The third and final installment in Holly Black's Folk of the Air series, although there are also two novella's that accompany the series. If you're looking for a summary of the earlier books, please click here. This book deals with blood, cannibalism (but only in discussion, we don't actually see anyone get eaten), injury detail, pregnancy, death, murder, violence, child abuse and negligence, and war.
This book picks up a few weeks after the end of The Wicked King, with our main character Jude feeling betrayed by her twin sister and her brand new husband. She's been exiled to the mortal world and living with her older sister and younger brother, picking up odd jobs for Fair Folk that live between the two realms. She's surprised to see her twin sister Taryn waiting for her one day when she arrives home, and she's in big trouble. She needs Jude to go to Faerie and pretend to be Taryn, that way Jude can tell them (even if she's glamoured) that she did not kill Taryn's husband. Taryn can't do it herself because she DID kill her husband. But if Jude gets caught in Faerie while in exile, she could be killed. Long story short, Jude does go back, and turns the whole land of Faerie upside down.
I mentioned in my review of The Cruel Prince that this may be the slowest burn I've ever read. I stand by that. Three books in and I suppose the burn is over but I still feel unfulfilled and disappointed. Other than that, I enjoyed this book. Did Jude frustrate me much of the time, yes. Did Taryn seem like a selfish jerk, also yes. Was I confused about the hold that Cardan has on Jude and much of the fantasy reading community as a whole, yes. But I still liked it. I will read the novellas as well, but it may be awhile before I get to them. All three of these novels were quick reads, the pages flew by and although they're frustrating, the characters are loveable and seem well thought out, for the most part.
I'm giving The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black 4 stars out of 5. It's not my favorite book, and it's not even my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed reading it. The spice level was a pathetic .5 out of 5, see the paragraph above.
For more from Holly Black, check out her website at https://blackholly.com/
Pairs well with some gingersnap cookies and a trip to the amphibian house.
For a summary of the entire Folk of the Air series, click here. If you'd like to read my review of the prior books in the series, see below.
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