The Folk of the Air (series)

The Folk of the Air

The Cruel Prince The Wicked King The Queen of Nothing How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories The Stolen Heir The Prisoner's Throne
Author	Holly Black
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Published	Jan 2, 2018 - Present
Media type	Print

The Folk of the Air is a young adult fantasy book series by Holly Black, published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.^[1] The story follows the journey of mortal girl, Jude Duarte, and faerie prince, Cardan Greenbriar, as they navigate the world of hate, betrayal, and contempt along with feelings for each other. The series is a New York Times Best Seller.^[2]

The Cruel Prince (2018) is the first book in the series. It follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl living in Elfhame, a faerie world. Swept against her will to Elfhame, Jude and her twin sister, Taryn must adapt to living alongside powerful creatures with a deep disdain for humans and a penchant for violent delights while also figuring out her feelings for faerie prince Cardan Greenbriar.^[3]

A Visit to the Impossible Lands (2018) is a companion short story told from the perspective of Kaye and Roiben from the Modern Tale of Faerie series as they witness the events of The Cruel Prince unfold. The story was released as a bonus exclusive for the Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition of The Cruel Prince.^[4]

The Lost Sisters (2018) is a companion novella from the perspective of Jude's twin sister Taryn Duarte. It is available only as an audiobook and an e-book.^[2]

The Wicked King (2019) is the second book in the series. It follows Jude and her newfound power and position in the faerie world of Elfhame while Cardan is thrust on the throne. The two fall for each other amidst politics, scandals, parties and plotting.^[5]

The Queen of Nothing (2019) is the third book of the series. It follows Jude and Cardan as they face not just Madoc who is hungry for the power and position of the throne, but also the extent of their love for each other.^[6]

Letters from Cardan to Jude in Exile (2019) were a series of letters addressed to Jude from Cardan set in between the events of The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing. Initially released as exclusive bonus content for the Barnes & Noble edition of The Queen of Nothing, the letters were finally released in e-book form three years after its initial print release.

How the King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories (2020) is a companion novella that focuses on Cardan's perspective.^[7]

The Stolen Heir (2023) is the first book of The Stolen Heir Duology, set in the perspective of Suren, the runaway queen of The Court Of Teeth, now nicknamed Wren. The book shows the aftermath of High Queen Jude's judgement on Wren and her mother, Lady Nore. Wren, the person with the only real power to control her mother, now lives feral in the woods. But she is unexpectedly pulled into a mission with the, now grown, Prince Oak. Now, Wren has to guard her heart against the boy she once knew but cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she'd left behind.

The Prisoner's Throne (2024) is the second book in The Stolen Heir Duology, set in the perspective of Oak, the heir to the throne of Elfhame, who is now suffering alone in the prisons of the very girl whose heart he stole and the one whom he deceived to save his father. Finding himself full of regret and other complicated feelings, Oak is now searching for a chance to find Wren and seek her forgiveness and a chance to tell her that he actually loved her and still does. Suddenly, he finds himself low on time when a message from Elfhame informs him of his rescue in 3 days time. Oak finds himself in a tough spot as he must find a way to clear up things with Wren and stop an incoming war between the ones he loves the most . ^[8]

The Honest Folk (2024) is a short story that was released as part of the anthology Faeries Never Lie: Tales to Revel In which focuses on the characters of Heather and Vivienne.

Jude Duarte, her twin sister Taryn Duarte, and her half-sister Vivienne live in the human world until a fae called Madoc, who is Vivienne's biological father, arrives one day and kills their parents. The trio are then forced to live in Faerie for a decade with Madoc's wife Oriana and son Oak, among other Faeries.

Jude and Taryn are repeatedly tormented by Prince Cardan Greenbriar, the youngest in the Greenbriar Royalty line, and his friends, Nicasia, Valerian and Locke. Throughout the book, this bullying consists of Taryn and Jude nearly drowned by the group, and Valerian commanding Jude to jump off a tower (unbeknownst of Jude's protection once Prince Dain gives her the geas). Jude and Locke ultimately have an affair.

Meanwhile, Prince Dain is to be crowned within months and he takes in Jude as a spy, due to her human ability to lie (which faeries cannot) and employs her in the Court of Shadows with a trio consisting of The Roach, The Bomb and The Ghost. Prince Dain gives Jude a geas that prevents her from being enchanted into obeying instructions from fae (mind magic). Jude begins a practice of mithridatism – taking small doses of poison to become immune to its effects.

Jude has dinner with Locke, wearing the dress of his deceased mother, and finds an acorn within it. Upon further discovery, she learns that the acorn contains a message pertaining to an heir to the throne, who the message urges to protect. The night before the coronation, Oriana warns Jude of getting herself involved with Dain and tells her that Locke's mother Liriope was a concubine to the High King Eldred but ultimately assassinated. Jude is later tormented and nearly killed by a drunk Valerian before she finally kills him and buried his body in the stables.

The coronation takes place, but before Dain gets crowned, it is sabotaged by Prince Balekin and Madoc, who kills him. Balekin can only be crowned by a member of the royal family, but in the ensuing scuffle, multiple members of the family get killed, leaving only Cardan of the Greenbriar line. Cardan hides, is found by Jude and both of them evacuate the halls. Jude later places Cardan in the arrest of the Court of Shadows for 24 hours, and they both have an intimate conversation where they reveal their mutual desire for each other.

Jude learns that her relationship with Locke was a foul played by Locke, and that Locke's true fiancee is actually Taryn. She later discovers that Liriope is not only the mother of Locke but also the mother of Oak, who was seeded by Dain and is ergo a member of the royal Family. Prince Dain had ordered The Ghost to kill Liriope when she was pregnant with Oak, because of a prophecy claiming Dain will never be on the throne if the child is born. Madoc, who had orchestrated the coup, planned to crown Oak in order to rule as Regent. Jude plans to have Cardan crown Oak and rule as Regent herself. Cardan agrees to it and swears allegiance to Jude for a year and a day, only because of how badly he didn't want to be crowned.

Balekin orchestrates a banquet, and Jude and Cardan arrive. Jude fights Madoc, winning due to her practice of mithraditism, him having been poisoned and fatigued. A bomb (released by The Bomb) explodes in the hall, causing chaos. In the midst of it, the crown is tossed to Cardan, who is crowned by Oak, unaware of Jude's actual motive, which consists of it being Cardan who gets to rule the throne. Cardan is enraged. In the epilogue, Cardan tells Jude that he shall be her puppet king, but he would be deliberately difficult for Jude to handle.

Five months have elapsed since the events of The Cruel Prince – Cardan is king and five months into his one year plus one day submission to Jude. No one knows that Jude, his seneschal, has control over him. Their hatred towards each other continues. Jude hopes she can extend her power over Cardan until her brother, Oak, is old enough to return to Faerie and rule.

Jude's spies have intercepted a note from Balekin asking Cardan to visit him in prison. Jude goes to the prison and learns that messages are being exchanged by Balekin and Orlagh, queen of the Undersea, to undermine Cardan's rule.

Jude's twin sister, Taryn, asks Jude to attend her wedding to Locke. Later, Jude finds that Nicasia has shot an arrow at Cardan. Nicasia admits to Jude that she was furious to see Cardan in bed with another girl. She aimed to kill the girl and accidentally wounded Cardan instead.

Orlagh makes an announcement: She wants her daughter to marry Cardan and there will be punishment if he disobeys.

Madoc calls Jude and asks her to work towards a mutual goal. He wants her to ensure that Cardan does not marry Nicasia, fearing Orlagh's ambition. Madoc wants to use Oak as bait to draw Orlagh out, which Jude forbids.

Cardan summons Jude, concerned that Jude is hiding things from him, and she admits to intercepting messages from Balekin. Cardan and Jude kiss passionately. Later, Cardan tells Jude when Orlagh plans to act. He later mentions the other night's intimacy, but Jude cuts him off.

Jude goes to Madoc with information about Orlagh's plan to attack, and they work to ensure Oak's safety. Later, Madoc overhears Jude ordering Cardan, learning of Jude's control. Madoc says they will work together to defeat Orlagh, but after that, they will be enemies.

Jude learns that Orlagh has rescued Balekin from prison in hopes of marrying Nicasia to him and making him king someday. The Ghost joins Orlagh's forces revealing to Jude that he has betrayed her.

Jude is held captive in the Undersea and questioned by Orlagh, though Jude learns that the legendary blacksmith Grimsen is making a new crown to make Balekin king. Cardan makes concessions to get Jude back, such as allowing Balekin to be free and live as the ambassador to Elfhame from the Undersea.

Taryn tells Jude that Cardan and their father formed a truce to try to get her back. Jude is called on by Dulcamara from the Court of Termites. Jude learns that Cardan gave the Undersea permission to attack the Court of Termites as part of the price of her ransom. She asks for Jude to kill Prince Balekin, even if causes war with the Undersea.

Jude goes to the palace to reach Cardan, but Madoc has locked her out. Jude finds evidence, then sneaks into the palace to tell Cardan that Orlagh and Balekin are planning his murder. Cardan confesses to Jude that he betrayed others to get her back because he liked her.

Cardan is poisoned, and Balekin sends a note that he has the antidote and will give it to Cardan in exchange for the crown. Jude duels Balekin for the antidote and ultimately kills Balekin. When Jude returns to Cardan, she discovers Madoc had Taryn pose as Jude to fool Cardan into giving Madoc half of the army.

Later that night, Cardan asks Jude to give him his free will back and marry him, which will allow her to give him any royal orders she wants and bypass her needing to order him around to get things done. He suggests they only need to stay married until Oak is ready to rule. They perform the ceremony themselves, and Jude releases him from his service to her.

The next morning, Cardan learns that Jude killed Balekin in a duel. Orlagh arrives to have Cardan account for why Jude killed her Ambassador. Orlagh threatens war, and Cardan uses his magic to trap Nicasia in a tree. Orlagh relents in exchange for Cardan releasing her daughter. To appease Orlagh and maintain peace with the Undersea, Cardan exiles Jude to the mortal world with Vivi and Oak, despite her protests.

A prophecy was made at Cardan Greenbriar's birth that he will be the last of Eldred's offspring and will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. The Royal Astrologer who makes this prediction also said that out of the boy's spilled blood can a great ruler rise, but only after the aforementioned prophecy comes to pass. As a result of this prophecy, Cardan was poorly treated and raised in squalor.

Jude returns home to find that Taryn has come from the Faerie realm. Taryn tells Jude that she is pregnant, her husband Locke had been abusive towards her, and she ultimately ended up killing him. She says that there is going to be an inquest into Locke's murder, and Taryn asks Jude to return to Faerie, pretending to be Taryn, so that she will be able to lie that she did not murder Locke, and thus will not be punished for Locke's death. Jude agrees to this even though it puts Jude at risk since Cardan had banished Jude from Faerie under penalty of death until or unless she is pardoned by the crown. Jude returns to meet with Cardan and the court pretending to be Taryn, but after the inquest has concluded, Cardan takes her aside and tells her that he knows that she is Jude and not Taryn. He asks why Jude has not responded to any of his letters, and Jude replies that she never received any letters from him. An attack is made in the palace, and Jude is kidnapped by Madoc's army, believing that she is Taryn.

Jude, while continuing to be believed to be Taryn, is taken under Madoc's protection. He has conspired with the Court of Teeth to take over Cardan's reign of Faerie. He has employed the legendary blacksmith Grimsen to forge a new sword for him that will effectively overrule the power of the Blood Crown that Cardan wears. While in the camp of the Court of Teeth, Oriana discovers Jude and agrees to help Jude escape the camp. While awaiting her escape, she finds the Ghost chained up, prisoner to Madoc. She learns that Locke knew the Ghost's true name and that Locke gave Madoc this information as part of the dowry for his marriage to Taryn.

In Jude's escape, she is caught by Madoc, who almost kills her.

Jude returns to the palace. Madoc and his army come to the palace with Madoc bringing the weapon that Grimsen has forged for him – a sword that rivals the power that lies in the Blood Crown that Grimsen had previously forged. Madoc challenges Cardan to a duel in order to determine who will rule Faerie. He offers the sword to Cardan and thrusts the sword into the ground, which causes the ground to crack and ruin the throne. Madoc questions if Cardan has the loyalty of the people. Cardan recounts the prophecy that was made at his birth that he would be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. He says that he believes the people should choose of their own free will to follow a ruler and not be bound to a crown. He breaks the crown in half not knowing that when Grimsen forged the crown, he cursed it, which transforms Cardan into a snake. Grimsen tells that as a snake, he will poison the land, and that only death can stop it. Cardan, in snake form, kills Grimsen before burrowing into the ground.

Jude, acting as Queen, tries to formulate how to maintain her rule against Madoc's threat and solve Cardan's curse. Madoc and the Court of Teeth give Jude a bridle that would be able to control Cardan. She later learns that they gave her incorrect instructions on how to use it, which would have tied her to the snake and left Madoc in control. A plan is made for Jude to capture the snake, but instead of putting the bridle on him, she cuts the snake's head off. The second part of the prophecy – only out of his spilled blood can a great ruler rise – is fulfilled when Cardan, in his original form, emerges from the pool of the snake's blood. In the Epilogue, Cardan and Jude are crowned and they banish Madoc to live in the human world.

The book is a collection of short stories organized into nine chapters, which are richly illustrated. The chapters include stories from Cardan's early childhood, occurring before the main trilogy; stories occurring within the timespan of the trilogy, told from Cardan's point of view; and stories occurring after the events of The Queen of Nothing.

• Jude Duarte: High Queen of Elfhame; Eva and Justin's daughter; Taryn's twin sister; Vivi's half-sister; Madoc's foster daughter; Oak's adopted sister; Cardan's wife

• Cardan Greenbriar: High King of Elfhame; Asha and Eldred's son; Balekin, Kaeliq, Elowyn, Dain, Rhyia and Caelia's half-brother; Jude's husband

• Madoc: Former Grand General of Elfhame; Eva's former husband; Vivi's father; Jude, Taryn and Oak's adoptive father; Oriana's husband

• Taryn Duarte: Eva and Justin's daughter; Jude's twin sister; Vivi's half-sister; Madoc's foster daughter; Oak's adoptive sister; Locke's former wife

• Vivienne "Vivi" Duarte: Eva and Madoc's daughter; Justin's adopted daughter; Jude and Taryn's half-sister; Oak's adoptive sister; Heather's girlfriend

• Oriana: Eldred's former lover; Liriope's friend; Madoc's second wife; Oak's foster mother

• Oak Greenbriar: Liriope and Dain's son; Locke's half-brother; Oriana and Madoc's adopted son; Jude, Taryn and Vivi's adopted brother

• Locke: Elfhame's former Master of Revels; Liriope's son; Oak's half-brother; Cardan and Valerian's former friend; Nicasia's former fling; Taryn's former husband; killed by Taryn

• Nicasia: Princess of the Undersea; Orlagh's daughter; Cardan's former girlfriend; Locke's former fling

• Balekin Greenbriar: Former ambassador of the Undersea; Eldred's eldest son; Elowyn, Dain, Rhyia, Caelia and Cardan's half-brother; killed by Jude

• Orlagh: Queen of the Undersea; Nicasia's mother

• Van, "The Roach": Member of the Court of Shadows; Dain's former spy and theft expert; Liliver's lover

• Liliver, "The Bomb": Member of the Court of Shadows; Dain's former spy and explosives expert; Van's lover

• Garrett, "The Ghost": Member of the Court of Shadows; Dain's former spy and shooting expert; Taryn's lover

• Heather: Vivi's mortal girlfriend

• Grima Mog: Former general of the Court of Teeth; Grand General of Elfhame

• Dain Greenbriar: Taniot and Eldred's son; Balekin, Elowyn, Rhyia, Caelia and Cardan's half-brother; Oak's biological father; killed by Madoc

• Lady Asha: Cardan's mother

• Valerian: Cardan, Locke and Nicasia's former friend; killed by Jude

• Eva Duarte: Former wife of Madoc; Wife of Justin; Mother to Jude, Taryn and Vivi; Killed by Madoc

• Justin Duarte: Former master sword-smith; Husband of Eva; Father to Jude and Taryn; Killed by Madoc

• Dulcamara: Knight for Court of Termites; Guard to Lord Roiben

• Lord Roiben: Lord of Court of Termites; Lover to Kaye

• Kaye: Favourite consort of Roiben; Allied to Court of Termites

• Val Moren: Seneschal and lover to former king Eldred; Court Poet

• Grimsen: Court Blacksmith; back to Faerie after being exiled by king Eldred

• Eldred Greenbriar: Former high king; Father to Balekin, Elowyn, Dain, Rhiya, Caelia and Cardan; Killed by Balekin

• Elowyn Greenbriar: Daughter of Eldred; Sister to Balekin, Dain, Rhyia, Caelia and half-sister to Cardan; Killed by Balekin

• Rhiya Greenbriar; Daughter of Eldred; Sister to Balekin, Dain, Elowyn, Caelia and half-sister to Cardan; Good friend of Vivi; Killed herself

• Caelia Greenbriar: Daughter of Eldred; Sister to Balekin, Dain, Elowyn, Rhiya and half-sister to Cardan; Killed by the Ghost

• Sophie: Former human servant to Balekin; Rescued by Jude; Killed herself; Adopted by merfolk of the Undersea

The series features appearances by characters from Black's previous Modern Tale of Faerie trilogy, as well as characters from her standalone novel The Darkest Part of the Forest, establishing that those books take place in the same universe as The Folk of the Air series. Holly Black has also set her most recent book, ‘The Prisoner's Throne,’ in Elfhame. This book is the second in a duology and is preceded by ‘The Stolen Heir’.

The Folk of the Air series has been reprinted into special editions by multiple companies including, illumicate, Fairyloot, and Barnes and Noble. In 2022 Litjoy also announced the complete special editions of The Folk of Air series. Two years later, Litjoy released a special edition for The Stolen Heir.

In June 2017, it was announced that The Cruel Prince had been optioned for a film adaptation produced by Universal Pictures and Michael De Luca.^[9]