User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
1.) The Cruel Prince ★★★★★
1.5) The Lost Sisters ★★★★★
2.) The Wicked King ★★★★★
3.) The Queen of Nothing ★★★★★
"Hate that was so bright and hot that it was the first thing that truly warmed him."
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is an illustrated novella following Cardan Greenbriar, during many different stages in his life, while we slowly see all the different things that shaped him cruelly. The sound that left me when I opened this book and realized we were going to get present day with Jude from Cardan’s POV… be still, my hopes and dreams and heart.
Rovina Cai’s art is truly so beautiful that it renders me speechless. I was already in love with her and her art because of her work with
The Wayward Children series, but this entire book feels like am immersive work of art. From the perfect color palette, to the most perfect details, she executes the vibe of Cardan and his story in a way that I don’t think another artist could.
In this story, Cardan’s life is very much impacted by a troll named Aslong who was wronged by Cardan’s father. She tells a story about a boy with a heart of stone, who finds himself in a predicament with a monster girl who won’t scare him away, until his heart starts beating again. And then all throughout his life, she tells his alternate versions of this same story, each version with a new meaning for a new version of Cardan himself.
"She was the only real thing in a land of ghosts."
We also get to see so much of Cardan’s perspective during
The Cruel Prince , much like we did with Tarryn in
The Lost Sisters , and it was everything. Nicasia and Locke have much wanted character development in this book, too, and I am literally on my knees begging for Holly to just give us the trilogy in Cardan’s complete point of view. But we see Nicasia being fostered on the land because her mother, Orlagh, Queen of the Undersea, wants to start putting pieces in motion. We get to see Locke, and his empty house and even emptier heart, teach Cardan the word “cruel” on every page. And these two, in addition to a prophecy looming over this young prince, are truly the first catalysts to this story and I was so in love seeing behind the scenes. And when Holly gives us Locke’s perspective one of these years…
"Playing the villain was the only thing he’d ever really excelled at."
Each part, each mini story, we get to see Cardan questioning who he is and who he wants to be. Not to make this too deep, but Cardan very slowly realizes that he is not responsible for the terrible acts his family committed; both to him and to the people they ruled over. He struggles with his identity of a prince who should feel like he has everything, and a boy who feels like he has nothing. But seeing him finally understand that he deserves not only love but unconditional love? Him slowly appreciating that his heart can be warm and beat unapologetically? Truly some powerful stuff.
On a personal note, I think most of you know that Holly Black is an author who means a lot to me. Her fae stories are what first got me into YA when I was young, and it really changed me as a reader and probably a human as well. I know most of you know that 2020 has been a hard year for everyone and everything, very much including my reading, so being able to curl up and read about my emotional support fae, from my emotional support author, just meant a lot to me. I truly think reading this book a day before release (bless you
Waterstones and my mail person) was the best reading experience I’ve had all year, and for that alone this book was probably the easiest five star I’ve given in a year of not a lot of five star reads.
"Feels as though she has to earn the crown on her head over and over again."
Overall, this felt like the fairytale of my dreams. Cardan is my favorite character in
The Cruel Prince series (or any of Holly’s books, I think) and this truly was such a magical, wonderous, unforgettable addition to this world. I am incredibly biased over this series because so much of my heart and nostalgia are wrapped up within this world, but I honestly think there is just so much to love on every page of this book. I feel blessed to read about each time Holly gives us a new book, and this will for sure be a favorite of mine for all of 2020. Lastly, I cannot believe we really got to read about Cardan going out for boba.
Content & Trigger Warnings: abandonment, bullying, abuse, mention of drug use, humiliation, talk of cheating, and a lot of drinking.
Blog | Instagram | Youtube | Ko-fi | Spotify | Twitch
Rating: really liked it
oh haven't you heard? Holly Black released a sneek peak at Cardan's inner thoughts:repressed trauma incandescent rage JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE self-loathing more incandescent rage JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE revenge more repressed trauma must get drunk JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE so no head? JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE how is anyone supposed to do any work around here with this fucking tail JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE oh that's right I don't have to do any work haha pass me that bottle of wine JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JUDE JU-
Rating: really liked it
TOO SHORT! TOO SHORT! I DEMAND MORE!!! 😤
While I
loved every page of this, Holly Black also managed to
exclude every scene that
I wanted to see. 🤦🏻♀️ So, I’m going to
choose to believe that she’s saving them for
another Cardan novella in the future! 😁
Regardless, the
faery tale-esque vibe and the
beautiful illustrations in this novella made for a very
cute and fun read! 🥰
Rating: really liked it
sometimes I think about finishing this series and then I remember Cardan is a furry faerie with a tail
Rating: really liked it
update: just a reminder there's just under 3 weeks left until RELEASE DATE!! judecardan stans how WE FEELING?
//
can't wait to finally recieve my copy of this and open it up to [cardan simping for jude] [cardan simping for jude] [cardan simping for jude]
cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella cardan novella
HOLLY BLACK PLS!! I'M CRYING,, THE COVER'S SO BEAUTIFUL OH MY GOD OH MY GOD IT'S GONNA BE SO GOOD!! CARDAN CARDAN CARDAN !!
holly back said cardan rights!! she was like alright lemme take your favourite YA bad-boy-with-tragic-past and decide to publish a novella about him with GORGEOUS artwork.
UGH WHAT THE FUCK I'M STILL SHAKING JJHKUHASGFJHAGSFAHSF
i need this in my hands,,,, like right now preferably. WE GONNA SEE SOFT CARDAN IM NOT READY. we're gonna see cardan crushing on Jude,,, thinking she's beautiful,,, being in love with her
:))))))))))))))))
wait omg what if we finally find out what cardan was gonna say when he was like "about last night.." but Jude cuts him off to say she got it out her system...don't touch me
holly black said i know ur all depressed and stuck at home,,, lemme just brighten up ur whole quarantine. UGH I LOVE HER. THANK YOU.
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories comes out on 24th November ...190 days of pain
"I am thrilled to finally get to tell you a bit more about the sullen, annoying, and enigmatic High King of Elfhame"
everything is told wholly from cardan's perspective.
EVERYTHING IS TOLD WHOLLY FROM CARDAN'S PERSPECTIVE
-details of life before The Cruel Prince
-an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing
-familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy.
holy shit it hasn't sunk in
Rating: really liked it
Funny how I hate angst until it's Cardan being angsty, and that angst involves him scribbling a certain Jude Duarte's name over and over again while ink drips onto his clothes but he's too busy pining over Jude to care.
Villains were wonderful. They got to be cruel and selfish, to preen in front of mirrors and poison apples, and trap girls on mountains of glass. They indulged all their worst impulses, revenged themselves for the least offense, and took every last thing they wanted.
And sure, they wound up in barrels studded with nails, or dancing in iron shoes heated by fire, not just dead, but disgraced and screaming.
But before they got what was coming to them, they got to be the fairest in all the land.
I was captivated by the way Cardan views the world. He was dismissed repeatedly, even as a child, and endured years of abuse before learning how to build a facade. He pretends to have a heart of stone and is bewildered by attachment, but needs someone to love him anyway. He isn't a warrior or a hero or a savior. He was a villain, then a villain in name only, then a king, but he remains a soft, vulnerable character inside.
Cardan had trusted Nicasia not to hurt him, which was ridiculous, since he well knew that everyone hurts one another and that the people you loved hurt you the most grievously. Since he was well aware that they both took delight in hurting everyone else that they could, how could he have thought himself safe?
This book is
magical. The art is stunning and mystical and perfect. The writing is beautiful (as always) and depicts the world with such beauty and danger.
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is a breath of fresh air—the fairy tale atmosphere, the razor-sharp wit, the allure of the fey.
The contempt made him feel as though she saw beneath all his sharp and polished edges. It reminded him of how his father and all the Court had seen him, before he learned how to shield himself with villainy.
And doomed as she was, he envied her whatever conviction made her stand there and defy him.
She ought to be nothing. She ought to be insignificant. She ought not to matter.
He had to make her not matter.
5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Just released my
Top 10 Books from 2020 BookTube Video - now that you know this one made the list, click the link to find the rest!
And here's my vlog review of the book!
In short: It was amazing.
In long: Check out my
Video Review !
P.s. Holly Black. You are a gift. A national treasure. And I would 110% steal you with Nicolas Cage.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
cause of severe painful death
THIS
^^^ WHOM THE FUCK MADE THIS I-
Rating: really liked it
charmingly told and stunningly illustrated, this is a wonderful collection of short stories narrating select moments in cardans life before, during, and after the events of the
‘folk of the air’ series.
while i do wish more stories had been included, i love the motion of how each story flows into the next, almost feeling like a novella rather than an anthology. its really effective at building cardans character and expanding upon his development from the series.
fans of the series, cardan, and art will no doubt love this.
↠ 4 stars
Rating: really liked it
I'd say this is a must-read for Cardan fans.
I absolutely adored the magical, fairy tale-like quality to this book. It reads almost like a series of short stories, but they are all interconnected and each one unveils details about Cardan's life and background. There's magic and witches and gorgeous illustrations... what's not to like? :)
Rating: really liked it
"So long as you're begging," he says.
YES I'm begging for more because
THAT WAS TOO SHORT😭😭😭
This book was both
everything and
nothing at the same time.
Everything because um it's
Cardan Greenbriar???🥰
Cardan's
inner thoughts.Cardan
in the mortal world.Cardan
drinking bubble tea.Cardan
eating dumplings.Cardan
just being Cardan.🥺
(by @loweana.art) But it also felt like
nothing because the scenes I actually
REALLY wanted to see
weren't there.😭
I mean who wants to see
Cardan and
Nicasia together?!?!?! I wanted more
JURDAN moments.🥺😭 Instead there were like about 2-3(?) short stories on them out of 11???
My heart is very sad.😞 But I'm hoping this is Holly's secret way of telling us that there
will be more Cardan short stories (WITH JUDE) in the future....?
I WOULD SELL MY SOUL FOR MORE.
(by @sallteas) Ah yes but I LOVED the stories Aslog would tell Cardan.😂 The lessons at the end . . . ahahaha definitely what you should tell kids at nighttime. I actually really liked them.
"A sharp tongue is no match for a sharp tooth." now HOLLY. PLEASE give MORE CARDAN🙏
at least we now know how he learned to hate stories═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══
Pre-read Review: YASSSSSSS!!!!!🥳
We get a
story about Cardan hating
stories!!!😍😂
Rating: really liked it
((me: closes final page; releases satisfied sigh))
And just like that, my faith in the world has been restored. Thank you, Holly Black. We needed this.
Unsurprisingly, Cardan had me entirely entranced.
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is a collection of beautifully illustrated short-stories, all told from Cardan's perspective. They span from when he was a little boy, all the way through and after,
The Queen of Nothing.
I knew going in that this was illustrated, but my goodness, it is
absolutely stunning.
As I was reading, I would often stop to just soak in the illustrations. They truly brought these stories to life and gave them the magical quality of an old-time fairy tale.
Cardan is such a fun character and reading from his perspective provided all new insight into his decisions and motivations. I love him now more than ever.
For true fans of this series, this is bonus content that should not be missed!
Personally, I will pick up anything Black chooses to write regarding these characters, or Elfhame in general. This book is a wonderful collector's piece; one I am happy to add to my collection.
Rating: really liked it
[image error]
Rating: really liked it
never thought i’d say this before i read the series: i love cardan, i really truly do😭😍
this book only made me wish for dual pov’s in the entire series, and it honestly would’ve made the experience ten times better!
Rating: really liked it
“A heart of stone can still be broken.”
