Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Wicked King

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.

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

My reading goal two years ago was to discover more authors. Holly Black is adored on Booktok and I wanted to read her first series which I did and thoroughly enjoyed and was so excited for the first book and obviously wanted to carry on with it.

This book follows Jude who we met in the previous book. She is trying to keep her brother safe after the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to the Faerie. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished. When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

I understand the hype around this book, I enjoyed it, the storyline was strong, and the fantasy world was built up as the storyline moved along. It was a bit predictable, and I sort of guessed what was going to happen, besides the ending. However, I loved the mystery aspect and how Jude was like I'm going to do this but then actually did and proved everyone wrong and keep everyone safe especially her brother. I still love the tension between Cardan and Jude and was hoping that it would still grow even more. I still love Roiben and Kaye and I love their appearance.

I know it’s a young adult book, but God I wanted to punch these kids, the fae weren’t scary they were just immature. Again, I knew they were kids, but this is why kids shouldn’t have power at all. Also, Jude’s dad is still a massive prick and I hope it has a very painful ending. I think that’s one of the main issues I had. I always want to connect with the characters in a way and yet all these characters aren’t probably going to grow on me. Cardan being all wishy-washy was driving me nuts as well.

I would love for someone, for once, to be on Jude’s side and for the two-faced and betrayal to stop. It's driving me nuts.

I am hoping that the final book is going to fix all these issues and that someone will stick up for Jude as much as she sticks up for herself.

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bunnivie'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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i loved judecardan in this

Content Warnings

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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snakebyte180's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

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abb_ey_normal's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

1.75

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matildasouthern's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad 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

Content Warnings

smcrain's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Now I know not every book is gonna speak to everyone but this one really hits the right notes for me. Idk maybe it's because I was really not sure what to expect from this series. I'm not gonna lie; ever since True Blood and honestly maybe longer, Fae/Faeries have not been my thing. I don't really actively go looking for those stories; I was way more into knights, dragons and elves. Suffice it to say, I was kind of dragging my feet about reading this one. But I finally started a few days ago and boy did I get sucked right in. I think being completely new to fae fiction gives this series an advantage over me. I know there's SO many out there now, but for me this is the first I've read, and I'm really loving the land of Elfhame. I'm so intrigued by the weird rules and the love the cunning Jude displays while operating within them.

I still love Jude, but this follows the format of a second installment in a trilogy, where our heroes go through some tough times and trials. And boy does she ever this book. She makes lots of mistakes, and at times I was frustrated, but honestly the twists and turns just kept coming. I could hardly come up for air for want of finding out what was going to happen next. This one was definitely a book I lost sleep over due to the ever infamous "one more chapter" mentality. Cardan comes into his own a bit more in this book, especially at the end. Honestly he's such a conundrum for me, I dislike his personality, but at the same time I'm basic and he's hot so I'm giving him a lot of leeway all the time. He does exhibit and get more backstory and wit/craftiness this book so he's at least earning some of my attraction outside of just superficially loving anyone described as dark haired, gorgeous and the usual that will have me ready to lick them. The ending is def an OMG/WTF moment. I have never been SO glad I do not have to wait a year or more before I'm able to pick up the next book and find out the conclusion to this story.

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