[ARC Review] The Wicked King by Holly Black

Power is so much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.

Rating

Review

(Spoiler warning for The Cruel Prince if you haven't read it!)

Oh my god. I can't get over how lucky I was to be able to read an arc of this, I am truly blessed to experience this. We are all truly blessed that Holly Black has written this series.

The Wicked King begins five months after the first book left off: with Cardan as the High King and Jude in control as Cardan's adviser. Unfortunately power isn't as easy to keep as it was to take and Jude is struggling to keep Cardan and the court in line. With new and old enemies seeking war, Jude will have to navigate the ever cruel faerie kingdom as someone close to her betrays her, and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan as he grows even more fascinated with her.

I love this series so much. The Cruel Prince was already my favorite book of the year and this book was even better. It was intense! All the politics, the drama, the murder, and the sexual tension between Cardan and Jude. I loved it all to be honest. This book was the same kind of violence and cruelty as the first book, but with the volume turned up even more. I don't say this lightly but it gave me pretty much everything I ever wanted after the first book.

Cardan is such a powerful mess, I love him. I still love Jude too, even more now. She's a really strong character that does what is necessary, no matter what it is. She can keep up with the folk and even outsmart them. And most of all, despite everything that happens, she endures. I would easily die for Jude, and never have I loved a character more. Also Cardan and Jude? Oh man. No spoilers but a lot of things happened on that front that I really, really enjoyed.

The world Holly has created years ago is richer than ever and when I read this, I fell right back into this faerie world. It's cruel and wicked but still amazing and magical. In this series, it's not so black and white as Jude being the hero fighting villains. It's way more complex and I am here for it.

Holly Black is one of my favorite authors and her writing books like this is the reason why. I can't wait for book #3.