Lara | ★★★★★

"This was amazing", *says she while banging her head against the wall and preparing for therapy *

Wow. This book was just everything I wanted/expected it to be, and so much more. I want to shout it until every being on this planet know this: Holly Black is a genius. Brilliant, evil genius.
I loved every bit of Cruel Prince and was eagerly anticipating this sequel. This book had everything. Plot twists, drama, scheming, war, court intrigue, romance, tension... just name it, it's there. From the first to last word I was longingly staring at my kindle and mourning it wasn't longer.

Plot is amazing; full of action - there is always something happening and Jude's perspective covers state of the entire Elfhame. Five months have passed since Jude took the throne of Faerie and bound Cardan in her service. There are enemies everywhere and Jude can't afford herself any mistakes. While she has to keep an eye on every move Cardan makes, Orlagh, Queen of the Undersea schemes to take her throne. Not to mention her father hates her for choosing Cardan instead of him. In a world full of monsters she has to become even more cunning and cautious in order to keep the throne from everyone who wants it until Oak is old enough to inherit it.

I especially enjoyed all the politics and schemes in this book. There was always something happening, someone betraying someone, and it always felt like Jude was walking on a thin edge, so close to falling. There were so many things happening, but it was easy to follow and understand politics and strategies. Despite that, I could not see a single one of the plot twists coming. The whole book is completely mindblowing, with everyone just waiting for their opportunity to turn the tables around. Just when I assumed something would happen I was surprised all over again.
Several storylines were developed and for my part, I really liked the one with the Sea Folk. I always felt like Nicasia is set to have a bigger role in the story and I was eagerly awaiting war in Faerie. (From Queen of Nothing I want nothing more than a battle scene, because I love those and want to see Holly write one.)

Characters! God bless Holly Black and her ability to make every single one of her characters perfect. But, seriously, I loved all characters (except Taryn, she is a whiny bitch).

Jude

Jude is such precious badass queen and I love her more than anything. I always love a badass female character who knows how to use a sword and kick some ass. After this book, she officially made it to my all-time favorite characters. She is brave, she does not give up, she schemes, rules, fights and leads the land where everyone hates her. I can't comprehend how much she impressed me as a character. She always wanted power and did everything to get it; she betrayed her father and basically left with no one to trust (except for Court of Shadows, but she knew them shortly). While it always seemed she took the throne for her own selfish reasons, she also did it to protects Oak and enable him a normal childhood. She realized if she wanted to live and get power in a world full of monsters, she had to become one. She is brilliant, has a good idea of ruling and knows how to scheme and manipulate. But, unfortunately so do others so sometimes she has to be more careful ;), especially while trying to hold on the power.

Then there is the issue of Jude ruling the Faerie from behind the curtain. I was actually pretty entertained by this concept and couldn't stop thinking about it. From one side, Jude spends her mortal life taking care of the land that isn't her own and had given her nothing but hate. Yes, she wants power, but does she feel powerful if no one knows she is the actual puppeteer? (this reminds me of that GoT quote "Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow."). She wants to protect Oak and give him throne when he is ready to rule, but from the other side, she does feel powerful being kings sencshel. I couldn't figure if it was the satisfaction of ruling or self-sacrifice that drives Jude to do this, since it seemed like a lonely period of her life, commanding someone who hates her and separating herself from her family. Or it is a mix of both.

Jude had a grand time jogging all the events in The Wicked King and of course, something had to go wrong when there were so many sides going around her. *spoiler ahead* I just knew things were being too good when she returned from the Undersea and, damn, I knew she should not trust anyone, but it was just so easy to relax and enjoy some kind of peaceful environment. I am expecting some kind of grand entrance for her in Queen of Nothing because she deserves to rule the world.

Cardan

I know he sounds like one, but Cardan is everything but your angry-sarcastic-damaged-bad-boy-who-falls-in-love-with-the-cute-girl. I would probably die for him. He has that one sort of aura that makes him a cutie and an idiot at the same time. But he's perfect. I get why Jude starts to like him even after everything he has done to her. I'm not trying to excuse his hateful behavior, but he has a logical backstory and I get him. In TWK he has changed a lot. In The Cruel Prince, I saw him as nothing more but Jude's pawn and potential love interest. Now he becomes part of the whole political life, he doesn't consider himself just a pawn, but starts scheming and wants to make his revenge for being played. From the moment he took things in his own matters I instantly started loving his character and I can't possibly wait to see his development in Queen of Nothing.

Ghost, Roach and Bomb

Aside from Jude and Cardan, Roach and Bomb are the best characters in this story. I was so happy to get to know them more since they are the only friends Jude now has and I want them to get even closer. I always liked the idea of Cour of Shadows as friends and allies (aka cool spy squad) and I want to get even more of them in the third book.

And - Ghost. He was just meh, *spoiler* until he betrayed them and now I'm wondering what is he up to next. (Yet another party of this story, I gave up counting on them and the number of things that can go wrong).

Madoc

I especially liked how Holly did these two characters. Family is of great importance in both Jude and Cardan's story, and they both ended up with toxic parent figures and tremendous desire to prove themselves. Madoc wasn't exactly a father of the year since he supported Jude only when she did things his way. Their relationship was really well developed, especially the part where Jude feels really guilty for betraying him ("His love is part of the price I paid for this position."). He is yet another piece on the board and I expected his move through the whole book, but I didn't expect what actually happened.

Taryn

I hate Taryn. She is the only character from this book that I actually hate (I mean even Orlagh and Nicasia were cool. Annoying, but cool.). She is super weak and stupid, naïve and annoying. She is used as a pawn and represents the worst possible type of character. I only feel sorry for Jude, that she loves her twin sister *spoiler* even though she betrayed her multiple times.

*Spoilers for ending in the following paragraph*

This book had the best and least expected ending. I changed so many opinions about it, yet I am not quite sure how I feel of it. First I was sad and angry, but now I am just glad because it was brilliant. I expected there to be a lot more going on with the Undersea, their story isn't over just yet, but I did not expect Cardan putting them into their place. Then there is the thing with Madoc taking half of their army, which is inconvenient, but again brings a series of new problems and dynamics to the story. And last, there is the fact that Jude is a QUEEN OF FAERIE. I was sooo happy when that happened, like aww they started to trust each other and now they can start building their relationship based on some kind of trust, but no, Holly had some other plans. Which was just brilliant, because, let's be honest, Jude screwed him pretty damn hard and they would not be equals if he didn't pay her back.


If you haven't started this series yet I don't know what are you waiting for. I was pleasantly surprised with The Wicked King and it may just be one of my new favorite books. I don't want to have any expectations for the third book because I realized expectations are so tricky and the higher they get, the bigger the chance of disappointment gets 😊

Lina | ★★★★★

I can already tell 2019 is going to be a good year because it started with this AMAZING book. There are no words with which I could express how much love I hold for both it and its characters and the jumbled emotional mess it has made of me.

Even though I loved The Cruel Prince, my expectations for its sequel actually weren’t that high as I didn’t really know what to expect plot-wise and, this being the second installment of a trilogy, I assumed it was going to be more of a filler. But, Holly Black managed to yet again sweep me off my feet, dare I say even more so than before.


The plot focuses on Jude’s double life as a seneschal and the real force behind the throne of Elfhame, and takes place five months after the events of The Cruel Prince. Despite having earned the position of highest power in Faerie, she is still being underestimated because of her humanity and forced to prove herself time and time again. But navigating the machinations of the court and playing a game of kings and queens, crowns and fake smiles and backstabs along with constantly being at odds with Cardan is already taking its toll on her, and time is slipping through her fingers as her year and a day is slowly but surely running out.

As was the case with The Cruel Prince, the story is narrated from Jude’s point of view. Although I was kind of hoping to see Cardan’s POV as well, I can’t say that I was disappointed. What’s more, I think that keeping Jude as the only narrator has only added to the dynamics of the story, as she is very sharp and concise in her observations which makes it possible for reader to get the hang of what’s going on, yet still be able to be surprised. It also leaves Cardan for Jude (and us) to solve, which made him all the more fascinating and that final twist practically unpredictable.


What really piqued my interest was the whole political aspect of this book. Apart from the obvious matter of holding on to power once it’s aquired, the question that pops out is why? What motivates one to sacrifice so much to stay in one position of power if no one even knew they had it?
I loved seeing Black explore this issue by portraying various characters’ desires and desperate steps they made while trying to hold on to what already have and still get more.

While in The Cruel Prince we meet Jude as a mortal girl seeking power and a place for herself in the world of Faeries, The Wicked King is all about what she is willing to do and how far she would go to hold on to it and why. With her wittiness, strategic brilliance, the ability to manipulate and scheme and see through others’ machinations she is most certainly one of the most intriguing and compelling characters to read about, and the afraid, but still incredibly bold and passionate girl that hides behind the cold mask just makes even more lovable.

Cardan, on the other hand, seemed like the complete opposite. An, as he nicely put it himself, feckless king, spending his days lounging on the throne, drinking wine, acting as if he is leading his best life and overall being a layabout—until not anymore. It was interesting to see his layers dissolving, slowly uncovering a whole different person wanting to trust and be trusted, love and be loved, and who knows more about scheming and manipulation than he lets on.


I totally dig the slow burn, hate-to-love type of romance blooming between Jude and Cardan. The tension between them is palpable, and only amplified by its intertwinedness with politics. By working so closely together and being practically dependent on one another a certain amount of emotional intimacy has come between them, whether they wanted it or not. They needed to learn that, in order to be trusted, they had to trust and truly open themselves in return, and that on it depended not only their relationship but the whole Faerie as well.

The Wicked King was everything I wanted and then some more. Its fast-paced, dynamic plot, amazing characters and clever twists kept me on edge for the entire time and made it almost unable for me to put the book down. It made cry, laugh, stare blankly into nothing trying to figure out what the heck just happened and want to throw my phone all the way across the room (luckily I managed not to do that). But most of all, it made me so unbelievably happy that I am alive at such a time when books like this one exist and that I had the chance to read this masterpiece. I love it from the bottom of my heart and I can’t even fathom how I am going to survive for a whole nother year after that cliffhanger until the next book is released.