The Wicked King
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By Holly Black
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The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. 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.
Series:
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Praise for The Wicked King:--SLJ, Starred Review
"A stunning and compelling sequel." -
The Wicked King has satisfying twists and turns, sizzling passions, brutal violence, spies and revels of all sorts--no one brings the intricate courtly politics of Faerie to life quite as well, or with as much intelligence, as Holly Black.Shelf Awareness, starred review
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*"A heady blend of courtly double-crossing, Faerie lore, and toxic attraction swirls together in the sequel to THE CRUEL PRINCE...Black's writing is both contemporary and classic; her world is, at this point, intensely well-realized, so that some plot twists seem almost inevitable."Kirkus, Starred Review
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*"A rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come."Booklist, Starred Review
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*"[A] dangerous journey filled with mystery, betrayal, intrigue, and romance....Larger-than-life action in a kingdom packed with self-centered, evil, and manipulating characters also doles out real life issues."VOYA, Starred Review
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"The plot itself twists, turns, and dovetails perfectly with the assured character development; in this way, Black proves herself a master storyteller writing in the tradition of Megan Whalen Turner."Horn Book
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"An epic saga of palace intrigue and deception."Entertainment Weekly
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"Holly Black is a mistress of well-paced fantasy..."Austin-American Statesman
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"The Wicked King is so fast-paced and intense, you won't be able to put it down."The Missourian
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Praise for The Cruel Prince:Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom
"Lush, dangerous, a dark jewel of a book. Black's world is intoxicating, imbued with a relentless sense of peril that kept me riveted through every chapter of Jude's journey. And Jude! She is a heroine to love--brave but pragmatic, utterly human. This delicious story will seduce you and leave you desperate for just one more page." -
"I require book two immediately. Holly is the Faerie Queen."Victoria Aveyard, #1 bestselling author of The Red Queen series
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* "[S]pellbinding.... Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist."Publishers Weekly, starred review
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* "Another fantastic, deeply engaging, and all-consuming work from Black that belongs on all YA shelves."School Library Journal, starred review
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* "Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for--heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double-crossing, moral complexity--this is one heck of a ride."Booklist, starred review
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"This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life. Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in."Kirkus Reviews
- On Sale
- Jan 8, 2019
- Page Count
- 336 pages
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- ISBN-13
- 9780316310338
About the High Queen of Faerie
![](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NOVL-Holly-Black.png?w=590)
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and her adult debut, Book of Night. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.
Fan Behavior
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From NOVL Nation
About The Cruel Prince
“Trust is a dangerous thing to play with in this world, and the weight of it isn’t light. There is so much depth to the politics in The Cruel Prince that, to me, it felt like a real place.”
—Shelby, A Bookish Fangirl
“The Cruel Prince is now my new current obsession, I’m going to be rereading this again before the end of the year, I’m going to be tumblr-ing on it every single day until the sequel comes out. I’m going to be talking about this book until the end of my existence, I’m going to be still be talking about this book even when my bones in the grave turns to star dusts. That’s how much I adore this book.”
—Chia, Sincerely Chia
“High fantasy—beautiful fairies included—court intrigue, enemies to lovers, deception, scheming, plotting and betrayals. A frankly unexpected amount of blood and death and an amazing FMC. Need I give you any more reasons to drop everything and go read this book?”
– Antonella, multicoloredbookreviews.home.blog
“I was hooked from the very beginning in this beautiful Faerie world. I enjoyed all of the twist and turns to the betrayals.”
–Alyssa, Goodreads
About The Lost Sisters
“With a narrator as unreliable as Jude and with a story that delves so deeply into family dynamics, The Lost Sisters is necessary and completely changed my perception of Jude and Taryn’s relationship. After having read, I’m left with a much deeper appreciation of Jude and Taryn, their positions in Faerie, how they view one another in this land of monsters, and how much they ultimately love each other.”
—Lindsay, Lindsay Bilgram
“You will feel every single emotion that you felt in The Cruel Prince all over again, but this time you’ll learn something deeper; that what we read in The Cruel Prince is really just the tip of the iceberg.”
—Amy, A Court of Crowns and Quills
“I was completely riveted. You can feel the emotions, sorrow and regret from Taryn and though I felt so much anger towards her actions I could see her reasoning a bit clearer. It also fills in some questions I had from The Cruel Prince (like what did Cardan whisper to Taryn?? We find out here!)”
—Kristen, My Friends Are Fiction
“Though Taryn is still a character I love to hate, her side sheds some light on the way she was feeling and the way her relationship with Locke developed. I have to admit, the girl has a bit more backbone than I thought she did.”
—Erin, As The Book Ends
“It’s captivating and enchanting, with poetic language that turns vices to feasts and love to battle. I actually really enjoyed this glimpse into Taryn’s story and found her transformation and motives to be fascinating and so real.”
—Robby, Robby Reads
About The Wicked King
“THAT ENDING, holy mother of pearl!”
—Shelby, A Fangirl Life
“Let me abate your fears. The Wicked King is just as good, if not better than The Cruel Prince. I was definitely worried the ‘second book slump’ would come into effect here—as it usually does with some of my favorite books. The Wicked King doesn’t slump. Instead, it flies.”
—Emily, Emily’s Writing Diary
“The undeniable attraction between Jude and Cardan is as fiery as ever, and their every interaction is a memorable moment that simmers with an array of emotions.”
—Angie, Sparks in Words
“Holy sweet mother of cliff hangers.”
—Ash, Ashes of a Book Dragon
“One constant of the book is the reminder of how faeries are different from humans in their viewpoints, violence, cruelty, and capriciousness.”
—Daphne, Daphodilli
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