Book Description
By Jude’s design, Cardan is now the High King of Elfhame, and Oak, the newest heir, is safely tucked away in the human world with Vivienne as his sole guardian. To protect Oak, Jude has attached herself to Cardan, who’s made it his mission to undermine her authority at any given opportunity.
With Jude’s unseen power behind the throne her responsibilities are endless and so are her enemies. With word that one of her confidants is out to betray her, Jude must keep her cards close to her chest as she struggles to uncover the traitor and make sense of her confusing emotions for Cardan.
Review
Holly Black has outdone herself in this epic sequel that had my undivided attention from start to finish. The stakes are high, and everybody has levelled up in ways that will have you gripping every page! The Wicked King was such a joy to read, everything I loved about The Cruel Prince was magnified in this book and I couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all unfolded.
Jude has matured in her newfound role, and I have to say power looks good on her! She’s no longer stumbling through the fae world forced to bow down to the creatures of Elfhame but a confident and dangerous member of the High Court who can’t be tamed.
Seeing her character evolve to this point was more than satisfying. How quickly she adapted and became comfortable with her position proved that she was MADE for this. In the previous book, we get to see a glimpse of what she could become, but now we get to experience a fully-fledged Jude in her element plotting and navigating the political and personal threats that come her way. Of course, not everything runs as smoothly as she planned… Don’t forget this is Elfhame and everybody is out for themselves, some characters will shock you and pull the wool over your eyes in ways you never expected. Nevertheless, watching her at the helm of the ship was a sight to see and I loved every second of it!
Jude’s not the only one who’s gotten used to power. Cardan is also making the most of his title as king by using his influence to turn the court into a never-ending fun fest with outrageous parties, a constant overflow of drinks and the best entertainment Elfame can provide.
A part of me knows he’s doing this to spite Jude, which I don’t blame him for because she did screw him over, but I also feel like he throws these parties to distract himself and mask his emotions which makes me feel sympathetic towards him. Unfortunately, the feeling never lasts too long because he inevitably does something infuriating and I’m back on the Cardan hate train.
The fire between Jude and Cardan is still burning strong. We get to see them go at each other but also have vulnerable moments with one another as they straddle the fine line between love and hate. Although their moments together felt far and few in between, boy were they memorable! They’re equally obsessed with each other though neither of them is backing down from their goals and I’m so here for it! Let the games BEGIN.
Final Thoughts
The ending was a jaw-dropping whirlwind of events. Just when you have a grasp on things, Holly Black turns everything on its head, and you find yourself back at square one trying to figure out what’s coming next. There is never a dull moment so expect manipulation, family feuding, savagery, thrilling swordsmanship and a copious number of crafty schemes that will have your head spinning!
I can’t wait to see what happens now; I already have the third book ready to go. See you all in my next review!
Discover more from Introverted Bookaholic
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
