Little, Brown The Queen of Nothing

First I’m going to give you my emotions – woop, oh, what, how, squeee, ugh, oh man, sigh, heart eyes, snake eyes, squirm. So yes, this is going to be a bit of a cluster of a review but it’s going to be spoiler-free and consequently, maybe vague.THE QUEEN OF NOTHING started off really well for me, I felt back with the crew I loved rather quickly and into the current events. The pace of this final instalment moved fast and I liked it. Jude in the human world, life continuing in the faerie world but predictably, those worlds crossed. From there, I had some pacing issues, I would love a number of chapters, then feel a bit bored for a few.I loved elements of this book but then I struggled with some plot developments. The bridle was a great plot device that…came to little. The snake was a great plot device that…I don’t know what that was. I loved the crown, I loved the throne and I loved Jude’s connection to the earth. So many exciting things but when that excitement didn’t come to fruition, I felt a bit disappointed.Jude and Carden had a different dynamic in this book and I am going to leave it there even though I want to say so much more. There was a hole missing and I am grateful I got to see the letters from the Barnes & Noble edition because that filled the hole up. That leaves me thinking why wasn’t that part of the main body of the story; I just don’t get it.I hope all that doesn’t sound too negative because overall this was read brought enjoyment and excitement with the frustration. I am happy with where the story ended up despite the fast wrap-up. I will look back at this series as a great one and a memorable one. I just wanted a bit more from this book."How do people like us take off our armor?One piece at a time."

I both loved and hated the end of this trilogy. The story was certainly the most gripping of the three and I finished the book in a matter of hours. I loved the pace and the way the story played out and Jude’s relentless energy.But there wasn’t enough Cardan for me. And I found the moments they were together a little less satisfying than I had hoped for. For some reason Cardan had changed immeasurably since Jude’s time in the mortal world. I found it strange how he was willing to be so honest and open with her virtually immediately after they had spent the first two books lying and twisting their words.Saying that I really enjoyed the ending and certainly didn’t see it coming. And it was a very satisfying conclusion to the end of the series.

Eu amei tanto esse livro, meu deus! Não tem nem como descrever direito! Sei bem de alguns pequenos defeitos que ele tem, mas li de uma só vez, numa euforia sem ar e sem cabimento que, afinal, é tudo que importa! Sentia muita falta de ler um livro assim e foi uma escolha perfeita para o final do ano! Não existe sensação melhor do que a que eu senti durante a segunda metade inteira do livro! Por isso, ele entrou para os meus favoritos e é claro que eu dei cinco estrelas.Tem outra razão para eu não ter diminuído a nota, afinal. Não considero seus defeitos fatais, nem os considero sérios o suficiente para tirar a qualidade do livro. Um deles, aliás, é um defeito da trilogia toda: as coisas acontecem um pouco rápido demais. Isso é uma coisa boa na maior parte do tempo, já que tudo muda bastante e não tem nem uma página de história parada. Ao mesmo tempo, talvez seria bacana se a autora tivesse descoberto um jeito de não deixar tão rápido assim. Não precisava demorar realmente em nada, mas pelo menos diminuir um pouco essa velocidade.Minha segunda crítica é para como o verdadeiro clímax do livro foi 'solucionado'. Tem muita reviravolta, mas, quando ele aparece, não há dúvidas de que é o clímax. Eu amei muito o jeito que a autora o encarou, amei a atitude da Jude, achei tudo super lógico e incrível. Mas a solução foi rápida demais, fácil demais. Sei que nem tinha como a história se demorar logo depois do maior problema ser resolvido, isso não faria sentido, mas senti falta de umas páginas a mais com uma conversa ou uma cena mais intensa entre a Jude e o Cardan para fazer valer o final.Mas o fato é que eu amei todo o resto de um tanto, que isso mal importa! Quero reler agora desde o começo, do primeiro livro. Vi várias pessoas reclamando da história desse, mas acho que é só mais uma vez o fenômeno do fim atacando. Ou seja, sempre que é o último, é o final, a grande maioria das pessoas detestam, independente do que seja (série, filme, livro) e da qualidade real. Eu, em compensação, costumo gostar mais dos últimos, dos finais. Pode ser só problema em aceitar que coisas acabam e nem sempre é exatamente como você imaginou. Não tenho esse problema!O fato é que este livro me fez sentir coisas incríveis e eu vou amá-lo para sempre por isso.

The Queen of Nothing and there's 'nothing' much to criticise!!! “To new beginnings and scheming great schemes”. I too, can toast to this outcome!!!And this my friends concludes a superb trilogy of ‘The Folk of the Air’ series. A 5 star trilogy that has brought just about everything to this dark fairy tale; conspiracies, power struggles, broken relationships, love, greed, treachery, violence, brinkmanship, and at times ‘snarkism’ and a heavy dose of the fantastical, all of which just heightens the appeal.The will they?, won’t they? continues in this series but with a huge twist from the outset when the High King Cardan exiles Jude, the pronounced Queen of Faerie. Unmoored and now in the land of mortals with ‘Nothing’ but damaged pride, a poor sense of worth and a bruised heart that Jude tries to hide. Jude tries to start a new life without all the drama and intrigue she was clearly built for.This is when Jude must test her judgement, heart and sense of loyalty between her step father and her High King, that she conned into coming to the throne and then married for convenience.The characterisation is superb. I loved all these characters. Cardan the High King, who was the cruel prince in the first book has a unique gravitational force that pulls everyone towards him. His wit and snarky comments just make for amusing reading.Jude, rough, tough, and fearless is a woman who treats court politics as some kind of extreme sport. However, it is her determination and loyalty that won me over. A terrific character, who claims to be "like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness.”Even the conniving Madoc, is a deliciously evil character. It was intriguing watching him close down the routes people could take, ‘pruning the variables’ and reducing everyone’s ability to surprise him so that it was his plan, not theirs that was most likely to succeed.A reader with ‘Nothing’ to complain about, except the use of the bridle in one of the plots and one of two of the minor sub plots did not tie up completely in the end. However, if you love Fantasy then treat yourself to this superbly well written and immersive book which completes this trilogy.Magical, absorbing, tormenting, and compulsive – what more could you ask for!!! Nothing !!!!

Third and final volume in the young adult fantasy series called 'The Folk of the Air.' This began with 'The Wicked Prince'. And this isn't a jumping on point, so new readers should start with that. You should really be about fifteen and up for it, as there are adult references.Regular ones, read on.This has a map of the setting at the start. The story is in two parts. With a prologue, epilogue, and twenty seven chapters in between. It does bring the story of the whole series to a close.The prologue hints at real problems for Cardan to face.Then when the story resumes, we pick up with Jude. Stuck back in the mortal world. Still dealing with what happened with Cardan. Trying to get by.But a chance to return comes when Taryn reappears. Although Jude is in no mood to forgive, her sister needs her help. So she's on her way back to Faerie. Where war is brewing. And those aforementioned problems might come to pass...A decent read. Good plot development in the first half. Good jeopardy awaits once Jude is back in Faerie. Threat comes from a good three dimensional source. And the second part of the book does manage to move the plot on at just the right point and develop the story nicely. The way it deals with one outstanding problem is superb and really very clever and I admired the writing for it.I just rather agree in some ways with the other reviewer who gave this 3.5 stars. Something about the second part doesn't quite come to life, and does feel a bit rushed. It all sorts itself out. The development of the central relationship is very well handled. And the ending is really good. It really works at being an ending that makes you sorry to leave this story and these characters.But this just perhaps could have done with being a bit longer and given more depth at times. A good final volume though. And a decent end to the series.Although for more of Elfhame, there is ''How the King of Elfhame learned to hate stories', a short story collection of tales from the realm. So you might want to check that out should you so desire.