Tag: Holly Black

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Review: How The King Of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories by Holly Black

How The King Of Elfhame
Learned To Hate Stories
Holly Black
Illustrated by Rovina Cai
Hot Key Books, 2020
Hardback, 192 pages, £14.99
ISBN 9781471409981

How The King Of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories is an addition to Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series. It follows Carden
through his childhood and how he develops as a person. In the beginning, he is just a young boy looking for someone
to love him and as he grows up he feels he isn’t able to give any love just as he hadn’t received any in his childhood. So he becomes consumed by hate.

Though this story is written in third person, Holly Black has a way of making you feel all the emotions her characters betray. The way the story is told reminds me of the classic fairy tales. The amazing illustrations by Rovina Cai only add to how beautiful the book is.

I would give this book an eight out of ten and definitely recommend it to anyone who has read the Folk of the Air series. However it could be confusing if you have little backstory or have not read the Folk of the Air series.


Aoibhe O’Dwyer, teen reviewer

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The Queen Of Nothing

The Queen of Nothing
Holly Black
Hot Key Books, July 2020
Paperback, 320 pages, £7.99
ISBN 9781471407598

 

Jude Duarte, a mortal in modern-day life, is an exile of Faerieland. Once the Queen of Faerie, now she spends her time with Oak and Vivi watching reality television and riding the bus like everyone else. When the opportunity arises for her to return to her land, she leaps for such freedom. Once there, she must disguise herself as her twin sister, Taryn.

Jude is just getting into the rhythm of her new life in the mortal world. She has rekindled some relationships and has crossed paths with old friends. Yet, a curious curse is released, leaving destruction in its wake. She must think with her head instead of her heart to save everyone, and suffer the personal consequence.

This is a fantastically sculpted story and a credit to the fantasy category. The weird and wonderful journey Black takes the reader on is unpredictable. The Queen of Nothing is drenched in powerful, beautiful descriptions making the novel so vivid in my memory. I will forever cherish this and I am so glad I have read one of Holly Black’s books.

Emma Muldoon Ryan