Waiting on Wednesday (#284): The Wicked King by Holly Black

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

The Wicked King by Holly Black

Book Two of the Folk of the Air series

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 8, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

I loved The Cruel Prince! I think one or two people might be looking forward to The Wicked King... haha... January is so far away. D:

Promo and Giveaway: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Good morning, friends! Today I'm so excited to share a fun post about The Cruel Prince, Holly Black's latest masterpiece. I had the chance to read this book early thanks to Little, Brown/The Novl, and I loved it! Today you can win your own copy of the book, plus some other goodies, courtesy of the lovely folks at The Novl. Don't miss out!

About the Book:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Book One of the Folk of the Air series

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 2, 2018

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

About the Author:

Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels, including Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and the Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Check out the tour:

Check out the body paint tutorial:

Favorite fantasy novels:

(If you like The Cruel Prince, you'll enjoy these! And vice versa... if you like any of these, you'll love The Cruel Prince!)

    

    

The Giveaway:

Look your most bewitching at the revel! One (1) winner receives:

Copy of The Cruel Prince
Acorn necklace
Twig of thorns ring

Giveaway open to US addresses only. Prizing and samples provided by NOVL.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Book One of the Folk of the Air series

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 2, 2018

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Review copy sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

What I Liked:

I'm going to be 100% honest: I have never cared for books dealing with the fae. Faeries are tricksy, deceitful, manipulative fictional creatures, and I've never really liked stories that involved them because of their nature. The stories never really go well, because the fae are cruel, and I really hate seeing humans be humiliated and hurt by the fae. I've read a few books with fae and didn't love them, there were are two in particular that come to mind, that I DID enjoy. One: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. The primary faerie in that book was not nearly as cruel and deceitful as the fae can be, and I adored him for that. The other book? The Darkest Part of the Forest by none other than Holly Black. I LOVED that book. And it is because I loved that book that I figured I would give this new book a chance. I am so glad that I did, because The Cruel Prince was as riveting and as entrancing as it has been promised to be. 

Jude, her twin sister Taryn, and her older sister Vivi were taken to the High Court of Faerie when she was seven years old. Her older sister Vivi is half-fae, with a redcap father, Madoc. Madoc stole them away from the human world because Vivi is his daughter, but Jude and Taryn are his responsibility, even though they are not his relation (and not even fae). Ten years later, Jude wants to earn her place on the fae court. She wants to be knighted, but there are fae that do not want her in court. There are fae that do not want her and Taryn to be in the fae's world. Fae like Prince Cardan, the youngest son of the High King. But Jude will stop at nothing to prove him - and the rest of the fae - wrong. She strikes a bargain with a sly and powerful faerie and quickly becomes involved in a political scheme that will shake the fae world - and maybe the human world too.

I had seen a few reviews of this book and some of them mentioned that the first half or three-quarters of the book were somewhat slow. I can definitely see what these people are saying, though I didn't have the same experience. The first half/three-quarters of the book have that slow-burn quality that sets the scene, lulls you into the fae world, and lets the anger and rage simmer under the surface. Everything comes to a halt for one second around the three-quarters mark, and then things explode. Like that scene in the new Star Wars movie when there is complete silence but also things are being destroyed. I liked the first three-quarters of the book, in terms of pacing. I was never bored or wondering what was taking so long for things to happen - instead, I was intrigued, and curious, and slowly getting more and more mad for Jude.

From the start, I liked Jude. She fights for her family from the very first chapter (the prologue, really), and she never stops doing so. She is always trying to protect her sisters, and she even protects those that torment her (like Prince Cardan, a fae queen's daughter named Nicosia, a cruel fae boy named Valerian, etc.). She wants to be stronger, tougher, smarter than the fae, because she doesn't like being vulnerable, and she wants to protect herself and Taryn. Growing up human in a fae world has never been easy for the twins, but especially for Jude, who doesn't simper and try to please, like Taryn does. Taryn has her strengths, but Jude is the one that shines. She is clever and strong and becomes more so as the story goes on. She makes impulsive decisions and creates messes for herself, but she learns, and she bides her time after every mistake.

This book is told in Jude's first-person narrative, and so the focus is entirely on her and her decisions. However, there are a number of secondary characters worth mentioning. I had a love-hate relationship with Jude's twin Taryn, who seemed like the sweet older twin but really I didn't have the best feeling about her. Vivienne is hilarious - she is Madoc's true daughter (Jude and Taryn aren't) and she defies his will at every turn. She hates him and hates living in the fae world, and would rather be living in the human world. Vivi is a great older sister, and Jude can always count on her.

I liked and disliked Madoc. It's clear that he loves all three girls, but he is a redcap and a war-driven one, at that. He is the General of the High King's army, so he lives for war and chaos. I guess he's a good dad though? I didn't care for Oriana, Madoc's second wife. She's kind of just there, though I start to like her when she becomes more involved in the story around that 75% mark. 

Prince Cardan seems like the biggest villain, when the story begins. He seems cruel and despicable, always condoning the cruelty of his friends towards Jude. He never misses a chance to humiliate her. But why? Besides she is human? Cardan is such a complex faerie. There are more layers to him than one would think, and it becomes clear that his cruelty is on the surface. Few authors can make me like an antihero who is cruel to the protagonist. However, Holly Black turns Cardan's character around somehow. I don't know how she did it. But somehow, I started liking this antihero.

The first three-quarters of the story deal with Jude's struggle to fit into the fae world and avoid the cruelty of Cardan's posse - Nicosia, Valerian, and one named Locke, who isn't as bad as he seems. There is rage and unbalance bubbling up in Jude, and she eventually she decides she has had enough. This is when she strikes a deal with a dangerous faerie, and she begins to spy on the royal family for him. It is then that she realizes that there is quite a coup in the works. But who is behind this power struggle, and who will come out with the crown?

The last quarter of the book is bloodshed upon bloodshed. That's all you need to know. Also, a lot of deception. It really gets good (and bad) in the last quarter of the book, right down to the last page. Ah! I don't know what I'm supposed to think, after the last few chapters! I thought I had it all figured out!

I won't say much about the romance because it's... kind of there? Not really? The ending gives me pause. I didn't care for any aspect of the romance but there was a certain part that I was definitely like nope, that shouldn't be happening. But there was another aspect that had me wanting to start shipping, up until the last few pages? Now I'm confused? I'm curious to see how Black will work this angle, in the next book.

I need the next book now! Here's hoping it'll be a January 2019 publication, or sooner, because I have a serious need.

What I Did Not Like:

I don't really know if I have anything to complain about. Maybe more swoon? I feel like I wanted to see more from the hate-to-love chemistry -- that could have made for some seriously passionate swoonage. I'll stay quiet though. Here's hoping book two will have more!

Would I Recommend It:

I do not usually like fae books, but this book was great. Very tricksy and full of deception, but in a bizarre and interesting way. Our heroine does not get fooled easily, which was refreshing to see. And the fae keep their hands to themselves, for the most part (again, she isn't easily fooled). If you're interested, I'd say go for it. I am not a fan of the fae but I liked the book.

Rating:

4 stars. I am 100% hooked and in desperate need of more! I kind of want to reread The Darkest Part of the Forest now. Did I mention that there is a Severin/Ben cameo in this book? I love it when books have cameos and crossovers. Anyway, join me in the long wait for book two!

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Swoon Thursday (#94): The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black!

Leaning over, not speaking, he brought his mouth to hers. For a wild moment she wondered if wanted her. Her and not just this.

At first, the kiss seemed part of the night and the dancing, full of dreamy madness. Jack kissed her as though he only could reassure himself she was awake and okay so long as they were touching. He kissed as though he thought she'd turn to smoke the moment he stopped.

She rolled toward him, and his arm came around her, pressing her closer, his fingers against the small of her back. Everything felt liquid and slow. As her hands fumbled with his shirt. trying to get it up and over his broad shoulders, as she pressed her cheek against the smooth brown skin, and as he made a soft sound in the back of his throat that seemed to be his way of holding in check some other, less polite sound that Hazel desperately wanted to hear, she couldn't help thinking of how strange it was to be doing this with a friend.

- ARC, page 214

Author Website | Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Read my review of this book!

Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Publication Date: January 13, 2015

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

What I Liked:

My first Holly Black novel, a success! I believe I attempted to read Tithe years ago, but didn't like it at all (it was really abstract or something, and also, I don't usually like books with faeries), and didn't finish the book. I've been very meh about reading Black's books, but when I was sent this one for review, I couldn't resist. Honestly, I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would! I mean that in the best possible way.

In the forest of Fairfold, there is a coffin that contains a boy with horns and pointed ears. He has been there, unconscious in the coffin, for as long as anyone can remember. The town is in love with him, or the idea of him. Hazel and her older brother Ben are no exceptions. The children of Fairfold make the horned boy to be a prince, trapped in the coffin. But one day, he wakes. And Hazel realizes that there is something eerie about Fairfold, the Folk, her brother's best friend Jack, the horned boy...

This book is so much more than a mythical-looking boy waking up and escaping from the coffin. Hazel has been dealing with the Folk (basically, faeries) for years, but she hasn't really known. She made a bargain with the Alderking - her brother would get into a music school in Philadelphia, if Hazel gave up seven years of her life. Little does she know that she has been serving the Alderking the entire time, but has not known.

This book is written entirely in third person, but we pretty much get the story from Hazel's (third person) perspective. I don't know if I really connected with her, or would like her in real life, but I understand her. She wants to save the town, hunt down the bad creature (like hags), serve, protect, defend. She kisses a lot of boys, but she doesn't want to be serious with anyone, because she knows that she is messed up with the Folk. 

But she's also in love with one of them - Jack, her brother's best friend, who happens to be one of the Folk. He's a changeling, brought to the human world by his mother, in exchange for a human boy. However, the human boy's mother got her son back, and kept Jack as well. Twisted, no? The story is so much bigger than it appears in the synopsis. 

There is a creature in Fairfold that must be stopped. The waking of the horned boy was no coincidence. Hazel, Ben (her brother), Jack, and the horned boy must stop the creature. A powerful sword, a faerie ritual, a crazed king... there is so much to want to know!

So it's obvious - I really liked the story. At first, things were pretty slow, because Black was setting up the scene. The horned boy doesn't disappear in the first scene. There is a lot of switching back to scenes of the past in this book, but they are marked and very obvious, and don't last long.

I liked Hazel, honestly. My favorite character was probably Jack, and then Severin (the horned boy). Ben was okay, but as a brother, I probably wouldn't have liked him much. He seemed to be a bit pathetic at times. Hazel, on the other hand, was a warrior. Jack was a mysterious yet honest and sexy changeling. Yeah, I liked him a lot!

There is plenty of sweeping romance in this book. If you couldn't tell by now, I really ship Hazel and Jack... I won't say how things end, but it's a pretty fulfilling ending. Fulfilling. It makes sense, and I like it - in terms of the romance, mind you. There are two romance plots in this book. I won't say anything else.

This book is set in a contemporary world - like, it's definitely in modern times. But there is so much fantasy in this book, and it's billed as a fairy tale. I can see that. It definitely has the fairy tale feel to it, even if it is set in contemporary times. Black does an excellent job of constructing the world and putting in place all of the fantasy elements, in a modern world.

The writing is so beautiful! I remember thinking the same about Tithe, but the problem with Tithe (for me) was that I was confused about all the abstractness going on. This book had the same abstract quality to it, but it didn't seem as confusing. Or maybe I was just extremely young when attempting to read Tithe. The book was published in like, 2004? I read it a little after the publication... so I was probably nine or ten. There's the problem. 

Anyway. I really enjoyed this book! I didn't think I would, but here I am, writing a four-star review. Excellent work, Holly Black!

What I Did Not Like:

Hmm... perhaps a little more detail at the ending, when Hazel realized where a certain something was. Not enough attention was put on how exactly she, um, retrieved said item. So I was confused as to how that worked. Also, that no one saw her getting it. 

But that's really specific. Ignore me. Kind of.

Would I Recommend It:

If you like fairy-tale contemporary stories with lush fantasy and sweet romances, then I would recommend this one! I usually don't like books with faeries, but the presence of them wasn't YA-cliche or overwhelming. Their presence seemed like fairy-tale faeries. Which is awesome. Also, the writing is gorgeous in this book. Basically, this book really worked for me.

Rating:

4 stars. I'm really glad I got this book, and gave it a chance! I might actually got back and try to read her Modern Faerie Tale series. Or maybe the Curse Worker series. All in good time!

Author Website | Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!