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A review by eden_blossom
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
5.0
“Come home and shout at me. Come home and fight with me. Come home and break my heart, if you must. Just come home.”
Jude is now in the human world, residing with Vivi and Oak, having just survived the tragic events of The Wicked King. Jude now thinks she won't again visit faerie or see Cardan again.
Jude is needed when Taryn arrives with some terrible news. To save her twin from going to jail or worse, Jude must return to Faerie and claim to be Taryn. Jude, however, cannot safely return while he is in exile. Many individuals will do anything to witness her collapse.
But when she gets there, the political climate is considerably worse than she had anticipated, with Cardan and Madoc engaged in a struggle for the throne. After all the treachery she experienced, Jude knows she needs to assist, but she is unsure of who to turn to.
“Mock me all you like. Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips. By you, I am forever undone.”
I awaited her return to Faerie with eager anticipation so that she could confront both Madoc and Cardan. I was so enraged by the twist at the end of the previous book that I couldn't wait for Jude to exact revenge.
“It’s you I love,” he says. “I spent much of my life guarding my heart. I guarded it so well that I could behave as though I didn’t have one at all. Even now, it is a shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous thing. But it is yours.” He walks to the door to the royal chambers, as though to end the conversation. “You probably guessed as much,” he says. “But just in case you didn’t.”
How Cardan and Jude's romance would develop was another aspect for which I was anxious and excited. After Cardan's behaviour in the beginning, I wasn’t sure I could ship them, but Black gave him strong development and continued to expand on his background. Despite my skepticism, he did win my (and Jude's!) respect and forgiveness. Additionally, it was hilarious to observe him in human society.
I also feel the need to thank Black for the intimacy he has given us with Cardan and Jude. I have waited three long volumes for that and it did not disappoint. Not to mention how much I enjoyed watching Cardan grovel before Jude and plead with him. By the way, don't forget to read Cardan's letters to Jude, the letters Cardan sent to Jude when she was in the human world (chef's kiss).
“I missed you," I whisper against his skin and feel dizzy with the intimacy of the admission, feel more naked than when he could see every inch of me. "In the mortal world, when I thought you were my enemy, I still missed you."
Taryn was another character I was curious about. I found her so arrogant in the first two books, so Black's character development is welcome. In the end, she cared about her siblings as well as herself. At least she didn't have a plan to betray Jude, even though she still needed him to save her. Speaking of Taryn and the outcome that this character has after, I have to say that I loved the naturalness with which the subject of abortion was treated, something that if in our world is still a taboo subject, it is even more so in Efhame.
Black provided us with a thrilling conclusion to the Folk of the Air trilogy as a whole. The closure felt settled, and the activity kept us invigorated all through the whole book. For fans of young adult fantasy, this series is highly recommended
Jude is now in the human world, residing with Vivi and Oak, having just survived the tragic events of The Wicked King. Jude now thinks she won't again visit faerie or see Cardan again.
Jude is needed when Taryn arrives with some terrible news. To save her twin from going to jail or worse, Jude must return to Faerie and claim to be Taryn. Jude, however, cannot safely return while he is in exile. Many individuals will do anything to witness her collapse.
But when she gets there, the political climate is considerably worse than she had anticipated, with Cardan and Madoc engaged in a struggle for the throne. After all the treachery she experienced, Jude knows she needs to assist, but she is unsure of who to turn to.
“Mock me all you like. Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips. By you, I am forever undone.”
I awaited her return to Faerie with eager anticipation so that she could confront both Madoc and Cardan. I was so enraged by the twist at the end of the previous book that I couldn't wait for Jude to exact revenge.
“It’s you I love,” he says. “I spent much of my life guarding my heart. I guarded it so well that I could behave as though I didn’t have one at all. Even now, it is a shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous thing. But it is yours.” He walks to the door to the royal chambers, as though to end the conversation. “You probably guessed as much,” he says. “But just in case you didn’t.”
How Cardan and Jude's romance would develop was another aspect for which I was anxious and excited. After Cardan's behaviour in the beginning, I wasn’t sure I could ship them, but Black gave him strong development and continued to expand on his background. Despite my skepticism, he did win my (and Jude's!) respect and forgiveness. Additionally, it was hilarious to observe him in human society.
I also feel the need to thank Black for the intimacy he has given us with Cardan and Jude. I have waited three long volumes for that and it did not disappoint. Not to mention how much I enjoyed watching Cardan grovel before Jude and plead with him. By the way, don't forget to read Cardan's letters to Jude, the letters Cardan sent to Jude when she was in the human world (chef's kiss).
“I missed you," I whisper against his skin and feel dizzy with the intimacy of the admission, feel more naked than when he could see every inch of me. "In the mortal world, when I thought you were my enemy, I still missed you."
Taryn was another character I was curious about. I found her so arrogant in the first two books, so Black's character development is welcome. In the end, she cared about her siblings as well as herself. At least she didn't have a plan to betray Jude, even though she still needed him to save her. Speaking of Taryn and the outcome that this character has after
Spoiler
Locke's deathBlack provided us with a thrilling conclusion to the Folk of the Air trilogy as a whole. The closure felt settled, and the activity kept us invigorated all through the whole book. For fans of young adult fantasy, this series is highly recommended