“‘His voice is soft, and I make the mistake of looking into his black eyes, at his wicked, curving mouth. ‘But you beauty will fade,’ he continues, just as softly, speaking like a lover. ‘And all you have and all you are will rot away to nothing. You will be nothing. You are nothing.’’ As the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is reeling from Cardan’s betrayal and is determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose life is in peril. Jude must return to the treacherous Faerie Court and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing, and she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s of bloody politics. When a terrible curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing Jude to choose between her ambition and her humanity…”
What is the book about?
Only moments after marrying Cardan and becoming High Queen of Elfhame, Jude is exiled to the mortal world and can only return once pardoned by the crown. Jude is furious and resents Cardan for his betrayal and how easily he was able to trick her and she is determined to take back everything she lost, everything he stole and to find a way back into her kingdom. Opportunity arrives with Taryn, Jude’s twin sister, who has made a tragic mistake and now her life is in great danger. In order to help her sister, Jude must leave the comfortable, mundane mortal world and return to the treacherous Faerie Court that betrayed her. Not only that, but Jude has to face Cardan and confront her strong feelings for him, that never left after his cruel deception. But her home is not as she left it and everything is in chaos. Elfhame is on the brink of destruction due to a war brewing and all the political conflict. Jude is sucked back into the bloody politics she had escaped and must find a way to resolve the problems. When all the conflict seems like it is nearing its end, an unexpected curse is unleashed and there is nothing for Jude to do but face the monster. Jude must choose between her ambitions or her humanity, before all of Elfhame succumbs to the dark curse…
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
The second I finished the previous book in the series – The Wicked King – I was already longing to have the next one in my hands ready for me to plunge back into Faerie, as I had been left of a terrible cliff-hanger, desperate to discover what would happen next. Before even glancing at the book, I was already confident that The Queen of Nothing would be an incredible book and that I would love it just as must as the first two books in the series. After admiring the beautiful cover, I read the blurb of the book and was even more excited about beginning to read. However, at first I thought that the blurb was a bit too detailed and I was worried that it would mean that I wouldn’t be as curious throughout the book but, as I opened the book and dived into its pages, all my doubts floated away. As soon as I started the first sentence, I was already transported back into Jude’s magical world and now I knew that there was no mistaking how much I was going to love the book. I enjoyed every single page from the very first one and really enjoyed the epilogue giving wondrous details I didn’t know I wanted until that moment. I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the book and I was longing (and dreading) the end of The Folk of the Air series.
Who was your favourite character and why?
There were a lot of amazing characters in this book, however there were a couple I loved above all the others. The first was Jude, who has been a strong favourite of mine throughout all three books. One of the reasons why I love her so much is because she is human. Most of the characters in the series are strange, magical creatures that certainly do not belong on our planet, but there were a few mortal characters that made Faerieland seem a lot more possible and a lot more believable. I really liked how, although she had grown up in an extraordinary world filled with magic, Jude was still only human and made ordinary mistakes that you and I, and everyone else in the world, make all the time. One of the main mistakes was how she was able to trust Cardan once again and believed everything he was telling her, even after being misled countless times. Jude made a common mistake of trusting the people you love, even though, deep down, you know that they are just going to let you down again. This made Jude a really relatable character, despite being a brutal, strong fearless warrior that I definitely cannot relate to and I really liked seeing how even the strongest and more powerful can make mistakes and have doubts. Another thing that I really liked about Jude, which I think I have mentioned before, was how strong she was. She never gave up and kept fighting through every problem thrown at her, even when everyone else thought that it was hopeless. Her strength, bravery and, most of all, her humanity was proven to me at the end of The Queen of Nothing, when Jude had to make a decision that would mean show would lose the last bit of light in her life. Jude was a really inspiring character and I really enjoyed going on the long journey with her. The other character that I loved reading about was, surprisingly, High King Cardan. The reason I really liked him, in this book specifically, is because I think that he really matured and took the role of king a lot more seriously that in the other two books. I think that he really changed from the cruel, immature boy in the first book to a powerful, strong person, who was ready to defend his kingdom. Another reason why I liked him was because of how he took the first step, the leap of faith and put his feelings out there without needing reassurance that they were returned. Also, when he was finally told that they were, he didn’t truly believe it and I really enjoyed seeing that bit of innocence that a lot of people have o believing that you aren’t really capable of being loved. I really loved both Jude and Cardan, and I loved them together even more.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
I really enjoyed a lot of parts of the book, and a lot of them I would definitely consider as possible options for favourite part of the book, however there was one part that I cannot ignore and was undoubtedly the most incredible, perfect part of the book: the ending. Now, I can’t say much about the ending and what exactly I loved about it, but I can tell you that it was quite satisfactory. I had been longing for the ending so that I could finally see a (hopefully) happy ending, but I was also dreading the final page and that it would completely ruin the magical books in the series. A lot of books that I have read have had shocking endings that completely ruined the amazing plots that came before; the ending is the last bit the readers are left with, it has to count for something. Luckily, the ending didn't ruin anything and I cannot begin to explain how relieved I was that the ending was as remarkable as it was. It was a really good conclusion to one of my new favourite series and, although I obviously wish that I could just continue to read more of Jude and her family and friends, I was quite content with the ending that had been supplied. Also, another reason why I loved this part was the hug, one which I have been waiting for since the first book; it was a perfect hug!
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really loved The Queen of Nothing and thought it was the perfect ending to such an incredible series. The first thing that I loved about the book was stunning front cover. It is the most amazing, satisfying thing in the world to find an entire series filled with amazing plots and gorgeous, eye-catching covers, and I cannot believe that this series is one of them. I know that I am probably repeating myself from the reviews of the previous books, but the covers are so beautiful and I really love that about the books. Another thing that I loved about the book was the incredible plot twists. It is very rare that a book is able to shock me more than once, and not just that, but for a book to make me gasp out loud. I was so surprised by something near the end that I could not resists gasping and shouting, and I really enjoy reading a book that is able to affect my emotions so well. Reading The Queen of Nothing was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions were I was happy one second and wanting to throw the book halfway across the room the next; it is a great way to keep a person on their toes. One last thing that I really loved about the book was the ending. I know that I have said this a few times already but, it was just perfect and there is nothing I would do to change it (except maybe make it longer so I can read more about the characters’ futures). I had been dreading a bad ending ever since I finished the first book and absolutely loved it and I was very glad that this ending was a good one. It was so amazing and perfect that I felt myself tearing up at the thought of never reading anything else about Jude and Cardan. I had been so curious to discover the ending of the book that the realisation of it finally ended only came on the penultimate page of the book. I really loved reading this book and I enjoyed every single word.
Which is your favourite book in The Folk of the Air series? (1, 2, or 3)
Clearly all three books in the series were amazing and I really loved everything about them. However, I think that my favourite book is The Queen of Nothing. As soon as I finished the book, I began thinking about this question, and how it was definitely a battle between the second book – The Wicked King – and this one. Both books had everything I love about a book, and everything that put The Wicked King above the first book (The Cruel Prince), The Queen of Nothing also had. Both books were fast-paced and the plot flowed perfectly, making it feel less like a book and more like an adventure I was on. I was so easily transported into Elfhame when reading The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing, and I found both plots equally interesting and filled with adventure. Another thing that both books had was endless plot twists giving me no time at all to relax myself. Throughout the entire second and third book I was so tense and as soon as I began to relax I was thrust into another unexpected turn that would make the whole book a lot more exciting. I love being shocked and I was certainly surprised by the many plot twists I encountered through the two books. On last thing that I enjoyed that both books had in common was that the romance was a lot more interesting and engaging. I loved the enemies-to-lovers concept and really enjoyed the romance scenes that weren’t too uncomfortable and were a lot better than most scenes in romance books. I loved the complicated, wild, rollercoaster of a relationship Jude and Cardan were on and I really loved how, despite hating each other, they also loved each other. Although both books had a lot in common, the thing that put The Queen of Nothing over the top was the incredible ending. This ending added to everything that was amazing about the book and much more, and made me see how clear it was that this was my favourite book out of the three. I really loved all three books in the series, the plots, the characters, the stunning covers, everything, and I can’t wait to read the novella How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories that I’m sure will go nicely with the series and put it over the top.
Would you recommend this book?
I definitely recommend that you read The Queen of Nothing but obviously after the first two books in the series, which you can also find on my blog. I think that this book is perfect for readers over 14, who enjoy fantasy, adventure and romance.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A spectacular, overwhelming conclusion to one of greatest, most magical, extraordinary fantasy series of all time.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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