Week 7 Review: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

From Goodreads:

An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone . Revealing a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan, tis tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector's item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.

My Review:
This was such a great read, though a little bit sad, watching Cardan growing up, and then a story set after the events of the main series. Because while we know who Cardan was, and a bit of why he was cruel and wicked, well, watching it all play out as it shaped him was a bit of a downer. Though knowing how things work out in the end makes it a little less depressing! 

I loved how these stories wove together. We got to see moments of development for Cardan, like when he first went to live with his brother, that was a learning experience, and pretty gut-wrenching to read. Of the development of his gang. We also saw flashes of moments from the first book, of how he felt or denied he felt, about Jude, why he did the things he did, and that was fantastic! I would've loved to have more, including the whole power struggle bloodbath of who got to wear the crown.

But also, Cardan is told stories, or at least one story twice, but it changed. And I'm pretty sure that the story is supposed to be about Cardan, or at least a someone so similar to him that it's easy for him to relate to. Loved how that tied into the final story.

Speaking of that final story, it was so great to see Jude and Cardan post-The Queen of Nothing, in the human world, dealing with a threat. Who just so happens to be the person who told Cardan those two stories. And Cardan ends up telling the story, again changed, but it was a nice bookend to the story! 

I had a great time reading this book, and I'm so glad that we got it! 

Author: Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air #3.5
Read: February 15th, 2021
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2021 Book!
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: November 24th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars