Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Wicked King by Holly Black

204 reviews

magdapuczynska's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I gobbled this thing up quicker than any other book. It's a big improvement from the first book in the series and just the right mix of plot and spicyness. I'm looking forward to the next book.
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unboundbooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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juliesleseecke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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_froggy_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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cherryfreckle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • 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

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mysafe_place's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Definitely not a bad book, it was better than the first one. This time there was way more suspense and the book had more originality. Though I disliked the repetitive language and the fact that it was so highly plot-driven. I think there should have been more focus on the characters as individuals and how they interact. Still, I did like it, especially the ending was really entertaining. I have high hopes for the last book! 
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elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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valorelei's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

the best book in the trilogy!!! long live our queen ❤️
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ladypalutena's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Honestly, I'm reeling from this book. Reading it in physical form lets me know that the last 100 or so pages are a DOOZY, whereas with the Kindle version, I was like "All right, 60%, here we go!"

I picked this up on my way home from work and read the whole thing in less than three hours.

And I'm mad about it.

Okay, sure, I guess we could have seen Cardan and Jude falling in mutual dislike/maybe even love with each other, but it was so sudden, and I know the marriage is one for political power, but man. It came completely out of left field, to me.


This book felt less predictable than it's predecessor, but at the same time, it felt like it was missing something. Like Jude, who has only been at this whole spy thing for a little under a year, is suddenly a master assassin? Even though she grew up with Murdoc as a father, she's still human, and as such, the fae should be the ones overpowering her. I know it's fantasy, and that I picked up a book about fairies/faeries, for goodness sakes, but at least give me a bigger time gap than what we've got.

The third book in the series is currently listed as being "en route" to my local library for pickup, so maybe I'll be able to put this story to rest in a few days.

Much like with the Scholomance series, this feels like it was once a duology that ballooned into a trilogy, and some things seem thrown in just for shock value. I'm still very interested in seeing where this goes. 
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shelvesofivy's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

I know that sometimes sequels suffer, but I personally found this one leagues above the first book in terms of tension, intrigue, and overall pacing. God these characters now have me in a chokehold <3
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