How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (Folk of the Air Series)

by Holly Black, Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

Overview

Return to the captivating world of Elfhame with this illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy that began with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before Cardan was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector's item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316540827
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/24/2020
Series:	Folk of the Air Series
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	21,793
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner and a Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. Her website is www.blackholly.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories:

"Offers new delights along with familiar moments retold...fans will rejoice in every dark, luscious moment."—Kirkus

Praise for The Queen of Nothing:


*"Whether you came for the lore or the love, perfection."

—Kirkus, starred review

*"A compelling final piece in a powerful set."—Booklist, starred review

"We're being promised a 'jaw-dropping' finale...Based on the ride she's taken readers on so far, we'd expect nothing less."—Entertainment Weekly

Praise for The Wicked King:

*"A stunning and compelling sequel."—SLJ, starred review

*"A heady blend of courtly double-crossing, Faerie lore, and toxic attraction swirls together in the sequel to THE CRUEL PRINCE.... Black's writing is both contemporary and classic; her world is, at this point, intensely well-realized, so that some plot twists seem almost inevitable."—Kirkus, starred review

*"[A] dangerous journey filled with mystery, betrayal, intrigue, and romance.... Larger-than-life action in a kingdom packed with self-centered, evil, and manipulating characters also doles out real life issues."—VOYA, starred review

*"A rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come."—Booklist, starred review

Praise for The Cruel Prince:

"Lush, dangerous, a dark jewel of a book. Black's world is intoxicating, imbued with a relentless sense of peril that kept me riveted through every chapter of Jude's journey. And Jude! She is a heroine to love—brave but pragmatic, utterly human. This delicious story will seduce you and leave you desperate for just one more page."—Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

"I require book two immediately. Holly is the Faerie Queen."—Victoria Aveyard, #1 bestselling author of The Red Queen series

* "[S]pellbinding.... Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Another fantastic, deeply engaging, and all-consuming work from Black that belongs on all YA shelves."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for—heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double-crossing, moral complexity—this is one heck of a ride."—Booklist, starred review

"This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life. Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Darkest Part of the Forest:

A Kids' Indie Next List Book of the Year

*"Black returns here to the dark faerie realm that spurred her initial success, and if anything, she's only gotten better, writing with an elegant, economical precision and wringing searing emotional resonance from the simplest of sentences." —The Bulletin, starred review

*"Black returns to the realm of faerie for her latest novel, and the results, as any of her fans would expect, are terrific."—VOYA, starred review

"Black's stark, eerie tone; propulsive pacing; and fulsome world building will certainly delight her legion of fans."—Booklist

"This edgy, dark fantasy will be a hit with young adults who like their magical creatures to live in a recognizably contemporary world."—Library Media Connection

"Like a true fairy tale, Black's story weds blinding romance and dark terrors, but her worthy heroes are up to the challenge of both."—The Horn Book

"It's an enjoyable read with well-developed characters and genuine chills..." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Caitlin Kelly continues to bring her A game to this fabulous fantasy series. The use of a female narrator for a story featuring a male protagonist is a little surprising, but Kelly tackles it with aplomb. The novella spans Cardan's life, revolving around a story he is told by a troll as a child. Kelly’s storytelling shines with judicious pacing and pauses, building compassion and anticipation. The troll’s tale is told two more times throughout the audiobook. Each successive telling has a different moral as Cardan matures. Listeners will be pleased with this addition to the series. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Caitlin Kelly continues to bring her A game to this fabulous fantasy series. The use of a female narrator for a story featuring a male protagonist is a little surprising, but Kelly tackles it with aplomb. The novella spans Cardan's life, revolving around a story he is told by a troll as a child. Kelly’s storytelling shines with judicious pacing and pauses, building compassion and anticipation. The troll’s tale is told two more times throughout the audiobook. Each successive telling has a different moral as Cardan matures. Listeners will be pleased with this addition to the series. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

2020-08-14
Once upon a time....

In Faerie, a cruel prince met his match in Jude, a human raised in his world. An entire trilogy tells their tale from her perspective; now the prince gets center stage. This lavishly illustrated tome, more a series of vignettes than a complete novel, shows critical moments in Cardan’s life, including moments previously seen through Jude’s perspective. The entirety is framed within a moment that takes place after the end of The Queen of Nothing (2019), providing a glimpse into the maturing relationships between Jude and Cardan and between Cardan and his responsibilities as High King of Elfhame, a land whose multihued, multiformed denizens cannot lie. Woven throughout are three iterations of a story, initially told to a young Cardan, each version different in specifics and moral but all centered on a boy with a heart of stone and a monstrous, cursed bride. Readers familiar with Cardan and Jude’s tumultuous and sometimes troubling love will recognize notes within this repeated tale, but each telling also stands alone as a complete tale, one that feels both inevitable and fresh. Black continues to build an ever expanding mythos with her Faerie stories, and while this volume requires prior knowledge of The Folk of the Air trilogy, it offers new delights along with familiar moments retold.

Fan-service? Yes—and fans will rejoice in every dark, luscious moment. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews