Review | The Wicked King Is Good…But Still Not Worth the Hype

The Wicked King

By: Holly Black

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Jude Duarte bound the now-crowned King, Cardan, to her in order to keep her younger brother safe. She thinks she’s super smart and can navigate the political ins and outs of Faerie, but little does she know that some crazy sh*t is about to go down. She’ll be betrayed, Cardan will be betrayed…everyone is going to be betrayed! 

So, Jude does what she does best, thinks of her best solution and then messes everything up.

Theme Song

TL;DR:

Prefacing this with the disclaimer that I didn’t enjoy The Cruel Prince as much as everyone else seemed to, and my entire review is based on how this book is so much better than CP. With that said, this series is not one of my favorites, so if you’re looking for a hyped review…this isn’t it. The characters are still terrible, minus Cardan (ILYSM), but the double-crossing and ending are soo good that I was willing to overlook everything else.

The Good

The Pacing

The Cruel Prince was sooooooooooooooooooo slow. It took 75% of the book for the pace to pick up and for anything crazy to happen, but The Wicked King starts off with a bang and took me on a wild ride. There are so many betrayals, a lot of bloodshed, and tons of twists. I was so shocked by the differences in storytelling between CP and WK and I was pleasantly surprised.

CARDAN, YOU DEVIL

Cardan is a huge douche, we all know that, but somehow he’s the only one in this entire series who makes it work. Like, dang, you did just insult me with your sarcastic comebacks…and did I kind of enjoy it?  YES, I ABSOLUTELY DID. If you’re looking to fall in love with a bad boy, look no further. King Cardan has got you covered.

Karma’s a Huge Biatch

Excuse me, but my petty is showing. I freaking LOVED that everyone got what they deserved in this book, especially Jude. The betrayal is real and it made me so happy seeing everyone stumble and freak out over the scheming. Grab your popcorn and prepare for the drama.

The Bad

Literally Every Other Character, Omg

Jude is literally the worst spy. Taryn is thee worst sister. Locke is the definition of f*ckboi.  And even Vivianne, who I loved in book one, got on my nerves. I knoooow that these characters are supposed to be morally grey and whatnot, but I can’t stand any of them. It makes this series a little less enjoyable for me. Can’t they be morally grey and have some good qualities? Or maybe be at least a little smarter? Or, you know, just be kind of likable?

The Ugly Truth

I definitely enjoyed The Wicked King more than The Cruel Prince. It’s a good sequel and Cardan has found a place in my heart. I still don’t think this series is worth all the hype, but after that ending I’m definitely looking forward to Queen of Nothing!

Talk To Me

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it?