Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A fast, fun read that doesn't quite have the spark of The Folk of the Air.

I think Holly Black's writing has gotten more mature over time, and it's generally much smoother to read now. Wren's a great protagonist—sympathetic, unsocialized, impulsive—and Oak is likeable here, even if I felt that he was almost too easy to like and trust for the purposes of the story. It's obvious fairly quickly that all the wild rumours about him being irresponsible or cunning are exaggerated, but the book seems to want you to wonder at his true intentions, even when he literally can't lie about them.

My main complaint is with the weak ending, wherein

all the traits we've seen in Wren so far are abruptly thrown out, like her fierce hatred for imprisonment, over her discovering she has Mellith's heart and that Oak didn't mention it. It doesn't feel like nearly a big enough "betrayal" to warrant her 180 in personality and using the bridle on him, especially after making much ado about not wanting to see it on anyone. Not to mention Oak literally tells her outright that he was just keeping it from her so she would be able to truthfully say she didn't know where the heart was. Way more angst and development would have been needed to make that cruelty feel like a realistic next step, the way Jude betraying Cardan felt real in the original trilogy.

Still, I marathoned this within a day and immediately put a hold on the next book, so I can't say I don't recommend it. It's a good time, even if the character development doesn't always hold together towards the end.

Content Warnings

noellegrace8's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Unlike some Folk of the Air lovers who were disappointed in the lack of Cardan & Jude or a similar relationship dynamic, I was blown away by Black's ability to formulate a completely captivating story with far less use of such a dramatic love duo. I personally think Oak and Suren are a lovely duo, albeit less romantically present in their story than Jude & Cardan were in theirs. I actually think it's much harder to write a great story without the easier elements such as romance/sex & violence, so this book was next level in my opinion. I found myself hurting for Suren so many times to the point that I actually teared up, loving her adherance to kindness, and pleasantly surprised by plot elements. And the casual drops/updates about Jurdan and their reign? Love that. I just love Elfhame so much. I hope Holly Black keeps writing about it.

I give Saskia Maarleveld 5/5⭐️. Her narration was great, with distinction between characters and what I thought was a wonderful depiction of Suren's character through cadence & voice choices. Additionally, unlike many women narrators, I didn't find her male vocal imitation to be cheesy or too much. It did kind of bug me that she said soo-ren instead of ser-ren though.

Content Warnings

nexusthegreat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I actually loved this book so much that as soon as I finished it, I was already flipping to the first page of prisoners throne. The plot twist was something I saw coming for quite awhile, but not that character development and ending!! Like, what?? Absolutely, one of my favorite books.

Content Warnings

daenerystargaryen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-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

4.0

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jessversteeg's review against another edition

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3.5

Back to Faerie to see what’s happening with Oak.

Another good book in the series!

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rchulin1's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.25

This book focuses on Suren a character who was mentioned briefly in the Queen of Nothing and also Oak it has been many years since the previous events and Oak is all grown up

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dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.25

sadly i didn’t enjoy this as much as
The Folk of the Air, but it was still good. this book is from wren’s perspective, so that was a change to get used to. i was bored for the first 45%, but to be fair i didn’t really fully get into The Cruel Prince until the last 40% of it either, so i guess i can forgive the rough start. not a writing issue but a me issue was that oak was literally a child in The Folk of the Air, so to read him as a love interest this time was strange and ever so slightly cringey, the same way i feel with younger siblings and their partners

thoughts while reading

p120: well this is fairly reminiscent isn’t it

p235: i knew it! that’s so cute 🥺

p241: don’t take her hairpin 😡

p248: AHHHHH THAT’S WHAT JUDE SAID TOO

p292: damn that was actually pretty hot

p342: wait a damn minute

wren’s heart must be mellith’s!!!

p350: this is absolutely insane

quotes

I find them both disconcerting and fascinating in equal measure.

I am drawn to watching his face, as though through his dreams, I will learn his secrets.
Something is very wrong with me.

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