The Queen of Nothing

hey, my loves !!

so we all know that THE most anticipated book of 2019 came out two days ago. if you don't know what i'm talking about, then you must have been living under a rock.

because of course i'm talking about THE QUEEN OF NOTHING.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity . . .

this is going to be super long, im sry not sry

aight, so boom

this book. this GODDAMN book. where do i start ??? (ok so i was making notes whilst reading, so i remember exactly what my reactions were in certain chapters or moments and just holy shit, you guiseeeeeeeeee, holymotherfuckingshitttttttttt.)

i loved this book.

i fucking LOVED it.

although, there were parts (we'll get to it) and aspects i was like . . . bro what ?? where why how why WHY WHYYY IS IT LIKE THIS THERE NEEDS TO BE X Y Z TOO PLS !!

right from the very beginning, i was like okay, so we're jumping into the action, with Jude being a badass BITCH. she really is That Bitch™ and i adore her. she is everything i aspire to be, flaws and all. flaws are human nature, after all.

we are careless, reckless creatures, prone to making shitty, morally questionable decisions.

and then Taryn appeared and i was like:

then Jude went back to Elfhame and i was like:

in chapter 6, towards the end, my reaction was something similar to OH MY GOD HE KNOWS OH MY GOD

chapter 7, page 68, i was like:

in chapter 14: "look for the big one, that'll be it. [ . . . ] really big" LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL I'M SORRY, MY MIND IS WAY TOO DIRTY AND I COULDN'T STOP GIGGLING AT THIS BIT !!!

but at the end of this chapter, i was like:

in chapter 15 + 16, i was all HOLY FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK OH MY GOD

there were parts where i wanted to cry and parts that made me hold my breath, waiting to see what would happen.

"i feel like a constellation of wounds, held together with string and stubbornness."

there were many beautiful quotes within this book that i fell in love with.

and then i was like OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDD I LOVE CARDAN SO FUCKING MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!

"every part of me is a delight." YES !!!!!!!!!!!!

"i knew little else, but i always knew you."

"i feel as though i can finally breathe again."

and then shit happened, things got destroyed, loyalties were tested and i was like:

however, even with the climax of it all, the ending was still a little predictable, because of course it would go that way. why wouldn't it, you know ? but it was just a matter of how we would get to that resolution, which was a little . . . terrifying to wait for.

my favourite parts of the entire book, in all honesty, were the scenes where we get to see Jude's development. although aspects of her remained the same, overall we see her grow as an individual and take on the powerful role. she remained Strong and Stable (unlike the British government at this current time) (shout out to my g, Theresa May) throughout the entirety of the book.

her strength and badassery is admirable. i love how she does what she wants, regardless of the consequences, because once her mind is made up, it is it. she grabs hold of what she wants. she does it. she takes it. she doesn't take shit from anyone, either. she's one of the strongest main characters i've read about, whom i love.

i also love Grima Mog. what an og.

the scene with the pizza is also THE GODDAMN BEST EVER and idc i'm the first to say this: i want a fucking t-shirt with Cardan eating pizza, with the slanted crown. i want it. i tweeted about it too.

someone create it pls, abegggggggg !!

HOWEVER, i DID NOT LIKE

i. that Cardan became a completely different person. my man was charming, seductive, ruthless, volatile, violent, scary as fuck, dangerous, lethal, could probably murder someone with just his (handsome) face and that wicked grin of his. he was terrifying, at the very least, in THE CRUEL PRINCE and THE WICKED KING.

yet in THE QUEEN OF NOTHING, he's in luuuuuurve and ok, yes we know they do love each other and it is the enemies to lovers trope, but how did we get from one end of the spectrum to another ? why has he suddenly gone from being cruel to being all lovey-dovey, when we have never seen this side of him before ?

if Holly Black wanted us to see this side of him in the last book, then aspects of Cardan's cheesy, romantic side should've been dashed into the prior two books.

don't get me wrong, i adore Cardan being all cutesy and lovey, but it felt a little out of character for him. like who is this and why is he being like this pls ??

but i was VERY HAPPY to see his snark was still there. daddy. or is it Jude that's daddy in this relationship ?????????

also those letters he wrote to Jude ????? oh my god i cRIED WHILST READING THEM. I WAS CRYING SO MUCH, YOU GUYS ! they were so heartbreaking to read.

god i hate asha. evil bitch.

ii. the battle scene was over too quickly. there was not enough bloodshed. it was just . . . wrapped up, in a neat little bow. c'mon. yes we love all of these characters but SOMETHING SHOULD'VE HAPPENED IT WAS OVER TOO SOON IT ENDED WITHIN LIKE IDEK ONE PAGE ??? WHAT KIND OF BATTLE WAS THAT ????

all that build up, the suspense, the waiting, the planning, the plotting, the theories . . . for it to just be like . . . "you thought this was going to be a fight ? sikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".

disappointing.

iii. Taryn. i will never like this BACKSTABBING, LYING BITCH. ever. yes they're sisters and it's not just because of the whole Locke thing at all -- but it's just . . . ugh ugh UGH. she's just so . . . she's horrible.

she let Jude get hurt from the first book, when it should've been her. she treated Jude like trash. she is just a horrible person and manipulative as fuck. i can't even put into words how much i hate her.

the story itself moved slowly, and i am grateful for the happy ending. but . . . BUT it could've been better, imo. it's not as amazing as i would've thought.

it destroyed me and it made me cry

it made me laugh

but it just wasn't OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDD towards the battle scene, at all, which is what disappointed me the most. and Cardan being the doting lover. that was weird as shit.

the last scene though ???? *chef's kiss*

overall, i love THE QUEEN OF NOTHING. fookin' love it. honestly. it's great. it's everything wonderful, despite the parts i did not like. this series has quickly risen to be in my top favourite fantasy books, and i love the world of the fae, i love the characters, i love that everything isn't just black and white with Cardan and Jude.

this final book, though, like i said, isn't as epic as the first two, and my rating of it is 4.5 stars out of 5. which, obviously, is still pretty high. i wish i could've given it a full five stars though. but alas, 'twas not possible.

BUT WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK ????????

Sumaiya, x