So, I’d Heard Good Things…
I’d heard from several people that Book 2, The Wicked King, in Folk of the Air was much better, more engaging, and faster-paced than Book 1. So, I was excited to dive in and get deeper into the story!
A Summary of The Wicked King (Spoilers Below)!
After discovering Oak is the heir to Faeirie, Jude has orchestrated a plan to keep him safe, including bounding the new king Cardan to her, making herself the true power behind the throne. But navigating the cutthroat world of Faerie politics is much more difficult than Jude could’ve anticipated, especially with Cardan constantly undermining her.
What I Liked
While I personally didn’t feel like The Wicked King stood out far beyond The Cruel Prince, I did enjoy it.
- The fairy (faerie, fae, whatever) world and setting
- Increased stakes
- Growth for Cardan and Jude
- Writing style
- Even pacing and swift-moving plot
- Surprise ending!
What I Liked Less
- None of the characters are particularly likable
- The overall plot is not super original (reminds me a lot of similar YA novels)
- Increased intensity (a little more swearing, more violence, etc…)
Content Concerns for The Wicked King?
All in all, no, not really. There’s a little bit of language and some implied sexual content. Nothing explicit.
I personally would consider this more of an age 16 & Up YA versus a 13/14+.
Final Thoughts
The Wicked King was, overall, an entertaining story and solid continuation of the Folk of the Air trilogy. There were a few things I didn’t love, but nothing that impacted my reading experience. It was easy-to-read, well-written, and set us up for the final book (Queen of Nothing) very well.
Content Rating: Moderate
for some innuendo/sexual content, infrequent language, and violence
Copyright Holly Black and Little, Brown Books. Image from Amazon.
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