The Wicked King is the second book of the Folk of the Air series, sequel to The Cruel Prince. I was pleasantly surprised with the first book, and enchanted with the second. This is a reread review (I’ve read The Wicked King for the first time last June); I’m having a harder time reading new fantasy books these days (fun!) so audiobooking stories I already know is pretty soothing and helps me avoid a total slump.
If The Cruel Prince was about Jude wrangling power in the harsh faerie court, The Wicked King is about how she tries to hang on to it. Our best (mortal) girl has a new weapon in her arsenal: not only is she still good at stabbing people, and barefaced lying when the Folks are unable to do so – but she now has the full might of the faerie crown. Cardan, bless his trusting and stupid heart, made a bargain with her that ended up with him as temporary High King and her able to give him any command and be obeyed, for a year and a day.
The balance of power has shifted, in appearance – Cardan put himself, and his rule, in Jude’s hands, but she’s scrambling to keep it and go on with her master plan of putting her adoptive brother on the throne. It’s harder than expected because of all the hurdles she encounters (surprisingly enough, she’s not the only schemer in Faerie) and also, because Cardan is actually good at being High King. Far from the influence and shadow of his abusive kin and terrible friends, he is a changed man in The Wicked King (which is hardly a fair thing to call him). Not that his past transgressions are easily forgiven and forgotten, but Holly Black did a wonderful job with this character growth. To the point where I actively rooted for him when Jude was a bit heavy-handed with her scheming. How the turntables…
I must admit, while book 1 left me with a vague “meh” feeling about their relationship, books 2 and 3 had me jumping fast on board of that ship. It is full of tension (I felt like the third wheel when listening to super intense moments between them) and contradictions, and they both need therapy so very badly (seriously, what’s up with this world? you can make a cloak that protects you from any blade but you can’t have proper mental health support services?). But I am simply trash for this mix of attraction and enmity. I loved every moment between them.
This clash of wants and wills drove the momentum of the story for me, but so many other things happen in this book, what with the power play in the Court and geopolitical tensions between the Land and the Sea. It’s an exciting instalment that kept me on my toes when I read it the first time and that entertained me to no end the second time around.
The audiobook narration is impeccable. The narrator, Caitlin Kelly, perfectly conveys so many nuances and emotions: Cardan’s snark and hints of vulnerability, Jude’s fear of weakness and contradictory feelings towards anyone she might get too close to…It’s one of those narrations that enhance the reading experience and give it a totally new dimension. I picked up The Queen of Nothing on Audible as well and I’ll be starting it soon. I’m eager to experience it again, maybe a review for it will come soon-ish?
