My rating: 5/5
This is the finale to The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black. It is a YA fantasy series following a character called Jude, a human living in the midst of a fae world and struggling to prove herself. If you're into political intrigue, scheming, a fast-paced plot, and morally-grey characters that win your heart nonetheless, this book is totally for you. I have really enjoyed this series and whole-heartedly recommend it for all fantasy lovers out there.
Spoilers below!
Can we just admire this gorgeous cover for a second? It's also one of those covers that make more sense when you read the book, which is definitely nice. The broken crown (which is beautifully foil-embossed on the hardcover, by the way), the snake for Cardan, etc. In terms of title and cover, this book has done it perfectly. The cover and title perfectly espouse the focus and characters in the book, and it's very gorgeous in person, too.
One of my favourite scenes from this book is that scene when Jude has been duped into thinking someone is about to assassinate Cardan, and she waits in the shadows with her bow and arrow waiting for the assassin to show up and then she falls when she is mistaken for the assassin she showed up to kill. I just think that scene is so brillant, shocking, and I could picture it perfectly, and it really made me feel that I was reading from an author who had perfected the art of suspense and storytelling. Moments like this just remind me why I love fiction so much, for that ability to envision the characters and the action. I don't know if it was intentional, but the pomegranates rolling bring to mind an image of blood and just the utter anticipation of it all is really well done. Not to mention Cardan's perfect reaction, restoring our faith in his character.
"The Bomb shoots, and I dodge. Her bolt goes past me, but my foot slips sideways in my own blood, and then I plunge backward. Off the rafter and into the open air.
For a moment, it feels like flying.
I crash onto a banquet table, knocking pomegranates to the floor. They roll in every direction, into puddles of spilled mead and shattered crystal. I am sure I ripped a lot of stitches. Everything hurts. I can’t seem to get my breath. my eyes, no idea how long I was unconscious.
“Jude Duarte,” someone says. “Broken her exile to murder the High King.”
Although initially when I was reading the concluding 50 pages of this book I was bit thrown off by the fact that there was no proper long epic battle scene like a lot of other fantasy books, now I'm honestly kind of relieved because that can get a bit boring and underwhelming. I think the ending was very in-character for the novel and its villains, including Madoc. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that this is really the perfect ending for the series. Obviously, I'd love to know what you guys thought about the ending, did you feel satisfied?
I loved the characters in this novel, especially Jude. She's definitely for me a very unique character, and I loved the parts when she described how she was made for the scheming and action of the fairyland. She's a character that doesn't force us to feel sorry for her, and I love that she doesn't try to justify her actions from an ethical standpoint. It's just such an interesting tangle of character behavior where you are forced to think about the character's motivations since they are somewhat unpredictable. Similarly, I loved Cardan's character, his reckless excess and his vulnerability. The amazing thing about this book is that it is crazy and unexpected but it's not trying to be anything else and that makes it SO GOOD.
"I feel like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness."
The fast-paced nature of this book, the interesting character and the banter between them made this such an easy read. This series is amazing for me because it has always managed to get me out of the worst of bookslumps and I am so grateful for that. No matter what school work or stresses weigh on my mind (and there are a lot now that high school exams have been cancelled because of corona virus), I know that I can jump into these books and get enveloped in the plot.
I'm gonna keep this short because I'm currently re-reading the An Ember in the Ashes series so I can finally read the 3rd book because I've forgotten everything about the plot and I want to get back to that. However, I really enjoyed this series and am happy to be ending this journey on a very happy point!
Thanks,
Yomna
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