Hello my fellow fae, today I bring you a review for one of my most anticapted reads of 2024 the conclusion to The Stolen Heir. I was exceptionally late to the party to reading Holly Black and the Folk of the Air series. But I honestly feel this is one of the best.
I talk about this series a lot on my Instagram but I don’t think I’ve put my thoughts and feelings of anything relating to Holly Black on my blog before. So here I am reviewing The Prisoner’s Throne the finale to Stolen Heir duology. It will be spoiler free. I won’t tell you much about the plot itself which you can already get from the book description, but I feel this might be a reaction to review and maybe an ode to how amazing this series is.
The Prisoner's Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology, #2) by Holly Black Published by Hot Key Books on March 5, 2024
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An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame. Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too. With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.
The Prisoner’s Throne follows our cheeky Oak, the boy we know that is now all grown up. The boy that everyone protected for his own future, the future that Jude and Carden would hope to be their heir. Oak is foolish, brash just like his sister, mischief maker, trouble maker, and certainly has a way with words. His upbringing has sheltered him, so when he spends to in the mortal world you can see that he was able to flourish in his own Oak way without anyone telling otherwise. He is the boy with the mask, never showing who he truly is until Wren. When he met Wren he saw her for who she was, a strange girl, they grew up together, they have been both been betrayed by royalty in some way. Each of them have tricked each other for their own gain, only realising they are also playing a game with each other.
You see a vulnerability to Oak in this book, you see the humanity that he doesn’t show often much like his sister. You see his true motivations, even if he can mess them up, make them worse for others. He get’s to prove to others that he isn’t the same boy they think is. He is Prince Oak, heir of the Greenbrair line. I also loved Tiernan and Hyacinthe and their love for one another depite the numerous battles they have to go through being sworn protectors to the opposites royal line. We love to get to know the characters, the laughter, love and smiles that we are familiar with. Especially cheeky ones like Oak.
“Her blue skin is the colour of the clear sky. Her hair blows in a wild nimbus around her face and her gown billows making her seem elemental. One of the Folk of the Air.”
The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
It’s the series that we as readers whether for many years or recently like me that has followed these characters like Jude, Cardin, Taryn, Vivi, Oak, Wren and more that we almost feel like they are part of us, we feel attached and it doesn’t matter how long we have to wait we’ll remember. I admit I did have to go over the plot a bit of The Stolen Heir but once I started The Prisoner’s Throne I was hooked.
This series whether it’s Folk of the Air or the spin off, The Stolen Heir would make an excellent adaptation but it would have to be done right. But my point is that is how it reads, the way the characters of each series weave with one another, how we see the continuation with our beloved characters Jude and Carden and where their journey has taken them even in a secondary capacity. I especially loved how they were more present in this book. We got to see the brashness and humanity of Jude as High Queen and Carden as the ever loving and broody High King. We also see their love for each other that hasn’t diminished.
This has been my most anticipated read when I finished The Stolen Heir last January. For me it’s not just the storyline of the want and need to know what happens next. But it’s the writing, the world building and escapism of the world Holly creates. It’s the beauty and simplicity of the Faerie world that we as readers never want to leave. For me some fantasies whether YA or adult can be too much. Too descriptive, to long that it loses it’s fantastical element and becomes too complicated. Holly Black has this way with hers that is pure escapism. It’s magical in every sense of the word. It’s Elfhame!
Thank you to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.
