Synopsis

He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.

Review

 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you…No, it’s not that, not exactly. I didn’t think I could hurt you. And I never thought you would be afraid of me.”

“And did you like it?” I ask.

Holy Sh…nitzel! It is worth at least 6 stars! Thank you Holly Black!

To say that I was expectant and a little afraid to read this book would be a euphemism. It was my most awaited of 2019 with Starsight (that I am still waiting for) and you know how it goes when expectations are very high!

I also have read other books by Holly Black and let’s say that some have “sides” that fit the story perfectly but that leave me with weird feelings, not disappointed exactly but not over the moon either!

I began the book on Saturday afternoon and finished it by the evening!

That’s how engrossed I was!

I loved that:

-You get to see more of Cardan’s youth. And I was so sorry for baby Cardan!

“And so he grew up in a palace, cherished by no one and checked by no one.”

 You even have a prophecy worthy of any good fantasy book!

“Prince Cardan will be your last born child. He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.”

-You never have a dull moment! There isn’t one second where the action stops.

Between battling an exiled general, covering for her sister, being kidnapped, recovering from mortal wounds etc etc Jude has her plate overflowing!

-You also have scheming and twists aplenty, one of the biggest when you reach the last leg of the story. I think my heart stopped beating for one second and then sank in my chest!!!! All hope seemed lost! How would Jude make the right choice?

“Two paths are before me, but only one leads to victory.”

Jude is also full of surprises and evolved into …something totally unexpected.

Character wise now:

I stopped hating Taryn, something I never thought would happen.

Jude is still Jude at her best but I’d say wiser, stronger. She is still rushing headfirst into danger but she is no longer the weak and uncertain mortal she was in the first book. She will ascertain her authority.

Cardan is at his best! In the first book I said I was not really impressed but I had an inkling that he would improve and become less “airy” and more intense.

That’s what began to happen in the second book. Now he is royal and I love him!!!!!

The main characters in this trilogy had one of the bests growths that I have read in a long time! Holly Black really had them follow a path to reach their full potential. We are so far from the frightened and powerless mortal bullied by a spoiled and egotistical princeling.

Praise for the complex relationship between Madoc and Jude.  This one is in all shades of grey. How can you love the man who killed your parents but still raised you like his daughter? Yet there is love between these two. Admiration even. They both are true to their nature, they battle, the scheme but there will always be some respect and I daresay …love.

I don’t want to give away any spoiler so I’ll stop here!

Do I have something negative to say? Is “being too perfect” a flaw????

Recommend it? Yes! A thousand times!

Have you read it?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie