{SPOILERY} Fangirling Over The Wicked King

Title: The Wicked King
Author: Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air series, book #2
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Publication Date: January 8, 2019
Source: ARC received from publisher, purchased multiple copies
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

Like many of you, The Cruel Prince left us eyes wide and jaws dropped, dying to get our hands on The Wicked King. We needed to know what would happen next. In fact, I was actually at Jen's house the weekend the Owlcrate Wicked King Box went on sale and we were fangirling hard, double-checking time zone differences, credit cards ready, afraid to miss out on what we just knew -- because duh: Holly Black -- was going to be another amazing installment in this series. And not to brag...but we weren't wrong.

Nope. I might even go so far as to say that this sequel was even better: twists and turns that left us guessing, the hatemance we've been dying for, and an ending that rivals even its predecessor...which is really saying something. I loved all of the faerie machinations and the mention of Fairfold and Severin from The Darkest Part of the Forest and how it all seemingly comes together but ends up throwing me completely off by the end. Did you read that one or The Lost Sisters, Sabrina? I know you weren't always the biggest fan of faerie stories, but you've come so far now that you might as well go all in, right? 😄

Definitely an ending that rivals The Cruel Prince! Unfortunately, no. I haven't read either one, Jen. You are the reason I gave faerie stories another chance so I'm so glad I did because they are some of my favorites now. *Adds those to my TBR* (Jen approves.) Back to the review... one of the things I loved about The Wicked King was how Jude and Cardan are kind of pushed into an alliance. The fact that not everyone is happy that Cardan is on the throne AND that someone is betraying Jude creates a scenario where they really have to rely on each other. So, while they are reluctant to trust one another fully, it makes for a very charged dynamic between them. Even as the ice first begins to thaw in their relationship, they are developing feelings for one another. 

"...and the single last thing in my head: that I like him better than I’ve ever liked anyone and that of all the things he’s ever done to me, making me like him so much is by far the worst."

Which means this just might be my favorite hate-to-love romance ever. That whole not trusting each other but having no one else to rely on thing? Yeah, that's kinda my jam. And this story is rife with it. Well, that and betrayal. So much betrayal. At every turn: BETRAYAL. Even worse than what Jude faced in TCP. But I think Jude always comes away from it stronger, more focused on the endgame than she was before. And despite it all, I find myself hopeful. That all is not what it seems. That she IS truly queen. That Cardan was saving her, not torturing her further. I feel set adrift with all my hopes for this story, and I don't think I'll come fully back to myself until I have The Queen of Nothing in my hands.

I blame these devious Merfolk...scheming, plotting and setting Cardan's murderous brother free. Cardan has 99 problems and almost all of them are directly caused by Sea fae. That being said, Jude is the cause of so many of them, too. Nobody casually knifes fae villains like Jude. The relationship between these two works so deliciously because they are both so flawed. I love that Cardan can't lie and that Jude forgets to when she's all hot and bothered by him. Also, I second that she is really Queen. If she wasn't, Cardan would've said it. That boy is far too mouthy to not have spoken cruel words. He's protecting her from an impossible situation. I hope. 😭

Yes, exactly! Thanks for elucidating the reasons for my hope...and making me feel less naïve about it, lol. We can't forget that Jude is human and therefore "fragile" in comparison to the fae, despite the gesh that allows no glamour to be placed on her, and despite the fact that she's spent years training with Madoc. I just wish Cardan had trusted in her...she'd gotten them this far, after all. But it wouldn't be a true faery story without all the murder, political manueverings and dramatic banishments. Jude will have her vengeance and they'll all rue the day she was brought into Faerie as Madoc's ward.

Okay, so it's taken us this long to get our thoughts in order, but basically, this is already going down as our favorite of 2019.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare), The Darkest Part of the Forest, and her new series which begins with The Cruel Prince in January 2018.

She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.

Find Holly:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads

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Labels: all-time favorites, faeries, favorite authors, favorite series, favorites, hachette, holly black, joint reviews, reviews, the folk of the air

{Audiobook} Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Series: Stand Alone
Narrator: Christine Lakin
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Source: Borrowed Audio from Library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

This book was not even on my radar for the longest time. I read a few works by Black a few years back. It was the Modern Faerie Tales Trilogy. They were good, but not a favorite of mine so pretty much everything else I've seen her come out with, I've pushed to the bottom of my tbr list. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown though, Jen recommended, and when she recommends a book, I always like it. Most of the time I love it. 

In this case, it was definitely love. And she actually recommended I try the audio, and that was the best thing I ever did, but I'll get to that. First off, I want to talk about how freaking awesome this Vampire tale is. I loved the original spin on the creatures. Once you are bitten, you aren't necessarily turned. You are infected... but you can sweat it out.. as long as you can stay away from human blood. Neat right! It made for a totally different dynamic I think. 

The opening, whoa. This story opens up hard and keeps running. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And there is gore. Lots of it. I can appreciate that, especially where vampires are concerned. I love the sparkly ones too, but it's nice to read about a more traditional version of the monsters. I really liked the whole coldtown thing too. So cool. 

Tana has to be one of the strongest female characters I have ever read about. And Gavriel is one sexy bad ass vamp. There is one particular kissing scene in here that had me swooning like crazy. So well written, I kept rewinding the audio and listening to it over and over. (does that make me a perv?) lol. Ahh, well.. :) 

Now to talk about the Audio. I have gained a few favorite Audiobooks over this year but The Coldest Girl in Coldtown blew it's way into those tops. Holy cow, this audio is good. Christine Lakin was incredible and then to top off her awesome narrating came all of the spooky music. SPOOKY MUSIC!!!! I was creeped out as it was, and then a really scary scene would come up and then a back track of music would come on, and it completely set the mood.

There is no better time to listen to this audio than now, with Halloween on our door step. And if you aren't into Audio, I saw that the kindle and nook versions are $2.99 at the moment. At least they were when I scheduled this a few hours ago. :) So check it out! So worth the money. Now I feel like I have to read some more stuff by Holly Black. 

About the author:

Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and
adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh) The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Glove, and Black Heart). She is also the co-editor of three anthologies, Geektastic (with Cecil Castellucci), Zombies vs. Unicorns (with Justine Larbalestier), and Welcome to Bordertown (with Ellen Kushner). Her most recent works are the middle grade novel, Doll Bones, and the dark fantasy stand-alone, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.
She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

Find Holly:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: Audiobook, hachette, holly black, reviews, the coldest girl in coldtown, vampires

Judging a Book By Its Cover: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

We so borrowed this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About. Basically, it's about getting a child's perspective on the story inside the book based on just the cover art. It can be hilarious, but it can also be enlightening.

Okay, I totally missed doing these posts with Katie, and it looks like it's been right at a year since our last one. While cleaning recently, I found the folder that I kept her previous iterations in -- all 33 of them! -- so I begged April to see if Aubrey would be up to contributing, too. Lucky for me, she was! =)






This week, the girls are working on the following book:

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Series: n/a
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Behold, the girls' attempts at recreating The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black...

Aubrey's masterpiece & guess:

Aubrey says:

"Her hand is really cold because she's living in a cold cold COLD town."

lol, I wish you all could have seen her face when she told me this. I love how she did this cover. She insisted that I lay my hand down on the paper so she could trace it. I'm currently listening to this book and omg I love it so freaking much. It will go down as a favorite of mine, I can already tell. :)



Katie's artwork & thoughts:

Katie says:

"She's really cold and maybe if she touches someone, she might make them really cold, too."

I love it! And Katie's not that far off. I think the people in this book have more to worry about from bites than touches, though, lol. I've listened to the audio for this book several times now, and I think I love it more each time. Hands down, my favorite Holly Black book yet, and it's the perfect read -- or listen -- for this time of year!


Have you read this book or do you plan to? What do you think of the girls' artwork and their thoughts on the story's premise?

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Labels: aubrey, cover art, hachette, holly black, horror, judging a book by its cover, katiebug, the coldest girl in coldtown, vampires

{Audiobook} Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Title:  The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author:  Holly Black
Narrator:  Christine Lakin
Series:  n/a
Length:  12 hrs 6 mins
Publisher:  Hachette Audio
Publication Date:  September 3, 2013
Source:  purchased audio, received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

"If she was going to die, she might as well die sarcastic.  She'd seen a lot of old movies, and that was definitely the way to go out."

Every time I think I'm done with vampire books, my favorite authors pull me back in with their own twist on this paranormal creature.  Unlike The Immortal Rules, which I've seen this book compared to on occasion, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown occurs in a more present-day setting, not years from now when the vampire epidemic has already reduced the human population to nothing.  There are five major Coldtowns set up across the US, where vampires and those who have gone cold -- who've been infected by a vampire's bite -- are sent to spend the rest of their days in order to keep the rest of human civilization safe.  Humans must also take extra precaution after nightfall because all of the usual vampire stigmas are present in this novel: sunlight is a no-no, holy water and stakes will kill them, and, of course, they vant to suck your blooooood.

Anyway, I received a review copy from the publisher, but after enjoying the Curse Workers series on audio so much, I decided to download the audiobook for The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.  A search on Audible showed me that I've never listened to Christine Lakin narrate a novel because this is the only one listed under her name, but I would definitely give future audiobooks narrated by her a chance.  She presented Tana in such a matter-of-fact way, much the way I envisioned her:  direct and to the point.

Tana's situation is very different.  She's been bitten before and survived.  So when an attack at a sundown party -- which sounds like a terrible idea to me, when vampires are running rampant -- results in a small bite on her leg, she has faith that she can fight the infection again.  I rather love the self-deprecating character, the one who's humble and never gives up no matter how the odds are stacked against them. Much like Cassel Sharpe in the Curse Workers series taking on ruthless mobsters, Tana ends up taking on some of the most powerful vampires she could ever cross paths with.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is Tana's journey to the Coldtown in Springfield.  She hopes to wait out the infection there, along with her ex-boyfriend Aidan who has gone cold after the attack at the same party where Tana was infected.  Along the way, they meet a vampire and an amateur blogger/filmmaker brother and sister duo, all headed in the same direction.  It was the vampire Gavriel that captivated me the most. Give this girl a hottie with a Russian accent, especially one who seems to be channeling Dimka, and you have a fan for life.  (Not that I wasn't already a super fan of Black's other work.)

I loved the background we get on each of the characters as the story progresses, though I did wish this information would have been provided as dialogue between characters rather than flashbacks.  Whenever one of these flashbacks would occur, the transition between character perspectives was hard to decipher on the audio without some sort of heading preceding them.  Though, that's not to say that these flashbacks didn't provide valuable insight into the characters and their motivations.  I could have done without Pearl as a character on the whole, but her presence was necessary in order for that ending to play out the way it did. And so I can also see why it was necessary to include her present-day perspective at times, despite how boring it might have been.  I just didn't much care for what was going on outside of Coldtown at the time.

I was pleasantly surprised by that ending.  It wasn't perfect, but it was fitting for these particular characters.  I really hope this remains a stand-alone.  I'm left with a sense of satisfaction that I read another vampire book that might just revitalize this overdone creature and make me love vampires again.  Maybe.  For now, I like that this book showed both sides of vampires:  sexy and glamorous but also dangerous and sadistic.  In other words, fun to read about, but I hope I never truly cross paths with one.

Rating:  

About the author:

Holly Black is a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for kids, teens, and adults. She is the author of the Modern Faerie Tale series (Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside), The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), and The Good Neighbors graphic novels (with Ted Naifeh), The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, a collection of short fiction, and The Curse Worker series (White Cat, Red Glove, and Black Heart). She is also the co-editor of three anthologies, Geektastic (with Cecil Castellucci), Zombies vs. Unicorns (with Justine Larbalestier), and Welcome to Bordertown (with Ellen Kushner). Her most recent works are the middle grade novel, Doll Bones, and the dark fantasy stand-alone, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

Find Holly:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: audiobooks, hachette, holly black, horror, reviews, the coldest girl in coldtown, vampires

Review: Black Heart by Holly Black

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title:  Black Heart
Author:  Holly Black
Series:  Curse Workers
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon Schuster
Publication Date:  April 3, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

 

I read the first two books in the Curse Workers series on my Nook, but when Random House offered up the audiobook for White Cat for free last year, I couldn’t pass it up. And I loved it. But while I was reading Black Heart, the final (*sniff*) book in the series, I couldn’t help but hear Jesse Eisenberg as Cassel Sharpe in my head. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Honestly, it’s probably more of a reason for you to listen to the audio yourself. ;0) Eisenberg really added a layer of nerdy hotness to the character of Cassel, and after hearing the audio, I saw this character in a whole new light.

Black Heart got off to a bit of a slow start for me, but once those two brothers were back to their conning, manipulative ways, I was back on board. Even though there’s still some animosity between Cassel and Barron because of the events that transpired in Red Glove, they’re still up to their old tricks, and I loved it. I loved seeing them working together again, even if they are both overly suspicious of each other.

I also adore Cassel. He is so self-deprecating and hard on himself, and you just can’t help but hope that he gets his happy ending after all. He may not be taking bets from his classmates at prep school anymore, but he’s definitely still playing the game. He’s just out to catch much bigger fish in this book.

The world of the curse workers is still dark and criminal and, well, creepy, and there is still so much Cassel has to learn, especially with Lila’s mob boss father courting him and his alliance with the Licensed Minority Division. But Cassel’s not stupid. He knows that both sides of the law want him for one thing: the unique nature of the curses he can work. Now he just has to decide which side is the right one for him.

The open-endedness of the novel was perfect and left me wondering if Black might consider writing more to the series one day, but I won’t hold my breath. Even with the hints she dropped, and some of the twists she threw into the story, and even considering the things she left unresolved, I still feel like this book was the best possible way to end this series.

Here’s a quote from p. 179 of the ARC – subject to change, as is the nature with ARCs – that I think just about sums up Cassel. It’s a conversation between Cassel and Daneca, one of his school chums:

   “Maybe it’d help if I put my cards on the table. Tell me what Barron said, and I’ll tell you the honest truth. This is a one time offer.”

   “Because tomorrow you’ll go back to lying?” she asks.

   “I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow. That’s the problem.” Which is one of the truest things I have ever said.


Rating: 

And now a short trailer for your viewing pleasure:



And now here's the part where I get to gripe about the cover makeover the series underwent between books two and three.  I liked the old covers better.  The End.  :0)

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Labels: arc tour reviews, book trailers, cover redesigns, curse workers, holly black, reviews

In My Mailbox #19

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.



This was probably the best week I've had since I've been blogging. No joke. The proof:

For Review:

Black Heart by Holly Black, via a Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour
Clockwork Prince audio, written by Cassandra Clare & narrated by Ed Westwick (swoon) & Heather Lind, thanks to Simon & Schuster
The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman, from Candlewick Press via Netgalley




Won:

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, courtesy of Our Book Report

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (signed and Hanklerfished), thanks to Andrea at The Overstuffed Bookcase

Nook Simple Touch from Trinity Feagan, author of The Mephisto Covenant, along with signed Mephisto bookmark

Purchased:

Thorn Queen audio by Richelle Mead, narrated by Jennifer Van Dyke

So, I had a great week...okay, the awesomest week ever.  How about you? :P

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Labels: audiobooks, cassandra clare, contemporary, curse workers, delirium, holly black, in my mailbox (imm), nook, richelle mead, the infernal devices

Uncovered - 1/4/12

Alas, after much anticipation, the cover has been unveiled for City of Lost Souls, the fifth book in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series:

Finally, a cover with Clary AND Jace!!!  And now I wait with baited breath until the release on May 8th.  *sigh*

Also, there's been another cover redesign in the middle of a series.  This one is for Black Heart, the third book in Holly Black's Curse Workers series:

 I'm partial to the old covers myself.  I think they just showcase the series better:

What do you think of the new covers?

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Labels: beautiful covers, cassandra clare, cover redesigns, curse workers, holly black, the mortal instruments, uncovered