The Folk of The Air

 

The Folk of the Air by Holly Black

It had a prince, a crown, was YA dystopian with a female protagonist . How could I not read it...

I was so excited for the series that I had to keep reminding myself not to get too pumped up about it, just in case it was disappointing. But, TBH  it's so good that I could binge-read it a million times.

Oh and In case you're looking for books with enemies to lovers then this one was written for you.

The order I read it in 

1. The Cruel Prince

2. The Wicked King

3. The Queen of Nothing

1.5.The Lost Sisters.(But, I suggest this to be read before after The Cruel Prince)

My thoughts on the Series

Before you read this go back read the earlier sentence again, while laying extra emphasis on "My Thoughts"

So moving on...

I absolutely adored the series. 

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.

It begins with Jude, Taryn and Vivienne in the mortal world with their parents. Vivi is not human but a faerie and the daughter of the general if Elfhame, her younger sisters are human twins. Their mother,faking her death runs away from Elfhame with the general's unborn daughter. 

But, when General realises he's been fooled, he murders both his wife and her husband and takes back Vivi and the twins to faerie. Vivi vows to hate Madoc forever.

Vivi keeps her promise throughout the series and despises everything Madoc approves of and does everything possible to annoy him. She knows that being Madoc's heir he wouldn't harm her. Jude and Taryn adjust to the place and eventually start calling it home. 

She’d vowed to hate Madoc, and she stuck to her vow. When Vivi wasn’t reminiscing about home, she was a terror. She broke things. She screamed and raged and pinched us when we were content. Eventually, she stopped all of it, but I believe there is a part of her that hates us for adapting. For making the best of things. For making this our home.

 

The story Holly Black weaves is truly fascinating. Jude and Taryn are detested by the youngest prince of elfhame, Cardan Greenbriar and his friends. They don't miss a chance to mock the twins, Taryn is more inclined to ignore them and advises Jude to do the same. But, she doesn't back off and retaliates in equal measure. Important point to note-Faeries can't lie. But that doesn't stop them from deceiving another. In fact the fae are skilled with words and that along with their glamour is deadly. One has to always keep their wits around when in faerie company. They are bound by promises and do not like debts, they repay in huge amounts so as to put back debt the debt on them.

“Faerie might be beautiful, but its beauty is like a golden stag’s carcass, crawling with maggots beneath his hide, ready to burst.”

The devastatingly amazing turn of events is what I live for. We have the classy betrayals and unending twists. Did I mention that this was my first ever fae book and love to Holly Black for being the one to introduce me to them...

Jude's scheming and her awfully flawed character with her boldness to take the steps she took inspired me beyond words. The Cruel Prince was quite dull compared to the following ones but worth it all the same.

 

The story Holly Black weaves is truly fascinating. Jude and Taryn are detested by the youngest prince of elfhame, Cardan Greenbriar and his friends. They don't miss a chance to mock the twins, Taryn is more inclined to ignore them and advises Jude to do the same. But, she doesn't back off and retaliates in equal measure. Important point to note-Faeries can't lie. But that doesn't stop them from deceiving another. In fact the fae are skilled with words and that along with their glamour is deadly. One has to always keep their wits around when in faerie company. They are bound by promises and do not like debts, they repay in huge amounts so as to put back debt the debt on them.

“Faerie might be beautiful, but its beauty is like a golden stag’s carcass, crawling with maggots beneath his hide, ready to burst.”

The devastatingly amazing turn of events is what I live for. We have the classy betrayals and unending twists. Did I mention that this was my first ever fae book and love to Holly Black for being the one to introduce me to them...

Jude's scheming and her awfully flawed character with her boldness to take the steps she took inspired me beyond words. The Cruel Prince was quite dull compared to the following ones but worth it all the same.

But, My heart couldn't take the ending of the first book. Curse you Jude!!!!

Cardan looks at me with helpless rage. Then, the full minute of my command up, he rises slowly to his feet. The fury in his eyes is familiar, the glitter of them like banked fire, like coals burning hotter than flames ever could. This time I deserve it. I promised he was going to be able to walk away from the Court and all its manipulations. I promised he would be free from all this. I lied. 

Didn't everybody think Cardan was the Cruel Prince, I've finished the whole series and am still wondering if it was she meant Dain, Balekin or indeed Cardan? 

Onto to "The Wicked King"

Me before reading: I mean, isn't the title a little tooo obvious 

Me after reading: *wailing and cursing Cardan* You didn't have to live up to the title...

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her 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.

The fae are such hopeless creatures, nothing can be simple in their lives. Well, I know that but that's what makes this trilogy soo amazing. Every turn of the page brings forth another confession another lie another betrayal another adventure. A power-packed novel with no room for boredom. 

You could either hate Cardan or love him but that rule doesn't apply to me. He's so annoying yet breathtakingly handsome, one second you'll want to chop that head right off his neck and the next second you'll want to worship him down on your knees all the while never knowing what's on his mind.

Jude's already had hard times but this, I mean what is this. Nobody wants to let her be, (of course they don't she just crowned Cardan the King of Elfhame). Honestly at some point in the story, I had to raise my hands and surrender. The character development never stops. Locke really really needs a leash and Nicasia just kill that jealous *beep* somebody please. 

And then came that fateful day where the Bomb and Roach come up, Thank the Lord Black didn't forget The court of Shadows. But then The Ghost betrays Jude.......

Forget all of that fast-forwarding to the end. He makes Jude his wife, the Queen of Elfhame and then puts her in exile.................................................. That day I fumed so much I could literally feel my blood boil.

But, but but then CARDAN gives Jude a odd smile. I knew it meant something I just knew......

The Queen of Nothing

He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and 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 dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

I solemnly declare that as long as I live I will never forget this title. The Queen of Nothing, I seem to have an obsession with the title of this series...

Remember I said I could binge-read the series a million times. I am determined to not even read it twice. Why? the first time you read you take the story in savor the surroundings and characters, the scenes and set-up and wait for the next element to put things together. But the next time you read you know the plot the twist and the whole freaking story so you delve deeper into their characters and you find the flaws which I'd gladly ignore as for now.

Jaw-dropping, captivating, disappointing at times but that twisted romance comes to an end here. Jude does get a little soft-hearted at the end but it was meant to be... I can't believe my eyes when cardan recognizes Jude whose posed as Taryn. 
It was insane this book but I'd rate The Wicked King more.
*Spoiler Alert*
Locke dead and that too at Taryn's hand, me grinning wickedly....
If I go on I'll probably end up reading the book again to give you guys a better insight into it...

Everybody gets a happy ending and I love the fact that it's not at all cheesy...Danger still lurks even though it's not that obvious....

#1.5 The Lost Sisters

“Let’s start with a love story. Or maybe it’s another horror story. It seems like the difference is mostly in where the ending comes.”

It's basically a 49 page book written by Taryn explaining her betrayal and asking for forgiveness. I was ready to understand and forgive Taryn but couldn't after I read it... I felt she should have worked more on her apology than trying to make Jude understand why she had to do it. I kept sighing and gasping throughout the whole 49 pages, but it was beautifully written.

I read it after the series as I didn't know it even existed. Thinking back I think it would have given Jude's character a little more definition if I had read it before the wicked king.

“Be bold, be bold, but not too bold, lest that your hearts blood should run cold.”

A must read for those who like or more appropriately exist for fae stories...

How the King of Elfhame began to hate stories 

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector's item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.

It's expected to be published on the 24th of November. 

It's said to be illustrated and it's to be written completely from cardan's point of view. I just can't wait to get into that mind of his!!!!!!!!!!!