Often when some of us were younger we would pretend to be a superhero or a witch or a fairy! A book series that transforms that dream into a fictional reality is ‘The Folk of the Air’ by Holly Black. Ever wondered if humans weren’t the only beings on the Earth? This series brings to you a world, away from the humans it brings you to the mysterious world of faeries. A book that feels so real and immersive that you won’t be able to get over the hangover after you read this series!
‘The Folk Of The Air’ is a trilogy that is set in the modern-day period, where aside from humans live another species; the faeries. Hidden and tucked away is the supernatural kingdom of Elfhame filled with creatures of all sorts, the majority species being faeries. The story revolves around Jude Duarte and her life as she tries to fit in the world which doesn’t seem to be her own.
Considering her past wherein her parents were killed unmercifully and her twin sister Taryn and her older half-sister were taken to the mysterious kingdom when she was just seven, Jude doesn’t let her past define her future in Elfhame.
Living in Elfhame, Jude gradually becomes accustomed to its traditions and routines, and being the ‘adopted’ daughter of the chief of the army of Elfhame, Jude was made to attend the court of the King. This is where she cultivated an interest in becoming a knight; a warrior and a member of the court just like her father.
Her dreams don’t make her life easier though. While she trains to become a knight with her adoptive father, she also has her school life. Now, there is no such thing as ‘schools’ in Elfhame, children of the fortunate go-to skill classes where they learn the basics. At these sessions, Jude and her twin sister Taryn are bullied by Cardan, the youngest and prince of Elfhame sixth in line to the throne. Cardan takes a strong dislike to Jude and Jude absolutely abhors him too. While none dares to stand up against Cardan; him being a potential heir to the throne; Jude bravely kept her guard up and stood against him and two of his other friends, Locke and Nicasia who jointly have made it their mission to bother Jude and Taryn.
The story follows Jude as she forms alliances, schemes, plots and makes interesting revelations about herself and the Kingdom of Elfhame. Through hatred and betrayal, this book has an outstanding plot that keeps you on your toes waiting for what event and twist follow next. The book is written from Jude’s point of view and gives the reader a different perspective. A perspective of the protagonist. The next two books follow with an equally interesting storyline as Jude and Cardan reevaluate their relationship as they are navigating through changes that have taken place throughout the first book. Throughout the book, Jude is forced to be alert and encounters many struggles within her own family as well as with the royal family of Elfhame; and especially Cardan. The introduction of new characters throughout the trilogy keeps moving the story forward with constant changes happening throughout. The book offers many interesting twists and turns which makes the reader feel sometimes betrayed and surprised. The book offers exactly what it promises; suspense, thrill, betrayal, and love. Aimed to be read by teens and young adults, The entire series has three main books with two smaller memoirs from the perspective of two characters, one being Jude’s twin Taryn and the other being Cardan. The three main books namely, ‘The Cruel Prince’, ‘The Wicked King’ and ‘The Queen of Nothing’; are all from Jude’s point of view and are exquisitely written by the author. The book is immensely fast-paced and most events happen very fast which might confuse the reader but it is not incredibly hard to keep with the book. The book pulls its readers in with its writing and when one reads the first book, they’re automatically compelled to read the books that follow! The technicals: The three books are beautifully designed and are written in a casual and assertive tone and evoke curiosity within the readers. Though a little hard to keep up with, the book is aimed at the age group of 15-17, but can also be read by young adults. The fictional plots of each individual book are well written with each character sculpted in such a way that it makes the readers believe they’re real. Every character has a distinctive personality and has uniquely influenced the storyline. This series is loved by many and each book individually holds ratings only above four stars. As a reader, I was taken up by the series even though I didn’t expect so to be. Captivated instantly by the writing style which made everything seem so real, the books helped me get my imagination running at the same time. The author, Holly Black has done an exceptional job creating a world of her own. Avid fans of the series have gone to various social media platforms and have created various online communities. They have also designed fanarts, and many have come up with their versions of the story following the characters of the novel.
I highly recommend this book for teens and young adults who are into fantasy fiction because though fairly new to the market, this series according to me is one of the best fantasy fiction series out there. Fantasy, fiction, drama, betrayal: everything you could ask for, in one series.
As an avid reader at a young age, Rhea Subash indulges herself in writing poetry, articles, and stories. She has won a national article writing accolade in 2020 and has even been published in an anthology. She continues to write and put her thoughts into words and tries her best to make everything she write better than her last.