The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) ~ Holly Black

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780316310352

336 pages

Source: Barnes and Noble

I was not initially taken with The Cruel Prince.

I know, I know.

I’m basically the only one.

That said, when my little buddy read group on Bookstagram picked The Wicked King for our book, this month, I figured I would give Holly a second chance.

I did LOVE The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, after all.

And boy, I’m glad I gave it a shot.

I think the initial startup and stage setting that I found kind of plodding in the first book was just completely dropped by this second act and so things just got down and dirty right off the bat in The Wicked King.

Black has a knack for creating adventures you can’t turn away from and she does exactly that in this story.

Without giving too much away, the spoils of the conflicts in the first book play out in a rip roaring chase against the clock as alliances are forged in a heartbeat and betrayed just as quickly.

Jude, the protagonist, was fairly stoic, serious, and not terribly likable in The Cruel Prince but most of that melted away as she gained the confidence to take on leadership (a role she is better suited for than random, mortal underling).

I’m so glad I was pleasantly surprised, in the end, and I honestly finished the book hoping for a third book.