The Wicked King
2019
- kings, queens, rulers, etc.--fiction.
- power (philosophy)--fiction.
- courts and courtiers--fiction.
- fairies--fiction.
- sisters--fiction.
- fantasy.
- children's fiction
- kings, queens, rulers, etc., fiction
- courts and courtiers, fiction
- fairies, fiction
The story
**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 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. From author Holly Black comes an enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the *New York Times* bestselling novel *The Cruel Prince*. This description comes from the publisher. *The Wicked King* is the second book in the Folk of the Air series, the first of which is *The Cruel Prince*.
What it’s like
Rain-slick, candlelit Faerie: lush forest courts rendered in the sort of dense, decorative detail that makes every hall feel like it has been polished by centuries of intrigue, with thorned gardens, gilded halls and dark glittering water in the background. The prose is brisk and sharp-tongued, close third-person inside a teenage mortal's head, so the sensory world arrives through her wary, observant eye: the taste of wine laced with danger, the chill of a cold room, the sting of a cutting remark. Pacing runs fast, with political maneuvering, duels and whispered betrayals stacked tightly, and the mood is restless and suspenseful, a court-intrigue romance with a prickly undertow of longing and rage. Violence is frequent and bloody, with stabbings, beheadings and fights shown directly, though the gore is more stylized than grim. Romantic and sexual tension simmers between the two leads, with kissing and charged encounters but nothing explicit. Best for readers who want a late-night, fully absorbing fantasy with sharp banter, scheming royals and a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers pull, and who can handle a steady dose of bloodshed.
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