The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black on November 19, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / General, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Bullying
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
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“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.”
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…
I honestly should’ve read it sooner but am glad that I have read it now. Yes it’s young adult and there’s just a pinch of spice but I did enjoy the series in the end. I love Jude and Cardan together and I liked that this book finally broke down the barriers between them. I do wish she would have went into more detail of their love journey, but again, it is young adult. Jude continued to be a complex and smart character and I really enjoyed watching her scheme to do the best for the elf world, and the moments when she noticed her weaknesses were really powerful. She was a lot less annoying that she had been in the previous novels.
I gave this final book in the series a four star rating. Jude was an interesting character. You love and hate her, but it totally works in this complicated world, that’s dark, yet beautiful. Though I feel like some side characters were left open ended. Overall a somewhat satisfying conclusion to a series. Contrary to other reviews, I don’t want a spin off or a sequel. Leave it. It’s better like that sometimes.