the wicked king and the queen of nothing

He raised Jude as a warrior, training her in combat. He took Vivienne, his biological daughter, and Jude and Taryn to Faerie so he and his wife Oriana could raise them. When Jude was seven, Madoc broke into her home and killed Justin and Eva. Jude and her sisters grew up in the mortal world with their parents, Eva (who was once Madoc’s wife) and Justin. Madoc and Jude have a complicated relationship. Jude discovers Madoc has allied with the Court of the Teeth, a kingdom to the north of Elfhame, to attack Cardan. Meanwhile, Madoc attacks the palace and takes Jude away, thinking she is Taryn. As they talk, it becomes clear that Jude’s prolonged exile is because of a miscommunication. Alone with Jude, he tells her he saw through her disguise immediately. Cardan declares he will question Taryn in private. The courtiers are still suspicious of her, since Taryn is the sister of Jude, whom they consider dangerous. Jude agrees to go to Faerie, the realm where the Fae folk live.ĭisguised as Taryn, Jude launches a successful defense before Cardan’s court. Since Jude has a protective charm on her, she cannot be enchanted to tell the truth during the trial thus, Taryn can escape her sentence. Taryn has murdered her husband, Locke, and wants Jude to assume her identity during the murder inquest.

One day, Jude gets a visit from Taryn, the estranged identical twin she left behind in Faerie. Grima Mog tells Jude that her father, Madoc, is plotting to attack Cardan. Jude wins Grima Mog’s respect by defeating her in battle. During one such job, she meets Grima Mog, a fierce faerie commander in exile. Jude now performs dangerous chores for the faeries who live on the edges of the mortal world so she can support her sister Vivienne and her younger brother Oak. Jude feels betrayed by Cardan, whom she married in secret in The Wicked King. Jude Duarte, the 19-year-old mortal High Queen of the faerie kingdom Elfhame, has recently been exiled to the human world by her husband, High King Cardan, after she killed his scheming half-brother, Prince Balekin. Her books have been translated into 32 languages. The recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula Award, and a Newbery Honor, Black lives in New England with her husband and son.

Holly Black has written over 30 fantasy novels for children, young adults, and adults.

The wicked king and the queen of nothing