The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

I have ended the last decade with two finales to my favorite series. At this point I have already gushed about Darkdawn, and now it's time for me to rave about The Queen of Nothing.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

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Title: The Queen of Nothing

Author: Holly Black

Year Published: 2019
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

Characters: ♥♥♥♥♥
Plot:♥♥♥♥♥
World:♥♥♥♥♥
Flow:♥♥♥♥♥

Review*:
   What an amazing conclusion to a story. 
  I'm going to break this down fairly simply and kind of review both what I like and what I didn't care for in this story. The longer I sit with it, the easier it is to convey what I thought of QoN all together. 

  What I loved:

• Jude & Cardan dynamic: The mixutre of love and hate throughout this series is what really drew me into specifically these two characters. I like Jude, and I wish we got more of Cardan's personality, but the two of them together were amazing. Their hate to love, enemies to lovers, slight Hades & Perse trope romance is very frank and obvious. What I really enjoyed about the pair in this series over the rest is that they both broke down their barriers with each other and mentally saw the blocks in their own relationship and how to over-come it. I think Jude being vulnerable to Cardan was one of the bravest things she's done, from explaining that she does like him to chopping off his head despite how much she loved him.
• Queen Jude: The actions Jude took leading up to Queen, she continuously reminded us are things that should make others resent her. However, as Roiben kind of points out to Jude, she inspired him through her actions to side with Elfhame rather than side against it, no matter how appealing it is. I think she underestimated herself in some areas and somewhat overestimated herself in others, which I don't mind because I prefer characters that show initiative because that is a natural trait I relate to. 

  What I didn't love:

• There is a slightly weird cadence to the entire series: I was watching Sam's review of The Wicked King before writing this, and she called something out that I noticed but couldn't put my finger on in the entire series. Holly could refine her timelines a little bit more when writing from scene to scene. It allows us as readers to fly through the book, however it also kind of makes it like whipped cream, great to taste without a lot of substance. I can't dwell in a moment or scene because we are already onto the next thing. I get lost in whats happened at two places at once. I think because Holly tends to right more Middle grade books about fairies, where those issues aren't really as much of an issue with those readers it is just part of her writing style. I hope in a future series similar to The Cruel Prince, it gets a little more smoothed out.
• What happened to Queen Orlagh?: Like seriously? We just harpooned her and despite Madoc stating he would save her if Jude bridled Snake Cardan, we get no conclusion? Nicasia just shows up to the celebration party like it's no bid deal? 

   What I felt neutral about:

• Forshadowing: This somewhat ties into what I mentioned regarding the cadance, but you never know what Holly will utilize as foreshadowing. Again, listening to Sam talk about TWK and specifically Jude trading a tear to an old hag, that could have totally been foreshadowing for later in the series, but it wasn't ever brought up again. What kind of amplifies the call-out to foreshadowing is Jude trying to dissect the riddle around Cardan's prophecy. Like clearly it's pointed out that there can be tricks and whatnot hidden in things fae talk about, but it never actually becomes very relevant. Another example is Jude pairiing Lady Nore & Lady Asha together and kind of a dig at their personalities. Why? What part of that was necessary other than being kind of petty?  
• Madoc & The Court of Teeth: I have mixed feelings about how these two ended. The Court of Teeth, I am indifferent to how Lord Jarel ended. It could have been a little more gruesome or tragic. Lady Nore & Queen Siren's punishment was fitting up until she stripped the lands from Siren. It was definitely more of a punishment to Lady Nore, especially the way Jude rolled out the punishment by having Nore swear to Siren and then stripping her title. So it was just Siren, a plain child, getting an opportunity to seek revenge against Nore. As for Madoc, I kind of wish Jude's punishment had been a little more dramatic. I do understand and appreciate that she states that by showing him some mercy, she is distancing herself from who Madoc believes her to be as his child. However to just exile him to the mortal world and prevent him from using a weapon ever again. Yes it would kill Madoc to live in peace, but to sentence him to the mortal world seems reckless.  

  I've always been drawn to faeries, though I've never enjoyed reading anything specifically about faeries. This is the first series, or piece of media at all really, that I've felt drawn to regarding the fantasy around them. It showcases the cruelty, yet diplomacy that I expect in a story and adds in the grittier details that sometimes get cast aside because it's written as a Middle Grade book. 

  If I had to sum up the two series that I think nail my exact preference in fantasy, it would be The Folk of the Air series and also Nevernight. There is a ruthlessness to our main characters that really draws me in.

*This section may contain spoilers.