The Wicked King

Book Name

The Wicked King

Author

Holly Black

Book Description

This book is the sequel to the best-selling novel The Cruel Prince. Continuing off from where the last book left off, Cardan has become the new High King of Faerie, and Jude has become part of the king’s court. However, Cardan is under Jude’s control, under an oath that he made to her for 1 year and 1 day. Oak, the true king of Faerie, is off in the mortal world, and safe from the enemies in the magical world that want him out of the way. Everything seems to be going well, even with Jude and Cardan’s extreme hatred for each other. However, a threat from an enemy soon throws everything off. Betrayals, torture, and fighting ensue. Will Jude be able to get through it and make everything alright? Or will she succumb to the ways of the magical Faerie world? Read the book to find out!

Age Rating

15+

This book is appropriate for readers aged 15 and above. This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the content and topics of this book are really complicated. There are a lot of treaties, kingdoms, and ideas to keep track of as you go through the book for everything to make sense, and at times, it can get complicated. There are also a couple of adult topics (detailed below) as well as some violence (also detailed below.

Good Messages

4/10

There weren’t too many good messages in this novel, as it was quite focused on the fantasy story. The messages that are there include is to be sure who you trust (seen through a betrayal that Jude goes through) and thinking through decisions wisely (seen through what happens in the novel when the characters don’t think through their decisions).

Violence

7/10

There is definitely a lot of violence in this book. Jude is captured by an enemy and tortured. There are also fights and one person is killed. There are many mentions of war and battle in the novel as well.

Language

Intensity: 2/10

Usage: 2/10

There is very little bad language in this novel. The only words that are used are d*mn, h*ll, and bullsh*t, and these words are barely used throughout.

Romance

4/10

There isn’t that much romance in this novel. Jude has some feelings for Cardan, and Taryn gets married to another man. Vivi and her partner also continue dating and living together.

Adult Topics

There are a couple of adult topics in the novel. Cardan constantly takes female partners for the night, and sleeps with Jude at one point, but there isn’t too much description. There are also some LGBTQ topics as seen through Vivi and her partner’s relationship.

Tvix’s Take

Overall, this novel wasn’t too bad. I did think that it was a little more boring than the first novel, as the pace of the book just slowed down overall. I wasn’t as hooked on it as I was with the first novel. I definitely enjoyed the suspense and romantic tension in the book, though. The plot twist at the end was a little predictable but I liked it anyway. There were also a couple more plot twists in the book. Would I suggest this to someone? Probably not. I think that it’s good to just stop after the first book.