The Queen of Nothing Audiobook By Holly Black cover art

The Queen of Nothing

The Folk of the Air, Book 3

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A powerful curse forces the exiled Queen of Faerie to choose between ambition and humanity in this highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her twin sister, Taryn, whose life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity . . .

Accolades & Awards

Goodreads Choice Award
2020
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Critic reviews

Praise for The Wicked King:
*"A stunning and compelling sequel."—--SLJ, starred Review
*"A heady blend of courtly double-crossing, Faerie lore, and toxic attraction swirls together in the sequel to THE CRUEL PRINCE.... Black's writing is both contemporary and classic; her world is, at this point, intensely well-realized, so that some plot twists seem almost inevitable."—Kirkus, starred Review
*"[A] dangerous journey filled with mystery, betrayal, intrigue, and romance.... Larger-than-life action in a kingdom packed with self-centered, evil, and manipulating characters also doles out real life issues."—VOYA, starred Review
*"A rare second volume that surpasses the first, with, happily, more intrigue and passion still to come."—Booklist, Starred Review
Praise for The Cruel Prince:
"Lush, dangerous, a dark jewel of a book. Black's world is intoxicating, imbued with a relentless sense of peril that kept me riveted through every chapter of Jude's journey. And Jude! She is a heroine to love--brave but pragmatic, utterly human. This delicious story will seduce you and leave you desperate for just one more page."—Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom
"I require book two immediately. Holly is the Faerie Queen."—Victoria Aveyard, #1 bestselling author of The Red Queen series
* "[S]pellbinding.... Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Another fantastic, deeply engaging, and all-consuming work from Black that belongs on all YA shelves."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for--heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double-crossing, moral complexity--this is one heck of a ride."—Booklist, starred review
"This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life. Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in."—Kirkus Reviews

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


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Intricate Plot Twists • Complex Characters • Engaging Political Intrigue • Satisfying Conclusion • Immersive Worldbuilding

Highly rated for:

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I really loved this series, and I really expected another book to follow! I looked it up and it said this was the last one, which I found rather surprising as it has a lot of loose ends and I don't really feel satisfied. I mean, I usually am not when a series I love ends, but this was different. Also the reader didn't do as great of a job with this book as she did the others. Like a lot of scenes were read in the wrong tone/voice and it was super obvious. She read most of the scenes as tense/fast paced even when they were not and it came across as a little 1 note. Not her best, but I still love the voices she makes.

Didn't have the closure of a finale

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As title. The ending felt a little obvious and the 'hook' for the 'twist' at the end comes during this book, making it feel rushed and not as well planned.

The jump in the main relationship feels a little unnatural as far as hate-turns-to-love type stories.

The performance is solid with reasonably well-defined voices, though the narrator sometimes relies more on cadence than tone to differentiate characters (A military officer partway through the book who only has a handful of dialogue sounds the same as The Roach, but in a different rhythm, which can be jarring/illusion breaking).

As with previous books, I noticed the audio at times seems to swap in quality, making the narrator sound much closer or a bit farther at times. Sometimes short phrases sound very 'cut in' and not as if the book is being read in a sitting, but that a phrase was forgotten and had to be edited back in. It is minor but if you listen on headphones, it's very noticeable.

Worth the dive into the series, you will definitely like it if you've enjoyed Holly Black's other titles.

Fitting end, not as engaging as previous titles

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4,5⭐ Good audiobook production. This trilogy is the perfect guilty pleassure YA fantasy I just didn't know I needed in my life. It is super dramatic, cheesy,funny, atmospheric,so magical,unpredictable,lush,dark and delichious. Not quite like anything else I've read,and with such an interesting premis and world. This conclusion to the trilogy wasn't quite as epic as it could have been,and maybe it should have been a few chapters longer,but it was still so dang enjoyable,and overall a satisfying ending to this story ! I think Jude ,the MC, had an amazing journey and transformation throughout the books, both finding her place in the fairy world,and also becoming more of a human along the way.

Satisfying ending to a guilty pleassure trilogy

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I loved the story. The narrator did a lovely job. Definitely felt for the characters.

Great Book

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loved loved it. oh my that was a wild ride. I loved the ending so much, it was a satisfying happish ending.

OMG

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