*spoilers ahead*


The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black is a young adult fantasy series revolving around protagonist Jude Duarte, a mortal who seeks power and belonging in the faerie realm of Elfhame. It contains elements of magic, complex family relationships, romance stemming from rivalry, and vibrant prose. The trilogy is comprised of:

  1. The Cruel Prince
  2. The Wicked King
  3. The Queen of Nothing

I have to preface with the following context: I was a preteen during the golden age of YA fantasy/sci-fi—some of my favorite series were The Hunger Games, Maximum Ride, and The Mortal Instruments. While I’ve now (mostly) grown out of this phase, I still occasionally pick up a YA fantasy series published within the past couple of years out of curiosity, but mostly because I see them trending all over BookTok and want to see if they’re worth the hype. I don’t think I’m unique in thinking that they just aren’t as great as they used to be. In fact, all the ones I’ve read feel eerily similar to each other; the problem is that writing under the construct of popular tropes rather than creating a framework for an original story really defeats the purpose of writing fantasy: to transport readers into an interesting world where character arcs are unpredictable and character relationships are heavily nuanced in context with the world-building.

When I first read The Folk of the Air a few years ago, I was not only astounded by how unique and fun the story was, but also how smart the plot twists were and how carefully each character was written—it does not contain the faults of other recently trending YA fantasy releases. Even now, having just reread the trilogy, I can confirm that despite knowing the twists and turns beforehand, my reading experience was just as immersive and addicting as it was before, if not more so. The primary reason for this is how, at any given time, Black never provides more information than is necessary. She keeps the reader toeing the line between knowing and guessing, regarding them as an active participant in the story as opposed to a set of eyes merely looking in. The politics of Elfhame are simple to understand because Black deftly weaves these details within character desires and descriptions; there are no blatant moments of info-dumping.

One trap that Black does not fall into is creating characters that can be easily categorized. None of the characters are entirely good or bad. For instance, although Madoc has a deep well of empathy for Jude and Taryn, he would harm them if they interfered with his ambition—evident when he nearly kills Jude in the first half of The Queen of Nothing. Additionally, because the novels are written in Jude’s (first-person) perspective, the reader, like Jude, is unsure of who to trust; the conniving nature of the fae makes it even harder to discern. Locke and Taryn’s betrayal in The Cruel Prince stings as much as Cardan’s charming nature is surprising when he first becomes a part of the Court of Shadows. And Vivi, who wants to leave Elfhame with the same intensity that Jude wants to stay, serves to remind readers that events are narrated with bias toward Jude’s perspective, and that the truth usually lingers a little further from what we’re led to believe. So even though this is a fantasy story, it exudes the same high-adrenaline moment-to-moment tension that most mystery/thriller novels contain. This quality highlights how The Folk of the Air is a masterclass in creating intense stakes that make the emotional payoff so effective at the end of every novel.

Another strength of the storytelling rests in Black’s spinoff content and bonus materials. The Lost Sisters and How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories are novellas told, respectively, in Taryn and Cardan’s perspectives, and they each add a layer of complexity to the existing story. Bonus content, such as Cardan’s letters to Jude during her exile, support the story’s continuity during time skips between and within the individual novels. Recently, a spinoff duology centering on Oak, Jude’s younger brother, has been released; these two novels were just as entertaining to read and expand on the landscape and politics of Black’s world of faerie.

I have yet to read a YA fantasy series that surpasses the quality of The Folk of the Air, and would be surprised if I found one that did. I look forward to reading whatever Holly Black puts out next!