The Wicked King

Contributors

By Holly Black

Read by Caitlin Kelly

Formats and Prices

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around January 8, 2019. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

 

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

 

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

Genre:

  • Praise for The Wicked King:
    "A stunning and compelling sequel."
    --SLJ, Starred Review
  • The Wicked King has satisfying twists and turns, sizzling passions, brutal violence, spies and revels of all sorts--no one brings the intricate courtly politics of Faerie to life quite as well, or with as much intelligence, as Holly Black.


    Shelf Awareness, 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 rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come."
    Booklist, 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
  • "The plot itself twists, turns, and dovetails perfectly with the assured character development; in this way, Black proves herself a master storyteller writing in the tradition of Megan Whalen Turner."
    Horn Book
  • "An epic saga of palace intrigue and deception."
    Entertainment Weekly
  • "Holly Black is a mistress of well-paced fantasy..."
    Austin-American Statesman
  • "The Wicked King is so fast-paced and intense, you won't be able to put it down."
    The Missourian
  • 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

On Sale
Jan 8, 2019
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781549171321

Bookclub Guides

Image of The Cruel Prince Downloadable Book Club Guide

Holly Black

About the Author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, as well as an Arthuriana picture book called Sir Morien. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. She invites you to visit her online at blackholly.com.

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