The Queen of Nothing

Like most kids who grew up with Harry Potter and the Pevensies, I longed for evidence of the fantastical, hoping that somewhere just around the corner was the magic I found in books. With The Queen of Nothing, the finale to the Folk of the Air trilogy, Holly Black has built a fantasy world so entangled with reality, blurred the line between human and creature so convincingly, I felt myself settling right back into that unwavering adolescent belief that there’s something more out there.

After being banished to the mortal world, Jude Duarte risks returning to Elfhame to help her twin, Taryn, and (who’s she kidding?) see Cardan again. But the tense political environment of the Faerie realm has only worsened in Jude’s absence, and she finds herself in a precarious position among the Folk as war approaches and an ancient curse is unleashed.

Holly Black has done something truly special with her Folk of the Air series, and The Queen of Nothing concludes the trilogy perfectly. For anyone looking for immersive world-building, cleverness unmatched, and complicated but entirely unforgettable characters, for all the dreamers out there still waiting to turn that corner: this is the book for you.

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 deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal 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…