The Folk of the Air Trilogy by Holly Black

Titles in Trilogy:

The Cruel Prince

The Wicked King

The Queen of Nothing

SYNOPSIS

(from Book 1)

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there - but many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, Jude must defy him - and face the consequences.

~~~~~

An immersive and wicked fairytale to lose yourself in, as if you yourself had been swept away by faeries.

I am happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this series when it’s not my usual cup of tea. Holly Black is most likely the most masterful author of the faerie realm that exists in present day and that itself is a reason to get lost in her books. As a co-author of the beloved Spiderwick Chronicles and now seeing that elaborate world-building carry over to this series, I’m 100% convinced I’ll read any book this author puts out (yes, for those of you that read my Book of Night review, that includes giving that series another chance!). I enjoyed the political and court intrigues, the character development, and, most of all, the lore packed into every page. The prologue of the first book immediately catapulted me into this world with the gut punch nostalgia of childhood in the summer and then the immediate turn into horror had me hooked from that very start.

We follow Jude and her sisters as their life in the mortal world is flipped upside down and they are taken to the land of faerie after their parents deaths. They grow up knowing cruelty first, and love second. Jude dreams of a noble title, a knighthood, her twin Taryn just wants a good match, and their older sister Viv wants nothing more than to escape back to the world she was taken from. Due to their human nature, they’re looked down on and bullied which further pushes Jude to prove her ruthless skill, landing her in a world of trouble.

Throughout the three books we get insight into the political hierarchy of the faerie court and how Jude handles the upheaval of a transfer in power. The first book hooked me in immediately with the thrilling prologue but then it slows down quite a bit and doesn’t pick back up until nearly the end of the first book. It did take me a long time to get into because of this but I still really enjoyed the intricate world building that was part 1 of this series. The second book moved the intricacy from world building to court workings and we got a lot of insight into the different courts and other nobles of this world. I found this book the most heart breaking with themes of betrayal, loyalty, and, a bit of light torture. Then in book three we get a pretty action-packed story that moves along quickly with a lot of surprising twists. I loved every minute of it and I think it’s some of the best world-building I’ve read in a fantasy series in a very long time.

The plot focuses largely on the inheritance of the crown. The Elder King steps down in book one but he has many children and everyone wants power. Not only that, courts that were bound to the crown see this passing of power as a chance to break free. The plotting and spycraft behind each characters actions to get to the throne was so well developed and the possible betrayals lurking around every corner makes this series a thrilling read. You never know who might stab someone else in the back (and yes, I mean that literally).

Now let’s talk about the romance. Because I went into this knowing there was a bit of a romance subplot but I’d say it’s more than just a subplot. It is threaded throughout all three books and the foreshadowing of this relationship is there, right from the beginning. Cardan was such a good morally grey character. He’s not good, but he managed to curb a lot of his darker impulses or use them to a better advantage. He is the perfect foil for Jude’s somewhat righteous attitude at times. On the flip side, Jude calls him out and keeps him in line. She’s the brains with a sword and he’s the snarky attack dog, and I LOVE that. Not only that, they both remained their own people. They grew as characters into themselves but they also didn’t really change who they are for one another. Because they worked perfectly fine with the dynamic they already had.

I really enjoyed this series and it got me through a really tough month full of upheaval in my own life. I think Holly Black is an expert at world building and I’m excited to read more of what this author puts out. I gave the first two books 4 stars as I felt the characters weren’t as relatable as they could be, but I gave book three 5 stars because it was an absolutely perfect conclusion.