The Wicked King

The Wicked King was an amazing sequel to Cruel Prince, an intriguing YA fantasy that revolved around trying to keep her control over Cardan and fighting the trouble brewing in court. The story was about deceit, mind games, trust, betrayal, court politics, game of power, secrets, cruelty, and love. Most of the chapters ended with quote worthy lines. Plot was more tense, dark and filled with mind games and politics. First half of the book was a bit steady paced with all political things, managing meeting, ravels and Court of Shadows with attack that kept things spiced up but as Taryn’s wedding neared things became exciting and the second part of the book was just brilliant with so many twists and turns. Characters were as interesting and complex as first book. There was a good development in Jude and Cardan. I enjoyed reading more about Cardan and also Jude’s parents. Most of the characters were unlikable and I didn’t trust any of them which made plot tense and tight. The world was great. I enjoyed exploring the undersea and knowing more about how the power of High King actually works and what Cardan can do with it. There was some progress in romance. Me and @readingtonic2020 both agree that it can’t be love if they don’t trust each other fully but we are curious how it’s going to develope. It’s not normal kind we see in other books. Overall, Wicked King was brilliant, fascinating, captivating and wicked YA fantasy filled with bloody politics and amazing twist and turns. I highly recommend this book if you like, Royal politics and political intrigue power game complex characters and plot cruel and twisted world enemies-to-lovers arc Blood-thirsty YA fantasy

The quality is super amazing and it arrived in good condition. I would totally prefer this if you want to buy.

I liked this one much better, the unexpected moves caught me off guard and I kind of enjoyed it, I am still new to reading books written in series but now I know why this one is so famous among fellow readers, it is worth reading if you are into fantasy books. Happy Reading!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Wicked King! The tension, betrayal, and twists were amazing, and Jude is such a fierce character. Her dynamic with Cardan kept me hooked, and the story was unpredictable in the best way. Plus, the book quality is awesome—the cover and pages are beautiful and well-made. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to dive into the next one!

🍺🤌🤌🤌🤌

Amazing ♥️♥️

Good book but the queen of nothing is better

Reached in hand with good condition ! Happy with the purchase !

Alrighty, I take back what I said about the previous book not having enough substance. When I reached this book and the story took off, I was comfortable in who everyone was and what part they were playing. What I love about Holly Black's writing is that it draws you in, takes you for an adventure, gives you warm fuzzies, cold shocks and moments of joy, but not only that, it doesn't unnecessarily mess with your emotions or the characters. I often see authors make conflict, misunderstandings, etc that are supposed to cause angst and drama where they just end up frustrating me. Holly Black balances character relationships with the flow of the story to keep them in balance. The story follows Jude as she has to embrace her new role as the most powerful woman in Elfhame - being just a mortal, this is very challenging but she manages it with her usual flair and finesse and stress. I love this character, the only female character that I haven't found obnoxious in a long time. She is real, she is relateable and I can understand her thought processes and I love that she isn't the usual 'wonder girl' trope. Cardan's character development is also wonderful, you feel his emotions and concern and confusion through the writing. We get a little glimpse into his past and start to understand who he is. Jude does her best but the net she sets for everyone else is slowly entangling her as well. New enemies appear, new challenges and terribly events take place. This is a middle book that doesn't feel like a middle book normally does - it's not a 'filler'. I lapped this up in two evenings. Thank you Holly Black for an absolutely enthralling read for a true fantasy lover. 5 stars!

The Wicked King by Holly Black was such a strong follow-up to the first book. It didn’t lose momentum at all, in fact, if anything, it felt even faster-paced. I flew through this book. I was never bored, never felt like it dragged, and I was fully locked in the entire time. What really stood out to me again was the strategy and political tension. The scheming, the power plays, the constant shifting of control. it was all so entertaining to read. Watching everything unfold and trying to keep up with who’s outsmarting who kept me completely on my toes. I also really loved seeing Cardan grow into his role more. That development was so satisfying, and I found myself genuinely rooting for him. As for the romance… I won’t lie, I was hoping for a bit more. I love romance, so part of me wanted it to fully bloom here, but it’s definitely still in that slow-burn phase. That said, the moments we did get were really good, and I’m okay with waiting if the payoff is worth it. The ending, though? So good. I actually loved seeing Jude get humbled a bit, it added another layer to her character and made everything feel more real and balanced. And that final stretch completely got me. I’m genuinely upset I don’t have the third book on hand because I need to know what happens next. Overall, I’m giving this 4 stars. It wasn’t perfect for me, but it was incredibly entertaining, fast-paced, and full of unexpected twists that kept me engaged the whole way through. Also, as someone who’s still getting into fantasy, this series has been such a good entry point for me.

El libro llegó un poco sucio de la cubierta (se lo limpié, pero no se quitó) y también unas páginas estaban dobladas, de ahí en fuera todo bien. Deberían de ser un poco más cuidados con el empacado, por favor. Por otro lado, el libro es fantástico, vale la pena la pasta dura por el diseño que tiene grabado y la historia es fascinante.

I like the fact that the female character is strong and vulnerable at the same time, in a world where she starts with many disadvantage (being a mere human in a world of creature with magic on their side) and turns that weakness into a strength. She is clever and exhausted having to watch her back constantly..a super human quite simply..all the characters have nuances nothing is just black or white..The ending is once again unexpected and a cliffhanger..The question is that there is always a resilient source of hope in all the characters and it seems to me that even the author herself hasn't quite figured that out what that source is..this life force has deeper roots..all it can not sustain the strain..too exhausting! it's taken for granted, as it is there for all of us, even if we don't focus on it much...the reason behind all this striving....

It took a while to come to the point where I read it and finished it on my iPad but it came in perfect shape