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monetp 's review for:
The Queen of Nothing
by Holly Black
OH MY GOSH. This. Book. Ruined. Me. In. The. Best. Way. Possible.
It's nearly impossible to write a well-rounded final book in a trilogy. Holly Black proves it can be done. So far all the reviews I've seen have been lukewarm at best, disappointed at worst. However, any extreme critiques are unwarranted. "The Queen of Nothing" is easily my favorite book of "The Folk of the Air" series. Somehow Black manages to give closure to all the major and minor characters. Sure she could have added a few more details here and there but overall she sewed up the plot nice and neat. I went from not caring about Jude and almost despising her grueling commentary in [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123] to shipping her happiness hardcore in this book. This is a Daenerys-worthy glow up (we ignore season 8).
Jude absolutely owns this book. She doubts herself at every turn, but it's her flaws that make her redeemable and lovable. She tries her best to be fair to her people. Despite her initial struggles, I think she dominates the realm as queen! Surprisingly, Cardan and her make an excellent team the few times they work together. They do spend a significant amount of time apart, but this allows time for their personalities and intentions to grow. Jude's time alone gives her time to process what exactly she feels for Cardan. I admire that Black isn't afraid to give Jude some space. Jude makes it clear that Cardan is important to her, but she can take care of herself just fine. The best scene in the book is when Jude dismisses the men in her chambers and hires Fand, Grima Mog and her sisters on her squad. I love this theme of powerful women in court!
Speaking of Fand, I didn't realize how much I missed her! Her friendship with Jude develops beautifully in "The Queen of Nothing." I'm so pleased that her character returned. Similarly, there were so many delightful references to the first book. While I wasn't a fan of "The Cruel Prince," this technique gave this book more depth and a sense of finalitiy. It was important to the completion of the story that both the previous books were mentioned.
Some final thoughts:
1. Cardan's transformation was a unique way to represent his character development. I believed that he'd always be a stuck up twit but he does manage to change. The gorgeous imagery that Black used to describe the transformation was AMAZING.
2. The prophecy was fulfilled in such a clever way. I definitely didn't see that coming!
3. The prologue really set the tone for the rest of the story. It was a desperately needed chapter to develop Cardan's character and backstory. It explains so much!
It's nearly impossible to write a well-rounded final book in a trilogy. Holly Black proves it can be done. So far all the reviews I've seen have been lukewarm at best, disappointed at worst. However, any extreme critiques are unwarranted. "The Queen of Nothing" is easily my favorite book of "The Folk of the Air" series. Somehow Black manages to give closure to all the major and minor characters. Sure she could have added a few more details here and there but overall she sewed up the plot nice and neat. I went from not caring about Jude and almost despising her grueling commentary in [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123] to shipping her happiness hardcore in this book. This is a Daenerys-worthy glow up (we ignore season 8).
Jude absolutely owns this book. She doubts herself at every turn, but it's her flaws that make her redeemable and lovable. She tries her best to be fair to her people. Despite her initial struggles, I think she dominates the realm as queen! Surprisingly, Cardan and her make an excellent team the few times they work together. They do spend a significant amount of time apart, but this allows time for their personalities and intentions to grow. Jude's time alone gives her time to process what exactly she feels for Cardan. I admire that Black isn't afraid to give Jude some space. Jude makes it clear that Cardan is important to her, but she can take care of herself just fine. The best scene in the book is when Jude dismisses the men in her chambers and hires Fand, Grima Mog and her sisters on her squad. I love this theme of powerful women in court!
Speaking of Fand, I didn't realize how much I missed her! Her friendship with Jude develops beautifully in "The Queen of Nothing." I'm so pleased that her character returned. Similarly, there were so many delightful references to the first book. While I wasn't a fan of "The Cruel Prince," this technique gave this book more depth and a sense of finalitiy. It was important to the completion of the story that both the previous books were mentioned.
Some final thoughts:
1. Cardan's transformation was a unique way to represent his character development. I believed that he'd always be a stuck up twit but he does manage to change. The gorgeous imagery that Black used to describe the transformation was AMAZING.
2. The prophecy was fulfilled in such a clever way. I definitely didn't see that coming!
3. The prologue really set the tone for the rest of the story. It was a desperately needed chapter to develop Cardan's character and backstory. It explains so much!