How the King of Elfhame learned to hate stories by Holly Black
Hello Books Lovers,
just when I thought I’d never read about Cardan and Jude except with a re-reading of The Folk of the Air trilogy, Holly Black gives us a new, latest story about them, this time full of illustrations. And thanks to Mondadori this story has been translated and is just waiting for you to read it.
How the King of Elfhame learned to hate stories gives a beautiful overview of what Cardan’s past was like, on how he got to his brother Balekin’s castle, why he was being mistreated. How he met Valerian, Locke and Nicasia. What he thought about every time he saw Jude and her sister in class.
A way to finally be able, even if briefly, to get inside his head and really understand what he thinks about certain things, and find out how much, and for how long, his thoughts are towards Jude and no one else. All crowned by colorful and breathtaking illustrations that 100% capture the sense of the story told.
This volume is very short, but the connection of the stories once again demonstrates Holly Black’s mastery of creating stories. Not for nothing is she called the Faerie Queen. The real link is in the first and last story.
Cardan and Jude find themselves in the mortal world as they have to complete a final mission for Jude’s old employer. The intermediate stories will make more sense when, in the last story, the villain who must be defeated is revealed, a character that Cardan, in his past, had encountered several times.
I wish I could leave you some images of the drawings, especially those depicting Cardan, they are gorgeous – which is an understatement – but unfortunately I don’t have my hard copy yet. But I leave you some wonderful phrases from the book. However, if you haven’t read the main trilogy, these phrases could be spoilers, so don’t read if you don’t want to discover things that you should discover by reading The Cruel Prince.
“Jude” thought Cardan, hating even the shape of that name. Jude .
She should have been a nobody. Insignificant. Not Important. It didn’t have to be important to him. Yet every night the thought of Jude tormented him.
He runs his fingers over her lips, the velvety skin of her cheek, lingers on a freckle and lingers on a small scar, a thin strip of lighter skin left by some blade.
I hope these sentences will convince you to give this volume of only 170 pages, with many illustrations, smooth and light, a chance. I loved this volume.
