Title: The Queen of Nothing
Author: Holly Black
Series/Standalone: The Folk of Air Series (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 308
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year Published: 2019
Format: Audiobook
"He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.
Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to. Jude learned that lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now, as an exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time, determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.
Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines, she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.
And when a terrible curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity...."
My Rating: 3.75/5
I know that for lovers of this series this book was not a lot of people's favourites. But I really enjoyed it. I felt more connected to the characters and although there were plot lines that I wished had been further developed, I enjoyed the story overall. I think that this cast of characters goes through so much growth and there is such a great plot that it was a good series. That being said, I don't think that I will be purchasing the whole series for my personal collection, I've read it once and that was enough for me. I loved the angsty aspects of the story especially and look forward to perhaps reading more by Holly Black in the future.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Wicked King
Author: Holly Black
Series/Standalone: The Folk of the Air (Book #2)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year Published: 2019
Format: Audiobook
"You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself that strong.
Jude 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 biddable. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermines 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 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. "
My Rating: 4.5/5
I was not hopeful when I picked up this book. I thought that the first book was mediocre at best and didn't quite understand why it had gained such a fandom. But this instalment made me understand some of the feelings people had for certain characters. I really enjoyed the change of pace in this story. We got to explore some different areas of the story as well as see the Fae in a different light. Not only as dangerous but as plotters and schemers. I enjoyed the political aspects of this story and the twists and turns. That being said, near the middle of this story, I felt a slight bit of drag and was concerned about where the plot was going. By the end, I had been entertained, surprised and curious about where the third book would continue. Overall enjoyed this book in the series and look forward to continuing via audiobook.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Lost Sisters
Author: Holly Black
Series/Standalone: The Folk of the Air (Book 1.5)
Genre: Novella, Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 50
Publisher: NOVL
Year Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook
"When Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.
Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.
The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black."
My Rating: 3.5/5
This is such a great novella. I always seem to love them more when I don't even care that much about the main story. What I will say is that I don't agree with anything that Taryn has done but at least we are better able to understand why she has done something. I'm super concerned about where this series is going to take Taryn and Locke. I'm curious but worried.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Series/Standalone: The Folk of the Air Series (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 370
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Year Published: 2018
Format: Hardcover Copy (Own it)
First Line: "On a drowsy Sunday afternoon, a man in a long dark coat hesitated in front of a house on a tree-lined street."
"Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Teen years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him- and face the consequences.
As Jude comes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself."
My Rating: 3.5/5
I'd like to start this off by saying that I'm using a new rating system that helps me determine the rating that I give a book. It is pretty much CAWPILE used by Bookroast on youtube but instead of putting 10 stars into the system I'm only putting 5 stars into it because that's what I prefer. So far I've found it fairly accurate. That's one of my 2020 reading goals to look more carefully at what I'm rating things and why they are getting ratings.
On another note here is why this book got this rating. I really enjoyed the characters I thought they were interesting and unique. I loved that aspect of the story. I didn't love Jude's perspective but it was an interesting one to read from. The atmosphere was ok. I was interested in it. Here is the part that really brought it down for me. I didn't really enjoy Holly Black's writing style. It felt to slow for the vast majority of the book. For some reason, it also put me to sleep. I'd read 20 pages and be zonked for the night.
Overall I think that it was pretty good, not great. Kinda just ok. This might be due to the hype around the series. I'm hoping that as I continue on I'll begin to enjoy it more. Only time will tell!
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Book Roast URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsIJyv-pQSrKP4Ogj6WYIdg
