How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate StoriesReview posted 02/21/2021.
Little, Brown and Company, 2020. 173 pages.
Review written January 19, 2021, from a library book
Starred Review
2021 Sonderbooks Standout:
#3 Teen Fiction
Oh, this is marvelous! It’s an illustrated novella for teens. And why shouldn’t teens get illustrations in beautifully printed books?
This is for people who have read the author’s Folk of the Air trilogy. The book begins after that trilogy ends, with Cardan and Jude making a visit to the mortal world to fight a monster – but gives us much of the back story of Cardan, King of Elfhame, when he was growing up as a young and out-of-favor prince of faerie.
The book reads like a fairy tale, with an inner story – the one Cardan learned to hate – repeated three times, with significant variations.
It also has a confrontation at the end that requires cleverness in order to come out alive.
This is a lovely reading experience for all Holly Black’s fans.