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A review by molly_blackburn
The Wicked King by Holly Black
4.0
More plot, and better character development, but I still wanted more romance!
I think this book did really well at not falling prey to the 'second book' curse and overall I am really glad I decided to continue with the series! We got a ramp-up in the politics and plot, Carden felt more fleshed out and we got a smidge more romance.
I really enjoyed being back in the whimsical yet cutthroat setting that is Elfhame! Even though I had issues with aspects of the first book, I found myself itching to continue the series.
The twists and turns in the politically heavy plot are really good and keep me interested. The world is by far the biggest aspect of the series which I love and I really enjoyed that this was expanded within this book to include the undersea.
Sadly I still don't feel a real connection to Jude, I don't dislike her, I just don't feel passionate about her. As I said in my The Cruel Prince review, I think this is mainly down to this book being at the younger end of YA. If I read this as a teenager I really think I would have been obsessed with Jude.
Carden on the other hand really stepped up. His dialogue is *Chefs Kiss* and I love every scene he is in. Everything he says makes me laugh and/or swoon. I'm not classifying him as a book boyfriend just yet but I do love his character. The progression he had throughout this book was fabulous and I'm hoping this continues into the last book.
While there was more romance than in the first book, I did find myself craving more. I think all the fan art of Jude and Carden I'd seen before reading the series tricked me into thinking romance was a more significant part of the books than it actually is. However, I adored what we got and there is The Queen of Nothing still to come!
The last third of this was excellent. The twists were exactly what the series needed and I'm excited to see what this means for Jude and co in The Queen of Nothing.
I think this book did really well at not falling prey to the 'second book' curse and overall I am really glad I decided to continue with the series! We got a ramp-up in the politics and plot, Carden felt more fleshed out and we got a smidge more romance.
I really enjoyed being back in the whimsical yet cutthroat setting that is Elfhame! Even though I had issues with aspects of the first book, I found myself itching to continue the series.
The twists and turns in the politically heavy plot are really good and keep me interested. The world is by far the biggest aspect of the series which I love and I really enjoyed that this was expanded within this book to include the undersea.
Sadly I still don't feel a real connection to Jude, I don't dislike her, I just don't feel passionate about her. As I said in my The Cruel Prince review, I think this is mainly down to this book being at the younger end of YA. If I read this as a teenager I really think I would have been obsessed with Jude.
Carden on the other hand really stepped up. His dialogue is *Chefs Kiss* and I love every scene he is in. Everything he says makes me laugh and/or swoon. I'm not classifying him as a book boyfriend just yet but I do love his character. The progression he had throughout this book was fabulous and I'm hoping this continues into the last book.
While there was more romance than in the first book, I did find myself craving more. I think all the fan art of Jude and Carden I'd seen before reading the series tricked me into thinking romance was a more significant part of the books than it actually is. However, I adored what we got and there is The Queen of Nothing still to come!
The last third of this was excellent. The twists were exactly what the series needed and I'm excited to see what this means for Jude and co in The Queen of Nothing.