The Wicked King Review

*Possible spoilers ahead*

I finished 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 this morning, so excuse me while I pick up the pieces of my shattered heart off the floor. I can definitely see why many readers enjoyed this book more than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦, and in some ways I did too. In other ways, I felt like the pace moved a little more slowly for me and I caught myself paying ahead a little now and then, asking, 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱? Then, inevitably, it would. Personally, I like the intrigue and deception and plot twists within the politics, but some of the political meetings dragged for me. I lived for the moments Jude outwitted her opponents, or they would outwit her. You really never know who you can trust in this series, and that’s kind of thrilling for a reader. If you didn’t know this about me already, I live for suspense and mystery in books.

I can also understand more why so many people love Cardan and Jude together. In TCP, the bullying scenes were uncomfortable, and while I UNDERSTAND that they all showed us what most of the faeries are like–cruel tricksters who love to use or abuse or just hate mortals–they didn’t make me want to root for Jude and Cardan too much. Now I can see more of what Cardan is really like underneath the show, and that understanding makes me like him a lot more as a character.

And, honestly, we are dealing with a lot of morally grey characters here in this series, so it’s not like I expect anyone to be squeaky clean. However, I appreciate that Cardan isn’t a killer. Morally grey characters are just that–riddled with dark and light–and they have to draw the line somewhere. I enjoyed learning about this softer side of our wicked king, as well as the fact that perhaps he has been wildly underestimated… We have another clever schemer on the chessboard!

My favorite character is still probably Jude. She’s fierce and focused, brilliant at outwitting her opponents both in a fight and in a court. She may have a dark side, one that kills easily and asks questions later, one that thirsts for power, but she hasn’t totally lost her humanity. Which is also pretty incredible, giving her past and her life in Faerie.

Finally, the cliffhanger…well, that was killer. I am dying to know what is going on inside of Cardan’s head. Actually, to be honest, it would be pretty nice to get a look into a lot of the other characters’ thoughts, because it seems like everyone’s motivations are constantly changing. Or constantly obscured. I’m kind of thankful I put off starting this series until this month, so I have less than 6 months to wait for The Queen of Nothing. 

Which will still feel like an eternity, mind you.

Which book did you like more: The Cruel Prince or The Wicked King?