The Wicked King

· THE FOLK OF THE AIR Book 2 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
4.8
183 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince finds Jude in a fight for power as a human within the Faerie world.

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.

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Ratings and reviews

4.8
183 reviews
A Google user
August 20, 2024
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 d
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Nishtha Mulkalwar
October 17, 2025
I loved this book so much! I reread it and realised that no one appreciates cardan enough. The character development is astounding and to see the plot twists and the romance(which is a side plot btw) was just an amazing experience. Loved this book and highly recommend it. Happy reading:)
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Angela Avery
November 20, 2019
I cannot wait to see how Holly ends this story!! She wove such an intricate story of love, betrayal, danger, and trickery you don't see often in Fae stories. I love this angle of Fairy. To see how a mortal can "fit" and how Jude reacts to the power she gained... with opportunity of tricks by those she loves and those she thought she loved. So many things happen and you can't even begin to imagine the direction the story will go. Such a great read. I'm loving the banter and relationship between Jude and Cardan.
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels, including Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and the Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

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