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How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories Open the full-size image

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Contributors

By Holly Black

Illustrated by Rovina Cai

Formats and Prices

On Sale
May 7, 2024
Page Count
208 pages
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13
9780316540810

Price

$12.99

Price

$16.99 CAD

Format

  1. ebook
  2. Hardcover
  3. Audiobook Download (Unabridged)

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $12.99 $16.99 CAD
  2. ebook $9.99 $12.99 CAD
  3. Hardcover $19.99 $25.99 CAD
  4. Audiobook Download (Unabridged)

Buy from Other Retailers:

  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Books-A-Million
  • Bookshop
  • Target
  • Walmart

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.

Genre:

  • Teen & Young Adult
  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Dark Fantasy

Series:

  • The Folk of the Air

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner and a Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. Her website is www.blackholly.com.

  • Praise for How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories:
    "Offers new delights along with familiar moments retold...fans will rejoice in every dark, luscious moment."
    Kirkus
  • Praise for The Queen of Nothing:
    *"Whether you came for the lore or the love, perfection."
    Kirkus, starred review
  • *"A compelling final piece in a powerful set."
    Booklist, starred review
  • "We're being promised a 'jaw-dropping' finale...Based on the ride she's taken readers on so far, we'd expect nothing less."
    Entertainment Weekly
  • Praise for The Wicked King: *"A stunning and compelling sequel."
    SLJ, starred review

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Holly: A Belladonna Novella $19.99 $25.99 CAD
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About the High Queen of Faerie

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and her adult debut, Book of Night.  She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Fan Behavior

  1. Throw your own Faerie Revel

  2. Signs as Characters from The Folk of the Air

  3. I Built a Playlist According to Each Folk of the Air Character

  4. What percent faerie are you?

  5. Are you The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, or The Queen of Nothing?

#FolkoftheAir

Image of the book series "The Folk of the Air" and the book "The Stolen Heir" by Holly Black
Image of How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

From NOVL Nation

About The Cruel Prince

“Trust is a dangerous thing to play with in this world, and the weight of it isn’t light. There is so much depth to the politics in The Cruel Prince that, to me, it felt like a real place.”

—Shelby, A Bookish Fangirl

“The Cruel Prince is now my new current obsession, I’m going to be rereading this again before the end of the year, I’m going to be tumblr-ing on it every single day until the sequel comes out. I’m going to be talking about this book until the end of my existence, I’m going to be still be talking about this book even when my bones in the grave turns to star dusts. That’s how much I adore this book.”

—Chia, Sincerely Chia

“High fantasy—beautiful fairies included—court intrigue, enemies to lovers, deception, scheming, plotting and betrayals. A frankly unexpected amount of blood and death and an amazing FMC. Need I give you any more reasons to drop everything and go read this book?”

– Antonella, multicoloredbookreviews.home.blog

“I was hooked from the very beginning in this beautiful Faerie world. I enjoyed all of the twist and turns to the betrayals.”

–Alyssa, Goodreads

About The Lost Sisters

“With a narrator as unreliable as Jude and with a story that delves so deeply into family dynamics, The Lost Sisters is necessary and completely changed my perception of Jude and Taryn’s relationship. After having read, I’m left with a much deeper appreciation of Jude and Taryn, their positions in Faerie, how they view one another in this land of monsters, and how much they ultimately love each other.”

—Lindsay, Lindsay Bilgram

“You will feel every single emotion that you felt in The Cruel Prince all over again, but this time you’ll learn something deeper; that what we read in The Cruel Prince is really just the tip of the iceberg.”

—Amy, A Court of Crowns and Quills

“I was completely riveted. You can feel the emotions, sorrow and regret from Taryn and though I felt so much anger towards her actions I could see her reasoning a bit clearer. It also fills in some questions I had from The Cruel Prince (like what did Cardan whisper to Taryn?? We find out here!)”

—Kristen, My Friends Are Fiction

“Though Taryn is still a character I love to hate, her side sheds some light on the way she was feeling and the way her relationship with Locke developed. I have to admit, the girl has a bit more backbone than I thought she did.”

—Erin, As The Book Ends

“It’s captivating and enchanting, with poetic language that turns vices to feasts and love to battle. I actually really enjoyed this glimpse into Taryn’s story and found her transformation and motives to be fascinating and so real.”

—Robby, Robby Reads

About The Wicked King

“THAT ENDING, holy mother of pearl!”

—Shelby, A Fangirl Life

“Let me abate your fears. The Wicked King is just as good, if not better than The Cruel Prince. I was definitely worried the ‘second book slump’ would come into effect here—as it usually does with some of my favorite books. The Wicked King doesn’t slump. Instead, it flies.”

—Emily, Emily’s Writing Diary

“The undeniable attraction between Jude and Cardan is as fiery as ever, and their every interaction is a memorable moment that simmers with an array of emotions.”

—Angie, Sparks in Words

“Holy sweet mother of cliff hangers.”

—Ash, Ashes of a Book Dragon

“One constant of the book is the reminder of how faeries are different from humans in their viewpoints, violence, cruelty, and capriciousness.”

—Daphne, Daphodilli

About The Queen of Nothing

“I may or may not have finished this book in under 24 hours. I may or may not have stayed up till 5 am after starting this book becasue everytime I tried to stop, my mind went reeling, and I simply had to pick the book back up again.”

–Ginika, Ginika’s Book Blog

Bookclub Guides

Image of The Cruel Prince Downloadable Book Club Guide

Peek the Audiobook

Read the Series

Go to Series

Go to Book

The Lost Sisters

Go to Book

The Wicked King

Go to Book

The Queen of Nothing

Go to Book

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

More of Holly's Faerie Books

Go to Series

Go to Book

The Prisoner’s Throne

Go to Book

The Darkest Part of the Forest

On the Blog

  1. The September NOVLbox: Curated by Leigh Bardugo + John Picacio

  2. Castles and Coasts: Reads to Sweep You Away

  3. Our Favorite YA Dads Just in Time for Father’s Day

  4. Books That Will Make You Want to Go to the Ren Faire

  5. Choose an Element, Get a YA Series to Start

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Holly Black

About the Author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, as well as an Arthurian picture book called Sir Morien. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. She invites you to visit her online at blackholly.com or on Instagram @blackholly.

Learn more about this author

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