The Complete Folk of Air Series – Overview & Review

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The Folk of Air series by Holly Black is a trilogy consisting of The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, and The Queen of Nothing. 

This trilogy can be compared to a very YA Fantasy Romance series full of intrigue, danger, and a ton of coming-of-age tropes thrown in. 

I will admit, I did not love the introduction we get with this series. But Holly Black redeems herself and makes me fall in love with this series. 

So, with that out of the way, let’s dive right in!

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Goodreads / Storygraph

“Let’s have a toast. To the incompetence of our enemies.”

When our main character, Jude, was seven, her parents were murdered. She and her sisters were stolen away to Faerie, to live in the High Court of Faerie. 

After 10 years, Jude wants nothing more than to belong, but her mortality keeps her an arm’s length away from the Fae. Despite most of the Fae being cruel, no one is ruler to Jude than Prince Cardan, the youngest son of the High King. 

As Jude finds herself becoming embroiled in palace politics, she uncovers her own capacity for trickery. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude must enter a dangerous alliance in order to save not only her sisters, but Faerie. 

Foremost, this book felt a little all over the place with a hefty dose of bully romance. 

Jude is headstrong, determined, and naive. Cardan is juvenile, mean, and secretive. 

So of course these two make for an interesting love story. 

I just wish Cardan was a bit less cruel because it became harder and harder to root for them as a couple. 

The introduction to the Folk of Air world is a bit weird. The faerie realm and human realm co-exist together, but we don’t really know how characters travel in between the two. 

Also, don’t expect ACOTAR type fae in this book. The fae in this book are mean and minor spoiler, but Cardan has a tail. So check your expectations at the door if you’re reading this series after ACOTAR. 

It was hard to like a lot of the characters in this book. Even ones I wanted to like, I genuinely felt like even as a reader, I could not trust anyone. 

Not even Jude at times. 

This book is an introduction to a series that delves into betrayal, finding your place in the world, discovering who you are. 

My initial review of The Cruel Prince was kinda scathing, and I still agree with my harsh thoughts. 

2.5 stars out of 5 stars. 

The Wicked King by Holly Black

Goodreads / Storygraph

“I have said that he has the power to deliver a compliment and make it hurt. So, too, he can say something that ought to be insulting and deliver it in such a way that it feels like being truly seen.”

After the shocking revelations from the end of The Cruel Prince, Jude is left reeling. In order to fully protect those she loves, Jude binds herself to the now King Cardan. 

However, navigating through the constantly changing political landscape of Faerie proves hard. But keeping Cardan under control proves to be even harder, as he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine Jude. 

When another betrayal is looming close by, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings towards Cardan. 

There was so much plotting in this book and I LOVED it. 

The beginning was a bit slow, but once the ball began rolling, it went full speed. 

Jude is still very much impulsive and determined, but her family is in peril far more now than previously. 

Cardan, on the other hand, is still a little jerk. But he’s putting in overtime in this book to really dig in and hurt Jude. 

As much as I dislike admitting it, Cardan did have his sweet moments. There were times where I would be reading and could feel myself wanting Cardan and Jude to finally just be together and work it out. 

I also really enjoyed the side characters in this book, but I really need Holly Black to learn how to write age appropriate. Oak was older than he acted and it was kinda annoying. 

I still would not endorse this book as a YA love story or even an enemies-to-lovers story. 

The plot is definitely forged by the motives of the characters, but this book definitely improved from the first book. 

3.5 stars out of 5 stars. 

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Goodreads / Storygraph

“Come home and shout at me. Come home and fight with me. Come home and break my heart, if you must.”

Jude has released her hold over Cardan and finds herself exiled to the mortal world. Settling in to her new reality and left reeling over a shocking betrayal. 

However, an opportunity arises when Jude’s twin, Taryn, shows up in peril and begging Jude for help. 

But helping Taryn means risking returning to Faerie and not only confronting her feelings for Cardan, but stepping into her role as the High Queen of Elfhame. 

Jude must finally confront everything she has been able to avoid in the mortal realm. 

By this point it should be clear, the political intrigue did not let me down!

So much has happened by this point in the series it is hard to talk about this book without majorly spoiling anything. 

And will I finally admit this book is starting to feel like an actual love story? 

Yes. Jude and Cardan have evolved so much over the series and by this point, I am quite fond of both of them. 

Cardan also writes Jude letters and my heart. I am still unwell and partially swooning. 

I still find it so funny that I didn’t want to even continue this series. This book is without a doubt my favorite of the series. 

4.5 stars out of 5 stars. 

I’ve said it a few times and while I am not trying to sound redundant, this series was hard to get into. 

I did not like the bully romance or just how cruel some characters were. No one could be trusted, and it was kinda exhausting feeling like every character was going to betray Jude. 

However, as the series continues, so many elements of this series get better. We get a bit more world-building and the social dynamics in this world are fascinating. 

Jude and Cardan also grow so much. Individually and as a pair. 

What starts as a spoiled Prince and a naive mortal ends in one of my favorite book pairings. 

4 stars out of 5 stars for the Folk of Air series. 

You Might Also Like: The Cruel Prince // The Wicked King // The Queen of Nothing