A review by luckykosmos
The Wicked King by Holly Black

tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I gave this book a shot despite misgivings about the first one, and it helped me quantify what exactly it was that had me torn. Specifically:
  • I came for a story about human overlap with fae, to see how Jude wields this power. Which this has, but it feels weak, like Jude should be wielding much more power in this dynamic but everything in her comes back to wielding Cardan like a weapon. which is a problem, because
  • I just... can't bring myself to care about Cardan, at least not in this dynamic. I was promised enemies-to-lovers, and this isn't a transition, any growth in their dynamic. Cardan was terrible to her, and in a spark of a moment, they both realize they are inexplicably attracted to one another and are trying to come to terms with that.
The problem here is that this book is predicated on the idea that you enjoy that, and you want Jude and Cardan drawn to one another and read about their push-and-pull. And I don't. I want the examination of why Cardan hated her so much, of Jude asking what it is about Cardan she's drawn to other than Mystery Chemistry. And moreover, the examination of, if this is an unhealthy dynamic, them DEALING with that. Maybe this book is for someone, but Holly Black cast off everything that I enjoyed about her older books and picked up surface tropes to use as set dressing. And maybe that's fine for someone who want to dress up in faerie and just watch everything. But it's not doing it for me. I'm not getting what I want, so I'm stopping here, 
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