The Wicked King

Fantasy

Print length: 130 pagesHot Key Books, 2019

Description

Jude has bound Cardan, the king of Faerie, to her service and now wields power from behind his throne. Yet commanding a crown is not the same as controlling a kingdom: alliances shift without warning, enemies test her authority, and Cardan repeatedly undermines the mortal strategist who placed him there, even as his fascination with her deepens. When someone close to Jude betrays her, the threat reaches beyond her own survival to the people she loves. She must identify the traitor while preserving her hidden grip on a court that considers mortals inferior. Political calculation and dangerous attraction become inseparable as Jude struggles to anticipate Cardan’s moves and her enemies’ designs in this dark fantasy of power, loyalty, and desire.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Atmospheric · Direct · Witty

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Dark · Romantic · Suspenseful · Tense

Structure

Linear

Focus

Character · Plot · Relationships

Emotional intensity

4 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

AmbitionBelongingIdentityLoveMoralityPower

About Holly Black

Holly Black writes fantasy for young readers and adults, often placing human vulnerability inside supernatural systems governed by bargains, rank, and coercion. Her prose is direct but atmospheric, grounding enchantment in sharply drawn settings and moving quickly through reversals of allegiance. She builds plots around characters who learn that power depends on reading other people, withholding information, and accepting compromised choices. Tithe sets this method against New Jersey streets, where Kaye’s unsettled home life opens onto rival faerie courts and a sacrificial ritual. The Folk of the Air novels tighten the same interests into court intrigue. Beginning with The Cruel Prince, Jude seeks a place among immortals who despise mortals, and the series tracks her use of deception, violence, and concealed authority as alliances shift around her. Black often binds romance to strategy, making attraction another source of leverage and misjudgment. With Book of Night, her first adult fantasy, she extended her interest in dangerous magic beyond her established work for younger readers.

Books by Holly Black

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Language: English
ISBN: 9781471408038

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