Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Wicked King
K.A. Tucker
Series: The Folk of the Air #2
Publication date: January 8, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: a combination of hardcover (library) and audio (Audible)

It’s not often you can say a sequel was worth a year’s wait, but in this case? Oh yeah, totally worth the wait. Holly Black delivered big time in this follow-up to last year’s The Cruel Prince. Everything here is just… more. It’s more intense, it’s darker, and the stakes are higher. So buckle up, buttercup, and prepare yourself for The Wicked King.

I feel like a lot of what I want to say could be spoilery and I want to avoid that at all costs (I’m not even including the synopsis because it gives spoilers for the first book). So, sorry if I’m vague but no way am I going to ruin any part of the experience.

Once upon a time, there was a human girl stolen away by faeries, 

and because of that, she swore to destroy them.

The Wicked King picks up five months after the jaw-dropping ending of The Cruel Prince. Jude and Cardan have an uneasy alliance and the balance of power seems to shift like sand being moved by the tide. Jude’s position as Cardan’s seneschal is tenuous and she knows it. Surrounded by those who would do anything to unseat the king and remove her from her position, she plays a constant game of cat and mouse (often playing both roles). Every player has their own agenda and the political machinations, bargains and threats were aplenty.

Jude proved again and again that she is a total badass. This girl held her own against the Folk with her own cunning, intelligence and sheer force of will. Even in the direst of situations (and there were many!), she never gave up and I was in awe of her grit and determination. She managed to always keep the big picture in mind and juggle every possible move in this grand game of strategy being played.

“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”

Then there’s Cardan. The Cruel Prince left me desperate for more of its eponymous character.  And OMG did The Wicked King deliver. More of the tortured royal, more biting insults and compliments that sound like slights, more self-deprecating humor. Cardan is more complex than ever and peeling back the prickly, beautiful layers was exquisite. And Jude + Cardan together? That’s a beautiful toxic mess of a relationship. There’s mutual mistrust, there’s hatred and there’s also respect and desire and attraction. Believe me when I say “I hate you” has never been sexier.

“And the single last thing in my head: that I like him 

better than I've ever liked anyone and that of all the things 

he's ever done to me, making me like him so much is by far the worst.” 

I love the way Black continued to build the magical and dangerous world of Faerie. I love the elegantly formal speech of the Folk. I love the twists, the betrayals, and the delicious drama of it all. 

And. That. Ending. 

I am so invested. The Wicked King was even more than I hoped for and I am so ready for The Queen of Nothing. 

4.5/5 STARS