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A full month and a half after I promised this, I'm finally reviving Cover Love. I couldn't really decide on a new format so things may change, but I wanted to share some of my favorite September covers with you. I also haven't completely finished my logo suite redesign so these posts won't have headers, I just wanted to get them out in the world. October coming out Monday!
Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.
Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril. Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics. And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity… From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy. Warning: This review may contain spoilers for previous books in the series, as I am reviewing the third novel of a trilogy. If you haven't read The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King, be aware! I have this awful habit of reading a series piecewise, leaving months or years between novels if I forget to pick them up after release or if I have other books on my TBR at the moment. Sometimes I take on a reread of the whole series when a new book comes out, because I don't want to forget any crucial information heading into the newest installment. However. I don't think I could ever forget the cliffhanger at the end of The Wicked King. I'd thought about picking up The Queen of Nothing occasionally, but never had the drive to actually grab it off the shelf until I was in the library one day, bored, and noticed it in our new & popular section. I had a few hours to kill and thought I could get partway through, but I absolutely did not expect to be so gripped that I set aside my responsibilities and finished the book in a single day. I should have known. Holly Black's novels are often compelling and entertaining in the perfect way for me to while away an afternoon reading, which is exactly what I did. The political and emotional beats of The Queen of Nothing are the most interesting to me. Jude is cunning and manipulative, but those traits are shared by many other characters as well, so I enjoy the dramatic irony of being occasionally aware of her plots being foiled. Holly Black does a great job of representing the non-human characters and giving Faerie a unique, mildly terrifying aura. I don't think I'd ever go for a visit, but watching Jude interact with this world as a human is one of my favorite parts. Her complicated childhood and ties to the land are relevant but there is also a subconscious theme to the novel of "belonging/not belonging" which is relatable to anyone who is stepping into a new environment. Of course, I could not go without mentioning the terrible love between Jude and Cardan, which has to be one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers romance stories in the game. I will refrain from sharing how their story ends, but it left me screaming the whole way through. Holly Black is not an especially ruthless writer, which is noticeable if you have read any of her past work, but there were parts of this novel where I could not predict what would happen next and I was genuinely afraid for my favorite characters. I think this is one of her strengths, because in each novel there's always a twist that I never see coming but I love the surprise, even if it spells certain disaster. Based on emotional impact, I would say The Queen of Nothing is one of my favorite novels of 2022, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a fantasy world to get invested in, and characters that will absolutely break your heart. 5*/5. |
The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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