We all thought or dreamt so many things to accomplish one day in our life, to prove our worth more than others thought about you. But what will happen if all of them become true? If all impossible thoughts of yours become powerful, then others come and stand in front of you. You will embrace them with both of your hands exactly the same as Jude did.
About the Book
The second book of The Folk of the Air series, The Wicked King is the continued part of the Cruel Prince.Elfhame got its new king but what is a king without power! A king who is bound to a mere mortal girl who’s controlling him and his kingdom, which has nothing in his hands other than a mere title. Jude Duarte got more than she ever thought for herself. She got both the power and position on the court. But that doesn’t lessen her worries and even makes it worse to control this kingdom and its king.
Blurb
After the shocking revelation of Oak being a Greenbriar and the heir to the throne, Jude had to make some hard decisions. In order to keep him safe until he came of age she had to bind herself with the wicked king Cardan to protect the throne for her brother.But the way to keep the throne and kingdom better for her brother to rule over it is harder than she thought. Every day and every night left her feeling weak to become stronger than earlier. On the other hand, Cardan made it all more difficult for her. Not that it isn’t easy to control, but he made it harder by humiliating and undermining her. Although he’s fascinated by her, nothing stops Cardan when it comes to Jude.When some events leave Jude suspects that someone close is betraying her. Informing her strategies to enemies and rivals made her risk her own life for the people she loves and the folks. Ignoring her complicated feelings towards Cardan and fighting the urge of attraction.
Themes

Wickedness: It mostly suits the King. As his behavior after becoming a king turned from cruel to wicked.
Coming of Age: It revolves around the changes occurring within a person like being mature or growing up from their past self. Just like Oak, Jude and Cardan.
Enemies to friends: It’s shown that Jude and Cardan came into a point of friendship when they had to deal with some political matters or had to work as partners.
Power: It is the most wanted thing one can want in faeries. They want to rule over one another. Now they are in those hands who never wanted to have them at all.
Magic: As an immortal world, magic plays an important role. It is shown that every person or every single thing that was mentioned in the story.

Characters

Jude Duarte: One who is controlling the King and acting as his seneschal. Also the leader of the Court of Shadows.
Cardan Greenbriar: A wicked king who is bound to his seneschal and a member of the Court of Shadows.
Oak Greenbriar: Jude’s immortal brother who came out as the Heir of Greenbriar Oak was supposed to be Madoc and Oriana’s son.
Taryn Duarte: Despite the twin sister and the betrayal she gave to Jude, Taryn stands up for her own choice to become Locke’s wife.
Vivienne: An immortal sister of Jude, now helping her to take care of Oak in the mortal world.
Madoc: The general of the High King now is planning to become the King himself and rule over the Faerie. He stands against the King and Jude.
Oriana: Wife of Madoc and loved Oak as his own mother.
Heather: She is the girlfriend of Vivienne who is a mortal and helping Vivienne and Oak to get settled in the mortal world.
Nicasia: She is the princess of the underseas who hated Jude and planned against her.
Locke: After betraying Jude, he’s going to marry her sister also posted on the place of – by King Cardan.
Balekin Greenbriar: Now living in the Tower of Forgetting still planning to become the King of Faerie.
The Roach: Loyal accommodation of both Jude and King Cardan. Helping them to keep everything in their accordance. A spy of the court of shadows who is a thief, he’s able to steal anyone or anything.
The Bomb: Now a close friend of Jude’s and a spy of the court of the shadows is in charge of explosive things and poisons.
The Ghost: Another spy from the court of shadows who is a light-speed sharpshooter. Now working for Jude but still loyal to his leader, the dead Prince Dain.
Lady Asha: Cardan’s mother and a low-status courtier who was sent to the Tower of forgotten.

Best Lines

Sweet Jude, you’re my dearest punishment
If you’re the sickness, I suppose you can’t also be the cure.
Tell me again what you said at the revel,” he says, climbing over me, his body against mine.
“What?” I can barely think.
“That you hate me,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Tell me that you hate me.”
“I hate you,” I say, the words coming out like a caress. I say it again, over and over. A litany. An enchantment. A ward against what I really feel. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”
He kisses me harder.
“I hate you,” I breathe into his mouth. “I hate you so much that sometimes I can’t think of anything else.
If he thought I was bad, I would be worse. If he thought I was cruel, I would be horrifying.

About the Author
Holly Black is an American writer and editor who is known for her fantasy novels. She did an amazing job to express to the readers a whole new world that we can’t even imagine. After the success of her book The Cruel Prince. Holly rules over the reader’s hearts as they are solely hypnotized by the way she writes every plot and character with different kinds of personalities.
Conclusion
This book totally satisfied your wait to read it after the first one left you hanging on a cliff. But at the end of this book, you’ll find it more difficult to wait for the last part of the series. As for this book, it’s hypnotizing. It left too many hard-core characters and plots way much deeper than thought.