Think twice if…
- Content warnings: Abuse, Death, Grief, Torture, Graphic violence, Animal death, Child neglect, Trauma, Alcoholism, Captivity, Cheating, Child abuse, Parental death, Manipulation, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood
The Wicked King
by Holly Black
Book 2 in The Folk of the Air
For anyone who likes their fae court romance tangled up in power plays and consequences, this is the one that turns Cardan from problem into full-blown liability.
goodreads 4.27/5 1,085,308 ratings
storykind_community 4.26/5 38 ratings
Quick fit
Is this story right for you?
A decision-first view of the reading experience.
Length336 pages
Series statusCompleted series · 3 books
Spice1/5 · Closed door / fade to black
PacingMedium
Story profile
What the story promises
The strongest reviewed signals about romance, fantasy, and the reading experience.
Romance promise
- Enemies to lovers
- Male/female pairing (M/F)
- Slow burn
- Low
- Closed door / fade to black
- Tension finally satisfied
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- Fae prince
- Love/hate tension
- Tension / anticipation
- Addictive read
- Morally gray
- Morally gray x morally gray
- Longing glances
- Book hangover incoming
- Dark/tortured soul
- Eye contact intensity
- Obsessed
- King / ruling monarch
- Push and pull
- Slow burn with late spice
- The angst delivered
- Mutual pining
- Desperate / urgent
- Power imbalance
Fantasy promise
- Ya fantasy
- Fae romance
- Royal court / palace
- Fae realm / faerie courts
- Fae
- Forbidden love
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- High fantasy
- Secret heir/royalty
- Political intrigue
Reading experience
- First person
- Medium
- Dark
- Lyrical
- Heavy
- High
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- Latinx MC
- Intense
- Sharp
- Warrior/fighter
- Teen MC (under 20)
- Brooding
- Atmospheric
- Ambitious schemer
- Mythic
- Immersive
- Deceptively deadly
- Dangerous
- Spy/thief
- Suspenseful
- Angsty
- Character-driven
- Yearning
- Tense
- Fae courts and politics
- Forbidden desire
Similar stories
Similar in ways that matter
Matched by the most important shared story signals, with the tradeoffs made explicit.
338 pages Completed
Nectar of the Wicked
Ella Fields
Similar because
Power imbalance · Secret heir/royalty · King / ruling monarch
Different because
Spice is higher (4/5 vs 1/5).
716 pages Completed
A Touch of Poison
Clare Sager
Similar because
Spy/thief · Morally gray x morally gray · Mutual pining
Different because
Spice is higher (4/5 vs 1/5). A longer read (716 vs 336 pages).
506 pages Completed
The Red Woman and the White Bear
Fern A. Ellis
Similar because
King / ruling monarch · Mythic · Lyrical
Different because
A longer read (506 vs 336 pages).
Book details
- Length
- 336 pages
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Language
- English
- Format
- Book