Experiencing the stories within this novella makes for an experience on its own.īlack ended a beloved series with impeccable grace. His character arc parallels the fables told by Aslog in incredible ways. The payoff for longtime fans comes from getting to watch Cardan grow through retrospective moments and present realizations. “How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories” is a worthy conclusion to a series that explores morality and power. Black created a whimsical universe with morally complex characters and an incredibly expansive lore that deserved the further expansion. Faerie FablesĪs a longtime fan of Black’s “The Folk of The Air” series, I was thrilled to learn that there would be a fourth installment focusing primarily on Cardan’s character. The muted tones and beautiful linework combine with the honeyed prose and biting dialogue to create a distinct and memorable novella. Her work blurs the lines between realism and fantasy in true companionship with the way that Black’s writing operates. This tale is explored across several encounters between the two and given a different meaning each time it is told.īlack’s whimsical and ethereal storytelling style is merged beautifully with the artwork of Rovina Cai. She tells him a story about a boy with a heart of stone who falls in love with a monstrous girl. The theme of a scorned troll woman named Aslog is recounted vividly in Cardan’s memories. The reader is allowed to explore Cardan’s complexities as a character and to learn more about what preceded the events of the original novel, “The Cruel Prince,” and its sequel, “The Wicked King.” Moments from the series are told again through his own perspective instead of Jude’s. His childhood as a disregarded and mischievous boy is recounted. The novella then whisks the reader into the memories of former Prince Cardan.

This favor turns out to be hunting down a creature that is familiar to Cardan. They’ve been summoned by a solitary Fae that Jude owes a favor to. The tale begins with the now-rulers of Elfhame - Jude and Cardan - travelling to the mortal world on business. This novella beautifully splits its time between current and past events in and out of the world of the Fae.

Prequel PrincelingĪs the final novel in the main series, ”The Queen of Nothing,” leaves its main characters of Cardan and Jude Duarte in the modern world. “How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories” was anticipated by fans as both a sequel and prequel to the character arc of one of its principal characters, Cardan Greenbriar. Holly Black’s highly-anticipated conclusion to “The Folk of The Air” series was released on Nov.

How the king of elfhame learned to hate