A review by bazayas
The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

adventurous dark emotional tense 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

5.0

Imprisoned at the Court of Teeth by Queen Suren, the lover he betrayed, Prince Oak is determined to prove his love and that he is more than his magic manipulations, while his dangerous royal family will do anything to get him back—even if they don’t trust him either. 

I’m a Holly Black stan who’s been here since Tithe in early 00s, and this series always hits right. The protagonists are delightfully complex and morally gray, which means you don’t know how to trust or what will happen right up to the very end. I was gasping aloud more than once, and when one of my favorites died unexpectedly it raised the stakes and tension. I wouldn’t change a thing except I needed more Jude and Cardan (which I hope the next book can give us)!

CW/TW:

violence; death; child abuse; body horror

For fans of:

Celtic mythology; the Fae; fantasy that deals with non-humans as inhuman; morally gray protagonists; MCs who don’t worry if killing makes them like the villain; “touch her and die”; friends to lovers to enemies to lovers