*Feature Friday is a meme hosted by The Tattered Page to feature YA books that have not yet been released by reviewing them.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Pages: 384
Source: ARC
The Story:
The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger 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.
RATING:
ONE-WORD REVIEW: WICKED
READING TUNE: Gangsta - Kehlani
TAG LINE:
OPENING LINE:
The new High King of Faerie lounges on his throne, his crown resting at an insouciant angle, his long villainously scarlet cloak pinned at his shoulders and sweeping the floor.
READING TUNE: Gangsta - Kehlani
TAG LINE:
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring. The first lesson is to make yourself that strong.
The new High King of Faerie lounges on his throne, his crown resting at an insouciant angle, his long villainously scarlet cloak pinned at his shoulders and sweeping the floor.
THE SHORT:
C A R D A N
You wicked, wicked king you absolutely gutted me I am a total wreck and now I have to wait two years for the queen of nothing.
THE WICKED KING has wrecked my mortal soul. And I have been slained. I am writing this tweet from the grave. No more than dust of the earth. My mind will chasm into chaos as I dredge through two years of waiting for THE QUEEN OF NOTHING.
Well played Holly Black well played . . .
THE SLIGHTLY LONGER:
I am utterly obsessed with THE CRUEL PRINCE series!
I was fortunate enough to snag a copy of THE CRUEL PRINCE and THE WICKED KING at ALA conferences. And boy am I ever grateful! THE WICKED KING is actually only the second novel by Holly Black I have read -- the first being THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST which I enjoyed. I loved reading THE WICKED KING!
I am utterly obsessed with THE CRUEL PRINCE series!
I was fortunate enough to snag a copy of THE CRUEL PRINCE and THE WICKED KING at ALA conferences. And boy am I ever grateful! THE WICKED KING is actually only the second novel by Holly Black I have read -- the first being THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST which I enjoyed. I loved reading THE WICKED KING!
To be honest, I was more than a little in love with THE WICKED KING.
The pacing of THE WICKED KING was perfect for the unfolding of the plot. In the same vein of THE CRUEL PRINCE there was fantasy, realism, tension, passion, aching, and anger. The story picks up five months after where we left off in its predecessor.
“Kill him before he makes you love him.”
The pacing of THE WICKED KING was perfect for the unfolding of the plot. In the same vein of THE CRUEL PRINCE there was fantasy, realism, tension, passion, aching, and anger. The story picks up five months after where we left off in its predecessor.
After forcibly crowning Cardan the High King of Elfhame, in an effort to protect Oak, Jude is enjoying the spoils of being labeled the Kingmaker. Along with her growing feelings for the drunk, fool-playing but clever and secretly sulking High King whose knows how to play the long-game . . .
“I want to tell you so many lies.”
Not taking his role as the High King seriously, Jude acts as his seneschal. Until an enemy kingdom abducts Jude. And Cardan does everything in his power to get her back. Even leave Elfhame at the mercy of its adversaries.
All in all, I loved THE WICKED KING and recommend the series to anyone who will listen.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
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Jude Duarte: If I had to choose a single word to describe Jude it would be: FIERCE. This girl is fierce in everything she does. She loves fiercely. She's fiercely loyal. She's a fierce warrior and strategist.
“If he thought I was bad, I would be worse. If he thought I was cruel, I would be horrifying.”
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We know, Cardan. We know, you sexy, sadistic asshole. And we can't stop thinking of you either!“If you’re the sickness, I suppose you can’t also be the cure.”
Here is one of my favorite quotes from THE WICKED KING:
“Tell me again what you said at the revel,” he says, climbing over me, his body against mine.“What?” I can barely think.“That you hate me,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Tell me that you hate me.”“I hate you,” I say, the words coming out like a caress. I say it again, over and over. A litany. An enchantment. A ward against what I really feel. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”He kisses me harder.“I hate you,” I breathe into his mouth. “I hate you so much that sometimes I can’t think of anything else.”
***Check out Holly Black's website for more information about her and THE WICKED KING: HERE
Happy Reading!
