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A review by shelves_by_sim
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Considering The Folk of the Air series is one of my all-time favorites and that Cardan Greenbriar will ALWAYS be my number one book boyfriend, I can't believe it took me this long to read this novella! I think that I was holding off because I definitely didn't want this world, his and Jude's story, and this magical feeling this entire series gives me, to end. But I am so glad I've finally got to read this because it's so beautiful.
The only complaint I could ever have is, why wasn't this a novel? We could have had so much more, I could have had so much more. I want more. I absolutely love how we start off after everything and then switch to before The Cruel Prince, and then we go through the motions of when Cardan was a child, when he was growing up with Balekin, when he was finally developing a want for something more, when we are in the middle of everything that happens with Jude and then we carry on after all of it all over again.
There are memories of events but there is also a very immediate small plot that is happening, with Jude and Cardan in the human lands and some characters from both of their pasts. I love how we get to see why and how Cardan turned out to be the character we all know, with his anger and his cruel behavior towards the other folk. I love how we see the start of his disguised sympathy towards mortals and how he goes out of his way to rebel against Balekin. But most of all, I loved watching him slowly fall for Jude and then I loved experiencing his thoughts about her, as his wife, as the strong and self-sacrificing mortal she is, and as the person he admires so deeply but will still always want to protect. His awe that she chose him. His love for her. This was beautiful I nearly almost cried. Alot.
The only complaint I could ever have is, why wasn't this a novel? We could have had so much more, I could have had so much more. I want more. I absolutely love how we start off after everything and then switch to before The Cruel Prince, and then we go through the motions of when Cardan was a child, when he was growing up with Balekin, when he was finally developing a want for something more, when we are in the middle of everything that happens with Jude and then we carry on after all of it all over again.
There are memories of events but there is also a very immediate small plot that is happening, with Jude and Cardan in the human lands and some characters from both of their pasts. I love how we get to see why and how Cardan turned out to be the character we all know, with his anger and his cruel behavior towards the other folk. I love how we see the start of his disguised sympathy towards mortals and how he goes out of his way to rebel against Balekin. But most of all, I loved watching him slowly fall for Jude and then I loved experiencing his thoughts about her, as his wife, as the strong and self-sacrificing mortal she is, and as the person he admires so deeply but will still always want to protect. His awe that she chose him. His love for her. This was beautiful I nearly almost cried. Alot.