So, I have a question. Is there a fandom name for the universe where The Folk of the Air, The Modern Faerie Tales, The Darkest Part of the Forest, and (debatably) the Spiderwick Chronicles take place?  

I just call it the faerie-verse/fea-verse or Holly Black faerie universe. But I would love to know if anyone else has a name for this universe

Thoughts on the Short Story in the Modern Faerie Tale Bind-up Edition

So the short story, “The Lament of Lutie-Loo,” was okay. I enjoyed reading it, but it was a little lack-luster. I was hoping we’d see more of what the characters in “The Modern Faerie Tales” were up to after all these years, rather than just short mentions. And I hoped it would bridge the gap between the two series better than it did.

There’s one change that would have made “The Lament of Lutie-Loo” far more compelling: If Kaye went on the journey to Elfhame instead of Lutie-Loo.

Here’s Why (Mild Spoilers Ahead):

- We probably would have gotten more of an update on how everyone in The Modern Faerie Tale Series was doing after all these years instead of just quick mentions because Kaye is close friends with all these characters (But the Val and Ravus update was adorable!)

- Kaye confronting Ethane about why she hasn’t spoken to Roiben in years would have been much more compelling because Kaye played a part in the reason why they weren’t speaking 

- Kaye being held hostage would have been such a compelling situation! Can you imagine Roiben trying to find a way to get her and his sister back without going into all-out war with Elfhame? The story could have still played out the same way with alliances, but it would have added much more tension and drama to the story. (I’m reeling just thinking about it!) Roiben talking about how much he loves Kaye was the highlight of the story for me, but it would have been awesome to see how much he cares about her through his actions.

Also, I think my ideal ending for The Queen of Nothing is all the characters from TMFT and TDPoTF hanging out with the characters from The Folk of the Air. 

At the same time, I do appreciate that Holly Black gives cameos to characters from past series in The Folk of the Air without making it necessary to read those books. It’s fun for long-time readers to see their favorite characters and pick up on quick mentions of past events. At the same time, it makes it so new readers can read any of series without having read the other series.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Let me know your thoughts on “The Lament of Lutie-Loo.” 

If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, @ourmooninacup posted a copy of the story. But I do advise reading The Modern Faerie Tales first.

Faerie Books For “Folk of the Air” Withdrawals

In my opinion, Holly Black is the gold standard for faerie books. She writes faeries in a way that draws on folklore, yet makes sense in the common day. She has concrete rules that her faeries never break (eg. aversion to salt and iron, their magic can’t work against charms, they can deceive but can’t lie, etc.) Faeries seem different than humans and we are constantly reminded that they are alien creatures (Eg. Performing monstrosities, their morality, the way they speak) 

When faeries use magic it seems so natural to the universe Black has created that it doesn’t really feel like magic. The one time someone uses a spectacular display of magic that could be perceived as overpowered (at the end of The Wicked King), it’s someone coming into his powers and truly accepting his role as a king.

I’ve already written a pretty extensive post about the other books in Holly Black’s faerie universe (Modern Faerie Tale Series, Darkest Part of the Forest, Spiderwick, etc). Check that out if you’re looking for more Holly Black books and want to learn about my suggested reading order.

Under the cut, I’ll talk about other YA faerie books and some resources if you want to learn more about faerie folklore. You should also take into account that I’m super picky about books. Even though I gave a lot of them low ratings, I don’t regret reading any of them. I’m just overly critical, and there are specific trends and tropes that really bug me. Definitely look on Goodreads for a more detailed summaries and other reviews.

Welcome to Faerie Land: A Guide to Holly Black’s Extended Faerie Universe

With Wicked King making the NYT Best Sellers list and more people reading The Cruel Prince/The Folk of the Air Series, I decided to make a quick guide to the other books in Holly Black’s Faerie universe. 

One of the things I love about Holly Black’s books is how they interrelate. They give you background information about the world and side characters in TCP. But it’s not necessary to read these books to understand TCP. Also, since Jude has been in Faerie for almost her entire life she sometimes brushes over certain faerie rules that new readers might not know (eg. the effects of cold iron and faerie true names). Holly Black’s earlier books lay out these rules much more effectively.

So if you’re a new reader of Holly Black’s books, welcome! I’ll try to stay away from spoilers, and I’ll add links to Goodreads for more in depth summaries. If you’re a veteran, here’s a quick review of the other books in the Faerie Universe and a little bit about how they relate to TCP.

Honestly, the saddest part of The Wicked King for me was hearing that Kaye was injured when Undersea attacked the Court of Termites. First off, I love Kaye. She’s a bad ass. When I first read Tithe (like 10 years ago), I was amazed by how different she was from every YA heroine I had ever read. Like many of Holly Black’s characters, Kaye is very morally gray. And back then, the morally gray YA heroine was rare. Kaye’s character taught me that you can have a crummy life and messed up along the way, but you can still become a hero.

Second off, Roiben loves Kaye. Like, really loves Kaye. Here’s one of the best lines he says to her in Ironside: “You are the only thing I have that is neither duty nor obligation, the only thing I chose for myself. The only thing I want.” Oh, and let’s just remember, Roiben can’t lie. My heart!

Honestly, Cardan is lucky that Roiben is used to dealing with corrupt rulers and has A+ self-control. Because I’m pretty sure Roiben wanted to cut him in half when he saw him drunk. (Yeah, we all know Cardan was poisoned, but Roiben doesn’t know that.)

Side note: If you haven’t already, you should totally pick up The Modern Faerie Tale Series and The Darkest Part of the Forest. These books will give you the backstory of characters like Roiben, Kaye, and Severin. And they will give you some insight into nevermore and other magical items mentioned in The Folk of the Air Series. Plus, these books will help with your Wicked King hangover.