The Queen of Nothing- Holly Black

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Holly Black has proven herself to be a prolific writer of the genre of fantasy by giving her readers the most spectacularly exhilarating experience in the last book of The Folk of the Air series. The Queen of Nothing i.e., the power-hungry and fierce protagonist Jude, is under exile and suddenly stripped of the power she once dreamt of acquiring. 

Jude Duarte after successfully navigating through the treacherous waters of the High Court of the Faerie has managed to halt the conflict between the land and the sea but finds herself in a position of no power unlike before. Under exile in the human world, she despises herself for being too trusting which results in her losing her position as seneschal in the High Court of King Cardan as well as her unrelenting control over him. While she bides her time afflicted with feelings of betrayal and anger, she finally finds an opportunity to sneak back into the magical world of the Faerie when her twin sister, Taryn, is faced with deep trouble. Thus, the Queen of Nothing finally steps back into her rightful home, but only under disguise as her identical twin. The reader finds themselves cheering for Jude but at the same time anticipating what comes next as she puts her life at risk in the land of Faerie where war is fast brewing. 

Madoc, the traitorous general of the High King's army is looking for war and bloodshed in order to secure the Crown in his hands. While war is right at the threshold, Jude finds herself deep into the enemy lines and she must fight her way back alive. Holly Black gives the reader the profound hope of being able to guess what comes next while she prepares her characters to suddenly pull the carpet from under the reader's feet. 

While the book is lined with betrayal and dirty politics with every page you turn, there is a lack of conflict (i mean it's fantasy, we need some conflict) which makes the story too good to be true (someone should come back to life at least twice no?). The unleashing of a powerful and dormant curse is too sudden which surely provides a jolt to the reader but also ends the plot in a very sudden and abrupt manner. Holly Black manages to excellently portray character growth and pivotal points of development in relationships. However, contrastingly there also exists a lack of depth in the relationships between the characters (i mean enemies to lovers, I want more!). 

Holly Black leaves an indelible impact in the world of fantasy with her striking characters and over-the-top fantastical worlds which manage to bring out so much of the plot. An absolute delight to read, with The Folk of the Air series, Black is here to stay. 

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