tbh I kinda hope she dies lol

Jude is for sure and surprisingly one of my favorite heroines I’ve ever read in my entire life. She is so strong, determined and so badass, but realistic and vulnerable at the same time. She fails and learns from it. But what I love THE MOST about her was how incredibly smart she was. Like, truly, she’s a freaking genius. She comes up with such plans and ideas that she plots that surprises everyone – including the reader!!! Jude really blows my mind and I LOVE HER.

Cardan is a very interesting character to read. He’s also very smart and in this second book, we really see him come onto his own. He gains so much confidence in himself and his abilities, so much power… he proves himself constantly and big time, as a king, as a friend, a man, and a spy. His development has been amazing and I have the biggest obsession with him.

This is probably also my favorite love-hate relationship I’ve ever read. Their tension is so hot, it’s pure fire, and it’s so fun and realistic to see the way it’s evolved, how good they are for each other yet how much hate and problems there still are between them. I won’t ever get tired of saying how much I loved these two as a team. They work so well together and seeing them realize that and work together as a team… see that trust built between them, is SO satisfying.

Things were left off on very unsteady ground with yet again a huge cliffhanger on the finale, but I am made of theories and hope and of great expectation towards what’s to come. I seriously can’t wait for the conclusion; I hope it’s as epic as this second installment promises it will be. Cause if it is, this trilogy will go down as one of my favorites of ALL.TIME.