The Wicked King - SFBA Book Club

paperback, 368 pages

Published Feb. 11, 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

ISBN:: 978-0-316-31032-1

(1 review)

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.

3 editions

izzy reviewed The Wicked King by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air series)

Great writing of relationships

5 stars

First of all, I don't remember a single page in this book that felt like I just wanted to skim it to get to the good part. The entire book is the good part, and it doesn't get boring.

Second, I love the way Holly Black writes relationships. They're the "can't trust anyone" kind of relationships, while still seeming natural and realistic. Probably because all characters have their own personality and backstory - most don't feel like they're just there as a plot point (with one exception, but that would require a spoiler warning)