A new illustration  of the many numerous scenes I’ve wanted to illustrate since reading QON last November. If it’s not clear, this is the scene when the Bomb asks Cardan to leave the royal chambers so she can repair and redress Jude’s stitches - and Cardan gets the final quip as he exits. These little subtle gestures are easy to miss, but make such a big impact with character and relationship building (at least for the reader’s eyes). It didn’t say explicitly in the text, but I’d imagine Jude was quite in a state after the lines Cardan spoke just before this moment. Quite fun to express, for both of them. (and the Bomb totally knows what’s up)

“to traitors and oathbreakers, i offer my queen’s hospitality instead. the hospitality of knives.”

Chosen by my patrons on Patreon- an artwork based on the Queen of Nothing by Holly Black :)

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Cardan and The Roach sneaking into Madoc’s camp to rescue Jude like

Why Locke’s death was off-page

I know a lot of people were annoyed that Locke’s death was off-page and I can’t blame them. We all wanted to see that turd get stabbed in the neck. But I get such a keen sense of satisfaction thinking about how much Locke would have HATED finding out his death wasn’t important enough to make it on the page. That he wasn’t the master of stories like he thought he was. That Taryn was the main character and he was just a footnote.

Having his death off-page undermines what he would want as a character. And frankly, I love that

This is such a great point!  It’s really interesting (and satisfying) to see it that way.  But until now, my main concern about Locke’s off-page death is:  really, is he dead?  The thing about Locke is not only that he’s a trickster but that he was playing a deeper game than we initially thought. (I almost fell off my chair when it was casually mentioned he basically orchestrated Jude’s abduction in TWK!)  Because he is an absolute idiot, and we are seeing everything from Jude’s POV, I think we have all underestimated him.  How far was he willing to go with his obsession for creating a story?

It is quite possible that Taryn did kill him and he never saw that one coming.

Also, it is equally possible Taryn thinks he killed him but she didn’t.  The fact that he was “returned” from the sea without a recognizable face is not to be dismissed.  There is something that feels unfinished about the whole situation.  (I keep going back to the fact that Leigh Bardugo was an influential enough reader of early drafts that she QoN is dedicated to her.  And Bardugo is definitely one for the idea of “if we can’t clearly see them dead, they aren’t.”)

Not to mention the fact that Cardan seems completely unmoved.  By now we all know Cardan is not the monster Jude initially thought he was.  And while he had enough reason to be angry at Locke, in the story itself they never had a real falling out.  It is weird to me that Cardan doesn’t have one word of mourning, not even in the fake inquest.  He knows Locke very well.  Does he not buy it either?

And of course, the third option is that Locke is not dead and Taryn knows it too.  Playing such a convoluted game to show there’s still plenty of story in her.

The fact that maybe we will never know is what makes this so fun and well written.

baby finally got to run into his arms just like she wanted to in the wicked king :')

i need a what we do in the shadows-style mockumentary about madoc in the mortal world IMMEDIATELY no i don’t take constructive criticism

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

you ever just think about how far jude has come? how she went from learning to slyfoot properly to stealing a prince and becoming a kingmaker? from kingmaker to spymaster to prisoner you high queen? she’s done so much i love her with my whole heart :’)

Why is no one talking about how awesome Heather is??? Like I loved the whole story arc between her and Vivi, and I loved how it ended. And when Heather was searching the library for books on snake curses, ICONIC! I thought something was actually gonna come of that. And I just love the slice of humanity she adds into the story, like sure Jude and Taryn are mortal but I feel like Heather really brings the relatable humanness to the story（sorry I didn’t explain that very well). Basically I stan a pink haired lesbian icon and she deserves more recognition.

Thoughts on TQoN

I’m part way through a re-read of The Queen of Nothing, and I am suddenly struck by how feminist the entire Folk of the Air series is. It is a story about female power. All of the victorious players are female, while the powerful men fall, one by one, starting with Eldred. Think about it: Valerian, Dain, Balekin, Grinsen, Locke, Madoc, even Cardan. The ones who don’t die must be rescued or shown mercy by a woman. Even if the Court of Shadows, it’s the male members who fall; only Jude and the Bomb are left to pick up the pieces and fight the final battle. The war general, Yorn, gets replaced by the female Grima Mog. Even the first of Jude’s guard, Fand, is a female knight. Cool eh?

I don’t think @ekbelsher​ meant it,  @judehatescardan. All she said is that TFOTA showed women can be in main roles. Because TFOTA didn’t show a place where women are superior to men, but a girl besting all the men who to use or abused her. She was not invulnerable - Jude was injured and humiliated, yet she survived and triumphed.

Anyone else blown away with how well holly black developed jude and cardan's relationship in QoN?? Like it was anything but a healthy relationship in the first two books, i love how by the end of the book they both respected and trusted each other, and treated each other as true equals. No more struggle for power and control, and no more cruelty towards each other.

Thank you ms. Black for writing an amazing enemies-to-lovers story without making it toxic

Love this analysis! Holly Black was also really smart with how she presented Jude and Cardan’s relationship in the first two books. She never romanticized them as a toxic couple.

When Jude learns that Cardan is beaten by Balekin, she doesn’t automatically excuse his cruelty. She understands him. But she doesn’t forgive him.

Even when Jude realizes she’s falling in love with Cardan in TWK, she questions if Cardan is truly becoming a better person or if she’s just seeing what she wants to see. And perhaps most importantly in TWK, Cardan directly states that his loveless upbringing was no excuse for his cruelty.

Jude controls Cardan throughout TWK, but there are lines she won’t cross. For instance, she won’t force him to seduce Nicasia even though the Court of Shadows needs information. And ultimately Jude completely gives up control of Cardan in TQON.

Ultimately, Holly Black wrote an amazing, intricate relationship with two characters who develop both individually and together

I CANNOT get over the idea of Cardan a few days after the banishment like “Okay, any day now Jude will come back home and pardon herself and I can tell everyone she’s my wife uwu, we’re so smart and scheme-y together.” While Jude is just mainlining anime like “Cardan hates me and my love is unrequited. He threw me out of fairy and I can never go back wtf”