Reviews tagging 'Death'

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

10 reviews

dramagirl2003's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

didn't like it nearly as much as the trilogy but it was still great! i love the illustrations and i read this in a day

thoughts while reading

p47: that's cute actually, cardan basically did free the servants for jude
p75: omg the book came from vivi?? that's crazy, but obviously makes total sense
p94: oop, the moment where nicasia switches to the locke side
p132: look at judie pops clearing up after cardan
p145: oh this is gonna be the story where cardan is so pleased with himself for pretending to be human
p155: i'm sorry, is aslog really trying to

murder the high king

??? like how does she see this working out for her??
p162: is now a good time to point out that cardan is most definitely trying to wait for—WAIT NO.

he's not waiting for jude to come for him, he's waiting for the sun to turn aslog to stone!

damn i almost forgot that he's a strong, independent man who doesn't need a woman to save him! 😂
p166: or is he waiting for jude 😏

quotes

It wasn't until he was glaring down at Jude, standing waist-deep in river water, fighting the current, that he realised he was in trouble.
She ought to be nothing. She ought to be insignificant. She ought not to matter.
He had to make her not matter.
But every night, Jude haunted him. It was too much, the way he thought about her. He knew it was too much, but he couldn't stop.
It disgusted him that he couldn't stop.

"Why didn't you hate everyone?" he asks. "Everyone, all the time."
"I hated you," Jude reassures him, bringing her mouth to his.

Cardan congratulates himself on his skill at passing for human. Of course, he has no human money. But the High King of Elfhame refuses to pay with glamoured leaves, as though he were some common peasant. He hands over glamoured gold instead and walks our with his purchases, feeling smug.

"I think you have iron poisoning," she tells him, which could be true but is still a hurtful thing to say when he is making perfect sense.

"You didn't hear the story I told," he goes on. "A shame. It featured a handsome boy with a heart of stone and a natural aptitude for villainy. Everything you could like."
She laughs. "You really are terrible, you know that? I don't even understand why the things you say make me smile."

Content Warnings

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a lovely post script to The Folk of the Air series, the illustrations really made it extra special. I like that we both got prequel and epilogue Cardan. If I had any criticism it would be that I wish there had been a little more on the epilogue side.

Content Warnings

theintrovertsbooks's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

johns6ka's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

alexifairbanks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Hands down, one of my all time favourite books

Content Warnings

limitlessreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This bonus book is apart of my favourite trilogy...no shock that I loved it as much as the other books. The illustrations were beautiful!

Content Warnings

erovelo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

bookcrushin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was an interesting way to tell a short story but also get a glimpse into the mind of Cardan. I liked how it weaved the present with the past and how stories help Cardan grow.

Content Warnings

plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was excited for more content in the Folk of the Air world, and this little novella collection certainly delivered. Cardan is one of my favorite lovable dumbasses, so I devoured these stories in just a few hours. Also, the entire book is absolutely gorgeous. Rovina Cai’s illustrations are stunning, and I think her portrayal of Cardan is among the best I’ve seen.

Now for some thoughts regarding each novella.

The King of Elfhame Visits the Mortal World: 4 stars. Fun, but not really substantial.
The Prince of Elfhame is Rude: 4 stars. My criticism here is the same as it is for the previous novella.
The Prince of Elfhame Hates (Almost) Everything and Everyone: 4.5 stars. It was interesting to see how Cardan and Nicasia met.
The Prince of Elfhame Gets a Moth Drunk: 3.5 stars. Though it wasn’t as interesting as the title suggests, I did like seeing Cardan’s softer side. (He just won’t admit he has one.)
The Prince of Elfhame is Mildly Inconvenienced: 3 stars. This was kind of pointless, but seeing Jude and Taryn from Cardan’s perspective is definitely interesting.
The Prince of Elfhame Gets Wet: 3 stars. Again, this was kind of pointless, but I enjoyed seeing his crush on Jude develop.
The Prince of Elfhame is Given Two Stories: 4 stars. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to but I kind of like Aslog. (Note: This doesn’t last.)
The Prince of Elfhame Learns to Hate Stories: 4 stars. The best word to describe Cardan is “fool”, as evidenced by this story. I love him anyway.
The Prince of Elfhame Stomps Around: 4 stars. Alternate title: The Prince of Elfhame Has a Crush on a Mortal. We love to see it. At least, I do.
The King of Elfhame Tries to Do One Good Thing: 5 stars. YESSS JURDAN CONTENT. Also, I love seeing Cardan in the mortal world, 10/10 would read more. This is one of my favorite stories.
The King of Elfhame Gets What He Deserves: 5 stars. Cardan really is a dumbass, but it’s fine. He means well—most of the time—and he’s entertaining regardless. This is my other favorite story. (Yes, my favorites are the ones that involve Jude and Cardan. I’m a simple lesbian that just loves to see her favorite heteros together.)

Some of these made me laugh, and others really made me pity Cardan. It’s a super short book, easy to speed through, and if you’re a fan of this series, I can’t recommend it enough. Cardan might hate stories, but I love them.

Content Warnings

typedtruths's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

➸ Trigger warnings for

child abuse & neglect, parental abandonment, cheating, alcohol consumption & abuse, recreational drug use (including forced & coerced use), whipping mentioned, mind control & forced slavery (sc), murder & death mentioned, and bullying

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