09/02/2026
Series Review: The Folk of the Air by Holly Black
I really enjoyed this series! The Folk of the Air gave me exactly what I want from a fae fantasy: political scheming, betrayals, unexpected loyalties, hidden threats, twists I didnât see coming, and an enemies-to-lovers romance where they genuinely seem to hate each other for a good portion of the story. đ
Jude and Cardanâs relationship was such a ride. This wasnât just some minor misunderstanding masquerading as enemies-to-loversâthere was serious hatred, manipulation, ambition, betrayal, and a constant struggle for power between them. Watching all of that slowly transform into something else made their eventual relationship so much more satisfying.
But I was just as invested in the family dynamics and politics surrounding them. I kept wondering how everything involving the twins and their respective love interests was going to play out, and there were several twists I absolutely did NOT predict. Lockeâs eventual fate certainly wasnât one of them!
And the loyalties in this series?! Just when I thought I knew exactly where someone stood, something would happen that made me question them all over again.
I especially loved how everything came together in The Queen of Nothing. Jude handing out her own versions of justice at the end was incredibly satisfyingâand Madoc being exiled to the mortal world?! đ Of all the punishments she could have chosen for him, there was something wonderfully fitting about that one.
I also read The Lost Sisters, which gives us Tarynâs perspective on some of the events surrounding The Cruel Prince. Iâm glad I read it because I was curious about the twinsâ very complicated relationship and everything that happened with Locke, but Iâll admit the novella itself wasnât my favorite. I donât think Iâm rushing to read the other companion novellas, although I WOULD happily return to this world for another full story.
One thing that caught my attention early in the trilogy was Judeâs narration. There were moments where her wording almost made me feel as though she was recounting the story from some point in the future, and I kept waiting to see if that impression would become significant