“By you, I am forever undone”

Synopsis

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines, she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

From the number one New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to ‘The Folk of the Air’ trilogy.

The story

‘The Queen of Nothing’ is a breathtaking conclusion. With so much up in the air, the story feels as though it moves much faster than the previous book. The story is quite fast-paced, especially when pieces of the puzzle come together that I never even knew belonged to it in the first place. So while some parts like the ending could have been predicted, much more twists are sure to take the reader by surprise… 

Jude has come so far from the cold, cruel, and calculating girl we meet in the first book. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s still pretty ruthless but now love has tempered her shattered edges as she grows closer to her friends, family, and of course her love. She is capable of doing the unthinkable many times as her strategies and schemes become much more refined. She also proves just why she’s well-loved as one of the most popular heroines in young adult literature.

Then there is Cardan. This book shows a much softer side to him, the vulnerability that he has hidden throughout the trilogy not only from his people but also from Jude. He opens his heart to Jude in this book, deciding to – not completely – forgo the traditions of twisted words and intentions, and bares his heart to her completely.

Relationships are pivotal in this story, and they all have their personal struggles. The characters push through hardships and heartache. What I loved, even more, was watching them each find their way. So the fact that many relationships are mended by the end of this trilogy made me ecstatic. Especially the redemption arc of a certain character.

The stakes keep getting higher and higher. With tricky riddles, life-and-death situations, and huge risks, this story is larger than life. Holly Black continues to hold her readers in the palm of her hand.  

Memorable quotes

• “Come home and shout at me. Come home and fight with me. Come home and break my heart, if you must”

• “‘I missed you,’ I whisper against his skin and feel dizzy with the intimacy of the admission, feel more naked than when he could see every inch of me. ‘In the mortal world, when I thought you were my enemy, I still missed you’”

• “Jude, you can’t really think I don’t know it’s you. I knew you from the moment you walked into the brugh”

• “And yet my heart is buried with you in the strange soil of the mortal world, as it was drowned with you in the cold waters of the undersea. It was yours before I could ever admit it, and yours it shall ever remain”

• “No, I won’t help you. No, I won’t hear you explain why I should. It really is a magical word: no. You say whatever b*llsh*t you want and I just say no”

PHOTO © SHEAF AND INK