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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have a lot less to say about this book than its series’ predecessors. I loved it, but I don’t feel the need to recap it as heavily as I did the others because wow, so much happened. It’d take me ages to recount.
This book begins with Oak’s imprisonment after Wren claimed Lady Nore’s crown for herself and locked him up for his betrayal. He’s in love with her, but not in love with being bridled and held captive by her, so he’s stuck between his current loyalty to Elfhame and the High Court (who eventually vow to rescue him in three days, entailing the entirety of Elfhame’s army surrounding the Citadel) and the loyalty he wants to convey to Wren in hopes of convincing her he’s sorry for keeping her identity as Mellith to himself and is on her side.
Oak’s time as a prisoner was executed so well. He was captive for much of the book’s beginning, but I was still entertained because we were given details about his life, his love-talking ability and his feelings for Wren despite the knots in the threads of their relationship. I liked learning about his relationships with Madoc, Oriana and the Ghost, and how he weighed the consequences of standing with Wren as opposed to Jude and how he would confirm Wren’s suspicions that he didn’t really care about her if he returned to Elfhame under Jude’s protection without trying to fix their relationship.
I think the subtle love they have for each other is displayed so uniquely, though. I enjoyed the scenes of Oak speaking with the servants who fed him, the guards who watched over him and even Wren herself when he escapes and attempts a private audience with her. Most of them were permeated with his thoughts about Wren. I think their relationship is so well conveyed in the little things: the haste Oak has to see her despite escaping her prison, the calm reaction Wren has upon learning the man she loves escaped his cell just to enter her room instead of simply leaving the Citadel, Wren killing the guard who tortured Oak without her knowledge.
It was funny that at the private dinner they had, they basically argued over whether Oak enjoyed Wren biting him while they kissed. Wren openly admitting that she doesn’t know why she’s holding Oak prisoner (because she loves him and doesn’t want to let him go, or because she’s angry) was telling of her character. Her heart is hurt, and she wishes to punish him, but also cannot let him see how sickly she is as a result of her powers, probably because she can’t handle him seeing her in any form of weakened state since a) she knows she’ll melt in the face of his concern, or b) she wishes to present a strong front to avoid the heartache he caused her. All of her decisions and unresolved feelings in this book coalesce into their mess of a relationship, which Oak eventually approaches with open arms. I enjoyed seeing Wren shut him down post-engagement (even if it hurt), because it proved he wanted her, too, and I think it made it so much more rewarding when they actually got together.
I like the dynamic between Hyacinthe and Oak, too. I found it endearing Hyacinthe was willing to aid Oak’s escape despite being sworn to Wren simply because he knows Wren’s magic is killing her and Oak cares enough to help; it’s exacerbated by the fact that Hyacinthe is hellbent on loyalty, and he went behind his own lover’s back, too. For different reasons, but the parallel is there.
Oak and Wren’s love story is so different from Jude and Cardan’s, which is why I think I liked this duology so much. Not because I don’t like Jude and Cardan’s romance, but because Oak and Wren deserve to breathe without the shadow of the “original powerhouse couple” looming over them. A lot of people are disappointed with this series because Oak and Wren aren’t clones of Jude and Cardan, which I think is a little silly—their difference to the OGs is what makes me love them so much, as I personally find Oak and Wren’s romance much more developed and realistic. To me, Cardan wasn’t even in the first Folk of the Air book. Regardless, I’m convinced the best enemies to lovers is actually just friends/lovers to enemies to lovers. Oak and Wren are so flawed, in their own ways, and I like that they’re willing to grow together for the sake of their relationship. If you think about it, they’re polar opposites. I adored the scene where Oak told off Oriana when she criticized Wren as a bride and told her that Wren isn’t a courtier, she’s shy and dislikes thinking of what to say to people. It’s refreshing to see someone troubled by the act of maintaining a social mask, as seemingly every other Folk of the Air character can do it, in some form. Oak couldn’t even tell whether Jude was bluffing or truly trying to kill him in the finale! Wren is so relatable and I loved seeing her from Oak’s perspective, given we knew her so intimately in the first book.
That being said, the prose only gets better from book-to-book; there were so many clever and hard-hitting lines both in the dialogue and Oak’s internal thoughts. The plot was magnificent and had so many different branches that spanned between so many characters. I wracked my head trying to figure out the mystery. One of the bullet points I wrote for this was that I was glad to see the Ghost. I regret it now. But I loved seeing him play knight for Oak’s sake in the Citadel. I imagine it’d otherwise be super out-of-character for him to play negotiator.
The relationships were so fun to read, from Tiernan and Hyacinthe’s rekindling to Wren forcibly playing hard-to-get for the sake of Bex’s wellbeing. Also, Jude and Cardan cameo. Also also, Taryn and the Ghost. The scenes where Wren was weak and begged Oak to break their engagement and stop being kind to her made my heart melt. THIS is slow burn. I learned so much about how Oak felt about his family, about Court and about himself—Wren’s question of whether he believes anyone has truly loved him hit hard. Oak faced an existential crisis twice in the book, both in response to Wren’s question and the realization that the Ghost is his would-be assassin. His inner turmoil was real and I like that he was willing to call his family’s tendency to sweep things under the rug in front of everyone else in the finale. His sword dance fight scene with Jude was also amazing. I care more for Jude than Cardan, and I loved seeing her mind at work, from verbally mauling those who challenged her mortal rule to physically "dueling" Oak so they could point two blades at Bogdana’s throat.
Most people probably want another Jude and Cardan book in the future. But I would like a book about Oak and Wren as well. Wouldn’t you want to see how the Prince of Sunlight became the Winter King, too?
This book begins with Oak’s imprisonment after Wren claimed Lady Nore’s crown for herself and locked him up for his betrayal. He’s in love with her, but not in love with being bridled and held captive by her, so he’s stuck between his current loyalty to Elfhame and the High Court (who eventually vow to rescue him in three days, entailing the entirety of Elfhame’s army surrounding the Citadel) and the loyalty he wants to convey to Wren in hopes of convincing her he’s sorry for keeping her identity as Mellith to himself and is on her side.
Oak’s time as a prisoner was executed so well. He was captive for much of the book’s beginning, but I was still entertained because we were given details about his life, his love-talking ability and his feelings for Wren despite the knots in the threads of their relationship. I liked learning about his relationships with Madoc, Oriana and the Ghost, and how he weighed the consequences of standing with Wren as opposed to Jude and how he would confirm Wren’s suspicions that he didn’t really care about her if he returned to Elfhame under Jude’s protection without trying to fix their relationship.
I think the subtle love they have for each other is displayed so uniquely, though. I enjoyed the scenes of Oak speaking with the servants who fed him, the guards who watched over him and even Wren herself when he escapes and attempts a private audience with her. Most of them were permeated with his thoughts about Wren. I think their relationship is so well conveyed in the little things: the haste Oak has to see her despite escaping her prison, the calm reaction Wren has upon learning the man she loves escaped his cell just to enter her room instead of simply leaving the Citadel, Wren killing the guard who tortured Oak without her knowledge.
It was funny that at the private dinner they had, they basically argued over whether Oak enjoyed Wren biting him while they kissed. Wren openly admitting that she doesn’t know why she’s holding Oak prisoner (because she loves him and doesn’t want to let him go, or because she’s angry) was telling of her character. Her heart is hurt, and she wishes to punish him, but also cannot let him see how sickly she is as a result of her powers, probably because she can’t handle him seeing her in any form of weakened state since a) she knows she’ll melt in the face of his concern, or b) she wishes to present a strong front to avoid the heartache he caused her. All of her decisions and unresolved feelings in this book coalesce into their mess of a relationship, which Oak eventually approaches with open arms. I enjoyed seeing Wren shut him down post-engagement (even if it hurt), because it proved he wanted her, too, and I think it made it so much more rewarding when they actually got together.
I like the dynamic between Hyacinthe and Oak, too. I found it endearing Hyacinthe was willing to aid Oak’s escape despite being sworn to Wren simply because he knows Wren’s magic is killing her and Oak cares enough to help; it’s exacerbated by the fact that Hyacinthe is hellbent on loyalty, and he went behind his own lover’s back, too. For different reasons, but the parallel is there.
Oak and Wren’s love story is so different from Jude and Cardan’s, which is why I think I liked this duology so much. Not because I don’t like Jude and Cardan’s romance, but because Oak and Wren deserve to breathe without the shadow of the “original powerhouse couple” looming over them. A lot of people are disappointed with this series because Oak and Wren aren’t clones of Jude and Cardan, which I think is a little silly—their difference to the OGs is what makes me love them so much, as I personally find Oak and Wren’s romance much more developed and realistic. To me, Cardan wasn’t even in the first Folk of the Air book. Regardless, I’m convinced the best enemies to lovers is actually just friends/lovers to enemies to lovers. Oak and Wren are so flawed, in their own ways, and I like that they’re willing to grow together for the sake of their relationship. If you think about it, they’re polar opposites. I adored the scene where Oak told off Oriana when she criticized Wren as a bride and told her that Wren isn’t a courtier, she’s shy and dislikes thinking of what to say to people. It’s refreshing to see someone troubled by the act of maintaining a social mask, as seemingly every other Folk of the Air character can do it, in some form. Oak couldn’t even tell whether Jude was bluffing or truly trying to kill him in the finale! Wren is so relatable and I loved seeing her from Oak’s perspective, given we knew her so intimately in the first book.
That being said, the prose only gets better from book-to-book; there were so many clever and hard-hitting lines both in the dialogue and Oak’s internal thoughts. The plot was magnificent and had so many different branches that spanned between so many characters. I wracked my head trying to figure out the mystery. One of the bullet points I wrote for this was that I was glad to see the Ghost. I regret it now. But I loved seeing him play knight for Oak’s sake in the Citadel. I imagine it’d otherwise be super out-of-character for him to play negotiator.
The relationships were so fun to read, from Tiernan and Hyacinthe’s rekindling to Wren forcibly playing hard-to-get for the sake of Bex’s wellbeing. Also, Jude and Cardan cameo. Also also, Taryn and the Ghost. The scenes where Wren was weak and begged Oak to break their engagement and stop being kind to her made my heart melt. THIS is slow burn. I learned so much about how Oak felt about his family, about Court and about himself—Wren’s question of whether he believes anyone has truly loved him hit hard. Oak faced an existential crisis twice in the book, both in response to Wren’s question and the realization that the Ghost is his would-be assassin. His inner turmoil was real and I like that he was willing to call his family’s tendency to sweep things under the rug in front of everyone else in the finale. His sword dance fight scene with Jude was also amazing. I care more for Jude than Cardan, and I loved seeing her mind at work, from verbally mauling those who challenged her mortal rule to physically "dueling" Oak so they could point two blades at Bogdana’s throat.
Most people probably want another Jude and Cardan book in the future. But I would like a book about Oak and Wren as well. Wouldn’t you want to see how the Prince of Sunlight became the Winter King, too?