The Wicked King

The Wicked King, by Holly Black, is a young adult fantasy novel that brings mythology and folklore to a contemporary audience. It is the second novel in the Folk of Air trilogy, following The Cruel Prince and preceding The Queen of Nothing. The Wicked King was a finalist for both the Lodestar Award and the Locus Award in 2020 and won the Goodreads Best Book Award for Young Adult Fantasy in 2019. This study guide is for the 2019 paperback edition.

Plot Summary

Cardan, the High King of Faerie, acclimatizes to his new role. He makes his friend Locke, who is engaged to Jude’s twin sister Taryn, his Master of Revels. Jude, his advisor, goes to see Cardan’s brother Balekin in prison, and they discuss his messages for Cardan, which Jude has intercepted. She later meets with her fellow spies in the Court of Shadows and interrogates one of the prison guards. At home, Jude meets with Taryn. Taryn has brought Jude some of her things from home and invites Jude to her wedding.

The next morning, Jude meets with Cardan and learns he’s been attacked. She follows the trail to his former lover Nicasia, who intended to kill the woman he was with. Nicasia confesses that her mother Orlagh, the Queen of the Undersea, is planning to have Cardan and Nicasia wed. Jude reflects on the precarious power she has over Cardan. She goes to a council meeting with her foster father, Madoc, and other representatives. They ignore her attempts to warn them of Orlagh’s plans.

Jude and another spy search Cardan’s room for traps. Jude finds mementos from his childhood revealing memories of his mother. When Jude arrives home, she finds Taryn in her room. Taryn asks for Jude’s help removing Locke from his role of Master of Revels, fearing it will take him away from her. Meanwhile, stories of Cardan’s lavish parties are spreading throughout the court.

At a revel, Locke tries to humiliate Jude by crowning her the “Queen of Mirth.” Her attraction to Cardan grows stronger. Envoys from the Undersea arrive at the party and deliver a message threatening Cardan if he doesn’t marry Nicasia. Madoc takes Jude aside and tries to gain her support. Afterwards, the council meets again and discusses the new threat. Jude plans to feed false information to Balekin. The council plans to use Jude’s younger brother, Oak, as bait to lure out the Undersea. Afterwards, Jude meets Cardan, and they discuss political strategy before making love.

Jude goes to Locke and threatens to take revenge for his “Queen of Mirth” stunt. She demands he leave her be and become a better man for her sister. The next day, she goes to the mortal world to pick up her other siblings, Oak and Vivi, and Vivi’s girlfriend Heather, for Taryn’s wedding. Vivi and Oak reveal their faerie magic to Heather. Jude helps Heather adjust. Later, Jude goes to see a faerie smith, Grimsen, about a gift for her sister, but she aims to investigate his connection to Nicasia. Cardan learns from Nicasia that the Sea Queen will attack during the wedding, and Balekin tries to convince Cardan to free him from his prison.

Jude is attacked by a group of masked soldiers on horseback. She survives but is injured. At the wedding, Jude is confronted by Madoc, who is angered by her power over Cardan. She also finds Heather, who has been enchanted and left scared and alone. Jude finds a way to reverse the spell, and Vivi enchants Heather to forget. Jude also learns that Locke was involved in her attack. After this revelation, she is betrayed by one of her fellow spies and taken to the Undersea.

She meets with Orlagh, Nicasia, and Balekin, and they enchant her to do whatever they say. They don’t realize Jude is immune to enchantment, so she plays along in hopes of learning more. She spends a month as their prisoner. Finally, when her release has been secured, Balekin commands her to kill Cardan. Orlagh returns Jude to the surface, and Jude learns that another at court has been sacrificed in exchange for her release. When she attempts to see Cardan, she finds that Madoc has ordered his guards to keep her away. Instead, she goes to Balekin, who tells her he will arrange her entrance to an upcoming ball. He gives her a vial of poison for Cardan. Later, she sneaks into Cardan’s room and tells him what happened.

At the ball, Jude confronts Locke. Cardan arrives inebriated, but Jude realizes he’s been poisoned. Balekin draws attention to them in hopes of framing her with the vial of poison in her pocket. Jude pulls Cardan away, and Balekin sends a message asking for the crown in exchange for the antidote. Jude meets him and secures the antidote before killing him in a duel. When she returns to Cardan, he tells her he granted the favor she asked for and released Madoc from his duties; they realize it was Taryn pretending to be Jude.

Cardan convinces Jude to release him from her power in exchange for marrying him. Orlagh arrives asking for Balekin’s murderer. They meet the sea court, and Cardan uses his magic to subdue them. However, he betrays Jude by exiling her to the mortal world for her crime against Balekin. Jude goes to live with Vivi and Oak.