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A review by queer_bookwyrm
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: child abuse/neglect
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black is the companion to the Folk of the Air trilogy. It is set up as a series of short stories from Cardan's POV.
We get some background on Cardan and learn more about his life in Faerie as he was growing up along with stories from moments from The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. We also get to see more if Cardan after his character growth.
I love how much Cardan loves Jude. We get to see more evidence of that here, but that boy is so hopeless. At least he knows Jude will always save his ass. I loved the theme of storytelling in this book. Black has used the story of the boy with a stone heart throughout and is a great device that comes full circle.
Tell me I'm not the only one who wants to go literally anywhere in the human world with Cardan! Oh the mischief he could get into. The story with him at the restaurant made me chuckle. I deeply appreciated Black putting some Mainer lingo into it as well! Ayuh!
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black is the companion to the Folk of the Air trilogy. It is set up as a series of short stories from Cardan's POV.
We get some background on Cardan and learn more about his life in Faerie as he was growing up along with stories from moments from The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. We also get to see more if Cardan after his character growth.
I love how much Cardan loves Jude. We get to see more evidence of that here, but that boy is so hopeless. At least he knows Jude will always save his ass. I loved the theme of storytelling in this book. Black has used the story of the boy with a stone heart throughout and is a great device that comes full circle.
Tell me I'm not the only one who wants to go literally anywhere in the human world with Cardan! Oh the mischief he could get into. The story with him at the restaurant made me chuckle. I deeply appreciated Black putting some Mainer lingo into it as well! Ayuh!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse