The evil king
The evil king -or The Wicked King, by its original title in English—is the second volume of the youth fantasy trilogy The inhabitants of the air, also made up of The cruel prince y The queen of nothing. The work was written by the American editor and author Holly Black, also known for being the creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles.
The novel that concerns this review It was published for the first time in 2019, by the publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.. Later, the book received a Spanish edition from the publisher Hidra. Since then, he has become a fan favorite when it comes to this trilogy.
Plot of the first book
What happened before?
The cruel prince delivers a fiction inspired by folklore about the world of fairies. This book tells the story of Jude Duarte a girl who I lived happily with his sisters and his parents until, one day, A fairy being called Madoc comes to his house and murders his father and mother., alleging that the latter betrayed him. Since then, she takes Jude and his sisters to live with him in an unknown land.
Faerie – the fairy kingdom – spans several countries, including the court of Elfhame, where Jude, her twin sister Taryn and her half-sister (Madoc's daughter) Vivienne are transferred. Ten years after her stay, Jude continues to be harassed by the faes, because they hate humans. Consequently, the latter constantly humiliate the protagonist, who all she wants is a place as a member of that society.
In the fairy kingdom, princes are dangerous
Most of the attacks on Jude and his sister come from Cardan Greenbriar, the youngest son of King Eldred.. This is a young man who, because he has no right to the throne, fails to fulfill his royal obligations. Although he claims to hate the protagonist, he feels a secret fascination with her.
Jude She is willing to do anything to allow her to fit into Faerie, which leads her to seek alliances in the Supreme Court of the Faerie Realm. By doing this, becomes involved in intricate conspiracies to overthrow the government current situation, family quarrels, a virulent passion and a possible civil war.
Synopsis of The evil king
Behind a king there is always a queen
Jude has always longed for powerWell, in this universe of beings who cannot lie, but can manipulate at will. She wanted to be as deadly as her compatriots.. At the beginning of The evil king, the protagonist makes a deal with Cardan, the new king of Elfhame. This agreement allows the young woman to have absolute control over the monarch, y, at the same time, about the country.
However, This deal will only be valid for one year and one day.. After that, Cargan has promised that Jude will pay the consequences for his audacity. During this period, a near threat looms over the fairy kingdom. Someone close to Jude betrays her, and Orlagh, the queen of the underwater world, puts the peace of the territories in check, in search of the crown.
The strange relationship between Jude and Cardan
En The inhabitants of the air the same cliché is used that in works of fantasy like A court of thorns and roses, by Sarah J. Maas or Of blood and ashes, by Jennifer L. Armentrout, that is: the enemies to lovers. The evil kingSpecifically, it reveals much more about the intense and unhealthy relationship that exists between Jude and Cardan, despite the fact that their interactions are few.
After hating each other for years, they begin to work together to pursue their own interests. However, beneath all that hostility there is enormous sexual tension, which is hindered by a lack of communication and a game of cat and mouse to see which of the two is capable of humiliating the other the most in order to satisfy their desire. own ego.
An incredible dynamic
The real problem with this type of emotional attachment in a work of fantasy is that, in the end, the authors inflate the image of the “bad boy” so much that they give to their male protagonists, that it is almost impossible to believe that a woman, by magic, be able to change your way of being and turn him into the “good and sweet man he always was deep down.”
The political and social component
The fort of The evil king and the rest of the trilogy is, Without a doubt, building the fairy world, including the conception of its normal political, social and cultural. Since ancient times, the Fae They have fascinated mortals, who have always seen them as beautiful magical creatures.
On the contrary, Holly Black presents a dark atmosphere, full of violence, unsuspected dangers, and a series of strategic battles to obtain the power of the kingdom. The inhabitants of the air makes it very clear that neither the good are so benevolent, nor the bad are so cruel.
About the author, Holly Black
Holly black
Holly black was born in 1971, in New Jersey, United States. He studied English at The College of New Jersey. She was attracted to reading and writing from a very young age., especially for those books that were related to fantasy and horror. The author is credited with a lyrical pen in most of her works, which has earned her some awards.
Her first novel, published in 2002, was named among the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults.. Likewise, Holly Black is a recurring name on the best-seller lists according to The New York Times. Likewise, the writer has frequently collaborated with other authors, such as Cecil Castellucci, Justine Larbalestier, Ellen Kushner and Cassandra Clare.
Other books by Holly Black
- Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (2002);
- Valiant (2005);
- Ironside (2007)
The Spiderwick Chronicles
- The Field Guide (2003);
- The Seeing Stone (2003);
- Lucinda's Secret (2003);
- The Ironwood Tree (2004);
- The Wrath of Mulgarath (2005);
- The Notebook for Fantastical Observations (2005);
- Care and Feeding of Sprites (2006);
- The Nixie's Song (2007);
- A Giant Problem (2008);
- The Wyrm King (2009)
Magisterium Saga
- The Iron Trial — the iron test (2014);
- Copper Gauntlet — the copper glove (2015);
- The Bronze Key — The bronze key (2016);
- The Silver Mask — the silver mask (2017);
- Golden Tower — the tower of gold (2018)
Folk of the Air Series
- The Cruel Prince — The cruel prince (2018);
- The Queen of Nothing — The queen of nothing (2019)