A review by jessicaludden
The Wicked King, by Holly Black

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-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

I absolutely loved every single moment of this book. It surprised me so much and then it surprised me again and then it surprised me a few more times for good measure. The character growth in this book was immaculate. I love Jude so much. She’s so smart and just always on go mode. It’s really clear how her desire for power and control drive her actions (which kind of led to her downfall). She’s a complete badass. She’s also really freaking funny. There are so many times I laughed out loud in this book. I also LOVE Cardan of course, especially seeing his growth in this book. I loved getting to see him go from a spoiled prince who never wanted the crown and resented himself and everyone else to being the High King of Elfhame and actually wanting to rule. Seeing him claim that title and believe himself to be king was so nice. What I loved most of all was the development of Jude and Cardan’s relationship. They had so many really cute moments together and I was LIVING for the tension. But there were so many little moments where you could just tell they both care about each other. Like Cardan not realizing Taryn was pretending to be Jude because he just wanted her to trust him without having to command him. There were also moments where they realized they have a lot in common like when they would be talking about their parents or the way they grew up. I LOVED the scene after Jude gets back from being imprisoned in the Undersea where Cardan apologizes for being horrible and explains why he is the way he is. I just loved how they slowly grew to trust each other. Of course I do NOT appreciate how this man tricked her… and me. I felt so hurt and betrayed for her. Also conflicted cause I’m so proud of him for taking a stand and finally issuing commands of his own (like are gonna talk about how created a whole island??), but i’m SO ready to see how Jude gets back at him in the next book.
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