Snapshot Review: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Title: The Queen of Nothing
Author: Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air, #3
Pages: 305
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: November 19th 2019

      “After being pronounced Queen of Faerie and then abruptly exiled by the Wicked King Cardan, Jude finds herself unmoored, the queen of nothing. She spends her time with Vivi and Oak, watches her fair share of reality television, and does the odd job or two, including trying to convince a cannibalistic faerie from hunting her own in the mortal world.
      When her twin sister Taryn shows up asking of a favor, Jude jumps at the chance to return to the Faerie world, even if it means facing Cardan, who she loves despite his betrayal.
      When a dark curse is unveiled, Jude must become the first mortal Queen of Faerie and uncover how to break the curse, or risk upsetting the balance of the whole Faerie world.”

“I know what happens next. He’s going to deliver the final blow. Lopping off my head. Stabbing through my heart. The strike that’s a kindness, really. After all, who wants to die slowly when you can die fast?”

• Jude – At the end of The Wicked King, it seemed that Jude had finally achieved her goal of attaining power; but after being betrayed, she must once again climb up from her lowly position and claim what she has rightfully earned. It was so rewarding to see how far Jude has come not just as a mortal in the faerie world, but as someone who is worthy of being shown deference regardless of who she is.
• Sisterly bonds – Seeing Jude and Vivi, and even Taryn, whom I haven’t been very fond of, come together in this one to assist one another was so delightful. It had me rooting for their relationship and hoping for an ending that united them.
• Madoc – In the first novel, Cardan is painted as Jude’s adversary, but as the series progressed and Cardan became someone capable of being an ally, another adversary emerged. Jude found herself pitted multiple times against her adopted father. This seemed appropriate on many levels. Madoc is her parents’ murderer, but also the strongest parent figure she’s had. He’s shaped her into the person she is, whether for better or worse. Ultimately, he sees her as an equal in a way most fae probably wouldn’t if pitted against her.
• Cardan – I loved seeing a more vulnerable Cardan in this one. He’s more open and you can see the positive influence certain relationship have had on him. He’s come a long way since the first novel and a lot of readers are going to be happy with his development in this one.

• Character deaths – This section is going to be vague on purpose to avoid spoilers. There was one particular character death in this one that I felt I was cheated out of. I feel like we had seen enough of this character in the previous two books to warranted readers being able to see them die rather than just hear about it. Another character lives who I expected to die and after mulling it over, I really wish we had seen them kick the bucket.
• Cardan – Although I did enjoy a more vulnerable Cardan, I did miss the dark side of his character. He didn’t feel quite as complex in this one as he had been in the previous novels.

• The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black has its share of flaws and isn’t quite as good as the previous two novels, but still manages to provide a satisfying ending to a twisty and dark faerie series.

★ ★ ★ ★
(4/5)