On This Page
Description
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 Cardan 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 show more 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. . show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This book was pure magic. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is exactly what my Folk of the Air–loving heart needed—an enchanting, whimsical, and surprisingly emotional peek into Cardan’s life that made me love him even more than I already did. Holly Black has such a gift for storytelling, and this novella reminded me why I fell in love with her writing in the first place.
First of all, the format was brilliant. The mix of short stories, interconnected vignettes, and stunning illustrations made the book feel like a fairytale come to life. Every page felt special, like you were holding a piece of Elfhame in your hands. It wasn’t just a story—it was an experience. I caught myself slowing down just to take in the art show more and savor the words, which doesn’t happen often with me.
And Cardan… oh, Cardan. Getting his perspective was everything. Seeing his childhood, his scars, and the events that shaped him gave such depth to a character who already feels larger than life. I loved how Holly Black didn’t shy away from showing his flaws and cruelty, but balanced that with vulnerability and yearning. It made him more human (well, faerie) and infinitely more relatable. By the time I finished, I felt like I understood him on a whole new level.
I also adored the way stories within the story were used to mirror his journey. The recurring fairytale-like tales wove in beautifully, giving layers of meaning and emotion. They added this bittersweet, timeless quality that made the novella feel like both a companion piece and a standalone fable.
The moments with Jude, though brief, were absolute perfection. Their relationship is one of my all-time favorites, and seeing Cardan reflect on her and what she means to him was heart-melting. Even in just a few lines, the intensity of their bond came through, reminding me why I’ll never get over these two.
If I had to describe the overall vibe, it felt like a love letter to the series, the characters, and the readers. It didn’t need the big twists or political intrigue of the main books—it was quieter, more introspective, but just as powerful. It left me with that aching, satisfied feeling you only get from truly special stories.
This little book might be short, but it packs so much heart, beauty, and magic into its pages. It’s a must-read for anyone who loved The Cruel Prince trilogy and wants one more chance to step into Elfhame. Five stars without hesitation—I’ll be rereading it whenever I need a dose of faerie magic and Cardan’s sharp, aching charm. show less
First of all, the format was brilliant. The mix of short stories, interconnected vignettes, and stunning illustrations made the book feel like a fairytale come to life. Every page felt special, like you were holding a piece of Elfhame in your hands. It wasn’t just a story—it was an experience. I caught myself slowing down just to take in the art show more and savor the words, which doesn’t happen often with me.
And Cardan… oh, Cardan. Getting his perspective was everything. Seeing his childhood, his scars, and the events that shaped him gave such depth to a character who already feels larger than life. I loved how Holly Black didn’t shy away from showing his flaws and cruelty, but balanced that with vulnerability and yearning. It made him more human (well, faerie) and infinitely more relatable. By the time I finished, I felt like I understood him on a whole new level.
I also adored the way stories within the story were used to mirror his journey. The recurring fairytale-like tales wove in beautifully, giving layers of meaning and emotion. They added this bittersweet, timeless quality that made the novella feel like both a companion piece and a standalone fable.
The moments with Jude, though brief, were absolute perfection. Their relationship is one of my all-time favorites, and seeing Cardan reflect on her and what she means to him was heart-melting. Even in just a few lines, the intensity of their bond came through, reminding me why I’ll never get over these two.
If I had to describe the overall vibe, it felt like a love letter to the series, the characters, and the readers. It didn’t need the big twists or political intrigue of the main books—it was quieter, more introspective, but just as powerful. It left me with that aching, satisfied feeling you only get from truly special stories.
This little book might be short, but it packs so much heart, beauty, and magic into its pages. It’s a must-read for anyone who loved The Cruel Prince trilogy and wants one more chance to step into Elfhame. Five stars without hesitation—I’ll be rereading it whenever I need a dose of faerie magic and Cardan’s sharp, aching charm. show less
It’s always a fun ride diving back into Holly Black’s faerietale worlds, but this time around we get a totally different perspective. Usually, we’re looking at the land of the fey from the eyes of a mortal, but instead Black takes us back to Elfhame through the eyes of its favourite (or least favourite) fey, Cardan, the newly minted king. The Cardan we see from Jude’s eyes in the previous trilogy is shown to be harsh, abrasive, and downright cruel before he meets his match in Jude and mends his ways (kind of), so it’s absolutely tantalizing to get into his head and see where that motivation came from. The truth of the matter is obviously more complicated - taking into account the true nature of the Fey, and whether they retain show more any semblance of human emotions or cares - than can be truly explained in one short novella, but it is none the less an interesting journey through Elfhame from the time Cardan was a young sprite to his more adult days alongside Jude. Cardan reveals himself to be equal parts reckless and fearful throughout his life, and as we suspected from his later actions there’s always more going on behind Cardan’s eyes than can easily be seen by outsiders. Meeting a fearsome (and wantonly violent) troll in his youth, and continuing to run into her at various crucial moments throughout his life, reveal Cardan’s canny knack for getting himself into trouble and an even cannier knack for getting himself out. Sometimes with the timely help of his fearsome queen, Jude, but at least he tries his best. I’m sure after this short novella this will be the last we see of Jude and Cardan as Holly Black moves on to new characters and worlds, but this little treat of a book was a fun way to end things off. show less
Um? UM? A POV story from the High King of Elfhame? Yes PLEASE. This was great. It's exactly what you want from a backstory POV short. Cardan is his same snarky self, but we get to see this internal dialogue that shows why he seems so erratic at times. And we find that he's a lot more introverted and contemplative than he lets on. There are a handful of perfect humorous scenes too. This one will also hurt ya a good bit - you see more into Cardan's experience being abused, neglected, and cheated on.
There were a couple of things that threatened a lowered the rating by that half a star.. First, I hate the tense. Black writes FMC stories from present first-person, but keeps doing her MMC's from past first-person. It's infuriating. It changes show more the cadence of the story, and there is no good reason to change the tense. And second, the idea that Cardan was given this HUGE lore about being connected to the land and uprooting the entire sea floor in Wicked King, but then he never really uses/ is able to use it again. That's disappointing.
I give Caitly Kelly 3/5⭐'s. I've never much liked her narration - it's too lifeless. She doesn't inflect much at all, unfortunately. It's listenable, just not great. show less
There were a couple of things that threatened a lowered the rating by that half a star.. First, I hate the tense. Black writes FMC stories from present first-person, but keeps doing her MMC's from past first-person. It's infuriating. It changes show more the cadence of the story, and there is no good reason to change the tense. And second, the idea that Cardan was given this HUGE lore about being connected to the land and uprooting the entire sea floor in Wicked King, but then he never really uses/ is able to use it again. That's disappointing.
I give Caitly Kelly 3/5⭐'s. I've never much liked her narration - it's too lifeless. She doesn't inflect much at all, unfortunately. It's listenable, just not great. show less
This book was such an unexpected treat! I anticipated this novella to feel like the Shatter Me novellas, dramatic, not plot-altering, and I was partially correct, but this felt so refreshing. This is all from Cardan's perspective and jumps to memories and experiences to give context and exposure. His family is not nice, but he turned out okay. He's the kind of villain I can support.
This one must be read after the third book, reading out of context would lead to all sorts of spoilers. Additionally, this is an illustrated book and is read so much better as a physical book than the ebook would be. The papers feel heavier than normal and the text is spaced differently than most YA books. I am so glad for this addition to the Cruel Prince show more world. show less
This one must be read after the third book, reading out of context would lead to all sorts of spoilers. Additionally, this is an illustrated book and is read so much better as a physical book than the ebook would be. The papers feel heavier than normal and the text is spaced differently than most YA books. I am so glad for this addition to the Cruel Prince show more world. show less
“A heart of stone can still be broken.”
Cardan is such a great character in the series and in the genre as a whole, you watch his character change over time and it's so enjoyable.
So naturally, I wanted to read this since one, It's in the same universe and has Cardan.
The pages are beautifully illustrated, it's like the universe and the characters have come to life.
It's a short book, a novella technically and it's less than 300 pages, this book, however, unlike many novellas, adds something to the universe and the characters as a whole. (Unlike Becoming the dark prince, this book has got a reasonable length and actually something good)
However, I wish we got more, even if this is more in a novella than usually seen in other novellas.
Cardan is such a great character in the series and in the genre as a whole, you watch his character change over time and it's so enjoyable.
So naturally, I wanted to read this since one, It's in the same universe and has Cardan.
The pages are beautifully illustrated, it's like the universe and the characters have come to life.
It's a short book, a novella technically and it's less than 300 pages, this book, however, unlike many novellas, adds something to the universe and the characters as a whole. (Unlike Becoming the dark prince, this book has got a reasonable length and actually something good)
However, I wish we got more, even if this is more in a novella than usually seen in other novellas.
Actually pretty disappointing. Cardan seems a bit of a wet towel in this - I find him much more compelling when he’s playing the villain. I like that we did see a little bit of his life before the events of the main series but not nearly as much as I expected. The art also is very mediocre for being one of the main reasons this was published. I’ve seen fan art of these characters that is 100 times better.
Overall this is the quality of a freebie most lesser known authors publish to their websites so it feels a bit of a rip off when you paid $25 and waited six months for it.
Overall this is the quality of a freebie most lesser known authors publish to their websites so it feels a bit of a rip off when you paid $25 and waited six months for it.
I am in complete awe by this book. I knew I would enjoy it but didn't realize how much. First we finally get a story from Cardan's POV and it was written so beautifully!! The combination of Holly Black's storytelling and the beautiful artwork within made it feel like a fairytale. Which I suppose it is. A tale of fairies. Specifically our favorite High King and the story of how he learned to hate stories.
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
READ IN 2021
239 works; 4 members
Books Read in 2021
5,361 works; 114 members
Wishlist
71 works; 1 member
Books - Black, Holly: The Folk of the Air
6 works; 1 member
Author Information
160+ Works 104,642 Members
Holly Black was born in West Long Branch, New Jersey on November 10, 1971. She graduated with a B.A. in English from The College of New Jersey in 1994. Her first book, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale was published in 2002 and was included in the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults. Her other works include The Spiderwick show more Chronicles written with Tony DiTerlizzi, Ironside, Poison Eaters and Other Stories, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Iron Trial (Magisteruim Book 1) and The Copper Gauntlet (Magisteruim Book 2) written with Cassandra Clare, and The Darkest Part of the Forest. Valiant won the Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. She also won the Young-Adult Prize in the Indies Choice Book Awards 2015 for The Darkest Part of the Forest. Black and Clare's Magisterium Series has received both critical and popular acclaim appearing on numerous bestseller lists including The New York Times bestseller list in the Young Adult category. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
- Original publication date
- 2020
- People/Characters
- Cardan Greenbriar, Prince; Jude Duarte; Aslog of the West; Bryern; Balekin Greenbriar, Prince; Margaret (show all 17); Nicasia; Caelia (Princess); Rhyia (Princess); Locke; Valerian; The Roach; Vivienne; Heather; Oak; Ladhar; Queen Gliten
- Important places
- Portland, Maine, USA; Insmire, Elfhame
- Dedication
- For Brian and Drake, but mostly for Theo
- First words
- A prince of Faerie, nourished on cat milk and contempt, born into a family overburdened with heirs, with a nasty little prophecy hanging over his head—since the hour of Cardan's birth, he has been alternately adored and des... (show all)pised.
- Quotations
- "... A heart of stone can still be broken."
... in her eyes, he recognized a hate big enough and wide enough and deep enough to match his own. A hate you could drown in like a vat of wine.
No one chooses a future. You choose a path without being certain where it leads.
"All you really get to control is yourself." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"So long as you're begging," he says.
- Publisher's editor
- Ling, Alvina
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,791
- Popularity
- 6,523
- Reviews
- 34
- Rating
- (4.17)
- Languages
- 7 — English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 33
- ASINs
- 6