The Queen of Nothing (A Novel of Elfhame): Where TikTok's Faerie Obsession Began

The Queen of Nothing and there's 'nothing' much to criticise!!! “To new beginnings and scheming great schemes”. I too, can toast to this outcome!!! And this my friends concludes a superb trilogy of ‘The Folk of the Air’ series. A 5 star trilogy that has brought just about everything to this dark fairy tale; conspiracies, power struggles, broken relationships, love, greed, treachery, violence, brinkmanship, and at times ‘snarkism’ and a heavy dose of the fantastical, all of which just heightens the appeal. The will they?, won’t they? continues in this series but with a huge twist from the outset when the High King Cardan exiles Jude, the pronounced Queen of Faerie. Unmoored and now in the land of mortals with ‘Nothing’ but damaged pride, a poor sense of worth and a bruised heart that Jude tries to hide. Jude tries to start a new life without all the drama and intrigue she was clearly built for. This is when Jude must test her judgement, heart and sense of loyalty between her step father and her High King, that she conned into coming to the throne and then married for convenience. The characterisation is superb. I loved all these characters. Cardan the High King, who was the cruel prince in the first book has a unique gravitational force that pulls everyone towards him. His wit and snarky comments just make for amusing reading. Jude, rough, tough, and fearless is a woman who treats court politics as some kind of extreme sport. However, it is her determination and loyalty that won me over. A terrific character, who claims to be "like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness.” Even the conniving Madoc, is a deliciously evil character. It was intriguing watching him close down the routes people could take, ‘pruning the variables’ and reducing everyone’s ability to surprise him so that it was his plan, not theirs that was most likely to succeed. A reader with ‘Nothing’ to complain about, except the use of the bridle in one of the plots and one of two of the minor sub plots did not tie up completely in the end. However, if you love Fantasy then treat yourself to this superbly well written and immersive book which completes this trilogy. Magical, absorbing, tormenting, and compulsive – what more could you ask for!!! Nothing !!!!

The Queen of Nothing has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year ever since its publication date was moved from January 2020 to November 2019, and I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint! Now exiled from the land of Faerie, despite being its High Queen, Jude is attempting to live her life in the mortal world with her older sister, Vivi, and their little brother Oak, taking on some odd jobs for other fae who dwell in the mortal world. When her sister Taryn turns up on their doorstep with some surprising news requesting Jude’s help, she can’t help but be pulled back towards Faerie and the place she considers home. Naturally, because it’s Jude, chaos ensues. It was so satisfying to see Taryn finally come into her own in this book, and for Jude, Taryn and Vivi to be a supportive little coven of sisters. I did spend a lot of the novel, much like Jude, nervous that Taryn might betray her again, but Taryn has finally found her own voice in this third and final book and no longer needs Locke and Madoc to make her decisions for her by using her. Seeing the three sisters finally working together was one of my favourite things about this book. But I can’t deny that I also loved all the scenes that Jude and Cardan shared. I don’t know what it is about this series that works for me because Cardan should be the kind of YA love interest I hate, but he and Jude are like two sides of the same coin and they just work. Cardan is a lot softer in this book than he’s been in the previous books, but given the glimpse into his past we’re given right at the beginning of this novel I think that makes sense and, to be honest, Cardan is the softer character out of him and Jude. That’s probably hard to believe in The Cruel Prince, when he and his friends are so darn mean, but Jude straight-up murders people throughout this series (and it’s awesome) whereas a lot of Cardan’s behaviour is a kind of armour he’s had to build up because of the world and family he’s been born into. I find him really interesting – he reminds me a little of Baz from Carry On, who’s also a secret soft mess under his layers of venom – and I enjoyed all of his scenes a lot. That doesn’t mean this book isn’t without its problems and I have a feeling it’s going to be a fairly polarising finale not because of its ending or anything, but because of the way we get to that ending. Like the other books in this trilogy, The Queen of Nothing moves along at quite a fast pace and there are plenty of moments that could have been drawn out or questions that could have been answered. For example, I thought we might learn a bit more about Jude’s parents, particularly her mother, and I’m surprised Cardan’s mother didn’t play a bigger part in the book. Then again, their stories have never really been the point of this trilogy. We can dive into the kinds of mothers they were all we like, but what really matters is how their parenting has left Jude and Cardan the way they are. Not only that but, in Jude’s case, the parent who’s had the most impact on her is Madoc; it’s Madoc who, for better or worse, has turned Jude into the scheming Slytherin queen she is. In a way I quite liked that Cardan’s mother teased Jude with the stories she could tell Jude about her own mother’s behaviour, but Jude never rises to that bait. Maybe one day she’ll learn more about her mother in her own time but, ultimately, Jude has got to where she is through her own blood, sweat and tears, and she doesn’t need stories about anyone who’s come before her to validate her. I kind of love that. I could see where the plot was going from fairly early on and I could guess the solution to the novel’s major problem straight away, but, honestly, I didn’t care. This series is just so much fun to read; these books are like popcorn, sweet and salty and moreish, and I’ve read this whole trilogy this year purely and simply to be swept away somewhere else and entertained. This final book continued to do that for me, and I really enjoyed it! I can’t even say I’m sad this series has now come to an end because a story arc has come to a close and it felt like a fitting ending, even if we did get to that ending a lot more easily than I expected, but I would love to see Holly Black write more books set in the world of Faerie because her world-building in this trilogy is one of my favourite things about it.

Cover: I was actually in love with this cover from the second it was revealed! I love the purple tones, the snake that seems to be getting all over books recently, the crown that has linked all three covers. It’s got a lot happening yet it’s still simple enough to look classic and gorgeous. Main Character: Jude. If you’ve not read my reviews of The Nevernight Chronicles (I recommend you do, not to toot my own horn!) you might not know how deep my love for strong, stabby women is. Jude is such an interesting character and seeing her development has been so incredible. Even from the beginning of QoN to the end she changed so much and Holly treats her with such respect and love that she is definitely one of my favourite characters. Side Characters: You can tell how much time and love Holly puts into her books from how natural and real each of her characters feel. Each of them started in such different places to how they end and yet it seems like such a natural progression. Cardan is obviously the biggest player other than Jude in the books and I just can’t get over how fantastic he is in this book! Taryn and Vivi also feature regularly in this story and I always love seeing them interact not just with Jude but also with others. Their relationship truly does reflect true siblings, even if it may be slightly more extreme in regards to the betrayals. We’re also introduced to several new characters who I truly enjoyed getting to know. Jude outwitting some of them was truly one of my favourite parts of the book! Plot: With Jude’s banishment in place and unable to return to Elfhame we start by finding Jude learning how to live in the mortal world. She’s using her skills to make some cash on the side till a surprise return of her sister, she’s roped her into returning to Elfhame. Things obviously don’t go quite to plan, when do they ever quite for Jude? We get sweet moments, moments of fear, shocks, and twists, and turns. We get fights and feelings. It’s a true conclusion to an epic story. Jude finally steps into her role as Queen, having to choose between fighting for what she believes in or fighting for the power she’s worked all her life to acquire. There’s a lot to unpack with this book though it moves quickly from point to point it never feels rushed. Genre: Firmly sat in the YA Fantasy box. It’s probably the epitome of YA Fantasy. It has moments that are more risqué but they’re none to graphic and brief. Strength: If I say everything is that too vague? I couldn’t really fault anything with this book. I enjoyed it so much I read it in about 6 hours. Weakness: It was too short! I want more! I want more of Jude and Cardan! I want more of Madoc! I want more of Jude and her sisters! I just want more of everything! I could literally read random one-shots of this book till the cows come home! My Opinion: I really can’t describe to you how much I love this book! It has everything I love in it and Holly Black executes it in such a phenomenal way that from the first page I was entranced! I was sucked in and was instantly along side these incredible characters as they fought for love and for power. I’ve had the tendency recently to be slightly disappointed by the ending of books, I have felt a lot of them didn’t feel right in terms of the story, almost as if they were payoffs to fans instead of the ending that would have actually happened. I thankfully didn’t feel like that with Queen of Nothing. I couldn’t have been happier with how it ending and how it brought the trilogy to a conclusion. Star Rating: 5🌟

The character development in this final instalment was everything. The Wicked King seriously lacked depth for me in terms of the characters. I feel like there wasn’t much, if any, development from The Cruel Prince. However, I feel that lack of development in character is what makes Queen of Nothing so good? It’s like finally getting to itch a scratch you have been dying for. It was so satisfying to see the relationships grow and change following the events from the previous book. The world felt different, it felt like it was teetering on the edge of impending disaster at all times. You’re constantly at the edge of your seat wondering how this is all going to end. Who will be King and Queen? Who will rule and what will they do? The story progression broke me. I could not put this book down. It was everything I could have ever asked for and so much more. I was living for every plot twist, every dialogue, every lingering moment between Jude and Cardan. It was action packed from start to finish, constantly leaving you needing to know what is going to happen next. This book was also YA first for me in the sense that it was the first time I have ever read a sex scene in YA. I’m not spoiling who did the deed or any of the steamy details (those are for you to read). But It just made the relationship seem so much more real. It left a really lasting impact on my feelings towards the characters and their relationship that the scene just fading to black could have never done? While there is much debate on sex in YA and whether it is appropriate, I was living for it and i’d definitely appreciate it being more openly written about. The ending was phenomenal. I didn’t see it coming at all. I thought I had this story all figured out and Holly just came out of nowhere and shook me to the core. Everything about this book gave me everything I wanted and so much more.

I wondered at reading previous books of Holly's and not getting into them. But this series has been absolutely brilliant. I have loved the characters, the language, the interaction of them all. The darkness, the story and the ending. It's nice to have a good ending, with all the points sorted out, no questions left unanswered. To those of you who've read the first two books, read on and fall into a new book and make new friends. Highly recommended.

Third and final volume in the young adult fantasy series called 'The Folk of the Air.' This began with 'The Wicked Prince'. And this isn't a jumping on point, so new readers should start with that. You should really be about fifteen and up for it, as there are adult references. Regular ones, read on. This has a map of the setting at the start. The story is in two parts. With a prologue, epilogue, and twenty seven chapters in between. It does bring the story of the whole series to a close. The prologue hints at real problems for Cardan to face. Then when the story resumes, we pick up with Jude. Stuck back in the mortal world. Still dealing with what happened with Cardan. Trying to get by. But a chance to return comes when Taryn reappears. Although Jude is in no mood to forgive, her sister needs her help. So she's on her way back to Faerie. Where war is brewing. And those aforementioned problems might come to pass... A decent read. Good plot development in the first half. Good jeopardy awaits once Jude is back in Faerie. Threat comes from a good three dimensional source. And the second part of the book does manage to move the plot on at just the right point and develop the story nicely. The way it deals with one outstanding problem is superb and really very clever and I admired the writing for it. I just rather agree in some ways with the other reviewer who gave this 3.5 stars. Something about the second part doesn't quite come to life, and does feel a bit rushed. It all sorts itself out. The development of the central relationship is very well handled. And the ending is really good. It really works at being an ending that makes you sorry to leave this story and these characters. But this just perhaps could have done with being a bit longer and given more depth at times. A good final volume though. And a decent end to the series. Although for more of Elfhame, there is ''How the King of Elfhame learned to hate stories', a short story collection of tales from the realm. So you might want to check that out should you so desire.

This book was such a great conclusion for this series. I just love Jude and Cardan together, which I never would have guessed from how they were in the first book. The pacing really fit for me, I get too distracted if books have a slower pace, my mind just pings somewhere else. The character development for both Jude and Cardan was just perfect. I could see exactly how they’d gotten to the places they’d ended up in. I’m not gonna lie, Taryn redeemed herself in this book. At least a little. She was there for Jude, and just a generally less crappy person. In my view anyway. I get why some people still don’t like her by the end of this book, but she grew on me a little. I can really see why they call Holly Black the queen of faerie. These books were incredible.

Loved this book, best book of the trilogy and gave me the ending I yearned for. The schemes were scheming! Great fantasy plot.

Amazing ending to an amazing trilogy. The Folk of the Air shall always have a special place in my heart.

"Plunge a heated sword into oil and any small flaw will turn into a crack. But quenched in blood as you were, none of you broke. You were only hardened." Jude has always claimed throughout the series—through words and actions—that she belongs in Faerie despite being mortal. I think nobody understood just how true that is until The Queen of Nothing. The story opens with Jude still reeling from the pain and betrayal in The Wicked King. She's downtrodden, doesn't know what to do with herself, and wiles away her time taking side jobs from the local fae. It broke my heart with just how unhappy she was. Then Taryn comes to ask for a favor—opening the opportunity to temporarily switch places with her sister. Once Jude gets to Faerie, her inner match lights into a bonfire. "You’ve got to stop acting as though Court politics is some kind of extreme sport and stop chasing the adrenaline high." I can’t believe it’s over. This series, this world, these characters...I do not have the words to express how much happiness they've given me. "Even though I am the queen in exile, I am still the queen. And that means Madoc isn’t just trying to take Cardan’s throne. He’s trying to take mine." Black explores the depth and complexity of relationships and I think that's what truly hooked me throughout the series, but especially in this one. The relationship with Jude and Madoc has always been a complex one: How do you love a father who became your father by killing your own? A father that loves you so very much, but loves power more? Their dynamic, and the war between them, was really what carried the novel—it broke me—and it was something I didn't even know I wanted. "I know I will never do this again. I will never have him behave like this with me again. But for one final night, he’s the father I remember best, the one in whose shadow I have—for better or worse—become what I am." AND "Good-bye, then, daughter," Madoc says. "You would have made a good redcap." Tell me your heart is not breaking! Tell me that is not so tragically beautiful that you don't know whether to cuddle them because they so obviously love each other or beat them over the head because they're obviously breaking each other's hearts! THE FEELS! "To you, I offer honey wine and the hospitality of my table. But to traitors and oath breakers, I offer my queen’s hospitality instead. The hospitality of knives." Jude may be the queen of my heart. She never backs down and never gives up. I want to be her when I grow up. "By you, I am forever undone." Cardan's growth has been my world. From petulant child, to uncertain spy, to gloriously dark and confident king...we now we get to see him be the king of his people’s dreams, but also the king of his own. I don't think there will ever be another character I love so much as him. Black has made me feel altogether way too much from delighting in some of his more cruel moments to swooning in his heartfelt ones. "We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it." "Is this another riddle?" I ask. "And if I answer it, will you go back to kissing me?" "If that’s what you want." AND "Mortals are fragile," I say. "Not you," he says in a way that sounds a little like a lament. "You never break." Which is ridiculous, as hurt as I am. I feel like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness. Still, I like hearing it. I like everything he’s saying all too well. Tell me you are not swooning! Tell me you would not want your dark king to tell you such sweet nothings! But don't worry, he's not all sugar. He still has his spice: "Oh, I don’t know," I say. "Maybe he’d like to hear me scream." "I would," Cardan says, standing. "And perhaps one day I will." Vivi: holy wow that standoff with her father was a long time coming. And when she told him to bring his whole damn army? Oh snap, girl. Oooooooh, snap! I squealed. Loudly. Grima Mog: introduced when Jude fights her in the beginning of the novel, she becomes a favorite of mine halfway through. I love how Jude accidentally picks up such powerful and amazing strays! And when she's promoted to war general? Ahhhh, yisss. "Tell me what I must slay, what I must steal, tell me the riddle I must solve or the hag I must trick. Only tell me the way, and I will do it, no matter the danger, no matter the hardship, no matter the cost." Nicasia: okay, wow. Really didn't see this redemption arc coming but was it a good one. Oak: So help me Black, you better give me a good spin off with him. SO HELP ME. This has been the series of my heart. The true magic with books is the way the written word can make you feel and Black is a master at her craft. Words cannot express just how much. I am not ready to say goodbye, but it was the perfect ending. "To family and Faerieland and pizza and stories and new beginnings and scheming great schemes. I can toast to that." Everyone needs to drop everything on their TBR and read this trilogy.

Good state of the delivered book. The third tom of the series is the best in my opinion.

THIS WAS A PURE MASTERPIECE! I love this series to the bottom of my heart and will definitely reread soon! Cardan is, and will forever be my number 1 book-boyfriend. This was the first series I ever read (started reading about a year ago), and I have still not read one that tops this, and I'm not sure I ever will. This whole series have my entire heart!

The Queen of Nothing is the last and best of the three books. The full series is very gripping but this last one is amazing, I couldn't put it down! I've put 4 stars to the precedent books just to say that I've loved the writing, loved the story and the characters but they are sometimes hard to imagine because it's so out of our world. Also, even though I'm bilingual, reading it in English while I don't know the specific Fairy vocabulary and which is what is a bit difficult, but that's on me. I wanted to read the book in original version and I think I would have lost a little something by reading it in French. I think the books miss a bit of description, I'm not asking for Tolkien style because I way prefer action to anything else, but I like to be helped in my imagination especially on this kind of story. Overall I really enjoyed the series and will get more of Holly Black's books! Thank you very much for sharing this world with us :)