SUMMARY WILL NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS!
REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!
The Queen of Nothing is the third and final book in the Folk of Air Series. I unfortunately haven't written reviews for the first two but after finishing this one, I'm itching to re-read them. My summary will not contain any spoilers from THIS book.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy-- I hadn't read an otherworldly, magical creature-filled book in a while and it really reminded me how much I love them! The characters, plot, and world-building are all wonderful-- it's one of the most captivating series I've ever read.
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SUMMARY (no spoilers)
Since being exiled to the moral world, Jude has had to learn how to live like a real human-- that is, if real humans could see through glamours and undertake some part-time faerie-dirty-work. However, opportunity arrives when her twin sister Taryn arrives in the mortal world begging for help. Jude is soon thrust back into the craziness of Faerieland, knowing that if anyone discovers her presence, she could be put to death. The land she returns to is on the brink of war as Madoc has gathered a significant army to fight behind him, along with a few secret weapons.
However, war isn't the only thing facing Jude-- coming face to face with High King Cardan, the very faerie who exiled her from her home and refused to acknowledge her status as his wife, releases a whirlwind of emotions she's been repressing during her time away. And with these two, it's hard to know if those feelings are true love or pure hatred.
Just when Jude seems to have figured things out, a horrible curse is unleashed upon Eflhame, one that has been prophesied for years and that Jude alone can deal with. Faced with a heartbreaking reality, she must make an unavoidable decision between what is right and what is easy.
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REVIEW (spoilers!!!)
So this book came out... yesterday... and yes, I read it all immediately. Any time I had to put it down to do other things I couldn't stop thinking about when I could dive back in. I had to write this review immediately because I can't get it out of my mind, which I'm afraid may also mean that this is going to just be a jumble of excitement that makes little to no sense. Bear with me.
BUT THIS BOOK!!! THIS BOOK! THIS!! BOOK!
For a good minute in the beginning I was worried the whole book would be centered in the mortal world, but I quickly realized that was ridiculous. But Taryn showing up because she killed Locke???? NEVER would have guessed that! Plus, it was a brilliant way to get Jude back into the thick of things-- pretending to be her sister got her into the castle, behind enemy lines, etc.
(Side note: I'm not sure where to throw this in, but I did want to mention that Grima Mog is potentially my new favorite character. I will not be taking any further questions on the matter!)
The whole "you could have ended your exile since you're the queen!" situation was understandable and even Jude herself thought it could be an option, but at the same time-- she TRIED that when she was first exiled, but no one believed her! I suppose Cardan just wanted her to leave until things settled and then come back. Despite that, it definitely made me swoon a bit when Cardan formally pardoned her and announced her as his queen in front of everyone.
One thing that sort of caught me off guard was Cardan being so open about his feelings-- when we meet back up with him it seems like he's been very obvious about how he feels about Jude in the past, but I thought he was still going to be guarded. Honestly, it's been almost a year since I read The Wicked King, so perhaps he was already more obvious about his emotions in that book and I just don't remember. Regardless, the openness and honesty is a lovely change of pace because it's easy to get whiplash with all of the lies and trickery in this series; Jude is constantly second guessing everyone she talks to because she's learned that she can't trust anyone, especially Cardan. I feel like the first two books spent so much time ripping her apart that it's only fitting that the final novel teaches her how to pull herself back together.
"We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it."
Of course, once we get our happy moment-- Cardan and Jude finally getting together and Cardan BEAUTIFULLY articulating his feelings:
"It's you I love," he says. "I spent much of my life guarding my heart. I guarded it so well that I could behave as though I didn't have one at all. Even now, it is a shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous thing. But it is yours." He walks to the door to the royal chambers, as though to end the conversation. "You probably guessed as much," he says, "But just in case you didn't."
WHAT happens next?? He's turned into a massive SNAKE! All because he was trying to be a kind and just ruler! I would like everyone to know that I genuinely gasped out loud when it happened, soon to be followed by an intense feeling of dread. In hindsight, I should have known that something bad was about to happen, since Cardan proclaimed his love and Jude was unable to say it back in time. What's worse than not being able to tell someone you love them before something bad happens to them? I kept reasoning with myself that there had to be some way that Jude could save him, but there was also that little part of my brain-- the part that has been burned by too many character deaths in other books-- that thought maybe there wasn't a way out of it. I really loved that Baphen mentioned in the beginning of the novel that "some prophecies are fulfilled by the very actions meant to prevent them," because that was what brought me to believe that killing Snake-Cardan was the way to save him.
"He takes me by the shoulders and turns me so that I can see where the great body of the serpent lies. A jolt of horror goes through me, and I try to wrench out of his grip. And then I notice the fighting has ebbed, the Folk are staring. From within the body of the creature emanates a glow. And then, through that, Cardan steps out. Cardan, naked and covered in blood. Alive."
I can't imagine the series ending better-- our heroes are happy and safe, mature and powerful, ready to lead Elfhame to greatness. The ones who fought against them receive their rightful, yet still merciful punishments, and all becomes right in Faerieland. I know I only touched upon a few specific things in this review, but those were the moments that stuck with me the most (it's kinda hard to beat a curse turning the High King into a giant serpent, right?).
NEXT READ: The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
another great addition!