Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Wicked King

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The Wicked King by Holly Black

52 reviews

noellegrace8's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

As stated in my review of The Cruel Prince, I really struggled to get into that first book. But I guess I got used to all the oddities, because I couldn't put this one down. There was less fluff, more politics, and it finally felt like the characters were the correct age for the things that are happening. They are adults now, making adult decisions and playing a dangerous adult game of power, authority, and death. I would no longer categorize this as "teen" literature, but "young adult." What really impresses me is that Holly Black manages to make me root for characters that are truly not good people, which is not typical for me. I wanted Jude to win in the first book. I was smug when she turned her knife on Cardan. But now in this one, I wasn't sure who to vie for. It seems like every time a character does something worth celebrating, they also do something that makes you hate yourself for liking them. The betrayals are painful but enticing. Also the cliff hanger??! My library is backed up 10 weeks for the last book and I am REELING about it. I don't know how I'm going to wait that long. This is fantasy done right, and true enemies to lovers (hopefully? Jury is still out on whether "lovers" is true...).

I don't factor the audiobook performance into my rating of the material itself, but I give Caitlin Kelly 4.5/5⭐. Again, by the second book in a series, I tend to get used to whatever problems I had with the voicing in the first. But honestly, there didn't seem to be as many parts where I felt the narrator wasn't portraying the correct emotion or tone of voice. A good performance, overall.

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aralalala's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Once again, I am writing this a hardcore light-hearted romcom girly:

It only started to get interesting for me around Ch. 11. Prior to that felt very much like a slow build-up and a background for the story, a little catching up on how things have been since the end of The Cruel Prince, and I honestly wasn’t all that engaged. It wasn’t so hard to keep going but there were moments when I felt like I was just forcing myself to flip the page, all in the hopes of getting some more Jude-Cardan content. I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY AND I JUST WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY PLS

But when I paused at one point, for the sake of pausing, I stumbled upon a reel on bookstagram about how the series is often viewed as a romance when it’s not. And then it hit me: it’s not.

As the fact sunk in, I started to see the series in a whole new light in such a way that I felt much more excited to get into the rest of the story than when I initially started it this morning—or maybe because the plot has gotten a lot more exciting at that point. Either way, my appreciation towards it was more than when I started.

Setting aside the preconceived notion that the series offers a whole lot more romance than it actually does, I got to really enjoy watching this story unfold as it is. It offered a consistent character and story development from the first book. Cards were dealt, secrets revealed, new things unearthed. I think the best part of it all is how it makes sense. It didn’t feel like wasted time nor did it feel like a filler book simply written to bridge the gap to the last installment. Everything makes sense and it’s a wonderful build-up to the last book.

It’s so beautifully written, and I said it also in my review for the first book that I’m amazed by the author’s writing from a technical standpoint, but this book delivers just as much. She somehow does it all so perfectly, how she gives details at just the right amount—not too much that it’s obvious, and not too little that it doesn’t make sense. I’m also amazed by how much vision she has for where she wants the story to go. Everything still ties up from the first book and I hope it’s the same until the end.

The last chapter, knowing there’s a third book, had me at the edge of my seat. The anticipation of something going wrong was right there. Taryn’s words from the first book rings in my head:

“Nice things don’t happen in storybooks,” Taryn says. “Or when they do happen, something bad happens next. Because otherwise the story would be boring, and no one would read it.”

Now, with the right perspective and the climax leading to the end near, I’m so excited to get to the third book!

PS: I’d love to see this on the big screen tbh

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dreadspawn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Girlie pop really can't trust anyone.

Some pacing issues in this one that made parts a bit slow. But there were some iconic scenes between Cardan and Jude. This shit truly is real enemies to lovers, and I ate that up.

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rchulin1's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It took me a while to return to Elfhame, but I finally did it! I loved the first book, The Cruel Prince, and I knew I’d enjoy reading The Wicked King just as much. It didn’t disappoint at all. The book was fantastic!

Oak is safe and sound in the human realm with Vivi. Cardan sits on the throne, still controlled by Jude, who operates behind the scenes, scheming and strategizing every move. Jude tries to stay one step ahead, knowing enemies surround her. She lays the groundwork for her plans, but she faces strong opponents.

The Queen of the Undersea, Orlagh, seeks to break the peace treaty she had with the previous king. She thinks Cardan is weak and uses this opportunity to rule the Fae Realm. Meanwhile, Prince Belkine schemes against Cardan from prison. And then there is Madoc. His dual role in Jude’s life is intriguing. Madoc is her father figure but also the murderer of her parents. He sees her potential and respects her to some extent, which means he wants to take the power she holds.

This book is absolutely insane. The intricate political maneuvering and unexpected plot twists captivated readers in The Wicked King. The fairies are dangerous. Its fickle and treacherous nature is even more pronounced in this installment.

The chemistry between Cardan and Jude is electric. This is truly an enemy-to-lovers story. Their mutual hatred is intense, yet the attraction between them is so strong that they cannot deny it. I still haven’t gotten over that ending. (I knew he would betray her. I didn’t imagine it would be like this.)

Holly Black is the queen of the fairies. Through her writing, this fantastic, wicked, and harsh world comes to life, trapping us in its web with no way out.

The Wicked King is addictive, like fairy fruit. This book contains political intrigue, deception, romance, fantasy, enemies-to-lovers dynamics, betrayal, and a lot of drama within its pages.

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picaresquedreamer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

4.25

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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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amazelan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

j'ai préféré ce second tome au premier, même si le début a été un peu long.
les intrigues et les retournements de situation sont mieux fait, tout n'était pas aussi facilement devinable que dans le premier tome.

les personnages sont également plusse intéressants,

même si je suis toujours très peu emballé.e par l'histoire entre Jude et Cardan

surtout l évolution de Cardan. Jude est également un peu plusse cohérente dans ses actions, plusse réaliste.

et la fin est très bien ficelée, elle donne envie de savoir le dénouement de tout ça.

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inthearchive's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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