*WARNING* THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS
The Wicked King is the second book in the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, it follows Jude, a human girl, that's taken to Faerieland as a child and is brought up beside them. The book resumes 5 months after the ending in the previous one. Holly Black is a best-selling author, she's written books like The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Coldest Girl in Town, among others.
Shall we? The beginning was not great for me, I didn't like the dynamic between Jude and Cardan,
how Cardan constantly mocks Jude, his attitude towards her and his rebellious behaviour. Neither did I like that Jude often bossed him around and treated him like a child. Although I wasn't a huge fan of it, it did make sense for them to have such an angry dynamic, given everything they had been through and the tension building up between them. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the story, all of the secrets kept, the betrayals, Jude's kidnapping, the schemes...oh the schemes. The ending was great... I mean I don't think that Cardan 'betraying' and humilliating Jude was great...I mean that it fit the story really well, it surprised me (DID NOT SEE IT COMIING), and it made the story stick with me for more time, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since.
A nice addition to the story was that we got to know a little of Queen Orlagh's kingdom and we're able to get a better understanding of the High King's power and how profoundly it is bonded with the land itself.
The characters. I like Jude. A lot. She does what needs to be done in order to save her loved ones, and doesn't try to give the impression of being 'good'. She is strong yet vulnerable, smart but still makes mistakes, she desires things that might not qualify as 'moral' but deep down she accepts those desires and feeds them. The author humanized her allowing us to be able to relate to her, to what she feels, thinks and acts. Cardan. Ooooooh, his character evolved in this book, he changed so much and I'm loving it! He's dark and cruel when he wants to be, but while in the previous book we only saw glimpses of his humanity, in this book we see him develop and grow into a more complex and round character. He learns how to scheme aaand he's very good at it, as we witnessed at the end; he becomes more responsible and mature. They both crave power, because in their own ways, they each have been deprived of either love, acceptance, recognition or something similar since they were children, and for Jude ruling, giving orders, having this sense of control and superiority makes her feel powerful, confident; and Cardan felt powerful when he treated others with cruelty, when he hurt and humiliated them. One of my favorite things about the story is their angsty relationship, how they can't help to feel attracted to one another and they hate themselves for it, "He kisses me harder. "I hate you,” I breathe into his mouth. “I hate you so much that sometimes I can’t think of anything else.”
As for the rest of the characters, I felt attached to some of them and disliked others. The Roach and the Bomb I really like, despite being spies they are loyal, besides we get new information on their backgrounds and their relationship. Madoc's relationship with Jude is very compelling and extremely complex; Jude is raised by no other than her parents' murderer, can you imagine that? And now this: he was actually kind to her and respected her and treated her as his own daughter, so Jude, despite the hate she still has for him, can't help to love him too, because he has been a fatherly figure throughout most of her life. They love each other, but they are acutely aware of the strange nature of their relationship and of each other's crimes, so although they, deep down, care for one another, they will not set aside their own ambitions and plans for the other, and yet...Jude still looks for his approval and Madoc wants Jude to actually see him as her father.
Now the characters I don't like: Taryn, Locke and Nicasia. First and foremost, the fact that I don't' like them, makes me like this book even more. The author evoked feelings in me towards each of
these characters, meaning this book made me feel, which is mainly the best indicator for me of whether or not I liked the book. Taryn I really don't like, especially because she has betrayed Jude twice, Locke is a complete ass, and I have mixed feelings with Nicasia, she's cruel yet vulnerable around Cardan, and at the end she wants him to choose her and to love her.
It was very easy to read, loved the writing style, it evoked feelings in me and I grew attached to the characters. I really liked Jude's voice in the story (since it's told from a first person point of view) and, again, it has stuck with me.
To sum it up, I had a great time reading it, I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and most of all the angsty romance. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a fantasy series with an interesting plot, complex characters, dark desires and a slow burn relationship.