The Wicked King

The Wicked King

Holly Black

eAudio - 2019

The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince. You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring. The first lesson is to make yourself strong. After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished. When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray ...her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world. Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels, including Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and the Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library. Praise for The Wicked King: "A stunning and compelling sequel."---SLJ, Starred Review The Wicked King has satisfying twists and turns, sizzling passions, brutal violence, spies and revels of all sorts--no one brings the intricate courtly politics of Faerie to life quite as well, or with as much intelligence, as Holly Black. -Shelf Awareness, starred review *"A heady blend of courtly double-crossing, Faerie lore, and toxic attraction swirls together in the sequel to THE CRUEL PRINCE...Black's writing is both contemporary and classic; her world is, at this point, intensely well-realized, so that some plot twists seem almost inevitable." -Kirkus, Starred Review *"A rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come."-Booklist, Starred Review *"[A] dangerous journey filled with mystery, betrayal, intrigue, and romance....Larger-than-life action in a kingdom packed with self-centered, evil, and manipulating characters also doles out real life issues."-VOYA, Starred Review "The plot itself twists, turns, and dovetails perfectly with the assured character development; in this way, Black proves herself a master storyteller writing in the tradition of Megan Whalen Turner."-Horn Book "An epic saga of palace intrigue and deception."-Entertainment Weekly "Holly Black is a mistress of well-paced fantasy..."-Austin-American Statesman "The Wicked King is so fast-paced and intense, you won't be able to put it down."-The Missourian Praise for The Cruel Prince: "Lush, dangerous, a dark jewel of a book. Black's world is intoxicating, imbued with a relentless sense of peril that kept me riveted through every chapter of Jude's journey. And Jude! She is a heroine to love--brave but pragmatic, utterly human. This delicious story will seduce you and leave you desperate for just one more page."-Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom "I require book two immediately. Holly is the Faerie Queen."-Victoria Aveyard, #1 bestselling author of The Red Queen series * "[S]pellbinding.... Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist."-Publishers Weekly, starred review * "Another fantastic, deeply engaging, and all-consuming work from Black that belongs on all YA shelves."-School Library Journal, starred review * "Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for--heart-

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Subjects
Kings and rulers > Fiction.
Power (Philosophy) > Fiction.
Courts and courtiers > Fiction.
Fairies > Fiction.
Sisters > Fiction.
Kings, queens, rulers, etc. > Juvenile fiction.
Power (Philosophy) > Juvenile fiction.
Orphans > Fiction.
Science fiction.
Genres
Science fiction
Published
[United States] : Hachette Audio 2019.
Language
English
Corporate Author
hoopla digital
Main Author
Holly Black (author)
Corporate Author
hoopla digital (-)
Other Authors
Kathleen (Illustrator) Jennings (illustrator)
Edition
Unabridged
Online Access
Instantly available on hoopla.
Cover image
Physical Description
1 online resource (1 audio file (10hr., 30 min.)) : digital
Format
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
ISBN
9781549171321
Access
AVAILABLE FOR USE ONLY BY IOWA CITY AND RESIDENTS OF THE CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, HILLS, AND LONE TREE (IA).
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Jude Duarte is no stranger to uneasy alliances. Raised by the man who killed her parents, a liar in a court of faeries compelled to speak only the truth, and recently betrayed, for love, by her twin sister, Jude long ago learned to keep her motivations a secret and her heart safe. In a deft play in The Cruel Prince (2018), she both allied with and manipulated Cardan, the prince she's always had a dangerous relationship with. To keep her younger brother, the heir of Faerie, safe, Jude placed Cardan on the throne instead; now she and Cardan rule together through their tenuous, volatile partnership. But Faerie is a dangerous world, and Jude has never truly belonged there. Someone is working against her, endangering her life and the lives of her family, and Jude will need every ounce of cunning and every bit of hardness she's learned to make it out intact. This second in a series neatly avoids the second-book slump; readers of the planned trilogy's first volume will be expecting plot twists, so it's even more impressive that this manages to stay one step ahead of its readers. Black expands the reaches of her brutally beautiful world and the depths of her deadly, vulnerable characters, and the employ of yet another cliff-hanger ending will leave readers agonized. A sinister, singular thrill. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Black's practically a household name, the film rights to The Cruel Prince have been sold, and the six-figure marketing campaign for this installment means that the buzz is deafening.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 UP-By crowning Cardan High King of Elfame and holding him under her command for a year and a day, Jude Duarte is able to protect her brother Oak from their power-hungry father Madoc. Jude uses her ability to control Cardan and the Court of Shadows to her own advantage and to protect other mortals. As the power goes to her head and her feelings for Cardan change, Jude is warned that someone she trusts will betray her. Balekin, Cardan's murderous older brother, and Madoc both scheme to take the throne, but in the end, the worst betrayal may be the one she never expected. Caitlin Kelly captures the beauty and caprice of the fae, giving her voice an ageless quality that matches Black's richly developed world. Kelly gives Jude a strong and determined voice, but still shows Jude's youth and vulnerability. VERDICT Fans of Julie Kagawa and Melissa Marr, as well as those who enjoyed Black's other books, will want to pick up this suspenseful sequel to The Cruel Prince.-Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

A mortal raised in the realms of Faerie by the devious General Madoc, Jude Duarte has learned to play games of politics and intrigue quite well. By manipulating her onetime nemesis, Cardan (the titular Cruel Prince of the previous book, rev. 1/18; and Wicked King of this one), onto the throne and binding his will to hers for a year and a day, Jude has bought time for her young foster brother, Oak, whom Madoc would have thrust into power and controlled from the shadows. Using all of her resourcesher spy network, her inability to be glamoured, and her innate physical and intellectual talentsJude manages to keep Cardans numerous rivals in check. The growing trust between Jude and Cardan blossoms into an unlikely romance and ultimately a clandestine marriagebut one final betrayal threatens to undo all of Judes plans. The plot itself twists, turns, and dovetails perfectly with the assured character development; in this way, Black proves herself a master storyteller writing in the tradition of Megan Whalen Turner. jonathan hunt January/February 2019 p 85(c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A heady blend of courtly double-crossing, Faerie lore, and toxic attraction swirls together in the sequel to The Cruel Prince (2018).Five months after engineering a coup, human teen Jude is starting to feel the strain of secretly controlling King Cardan and running his Faerie kingdom. Jude's self-loathing and anger at the traumatic events of her childhood (her Faerie "dad" killed her parents, and Faerie is not a particularly easy place even for the best-adjusted human) drive her ambition, which is tempered by her desire to make the world she loves and hates a little fairer. Much of the story revolves around plotting (the Queen of the Undersea wants the throne; Jude's Faerie father wants power; Jude's twin, Taryn, wants her Faerie betrothed by her side), but the underlying tensionsexual and politicalbetween Jude and Cardan also takes some unexpected twists. Black's writing is both contemporary and classic; her world is, at this point, intensely well-realized, so that some plot twists seem almost inevitable. Faerie is a strange place where immortal, multihued, multiformed denizens can't lie but can twist everything; Judewho can lieis an outlier, and her first-person, present-tense narration reveals more than she would choose. With curly dark brown hair, Jude and Taryn are never identified by race in human terms.A rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come. (map) (Fantasy. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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