there are still no fishsticks in faerieland

Politics! Romance! More politics! More romance under the guise of unadulterated hatred! There’s so much going on in this book, and for the second installment in a series, I was much more entertained than I expected to be. The unexpected connections to the ocean realms of Faerie were welcomed, seeing as I try to consume as much sea-related literature as I can. I was definitely taking notes on how Black described things happening underwater. I’ll emphasize once again how political this book is. I admire how the plot juggles so many moving parts regarding the best efforts of a mortal girl to keep control of the throne through manipulating the High King. Like, home girl’s under a whole lot of stress. At times I really don’t like her, in all her brashness and emotional suppressing, and then other times I just want to give her a hug because she’s trying to do so much all on her own! I love the trope of her being the actual ruler of Elfhame, pulling puppet strings to make Cardan bend to her will. Every glimpse we get into the mortal world offers the otherwise fantastical landscape of this book a dose of normalcy that I think really sets it apart from other fantasy series. One second I’ll be all in the grotesque, inhuman landscape of the Fae, and the next I’m watching Heather, Vivi’s girlfriend, taking care of Oak in her apartment. The balance between the two is great. My one main gripe with the world building is how Heather kind of just jumps on board with being in Faerieland a little too easily. I wanted to see more of a freakout, which I think would’ve been more believable. I think it’s certainly believable to see her get glamoured later, and watch Jude grapple with the ethical (or not so ethical) consequences. What I was so here for, though, was the slow but steady progression of Jude and Cardan’s relationship. Jude’s unique narrative voice shines in her inability to see that the hatred she’s convinced motivates all of Cardan’s wrongs against her isn’t actually hatred. There’s still some hard feelings—she quite literally tricked him into a throne he doesn’t want—but the level of denial she manages to function with is crazy. The scene where they finally give in to their “hatred” for each other had me giggling and kicking my feet. I also thought (without revealing any spoilers) that the ending of this book exceeded my expectations. So much groundwork was laid for the culminating events to make sense and thoroughly shock me. Cardan’s a sneaky little guy! But I can’t help but love him for it and applaud him for figuring out a way to take back some of the power Jude’s been sitting on. He’s such an interesting, illusive character, given that we only get to perceive him through Jude’s eyes. And the work that’s done through the scene at Taryn and Locke’s wedding to establish how Faerie marriages and vows work was so cool to see click into place later. I can’t wait to see how the final book wraps things up and leads to more surprises, cause honestly at this point, I don’t know what could happen next. There are so many possibilities in a setting as vast and Wonderland-esque as this one!



Some of my favorite quotes from The Wicked King:

"Despite growing up among the Folk, I do not always understand the way they think or feel. They are more like mortals than they believe, but the moment I allow myself to forget they're not human, they will do something to remind me. For that reason alone, I would be stupid to think I knew Cardan's heart from his story. But I wonder at it.
I wonder what would have happened if I'd admitted he wasn't out of my system."

"The High King has made a bargain to get me back."

"He continues looking at me in this strange way, as though he's never seen me before or as though he thought he might never see me again."

"'Yes, my sweet villain, my darling god. I will be as sober as a stone carving, just as soon as I can.' And with that, he kisses me on the mouth."

"Sweet Jude. You are my dearest punishment."

"I imagine what it would be like to have my own crown, my own power. Maybe I wouldn't have to be afraid to love him. Maybe it would be okay."

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