How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Back | OMG, It’s Illustrated!
Someone, please explain how I completely missed the fact that How The King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories is illustrated?! Sure, the cover is gorgeous, but the inside is as well?! *squeals* I read this beautiful little book in just a morning and was utterly delighted by its stories and illustrations. Holly Black created such a wonderful addition to the Folk of Air series, I’m so, so sad it’s really over now… Here’s my review!
“Having a heart is terrible, but you need one anyway.”
My Review
How The King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories is written from Cardan’s perspective and consists of six short stories. Each one is set in a different time in his life; from before The Cruel Prince to after Queen of Nothing. However, they’re not just standalone stories. They’re parts of a whole and that was a wonderful discovery. It all leads up to something and I hadn’t realized until I was almost at the end! It’s definitely my favorite thing about the book. The stories are short; they’re over before you know it. Which is quite sad, but perfect at the same time. Yes, I want MORE! I’ll always, always want more. These stories are meant to tell Cardan’s backstory and they do so perfectly. Adding more to them would probably not have the same effect they have now.
Cardan
I absolutely loved reading from Cardan’s perspective. I found him a horrible bully the first time I read The Cruel Prince. During my reread and then reading the rest of the series, I fell in love with him. I fell in love all over again in King of Elfhame, maybe even more than before. Reading from his perspective makes him more human? Even though he’s – obviously – Fae royalty. I also found Nicasia a lot more likable from his perspective and I loved, LOVED reading about Jude from Cardan’s perspective. I wish we’d got to see more of them together but as I said before, I’ll always want more, duhh!
Illustrations
How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is such a wonderful, beautiful book; from the dust jacket to the naked spine and the interior. Rovina Cai created these beautiful illustrations that perfectly go with the book and the entire Folk of Air series. They’re whimsical, dark, and gloomy, with bits of color and even gold. Even pages without full-color illustrations are designed beautifully. Honestly, it makes me wish for fully illustrated editions of the rest of the series. Can you imagine how incredible that would be?!
My Rating
My rating is biased, as the Folk of Air series is my favorite, but How The King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories is incredible and deserves all the praise! Holly Black’s writing is wonderful and Rovina Cai has illustrated the book beautifully. I’ll be reading this one time and time again!
About How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
Return to the captivating world of Elfhame with this illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy that began with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.
Have you read King of Elfhame? Did you love the illustrations as much as I did?
