vaguely_pink's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, War, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Bullying, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Vomit, Torture, Classism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
faitherslibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
maple_dove's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Addiction, and Death of parent
Parental neglect (moderate)tsar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”
Coming to the realization where your brother has become the sacrificial lamb of a masochistic political game is not a revelation that you would wish to figure out, yet Jude Duarte strengthens her heart amidst the striking irony to work harder in trampling the corrupted monarchy system of Elfhame. To simply put, by establishing this conflict, Black has cemented a definite plotline for The Wicked King to employ a gateway of the upcoming depraved interference.
As it is expected, the counteraction is effectively disadvantageous as it is destructively personal. Black illuminates the love game between Jude and Cardan into a reluctant alliance, building a tense atmosphere that maintains ambiguity of their deepest intentions between one another. And yet, beyond the extreme wariness of treachery, Black manages to find loopholes to explore the characters who seemingly lack compassion in their bones, traversing their personalities and history that appeal the most to their dominant qualities.
In doing so, it sways some of the stubborn natures that obstruct their likability as functioning characters, lowering certain parts of their mental guard to perceive the other aspects of their disposition, which contribute an indispensable role in instituting dynamic chemistry as they engage in an argument of wits.
It defines further on the romantic conjunction between Cardan and Jude that goes beyond seeking attention like children in emotional turmoil, analyzing intensely on their racial and class gap as creatures coming from slightly different magical realm despite their similarities. In doing so, as the audience reaches the shocking moment of betrayal at the end of the devastating cliffhanger, one could presume that Black has excelled in executing a romantic foil that is truthful in emotional imagery that its characters, and to the extent are the audience, allow themselves to give the benefit of the doubt in believing that the partnership would eventually work for their advantages.
And so, by writing an adventurously twisted The Wicked King, Black releases her phrasing power in envisioning a maliciously addicting story of mystical conspiracy and bad romance that purges all the uninteresting details that restrict the entertaining factor of The Cruel Prince before.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, and Violence
noboyfriend_literally0's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
b0ygenius's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/injury detail, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
sirkeili's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spoiler
Even Taryn's betrayal threw me off, though I should've expected it considering she isn't afraid to throw her sister in the line of fire if it benefits her outcome even the slightest bit. I do hope she gets her comeuppance, though, she is too proud and too eager to appear the superior sibling.With how it ended, I am interested to see how Jude gets out of this predicament, and what game of chess Cardan is playing now, because obviously he has become the King on the board protecting his Queen.
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, War, Classism, Gaslighting, Blood, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Violence
teagstime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wicked King is a solid enough book, I just didn't really click with it until the final third 😔 I missed all the intrigue of the first novel!!! Plus, there was mostly just lot of frustration concerning Jude's thoughts/actions. Meanwhile, I was obsessed with... Pretty much all the non-Jude characters. Cardan was incredible, for example! Absolutely adored him and every scene he was in... I'm glad we got to see more of him being clever and competent! Other significant characters I found incredibly interesting were Madoc and Balekin, actually! I've always loved Madoc, but Balekin was a surprise... I really wanted to get inside his brain 😅
But anyway! Yeah! A nice read overall, but not as great when compared to the first imo ❤
[Star rating changed from 4 -> 3.5 after finishing the series]
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Child abuse, and War
kezinator's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Child abuse
zoeelora's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War