Holly Black quote
folk of the air -original name in English- is a series of books for young audiences created by the American writer and editor Holly Black. The protagonist of the series is Jude Duarte, a mortal girl who has been a resident of a palace for a decade with her sisters. There, amid intrigues and plots, she tries to earn a place on the Supreme Court of the Fairies.
To date, there have been five editorial releases related to The inhabitants of the air. The same It is composed of a trilogy with the main stories: The cruel prince (2018) the evil king (2019) and The queen of nothing (2019) The series also has two companion books: the lost sisters (2018) and How the king of Elfhame learned to hate stories (2020)
Synopsis (without spoilers) of the series The inhabitants of the air
The cruel prince (2018)
The development of The Cruel Prince (original title in English) revolves around the experiences of three sisters. On one hand, Jude and Taryn consist of human twinsyes, the other half sister, Vivienneit's half fairy – half human. The first part of their childhood was spent in the world of humans, then the girls went on to live in the land of fairies.
However —and despite his ancestry— Vivienne wishes to return to the humans. Instead, the twins feel at ease among the fairies. In fact, Taryn wants to meddle in the traditional way of life and get a (male) fairy to marry and settle down with. For her part, Jude (the main character of the series) longs to become a knight to serve the fairy king.
Intrigue in the fairy kingdom
At the beginning of the story Eldred Greenbriar - king of the fairies - is preparing to name a successor among his six children. Those close to the monarch believe that the third of the brothers, Dain, will be the one chosen to take the throne. But some members of the elite of the fairies have other plans and are ready to mount a plot.
Jude is initially relieved to learn that Cardan, the king's youngest son who was her classmate, is not among the candidates for the throne. The latter led a group of rascals who dedicated themselves to annoying everything and everyone at school, especially Jude. That way, the author poses a plot full of intrigues, mythological figures and various love stories.
the evil king (2019)
Five months after the events reported in The cruel prince, The wicked king —in English— opens with Cardan well established in his role as king. Meanwhile, Jude's disappointment has affected the (somewhat toxic love-hate) relationship he has with the new regent. Because the latter seems to handle his emotions better.
Many of the decisions made by the young king are carried out under the obvious influence of Jude, but she allows him some freedom. Then, the girl is surprised to see the naturalness with which Cardan fulfills her tasks. But the relationship between the monarch and the human is a trifle compared to a larger problem: no regent is truly safe in Elfhame.
omnipresent danger
Jude and Cardan can never relax, because there are numerous enemies infiltrated and in the surroundings of the fairy kingdom. Therefore, the girl is always worried about the safety of her partner. Also, she wishes to extend the established time (one year and one day) of her bond with the king.
Another of Jude's concerns is Oak —the son of Dain Greenbriar and technically the prince of Elfhame—, because she wants the little one to have a normal childhood in the world of mortals. But the protagonist feels very insecure about leaving Cardan alone and, above all, about the possibility that someone will steal the throne if she is not meticulous.
The queen of nothing (2019)
After being invested as queen of the fairies and later sent into exile by order of Cardan, Jude has become the queen of nothing. Consequently, she spends most of her days with Vivienne and Oak watching realities on television and doing odd jobs. That bland reality changes when Taryn shows up to ask her for a favor because her life is in danger.
Jude takes advantage of this situation to return to Elfhame. At that point, the possibility of facing Cardan—whom he continues to love despite her betrayal—becomes latent. Eventually, things get even more complicated when a dark curse is revealed that Jude must break to prevent the balance in the world of fairies from being upset.
About the author
Holly black
Holly black —Riggenbach is his birth name— he was born in New Jersey, United States, on November 10, 1971. He grew up in a family that lived in an elegant but deteriorated Victorian house. in his hometown studied at Shore Regional High School, Rutgers University and The College of New Jersey. In this last institution he obtained a bachelor's degree in letters.
Career path
In 1999, the American author married Theo Black, with whom she has a son. In 2002, his debut feature appeared, The Tribute: A Modern Fairy Tale, title that is part of a trilogy with Valiant (2005) and Ironside (2007). In the meantime, in 2003 she co-authored—with Toni DiTerlizzi—the first two books of The Spiderwick Chronicles.
The publication The Spiderwick Chronicles —especially the fifth book of the saga, Mulgarath's Wrath— marked the literary consecration of Holly Black. Today this series accumulates translations into 32 languages and tens of millions of copies sold worldwide. It would not be his only co-authorship in a best-selling youth saga, since between 2014 and 2018 he launched Masterium, with Cassandra Claire.
All the Chronicles de spiderwick (publications in Spanish)
- the fantastic book
- the amazing eyeglass
- the lost map
- the metal tree
- The evil ogre
- The song of the undine
- a giant problem
- the king of dragons.
Series Masterium
- the iron test (The Iron Trial, 2014)
- the copper glove (Copper Gauntlet, 2015)
- The bronze key (The Bronze Key, 2016)
- the silver mask (The Silver Mask, 2017)
- the tower of gold (Golden Tower.
Other Holly Black literary collaborations
- With Cecil Castelucci in Geektastic (2009)
- With Justine Larbalestier in zombies vs. unicorns (2010)
- With Ellen Kushner in Welcome to Bordertown (2011)