The Wicked King – Holly Black

The Wicked King by Holly Black

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed the Cruel Prince, I did have some issues with it but as I was reading it I could see the potential of the series – the Wicked King started to fulfill that potential. I enjoyed the second book immensely. There were so many twists and turns, events that I didn’t expect to happen, and betrayals that came out of nowhere – I could not put the book down. Holly Black managed to draw me into the story and not let go.

As twisted as these characters are, the author still made you care about their stories and become invested in them achieving their goals. I didn’t particularly care for Jude in the first book, but I was on the edge of my seat in the second as she schemed and plotted, trying desperately to hang on to her power. Cardan was horrible in the first book, but he grew on me over the course of the Cruel Prince and I actually ended up liking him (in a twisted way) in the Wicked King. I still do not particularly like Jude’s two sisters, Taryn and Vivi, although for different reasons.

There were a lot of plot lines in this story, just due to sheer scheming and the number of players involved – yet it wasn’t difficult to keep track of everything. The story was engaging and surprising, so I felt that the plot and pacing managed to be pretty solid. There was a lot of banter and tension, which I loved.

Holly Black managed to deliver a book that simultaneously ate you alive and then spit you back out in a million, tiny, broken pieces. I am officially addicted to this series and cannot wait to see where she takes us in the next book.

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