Review: The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3)

3 stars. I KNOW! KILL ME! But before I go further I feel like I should expand on a couple of things: first, I don't like endings. I naturally dislike them. I don't know why! I just prefer beginnings. Second, I don't like it when sexual tension is ... well ... resolved. There's a reason I started hating The Office when Pam and Jim got together. I like banter! I like angst! I'll take a cruel bully over a lovesick puppy! (What is wrong with me?) So I'm giving this a lower rating because honestly - it would have never been my favorite to begin with. It's a me thing, not an author thing, not a story thing, not a writing thing.

That being said, more objectively, this may have been a little weaker by way of plot. I missed the fierce excitement of the first two, and I missed the nastiness. There wasn't enough bite. I loved the icky cliffhanger of the second book - actually, I'm not going to summarize because I want to avoid spoilers - but I was hoping that it would take a bit more rock'n'roll for Jude to get herself out of that one. Cardan's transformation over these three books seemed a little too smooth for my taste. And the ending?! Would you like some crackers with that cheese?!

Otherwise, WOW. What an accomplishment! This series is awesome, compelling, addictive, well-written, and FUN. Holly Black wrapped things up super suitably, throwing out credible and interesting character developments like confetti. I really, really loved the way Jude learned her lessons without sacrificing the core of her identity. I can see why so many readers connected with her and stand behind her - in fact, I can see why this series inspired such a passionate fanbase (which says a lot, coming from someone who is mostly disgruntled about fanbases).

Worth the time and the effort and then some. And I managed to finish another series just before the end of the year, per my mostly-failed reading challenge. Go me.

The Queen of Nothing on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads